Chapter Four B

Disclaimer: The two songs featured in this chapter come from Mya's "Mood Ring" album and are called, in order: "Step" & "Anatomy 10n1"

****

Sept 23, 2003

After spending an entire week holed up in her LA home with no one else to talk to but Stacey and her dog, Fozzie, Christina couldn't help but feel a little bit relieved when she got a surprise phone call from Mya around one PM, Thursday afternoon.

"Hey girl..how you doing?"

After waiting until she had got back into her original position--stretched out on her new Corinthian leather couch, which her mom and step dad had just bought and moved into the house for her while she was out on tour--Christina jokingly replied: "Good...but better now that I'm talking to a real live person. I swear twenty more minutes of silence and the walls would've been hearing a mouthful from me."

Knowing that her friend was only half-kidding and that, just like her, she could only stand silence for a certain amount of time caused Mya to slightly laugh before jokingly replying: "I'll bet." And then afterwards following that statement with: "What if I was to say that I had a proposal for you which would allow you to not only spend a few days with me but also have you not spending the rest of your mini-vacation in LA with no one to keep you company but Fozzie and Tiger?"

"I'd have to first repeatedly thank you and then ask you what you want in return for my sanity." Christina jokingly replied, before reluctantly getting up from her position on the couch; ready to give her friend all ears. "Why, what's up?"

Waiting until after a small second of silence had passed between the two, Mya slowly replied: "See, the thing is: ever since we last saw one other at the VMA's, Curtis has been calling every night--trying to get me to let him come out on tour for a couple of days. And at first I didn't think that was such a good idea--seeing as how ever since Mood Ring dropped last month, I've had nearly a thousand things to do everyday. But now that things are finally starting to slow down out here, I'm sort of feeling a little lonely and have actually considered canceling all of my upcoming performances just so I can jump on the next flight to NY to be with him."

After successfully trying to conceal the amusement which wanted to come out of her mouth when hearing the ever pessimistic--when coming to relationships--Mya complaining about how much she missed her boyfriend, Christina opened her mouth to ask: "So, what does this have to do with me?"

But before she could even get the first word out, the older woman continued with: "Which is why, after thinking about it for a couple of days and talking to both Curtis and Marshall about it, I'm finally calling you."

Huh..?

Not really understanding where Mya was coming from at this point caused Christina to first furrow her eyebrows in confusion before asking the older woman what she was talking about.

Afterwards, getting the response: "You and I both know how selfish it'd be of me if I went and canceled a months worth of concert dates just so I could go spend some time with Curtis. And you and I also both know that I want my relationship with him to be kept as secret as possible until I'm sure that it's actually going to last more than a couple of months. So, our idea--well, really Mr. Mathers idea--is that instead of me dropping everything to go visit Curtis or Curtis risking our relationship being brought into the public eye by coming to visit me, it'd be a better idea if Marshall was the one who dropped everything to come see his girlfriend--who, hopefully, will be spending part of her break out on the road; visiting a close friend of hers....what do you think?"

What do I think...? Ha, does it really matter..it looks like they have everything figured out all ready.

With that thought in mind, Christina mentally weighed the pro's and con's in her head, before letting out a small sigh and reluctantly asking the older woman: "When do Curtis and Marshall want to come visit me?"

A question which caused Mya to quickly respond back--in a voice that told Christina that the other woman was very grateful for her friend, at the moment: "Saturday at four...which will be three hours after your flight lands here in Vegas and four hours before I have to step on stage at the House of Blues."

I'll probably still be recovering from jet-lag by then. Christina inwardly thought to herself, before stating out loud: "That means I'm going to have to start packing now, if you don't want me borrowing some of your clothes in a couple of weeks."

"Aint that the truth.." Mya replied back, before quickly saying that she had to go get ready for her sound-check, but that she'd probably call back later that night with Christina's flight arrangements.

"All right then...see you later, girl."

"Not if I see you first."

September 27, 2003

After spending the entire one-hour flight from LA to Las Vegas, asleep on her bodyguard's shoulder, Christina was more than wide-awake when they finally pulled up to the club around two o'clock, Saturday afternoon.

