Running Into Trouble

"The barbz really think they know everything, huh?" Nicki said in her bird voice while rolling her eyes. She watched as her timeline was still slightly in an uproar to her posting a picture of her and SB on the set of Pound The Alarm. She had posted it earlier in the day and the die hard Onikafaree fans we're still dying over it. Nicki rolled her eyes at one tweet that said "Why you wait so long to tweet that pic of you and ya bew bew? That was on July 4th bew bew, zon't play him." She twisted her lips and continued scrolling her TL. After a while she closed her app and pulled her BBM that was alerting her.

Thanks for the kind words on Westwood in regards to the whole situation with Chris. I still wanna have a talk with you soon. Take Care.

Nicki closed the BBM knowing that this would only start a whole long conversation that she doesn't really want to have.

"Nic!" Nicki looked up towards Safaree and the rest of the crew waiting for her to come join them. "Get off ya phone and c'mon!"

"Don't rush me!" Nicki said in her bird voice while climbing out of the car. She caught up with Terrence, Joyce, Safaree, Candi and Lauren who clearly wasn't slowing down waiting for her.

"Thanks for waiting for me, assholes."

"Girl, just cause you stay late 24/7 doesn't mean we tryna be. Girl, please."

"Shut up, Candi! Ain't nobody here for yo ass anyways."

"Don't get cocky, Nic. You still just a regular hood chick from Queens to me." Nicki walked around Lauren to push Candi.

"Shut up, before you be finding another way home."

They walked in through the back entrance of the building and all of them unknowingly fell in place in a single line. The program director met up with them letting them know where Nicki's dressing room was and how it was a pleasure that Nicki agreed to host this party. They all walked to Nicki's dressing room and lounged around until the party was actually suppose to start.

"This must be some strip club type shit. Only club I know to have this many dressing rooms" Safaree said as he looked around. Nicki looked up from her phone and cut her eyes at Safaree. He smirked at her face before he went back to looking around.

"How long before I go out there?"

"So used to showing up late you don't know what to do when you early, huh?"

Nicki dropped her phone in her lap before giving Candi a look.

"I know y'all not gon' start this." Lauren spoke up looking between Candi and Nicki.

"Candi's smart ass starts it."

"Well damn, somebody finish it. Ain't nobody tryna hear all that. Joyce you wanna go walk around and be nosy? They boring me." Terrence said. Nicki laughed and shooked her head turning her attention back to her phone. Joyce waddled out of the chair.

"Yeah, let's go."

"Alright, we out. We'll see y'all when we see y'all. Joyce, let's go." Terrence grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the door with him.

"I always get stuck with y'all women." Safaree shook his head while looking down at his phone.

"Where's the Vaks?" Lauren said.

"Who knows. I wish they'd hurry up."

"Boo, Safaree. You should be fine in a room full of women. Most men would love to be in your spot right now." Nicki said dropping her hand down on her legs after she crossed them and looked up at Safaree.

"Yeah, if it was actual women though. It's just y'all."

"Oop." Candi teased looking back and forth between Nicki and Safaree.

"Oh gosh." Lauren let out a small laugh before directing her attention back to her phone.

"Oh?" Nicki sat her phone in her lap and crossed her arms across her chest while leaning back in the chair. "You always talking, you'll remember that." Safaree opened his mouth to say something but Nicki quickly raised her hand up stopping him. An evil smirk formed on Nicki's face before she put her hand down before raising it again to point at him. "I got you. Remember that."

Safaree waved them off before standing up and dropping his phone down in his pocket. "Imma go catch up with the fun people."

"Mhmmmm." As Safaree was walking out of the door the program director came walking in.

"Hi, Ms. Minaj, I'm sorry to bother you again." the lady said who looked extremely nervous like she did earlier. Nicki could tell this lady must be an undercover fan or just trying to keep her cool for the sake of her job. Nicki smiled at the lady.

"You're fine, continue."

