“So y’all not fucking?”
“Nyx!”
Of course she’d ask that.
Before I could answer, a teenage girl approached us. “Excuse me…”
She stood beside the table, eyes locked on Nyx, while Trace hovered behind my best friend like a personal shield.
Nyx smiled warmly. “Hey, what can I do for you?”
“Can I get a picture with you?”
“Of course.”
Nyx leaned in, holding up the phone as they snapped a selfie.
Everybody knew selfies always came out better.
“I love watching you dance,” the girl gushed. “You’re my favorite. I want to be a professional dancer one day too.”
“Do you?” Nyx asked. “Are you already dancing?”
She nodded. “Yeah. I take hip-hop and contemporary classes after school, and I’m on a competition team on the weekends.”
My smile matched Nyx’s.
My girl deserved every bit of love she was getting from her fans. Nyx always knew what she wanted to do, and she’d worked her ass off for it.
“Are you going back on tour with Shade anytime soon?” the teenager asked.
Nyx shrugged. “I don’t know yet. But if I do, my fans will be the first to know.”
The girl giggled like she’d just won the lottery.
Trace gently touched her shoulder, signaling time.
“It was nice meeting you, Nyx. Thanks for the pic.”
“You’re welcome, sweetheart.”
The girl scurried off, glowing.
“She was cute,” I said.
“Yeah. She reminds me of me at that age. I couldn’t wait to graduate and start my life.”
“I bet. You got any regrets?”
She sighed. “Not really. But there’s definitely things I would’ve done differently.”
“Like what?”
I squeezed a lemon into my tea.
“I would’ve been more vigilant starting out. Paid more attention to my surroundings. The stuff I almost got caught up in was crazy.”
My chest tightened.
