What was Justin doing? Earlier today he was barely awake and barely in the right state of mind to make decisions. But now… all these hours later, he was here standing in front of The Underground waiting for his date to show up. He had decided to dress a little casual. A plaid button down (with the sleeves rolled up, of course) and a pair of dark wash jeans were in order for the quarterback. He had his phone out, leaning against the overhang of the club as he waited for Cyndi.
Where was she, anyway? It was almost time for their date and she was nowhere to be seen. He was starting to get nervous. Maybe he was being stood up? His eyes darted up from his phone momentarily to scan the field. There was nobody in sight, which didn’t really instill faith in him. He wanted to text her and ask, but he didn’t want to seem desperate.
Coming out of the club, Xander’s lips, with a charming lip ring on his bottom left lip, curved into a sly smirk before tapping the boy’s shoulder.
“Justin?” Unlike the other butlers, Xander’s look was like he came straight out of a Rolling Stones mag. Ear gauges, dressed in black, and a fuck off aura. His purpose, Cyndi Green, wanted to make Justin wait until it was close to showtime. If he waited for her, that meant he passed the first test. Now here was the second.
“Can you do me a favor?” The youngest butler’s gaze was cold, and yet his smile contrasted it with welcoming charm.
Justin looked at the boy as he came out of the club. He was pretty sure that wasn’t Cyndi. Was he being catfished? Was Cyndi actually a dude and he didn’t know it? What in tarnation was this? Justin shot him a weird look, but he wasn’t going to press too much just yet. Maybe there was more to this than met the eye. The more he found out about this more confused he was.
”W-What favor? Who are you?”“Do you have anything in your pockets?” Xander waited expectantly as he eyed the teenage boy.
“Please show me everything you have on person, or I can’t let you inside.” Pause.
“Where your date is waiting.” Xander crossed his arms, his lips no longer smiling while he surveyed the jock like the bodyguard he was. Search procedure, not actually required. Really, it was all fun and games for Xander.
”Uh. Okay?” He pulled out his phone and wallet. That was literally that was on him. Nothing less, nothing more.
”That’s all I got.” Was this a club, or an airport?
“Is it? Up against the wall, hands on your head.” Was Xander aiming to humiliate the kid? Maybe. He was a Green butler after all and they were the best machines anyone could hire. Those around them tried to avoid the scene, not knowing the context besides one man was checking another man for contraband.
Was this dude a cop or something…? But, he supposed that if it was for the sake oF Cyndi, then it was acceptable. Putting his hands on his head, he went against the wall and let Xander search him.
’I’m not carrying anything, I swear!”The kid was a good listener. So far, so good. Cyndi needed someone to listen to her. She was an extremely lonely girl. Instead of searching him, like the scenario showed, he simply went behind Justin and whispered in his right ear,
“You break her heart, I break your skull. Remember that kid. Don’t think you’ll have it easy, just because you’re good looking and you’re the first guy to really show anything remotely lovey to her.” After he said his peace, Xander shifted his demeanor and slapped Justin’s back foolhardy,
“I’m just shittin’ with you! Come along, the rappers are just about to go on.”Stepping away from him, Xander opened the door and motioned for Justin to go in,
“Balcony level. Completely reserved for just you two.” And when Justin would walk in, Xander would chuckle to himself and whisper,
“Don’t pass go, don’t collect 200 dollars.” Cyndi’s butler was a manchild.
This Xander guy sure was odd. Justin had been lead to believe he was going into a top secret facility with how much scrutiny he was under. But then, he was lead to believe otherwise. It bothered him, admittedly, but his mood changed for the better once he left Xander in his dust and pulled up next to Cyndi in the rather nice booth. God, it was super nice, and the girl there was even nicer.
Taking a seat next to Cyndi, he smiled.
”Hey… you’re looking great tonight.”She better look great! It took her hours to decide what to
wear. Cyndi knew she was a bit formal for The Underground but this was their first time meeting so she had to look like she was walking on the red carpet. Starstruck. First impressions mattered. Bang, bang. If there were three things to describe the way Cyndi Green looked it was: Beautiful, important, and rich. When Justin had come to her booth, he walked in on her sucking a succulent strawberry. Embarrassed on her manners, she placed her bitten strawberry down on a glass plate and grabbed a napkin to wipe her fingers of the juice,.