"I hope this girl's almost halfway through her sound-check....I cant wait to get to our hotel and hit some of those blackjack tables."

Hearing this, Ron--Christina's bodyguard--threw a mock-looking stern glare her way before replying: "Just remember those tables can get a little addictive...we don't need another Atlantic City incident to happen on this trip, do we?"

A question which caused the raven-haired singer to playfully roll her eyes in annoyance, before jokingly telling the older man that that was just a one time thing and that she now knew when you were two hundred dollars in debt and had a hand of nineteen, you should just say no.

"Glad you now know..." Ron sarcastically replied, before opening the back door of the "House of Blues" for Christina and making his way inside the club behind her.

"Chrissy!"

After slowly turning her attention towards the source of the voice that was calling out her name, Christina barely had enough time to register the face of the man who was running directly towards her before she was picked up and quickly spun around in the air.

"Damn boy, it's good to see you, too...but please put me down before I have to hurt you."

After slightly chuckling at the comment, Chaz--Mya's slightly younger brother--did as Christina asked; carefully dropping her on the floor right in front of him. "You know, I heard you were coming to join us out on tour, but I honestly didn't believe it until now."

"Well, you should always believe everything your older sister says...well, atleast, when it comes to me, that is." Christina jokingly retorted back, causing Chaz to slightly laugh out-loud once again. But unfortunately stopping a couple of seconds later when a voice called out for him to get his butt back on stage.

"Damn! I swear I'm never going to get out of here....I made the mistake in telling Mya that I'd fill in for one of her main back-up dancers who got sick earlier. And now, so that neither one of us looks stupid, she has me working harder than anyone else to get the dance steps down."

"But little does she know, I already look stupid and will probably just bring her down with me tonight--which, now that I think about it, would make for an interesting watch, if you want to come and join our little sound-check."

Knowing that if she followed behind the younger man, she'd eventually find Mya, caused Christina to tell Chaz that he was probably just overly exaggerating, but that she'd love to go watch him perform, anyway.

A comment which caused Chaz to quickly respond back: "Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you," before leading Christina and Ron down the hallway towards the very left side of the main stage. And then afterwards, making his way back towards the center of the stage where his sister was standing; slightly signaling to Christina that she'd come over as soon as they were done rehearsing.

"Okay." Christina mouthed back to the older woman, before taking a seat in one of the abandoned chairs at the edge of the stage and blocking out everything but the lyrics to one of her best friend's somewhat demanding songs.

After listening to the rest of the words to the song and watching as Chaz pretended to hold Mya back from slapping one of her female dancers, Christina couldn't help but slightly giggle to herself; while outwardly replying: "That's my girl..always ready to take someone out."

"A trait, I'm guessing, she got from you."

Immediately recognizing that voice caused Christina to sarcastically respond back: "You got that right," before standing up from her seat and giving the source of the voice a short but sweet hug and the man beside him a longer one; which she knew was more than friendly looking, but felt rather awkward nonetheless. "So, what are you two doing here? I thought your flight didn't get in till four."

After receiving no answer from the man in front of her--who was interestingly enough, already lost in the woman on-stage--Christina turned her attention towards Marshall; who playfully rolled his eyes in amusement before jokingly replying: "Romeo over here was practically wearing a hole in my living room floor--worrying about whether your girl would change her mind about wanting him here when we arrived--so, I told him that if he promised to stop acting like a little bitch long enough for me to throw some shit in a bag, I'd try and see if we could get an earlier flight out so he could come surprise his girl and stop getting on my damn nerves."

While slightly laughing at the last comment, Christina couldn't help but inwardly commend Marshall for doing something somewhat sweet for another person who wasn't himself...or his daughter, for that matter.

Maybe their is more to him than meets the eye.

"Since, this is my last song of the night, I'd like to bring a lucky member of the audience up on stage to be my victim for the evening."

After shaking her head out of her thoughts, Christina turned her attention back towards the main stage area where one of Mya's male-dancers--who Christina assumed was pretending to be an audience member, for rehearsal purposes--was, at the moment, taking a seat in the chair beside Mya; with somewhat of a smug expression on his face.

Why do I get a bad feeling about this..?