The lady nervously straightened the sleeves of her suit jacket and finally made eye contact with Nicki. "The owner of this club would like to meet with you...just you. He said it's fine to bring your security but he would like for it to be just you when you go to speak with him. He said only if it's okay with you, he doesn't want to force it."

Nicki relaxed her now confused face trying to figure out why exactly would whoever the owner of the club is want to meet with her alone. She let out a relieving sigh whenever the lady announced that the owner said she could bring her security. She was going to anyways whether they would have wanted her to or she wouldn't go to meet with them. Nicki nodded her head at the lady as she was finishing up what she was saying.

"Uhm, that'll be fine. Would he like to meet with me now, or...?"

"He said before you leave if that's alright?"

"That'll be fine. Could you just come find me before I leave?"

"Sure thing, Ms. Minaj. Is there anything I can get you and your friends?"

"Yes!" Candi spoke up loudly. "Can I get some hot wings or someth-"

"We're fine. Thank you." Nicki rolled her eyes at Candi before looking at the lady and giving a smile.

"Okay, I'll be out of you guys' way. If you all need anything before you're called out there's a phone in the back corner of the dressing room." The lady nodded her head in the direction of the phone and Nicki, Lauren, and Candi directed their attention back there before looking back at the lady. "Just press 1 and I will get it for you guys. If that's all I will be out of your way now."

"Thank you." Nicki waved goodbye to the lady before waiting for her to shut the door. As soon as the door closed Nicki dropped her face and looked towards Candi and Lauren.

"What is that all about?"

"Hell if I know."

"Who's the owner anyways?"

"I don't know. One of y'all Google it." Nicki got up out of the chair and made her way over to Candi and Lauren taking a seat in the space in between them. Lauren and Candi both pulled up Google on their phones.   They both typed in the name of the club and scanned down the Google listings until they found the name of the owner.

"Tyrus Johnson!" Lauren yelled out.

"Tyrus?" Nicki and Candi said in unison. They all sat there for minute trying to figure out if they ever knew or heard of a Tyrus Johnson. They all looked at each other with a scrunched up face before laughing a little.

"Do y'all remember a Tyrus? 'Cause..."

"Nah. Maybe it's somebody we've never met. I mean it IS New York." Lauren put her phone down on the stand that was beside the lounge couch and looked at Nicki.

"You could be right. But y'all, we knew everybody."

""Maybe he's not from here." Lauren shrugged and leaned back. Nicki rolled her eyes at Lauren.

"You're so boring. You're supposed to be going along with this. Helping us figure out the mystery. This is one of the only times I actually like Candi more than you."

"WHAT?!"

Nicki turned looking at Candi before she threw her arms around her neck pulling Candi into a hug.

"You know I love you, shut up."  Nicki released Candi from the hug and stood up making her way back over to her seat.

"So what's been up with you? Secretive ass, you never tell us shit."

"Cause don't shit be happening." Nicki crossed her legs again and held her phone in her hand. "It's work, work, work, and more work. I'm so glad I get some time off."

"Yeah, that's good." Lauren said sounding completely uninterested forreal.

"Yeah, you need some rest. Because girl..."

"Candi, don't start." Nicki gave a little laugh and shook her head. "Everyyyyyyyyyy body has been saying I look like I need some rest." Nicki whined. "Safaree's been trying to get me to get some rest but I don't be listening to him."

"And you need to, cause them bags under your eyes..."

"SHUT UP!" Nicki reached over grabbing a pillow and tossing it at Candi. They all looked towards the door when they heard a knock.

"We're ready for you Ms. Minaj."

"Thank you!" Nicki yelled back and stood up from the chair. Nicki pointed at Candi and cut her eyes at her as Candi was standing up. "We're gonna fight before I leave. Watch."

"Whatever." Candi waved her off.

"Why am I always stuck with y'alls arguing asses?"

Nicki and Candi both stopped dead in their tracks and turned looking back at Lauren. "Bye." They said in unison before walking out of the dressing room and following behind the program director. Nicki opened up her messages sending out a group text to Joyce, Safaree, and Terrence letting them know she was heading out there and to meet her out there.