Instinctively, she stood up,
“Thanks. You don’t look so bad yourself!” Like a daughter of Alyssa, she gave him permission to take a seat,
“Please sit. Make yourself comfortable. It’s so nice to meet you, Justin.” Placing her bottom back down, she sweetly smiled, her voice so soft, if you didn’t know her you wouldn’t think her pipes were out of this world,
“Did Xander play nice?” There were obvious signs that Cyndi wasn’t yet ready for them to make physical contact, even in a simple form of a handshake.
Justin was going to go in for a handshake, but since Cyndi didn’t reach out he didn’t. He found it a bit odd, but considering that they just met it was perfectly reasonable to do so. He sat down and looked out at the stage up ahead. Seemed like things were getting under way tonight. Sitting down, he put a leg up and glanced over to see what exactly Cyndi was doing. Seemed like she was having some strawberries. That was cool. He could always appreciate someone who enjoyed the fruits of nature.
”Xander? That’s what his name is? He was… nice yeah sure.” He swallowed hard, before chuckling sheepishly. He was scared that if he said something wrong, either he or she would’ve killed him.
”How have ya been? You doing okay?” He asked curiously, looking over to her with some interest.
“Xander can be a pain, but I love him. He’s my butler.” Xander wasn’t her first butler, and could never replace her first, but he definitely meant the world to her. He was her friend, yet she could admit he played around too much. Her first butler passed away a few years ago and to avoid their daughter suffering from trauma and depression, since Greens get attached to their butlers, that also took on the role as a bodyguard, Alyssa made sure to take care of the matter for her princess — immediately.
Cyndi carefully watched Justin’s face, examining his every move in both scrutiny and appreciation.
“I’m alright, still a little jet lagged, but other than that, I’m really glad to be back. I missed home. Like a lot.” The littlest Green loved to expand her horizons, but going to South Korea was far too much of a culture shock and she missed what mattered the most to her. Her family. Gesturing to her plate, she offered,
“You want some strawberries? We can also order something!” Cyndi’s hand went from her plate to the menu,
“Get whatever you like! It’s on me.” Challenging gender stereotypes, the girl smiled, waiting patiently for their response.
Holding up a hand, Justin gently waved his hand.
”No thanks, I’m good for now.” Truthfully, Justin was starving. The dumbass had forgotten to eat before the date because he was so damn nervous. But, he didn’t want to do anything that would have risked this date and turned it into shit, so for the time being he just dealt with his hunger. Maybe later down the line he’d order something, but for right now he’d just hang back and watch the performances up ahead.
”So… what exactly is going on tonight? Is this like a rap fest or something?”“Sorta, but not really. It’s an open mic night, and the theme happens to be rap. We play old school beats and you drop some bars. ‘Rap fests’, or events like Ascension and MuLA, are a bit more focused on talent and spitting hardcore. This is just a hangout place where amateurs and professionals alike can grab a mic and get some practice in. But, if you want to really get yourself out there? I suggest finding out the deets on the ‘rap fests’ because that’s where the big game is.” Speaking of MuLa, Cyndi glanced over the railing and caught sight of her cousin, Sebastian, and the infamous ‘Our Lady’. The devil herself who was the current host of MuLa. Were Henry and Hailey going this year? Glancing back at her date, Cyndi excitedly smiled,
“Not much of a rap fan, are you? It’s okay if you aren’t. Be honest. I want to know more about you.” Justin raised an eyebrow as Cyndi asked if Justin liked rap. Did he like rap? Of course he did, he was an athlete. The songs and praises of lyricists worldwide were being sung in the many locker rooms he had been in. It was hard for him to not like the genre.
”Oh dude, of course I like rap. I listen to it all the time because of all my teammates. It's all you hear in a locker room these days.” With that being said, he much would've rather heard other genres instead of the same shit.
“Good.” Whether Justin was aware of it or not, he earned himself some brownie points. Their conversation came to a halt, as the MC went on stage.
Tonight was hella’ poppin. Nero ‘watched’ as people went on and off, on and off. As he made introduction after introduction, he recalled bumping into Meg by the juice bar, a fan favorite, a girl destined for greatness even if she didn’t see it, and she was getting drinks for her and Sebastian Lyon. Woah was she in a relationship? With a LYON?! She specifically told him tonight she would not go up, she was simply looking for talent for an event she was planning. Sucked. But hey, maybe he’ll convince her later. When he returned to his station, backstage, the DJ whispered who was next on the list, since Junior couldn’t really look at the clipboard. Smiling to himself, the drummer nodded,
“Classic.” Before the DJ released his arm, to do his job, he whispered something else in his ear,
“Well shit. Y’know I’ll have to do something about that.” Cyndi Green was back in town and here, tonight, on a date.