"I know you came here to see a show....but if you don't mind, I'd like for you be a part of the show." Mya playfully commented, before taking a step in front of her dancer and crooning:

If Christina could've put money on it, she probably would've bet that--when deciding on surprising his girlfriend--Curtis didn't think for a second that he'd find her straddled on-top of one of her dancers; seductively grinding into him. But unfortunately enough--for her and him, as well--that was exactly what all of them were seeing at the moment.

Which made Curtis's next words not that surprising to either Christina or Marshall:

"I think I'm going to meet ya'll back at the hotel."

Turning her attention away from what was going on onstage, Christina couldn't help but slightly frown as she watched Curtis quickly make his way back down the hallway--without even bothering to turn around and look back at Mya, one last time.

"Shit...there's no telling what he's going to go do now...I better go and catch up with him."

Figuring that was a good idea, Christina silently nodded her head in agreement, before turning her attention back towards the still-oblivious Mya and inwardly telling herself:

I just knew I had a bad feeling about that one.

(Two hours later)

After waiting until Mya's sound-check was over to explain to the older woman what was going on, Christina found herself being literally pushed into the back of one of Mya's security team member's Ford Explorers and then tuned-out when she tried to calm her friend down.

"Rodney, I need you to hurry up and get us to the MGM Grand hotel...it's an emergency."

"Ma'am, yes, Ma'am!" Rodney called back sarcastically, causing Mya to slightly roll her eyes in annoyance before mumbling the word: "Asshole."

A word which caused Christina to widen her eyes in surprise; knowing that not only did Mya not like to curse that much. But she also usually tried to be nice to everyone around her; even when they were, as she had just said: assholes.

"I still can't believe he caught me giving Ray a lap-dance...you know, he's never going to forgive me for this one, right?"

Even though Christina didn't know that much about Curtis, the small part of him that she did know, caused her to respond back with: "You know that's not true...I'm sure he's probably a little bit upset about the whole thing. But when you explain to him that it's just your stage persona, and not really you, that's up there giving lap-dances every night, then I bet he'll forgive you for not telling him about that small aspect of your show and you two will go right back to being your lovey dovey selves."

After thinking about this for a couple of minutes, Mya let a small grin appear across her face as she asked the younger woman if she really thought so.

A question which Christina didn't even have to think about, before answering: "Yeah, I do...but theirs really only one way to find out for sure...and that's to go talk to him."

With that being said, Christina let her and Mya's small conversation slowly die down until Rodney pulled up to the MGM Grand hotel--where they were staying at--a couple of minutes later, and let the two singers out in front of the side entrance.

"Knowing Marshall, he's probably got Curtis locked-up in one of the private courts; trying to work his aggression out."

After sarcastically thinking to herself: Mr. Mathers helping someone work out there aggression..? This I have to see, Christina silently nodded her head, as if to say okay, before following her friend through the hotel's side entrance and down the hall towards the marked off basketball courts--where, sure enough, they found Marshall leaned up against one of the room's back walls; watching on as a furious Curtis missed free-throw shot after free-throw shot.

"All right, I'm going to go talk to him...you keep your boyfriend company, while I go do so."

Without even bothering to respond to that comment, Christina reluctantly made her way over towards where Marshall was now seated on the gym's floor; watching the live soap opera in front of him, intently. "Is this seat taken?"

After moving his eyes from Christina's questioning gaze to the floor beside him, Marshall slightly shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, before replying: "It will be once you sit your ass down."

A comment which caused Christina to slightly smirk at the older man before plopping down on the floor beside Marshall and absentmindedly gazing out on the court; where Mya had just stolen the ball from--a still looked to be--angry Curtis and was now trying to seductively hide it from him while asking for his forgiveness.

"If she keep's that up, she'll have him hook, line, and sinker, within fifteen minutes."

Even though she agreed with that statement, knowing how determined her friend could be caused Christina to slowly shake her head no before replying: "I give him no more than five minutes before he's putty in her hands."

A comment which Marshall raised a slightly amused eyebrow at, before asking: "You wanna bet on it?"

Which was a statement that made Christina slowly start to smirk at him, before replying:

"All right...put your money where your mouth is, Mathers."

***