17.

As I went back up to my loft, Darryl was calling me, "Yo." I answered.

"First of all, tell me what happened after I left." He replied.

"I brought that stripper home. She's just a regular hoe. Anyway, what'd you want?"

"Your mix tape got downloaded at least two thousand times!"

"What?" I hurried up to my loft.

"Hell yes! And the numbers keep going up! Check YouTube too. You have a fuck load of comments under these songs."

"You mean people actually like it?"

"Here, listen to this, 'I love his voice! It's so orgasmic! Instant sub, instant download.' That's what someone just commented. People love you already!" I got on my computer and pulled up my website to see that I had many downloads and counting. "Are you seeing this?!"

"This is real?" I asked as I went to YouTube and went to check out the comments under the songs.

"Do you want it all to go away?" Darryl asked.

"Stop playin'. This is serious, huh?"

"This is real, Mike." I took a deep breath. People actually like my music. It's probably a lot of females though.

"Is it a lot of females that like it? Or is it about equal?"

"It's actually a lot of men that like your music."

"How can I check that?"

"Go to demographics. Click Male and Female and you'll see." I did as he said to see that he was right. I was actually hoping that a lot of females would like my music, but I see it's a lot of guys. I don't care, hell. At least I got views.

"Darryl, you know we're going to have to work on that new mix tape, right?"

"Oh, yeah, I know. Do you have the theme of that one yet?"

"Yeah, of course I do. I want to start working on it a.s.a.p." I leaned back in my seat. "Damn, and just a week ago there were only like ten downloads."

"I'm sayin'! Who knew this could be so easy?"

"I don't know." I stretched. "Hey, Darryl. How's your sister doin'?"

He was quiet for a moment, "the fuck you mean how's my sister doin'?" He asked, clearly offended.

I sucked my teeth, "Man, I'm just askin'. No one wants to get with your sister. You know I haven't seen her since Thanksgiving."

"You're not going to see her any time soon until next Thanksgiving either," He sucked his teeth. "But she's fine."

"That's all I asked for. Damn!"

"Man, I gotta go. Kimberly needs me."

"Alright man, thirty one minutes tops."

"Fuck you." He said and hung up. I put my phone on the charger and read the comments under one of the songs Darryl posted.

"Your voice is amazing!"

"Marry me?" I laughed.

"Gay ass nigga." You'll always have the small group of haters hiding behind a keyboard on the internet. I'm not phased.

"Is this guy new in the game?" I thumbed up a bunch of comments. Just as I logged out, Sophia was calling me.

"What's going on?" I answered.

"I just downloaded your mix tape. Do you realize how good it is? I had to light a joint."

I laughed, "I didn't realize it was that good, but I did put my all into it. I would expect for it to be good."

"It was. Mind if I come over?"

"For what?" I asked. It's very rare that I ask Sophia why she would be interested in coming over, but I asked any way. Maybe because I didn't want to be bothered with a female at the moment. Any female but Jamie of course.

"What do you mean, 'for what?'" She laughed. "I just want to hang out."

"Sophie, you're probably high right now. I don't need you around me high as a kite. You might do some shit you'll end up regretting."

"I'm not even high."

"I don't really want anyone over at the moment to be completely honest with you."

"Why? What's wrong?"

I sighed, "I'll tell you when you're not in the clouds, cool?"

"Fine." I hung up and went to go take a shower. I still felt like I was tainted with Candy. I brushed my teeth thoroughly in the shower, to get rid of the taste of her in my mouth. What the hell possessed me to bring over a stripper?

As soon as I got out, my phone signaled that I had a text. I checked it to see that my ex girl texted me. 'I left Drew.' So? I deleted the text and proceeded to get ready for bed. My phone signaled that I had a text again. Once again I checked it, 'I know you probably don't care at this point. I just wanted you to know that I actually listened to you and let him go. Thank you.' I deleted that text too and went to sleep.

•          •           •

I woke up to the sound of a light tapping on my door. I checked the clock to see that it was eleven in the morning. Who the fuck is bothering me? I got out of bed and went to the front door and checked through the peephole to see her. I unlocked the door and opened the door a bit.

"What do you want?" I squinted. My eyes were still getting adjusted to all this unnecessary light.

"Can we talk?"

"Say what you have to say right here. I might listen. I might not." I leaned against the wall. She sighed and showed me her finger. "So?"

"I did it for me."

"Good for you." I attempted to shut the door, but she stuck her foot between it.

"Michael, I want you back."

"So, I'm supposed to come to your beck and call when you need me? Fuck that." I attempted to shut the door again.

"You've done it before. What's wrong with doing it now when I'm open to anything?"

"Did it ever cross your mind that I did say I tried to push this love feeling away? I'm pushing it away successfully right now. I don't care about you anymore. Shit, I probably don't care for any female anymore. Anyway, either you keep talking to me as though I'm actually taking your words for consideration, or you go away to Drew or whereever the fuck you came from."

She looked at me as though I had changed drastically, "What happened to you?"

"You."

"What did I do, Michael? All I did was love you back."

I rolled my eyes, "Please stop lying to yourself." I looked down at my watch. "Do you want to do me a favor?"

"I'll do anything!" She whined.

I made a face, "Listen to my mix tape." I wrote down my website and gave it to her. "You inspired it."