---

"Safaree, take this." Nicki held her phone out to him and he placed it in his pocket. "Wait for me out in the car while I go speak to the owner?" Safaree nodded his head before putting on his sunglasses and making his way out the back entrance as Nicki stepped over to the program director who was waiting for her outside of  her dressing room.

"If you'll follow me this way, we'll go to Mr. Johnson's office." Nicki fell in place behind the lady as her security guards fell in place behind her. They turned into a long hall that didn't have many rooms except one which Nicki knew was his office. The lady stopped at the door before stepping to the side and opening the door to see Mr. Johnson with his back to turned to them.

"Mr. Johnson, Ms. Minaj is here to see you." Nicki and her security stepped in as Mr. Johnson put down his drink and turned around with a smile on his face. Nicki's face dropped at the sight of the last person she thought she would see for a while, or even more someone who she never wanted to see again.

"Nicki."

"Webb?" Nicki crossed her arms and shifted her weight to her right leg and looked at him through squinted eyes. Though nothing has changed about him besides the fact that you could tell he has more money now, she was still shocked.

"Well, I'll leave you all to talk."

"Thank you, you can leave now. We're done for the night." she nodded at him before giving a nervous wave/smile to Nicki and stepping out of the office.

"How have you been?" he said taking a seat at his chair at his desk. Nicki looked at him weird before looking back at her security guards. "You all can leave, it's fine."

"But ma'am, we can't leave you-"

"It's fine. I know this man. I'll be fine. I can handle this if something goes wrong, trust me." They stood there looking at Nicki not sure whether they should really leave or not. "Go." Nicki watched them as they exited the room slowly and shut the door behind them.

"What do you want?"

"I just wanna talk, baby."

"Don't even." Nicki moved around the chair and took a seat at one that was directly across from him. "What do you really want? There's always some ulterior motive with you."

"Why you gotta be like that, baby? I just wanna catch up with you."

"DON'T call me 'baby', Webb. You know I told you I never wanted to see you again, did you think I was playin'?"

Webb leaned off his desk and leaned back in his chair with a smirk on his face and threw his hands up as if he was surrendering. "Woah, woah. Calm down. I just wanted to-"

Nicki rolled her eyes and lazily moved her head to the side. "Look, I'm tired and would rather be anywhere but here talking to you right now so if you don't mind... I'm leaving.  Nicki uncrossed her legs and stood up from the chair. She adjusted the bottom of her shirt and turned to walk out before he stopped her.

"Alright Nicki, just wait." Webb reached over to his stack of business cards and grabbed one. He grabbed a pen and flipped it over on the back writing his personal cell phone number down. He sat the pen down and extended his arm with the card stretched out to Nicki. "Take it. All I wanna do is straighten things out, that's it." Nicki rolled her eyes and yanked the card from his hand and placed it in her back pocket.

"Think about it, really. I just wanna talk, Nic." he said as Nicki turned her back to him walking out of the door and slammed it shut. He smiled at the view of Nicki's butt as she was walking out and he bit his lip before he smiled.

Nicki walked down the hall with so many emotions and thoughts running through her mind. She was thinking so much and moving at such a fast pace she didn't realize how fast she made it out to the car. She slid into the passengers side still not even really realizing that she was in the car now or aware of everything. She unknowingly slammed her door shut and looked at the window.

"Nic!"

"Huh?" Nicki broke from her trance and turned to look at Safaree with a confused face.

"Are you okay?"

"Huh?"

"Are you okay? Did something happen?"

"What? No. I'm fine. Can we go, please? I'm starting to feel sick." Nicki turned to look back out the window. Safaree looked at Nicki confused while starting up the car. He knew something had happened but he would wait until a later time to ask her about it. He leaned back in the seat pulling off down the road with his left hand on the steering wheel and the right arm placed on the arm rest in the middle between his and Nicki's seat. Nicki leaned her head back on the headrest and took Safaree's hand in hers.