Aliyah saw it coming a mile away. Somebody would recognize him soon. It would start with her male fans, skaters most likely. Since Rip City, the local scene knew him best. They’d approach him at a skatepark, recording everything. They’d probably be pricks, bitter about how one of them ended up with her. Kelvin added that part. She roleplayed a couple scenarios with him, but he never took them seriously. He liked her acting too much.
He called Tiffany to tell her about it right after it happened. She found the video online the next day. She watched it with Aliyah during breakfast.
Over ten thousand people followed the account. The profile picture showed a snub-nosed kid in a backward hat and sunglasses. A tuft of curly hair stuck out of the front. He grinned like a spoiled brat. The video opened with him in a gaudy Porsche. It must’ve been his dad’s. A guy in his passenger seat filmed him.
“What up, everyone!” He threw up a peace sign and kissed the air. “It’s me, Graham by the Gram. We just pulled up to Chapin Park, and look who we found.”
He pointed out the windshield. His friend panned over, zooming in on the skatepark. The shot was grainy in the dark.
A guy knelt at the bottom of a staircase. He held a camera low and filmed somebody sliding the rail. The background clamored with wood, metal, and concrete. Several skaters crossed in front of the screen. The shot fell in and out of focus.
“That right there,” Graham said, “Is Aliyah Gavins’ new boyfriend. You know Aliyah, right? The actress? She’s this fine little shortie. Black, stacked, and ready to attack.”
Tiffany simpered. They’d heard worse.
“If you’re not familiar, I recommend you check out Tell Me Nothing. No spoilers, but you’ll never see a shower wand the same.” He snickered. “Now, word on the street is, she’s hooking up with a fan, so today, on this episode of Graham by the Gram, we’re going behind the scenes for an exclusive interview. Whether he likes it or not.”
He made his hand into a gun then aimed it at the camera. The video cut out with a loud bang. The two headed for the park in a series of fades. He edited in the sound of a heartbeat for dramatic effect. Kelvin stood up as they shoved the camera in his face.
“Say hi to my fans, bro. You’re on Graham by the Gram!”
He stumbled some.
”You’re that boy, right? In the video. That’s my Boy? Same guy at Rip City?”
He raised his arm to shield himself.
“Come on,” Aliyah whispered, “You got this. Just like we practiced.”
While she watched, the edges of the screen blurred. Kelvin turned away to tuck his hair under his hat. She noticed he wore one of the outfits she bought him.
He looked good.
Once he turned back, his eyes locked on the camera. He put his hand out to bump fists with them. “Oh, man, Rip City was so sick, wasn’t it? Were you there?”
“Hell yeah, bro. We saw you with Aliyah. Lots of rumors flying around. You wanna clear them up for us? I hated when she cut her hair, you know? I’m worried about her. She’s not about to buzz her head, is she?”
Kelvin sputtered his lips. “Nah, man, she’s fine. And her new look is fire. What are you talking about? She’s just frustrated right now. Woman’s at the top of her game, and no one’s noticing.”
Tiffany hummed in agreement.
“Frustrated, huh? And you’re helping with that? Are you like her boy toy or something?”
“Man, shut up. It ain’t even about that—”
“I’m just asking the question. If she’s banging fans, I think we all wanna know where to get in line.”
A black bar flashed across his mouth. They censored him with a number of bleeps. He pushed the kid before storming off. The censoring didn’t stop until he was off camera.
Aliyah gritted her teeth. No way did he curse that much.
Pricks.
The shot followed him after that. He ran up the stairs to talk to his buddies. The audio grew louder to hear what they were saying.
“I’m out. She warned me about this.”
“Yeah, Homie, it’s cool. We’ll skate spots next time.”
Aliyah smiled to see him and his buddies back together.
“Would you look at that,” Graham hollered off screen, “Those are the guys, aren’t they? From the video? Miguel and Oakey? Yo, did Aliyah let you use that clip of her, or…”
Everybody scattered. Kelvin jogged over to the bench to grab his skateboard. He put his hand up to block the camera. Graham and his friend chased him into the parking lot.
“Come on, bro, what’s your secret?”
He got in his car, slamming the door. The shot went right up to his window. Thehoodie from Rip City lay on his passenger seat.
“Nice car, bro. A ’98 Accord… Good year. At least she’s not into you for your money, right?”
He flipped him off as he drove away. Another black bar flashed over his finger. Graham chuckled. “How rude? I’m gonna have to censor that.”
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