Free #3 Turn Up for Real by Stephanie Perry Moore Page B

worry free. I felt bad that I hated on her when she beat me out. Getting to know her, it was clear that she deserved it.
    Two days passed, and I hadn’t had the chance to talk to my dad about my dreams. Both of my older two sisters were already operating in their gifts. The fashion designer extraordinaire, Shelby Sharp, was trying to come up with the look for my group that I didn’t even have a name for. Ansli couldn’t wait to take photos of us for the CD that I didn’t even have.
    I needed to get on the ball. I needed to talk to my dad about a loan. Though I knew he was in the middle of trying to run a big race, he always said his daughters came first. Now it was time for him to be real about that and take time out for his daughter. I wasn’t going to feel bad about that. I needed my father to believe in me and invest in the group, so I knocked on his office door.
    He looked up and said, “Slade! Come in, babe.”
    â€œI know you’re busy.”
    â€œNot too busy for you. What’s up?”
    â€œI love you, Daddy!” I said as I hugged his neck real tight.
    â€œHow much money do you want, and for what do you want it?”
    â€œDad…”
    â€œDon’t ‘Dad’ me. I know you girls. Your mom has trained you well,” he teased.
    I just laughed. I went from behind his desk to sit in front of him in the chair. He needed to view me professionally.
    â€œCan we talk business?”
    â€œMy creative daughter wants to talk business? Okay. What’s up? You have my full attention.”
    â€œI think I want to start a record label. Well, I’m not sure if I want to start a record label, but I at least want to have some money to start producing my own record.”
    â€œAnd what do you know about all of this? How much is it going to cost? How you are going to make money back?” my father drilled me.
    He asked me those questions and many more. I kind of just looked at him like, ‘Why are you getting that deep? Just give me the money already.’
    He said, “I’ll tell you what. After school tomorrow, we’re going to make a few stops. Once you talk to the people I want you to talk to, if you still want to do this, then we can push forward.”
    â€œAlright,” I said a little frustrated and confused.
    Before I left out of his office he got up and grabbed my hand, “Trust me. You want to be prepared. It’s not just about having a passion. If you really want to pursue a dream, this isn’t going to be painless.”
    â€œYes, sir,” I said.

    Sure enough after school, I came straight home. He was waiting for me. We took off. First stop: a place where cash overflows. When we actually went to the bank, I smiled so hard my smile stretched from the bank to our house. He was going to give me the money. We sat right down with the owner of the bank.
    â€œMy daughter wants some money to cut a record. She said she might want to start a business plan. Mr. Martin, could you talk to her? Should I give her the money?” My smile faded.
    â€œFirst of all, how much money is she talking about?” Mr. Martin asked.
    Gritting my teeth, I said, “Well, I haven’t exactly figured that out. Whatever he starts me out with is fine.”
    Mr. Martin showed no mercy. “What if it is not enough? Then you’re going to come back and ask for more. We’re supposed to just keep giving you more? Here’s how it works here at the bank. When people come here trying to get a loan, usually they show us a business plan and show us not only how much money they’re asking for, but also a plan on how they’re going to spend the money and how they plan on making money back. If you’re serious about what you’re doing, then you need to show your dad a business plan. I’m recommending he sees it before he gives you a dime.”
    The two of them talked small talk for a little while longer, and I had to