Grinning like a kid, the blind boy grabbed his mic and went to the hungry crowd,
“It’s almost half time, people! ARE YOU PUMP, OR ARE YOU PUMP?” He paused to hear the crowd screaming,
“Before I introduce our next rapper, I want to thank you all for coming out and our rappers for coming through. The Underground wouldn’t be the shit without you, so thanks again and know the stage is for everyone so if you want to drop some bars, sign your name and we’ll give you the spotlight. Yea. Alright, I ain’t going to keep you waiting. Aaaand up next, we have….Yuuunnnnnnnnnng Steve!!!” Nero let the crowd roar before he walked back to the DJ stand, next to his eyes for the night.
Standing up, Justin took a closer look.
”Oh my god…”“What?” Cyndi looked back at Justin, raising an eyebrow at his reaction.
“Do you not like Yung Steve?” The tiny dancer loved Yung Steve, primarily because he was a meme, but eh. That didn’t change that she enjoyed his stage presence.
”No I like Yung Steve… I just didn't expect him to be here.” He was watching him start off on his freestyle. And he didn't have a bad start either. As a matter of fact… it was the opposite of bad. The couple stopped conversing as Yung Steve made the house bounce. Leaning over the railing once more, Cyndi bobbed her head to his words, taking in his lyrics. This actually was pretty decent for him.
—Objection, your honor.
Rejection, you a goner!
Absolutely tedious I feel absolutely delirious.
Rap so furious, it is not very mysterious…”“I’m impressed! He’s actually not making people laugh. Hey!” She talked over the loud beat. The date must go on. She can appreciate the rap and get to know Justin, all at the same time.
“So what do you want out of this? Like, am I just cute to you?” The Green princess poked Justin for information to see if this was just a one time deal, or if he wanted to go the distance with her.
Listening to Yung Steve tear it up, he was caught off guard as Cyndi popped the question he hadn’t been expecting. He turned around and looked straight at her. Okay.. well that was unexpected. Straight to the point though, he couldn’t discredit her for that.
”I dunno. I’d like to be in it for the long run, but we’ve only just met. It’s hard for me to say.”Honest answer.
“Fair enough. I hope to not bore you to tears. No guy has ever really pursued me and if there was one, my mom probably scared them off.” After pushing her hair behind her ear, she brought her attention back to Yung Steve,
“It’s okay, though. If you don’t like me after tonight… I’m use to being alone.” Resting her chin on her arm, she smiled down at all the people, not realizing how honest she was being herself.
—Captain Crunch, yuh.
There’s a big ol’ bunch
Not a pig for lunch
I feast, you dig on a hunch? Justin tilted his head curiously,
”What makes you say that? The night is young, Cyndi. Still a long way to go.” He honestly expected more people on her trail, but apparently not? He was intrigued at this point. What went on in that head of Cyndi’s?
As Yung Steve’s rap came to a close, she shifted her body to face Justin once more and shrugged,
“As pathetic as this sounds, I don’t really have many friends. My schedule is usually jam packed because I hope to one day to be like my aunt, who is a triple threat in the entertainment industry. I just thought you should know, I won’t be heartbroken if you don’t want more out of this.” She grabbed her bitten strawberry and finished it off.
Suddenly, Justin felt a whole ass wave of sympathy wash over him as he listened to Cyndi talk.
”Oh, really? Well that sucks… but like… you’re a Green, right? I think that should be enough to have people come your way, no? I mean, that’s why I’m here. Heh. It’s honestly too early for me to say, but I hope it goes somewhere.”“Green is only a name. Doesn’t mean I make friends like my brother does. Hard to get attached when I’m too busy for people. Not many people can understand that. I would know. I had a huge fall out when I was ten. It’s easier this way, but I’m willing to give you a chance.” Cyndi softly beamed.
”Well… here’s hoping for the best.” Justin said, as he watched Yung Steve finish up. He was in disbelief that was really Yung Steve freestyling. That wasn’t Yacht Steve. This… this was Super Saiyan Steve. He didn’t know what he was watching.
”Did you just listen to Yung Steve, by the way? He went OFF.”“Give it up for YUNG STEVEEEEEEEE!” “I did! He was on fire.” Unfortunately for Cyndi, suddenly, the lights went directly on her and her date. Oh no. She was found.
“Before we take a break, look who’s in the house! Cyndiiii Greeeeeeen!” Nero followed the light, but obviously, couldn’t actually see her.
Oh how embarrassing.
