Free Game Over by Winter Ramos Page A

After all, we were all basically from the same hood so I had no problem being me. That meant letting my hair down and cussing just like them. That was the way it went from then on.
    Of course, people we ran into talked and whispered. I wasn’t on payroll and I wasn’t any of their girlfriends so people wondered if I was a groupie. They wondered if I was fucking all three of them, especially Fab. But, shit, people talked about Jesus. It didn’t bother me. The three treated me like their sister. What other people thought was their own business. Although, in my mind, I had to sometimes wonder what exactly I was doing there.
    Fab, on the other hand, treated me a little more differently than his managers did. He was playful and always smiling at me but never took it further than that. I was just as playful with him, always looking for a reason to nudge him or be near him. I could always tell there was something more behind his smile. It was obvious but I just assumed he was shy and would tell me what was up when he was ready. It was cute to me.
    One morning he did something I didn’t quite know how to take. He woke up, got ready and kissed me on my forehead. He was gone before I could ask him why he’d done it. I just sat there wondering. It made me smile. It was obvious he liked me but for whatever his reasons were, he just didn’t want to say it. I noticed in public, he was always free but when it was just me and him, he would get nervous. I don’t know what it was. Maybe I intimidated him somehow. I’m not sure. I now know that those three days we spent together and moments like that one would eventually change.
    Later that day, we met up at his photo shoot. From there, we hopped into my ride and headed to a press conference. Throughout that day, Fab gave several interviews and free-styled every time someone asked him to, eager to show off his skills. It was at that moment that I became a fan. I liked “Can’t Deny It” like everyone else but hearing him freestyle took the shit to another level. I was amazed. He could spit about anything anyone would ask him at the drop of a dime. And it all sounded as hot as if he had written it the day before.
    Just like Jason, he was happy to finally be given the chance to let the whole world know how talented he was. The past three days of living in an average apartment didn’t bother him. Eating lunch, breakfast and dinner on the floor didn’t bother him. Being broke didn’t bother him. There was no ego. He had that innocence that most artists have when they’re coming into the game just before success sinks its claws into them and turns them into egotistical ass monsters that you can’t stand to be around.
    After an interview, DJ Clue, who I already knew at the time, stopped by and told Fab he had a surprise for him.
    “What is it?” Fab asked with that smile I liked.
    “We have to go to Queens to get it.”
    Fab and his manager rolled out and told me they would be right back. A couple hours later, they returned in a brand new black Mercedes Coupe. My mouth dropped. That moment changed something in me. Seeing Fab happy made me happy. But that was one of those key moments in my life where I can put a finger on it and say, “Something changed.”
    A moment ago, Fab didn’t have a penny to his name , just a closet full of jerseys. He was living in a hole in the wall. He didn’t have anything but his talent to rhyme. Three days later, he was whipping a brand new Benz because of that talent. It was at that moment that I was no longer satisfied with just wanting to be a part of Hip Hop. I wanted more. I wanted to be a mover and shaker in the game. I wanted to make decisions and sign checks. I decided to listen and pay attention to the mechanics and the ins and outs of the game. I understood that was where the real money was.
    The next morning, we got dressed. Fab hopped in his Benz, I hopped in my Accord and we made plans to get with each other later. It didn’t happen