“NERO, WHY YOU DO THIS EVERY TIME I’M HERE?” Nero was more like family than a friend to her, even though they weren’t related. Her face flared red and a whole different side of her came out.
“Because this is your father’s establishment, and if there is one thing we all know by now, you and your siblings, specifically Hailey and Henry, know how to rap. Why don’t you grace the stage with your beautiful presence?” “I don’t know… it’s been a minute since I did this.” Cyndi hid herself behind the railing, but the crowd started chanting her name, Noooooooo.
Suddenly, the spotlight was on Cyndi. Justin ducked and sat down behind the barrier as he looked at Cyndi. Apparently people wanted her to show off. He wanted to see this definitely. Justin smiled,
”C’mon, Cyndi! Fuck it, dude!” He raised his fists and started pumping,
”Cyndi! Cyndi! Cyndi!”Oh-my-god. She was going to kill Junior! Absolutely sever any bond they had after this. Nervously grinning, she looked at Justin and admitted defeat,
“Fine, fine, fine. But after this, I want ice cream. And a ‘romantic’ walk on the beach.” Greens always bargained.
”I can do that.” Hopefully Justin’s gift card to Coldstone still worked, otherwise he would’ve been in trouble.
”But you better go up there! A deal’s a deal!”“You’re right. A deal’s a deal.” Finally, she stood up and everyone applauded. Taking a deep sigh in, she mentally gave herself a pep talk, as she walked away from her date, down the stairs, through the crowd, and to the stage. She was on the balcony for a reason! She wasn’t supposed to perform tonight.
“Nero, I hope you’re happy. You took me away from my date.” “Babygirl, after this, he’s going to be more into you. Trust.” Before Nero could introduce her, she took the mic out of his hand,
“I’ll take it from here.” Watching Cyndi walk away, Justin remained at the balcony as he watched Cyndi scurry on over to the stage. Taking a deep breath, he held it on his diaphragm.
”LET’S GO CYNDI!!!!!”“Looks like winning him over won’t be so hard after all.” Nero whispered into Cyndi’s ear before walking off. She responded with a sassy eye roll before putting the mic to her lips.
Rather than say her name, she went right to it and her confidence, her true unstoppable self, shined best when she was on stage.
"Ya, ya, we're going to call this the game
because you know it isn't about my last name
and I'm sure as hell not going to walk up here and be a damn cliche
so yeah, you ready for this?I can't hear you. I said YOU READY FOR THIS?" Her body swayed to the tune, her eyes glinted with pride and excitement. When the track started playing, she snapped her fingers to it and instinctively the crowd started clapping to the tempo. Sure, she was hoping she wouldn't embarrass herself in front of her date, but hey at least she wasn't afraid to perform in front of him. As she waited for the beat to drop, she let her pipes grace the room:
"Ah yeah, yeah, yeah..." And then it was time.
"Your girl here, Cyndi G
And I bet you think I'm the sweetest little bumblebee
Because as far as you're concerned I walk the Green mile
And everybody calls me that girl, the perfect wonder child
Did you know this is exactly what lips do?
We be sippin' on some syrup and given' something for you to chew
You wish you can be seen with someone like me
because you know, baby, I've learned from the best and I'll only reign supreme
Hold up, wait a minute, let me put some back into it
I'm not tryin' to scare you away
And I don't know why you think I'm a pretty-french-manicure-jade
What you need to learn is
My birthright
I'll be flowin' nice on the beat
but don't forget,
My words are airtight
I rock so hard, we be stuck in a game and you have no choice but to get-a-Life, ain't that a shame.
You may play mario but you wish you could smash, bro!
This ain't Monopoly and I'm not going to let you pass go, oh!
Like a Pandemic, spreading my disease
The only cure there is, you getting down on your knees
Floyd's ego don't got nothing on me
So nice when I'm on the scene
Oh look at the time, mama it's time to leave
You know, this is strictly policy
Thinking you stand a chance with a real rhymer
You should fix your makeup, you forgot the most important thing.
Primer.
I'm 100 percent, here to commit, don't got time for your horseplay
Everybody wants the key and the secret
To rap immortality Like Eminem say.
I'm deadly nightshade
Dropping grenades
Justo en tu cara
You'll never forget this sweet serenade.
FORT MINOR!
You know what comes next:
Remember. The. Name." Cyndi dropped the mic and walked off the stage.
Justin was stunned. He didn’t know that Cyndi had that kind of flow inside of her. Wow. He… he was stunned. He didn’t know that she could do something like that. He was in awe.
Rather than Cyndi coming back up, Xander did:
“She’s ready for her ice cream.”