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CHAPTER TEN :
WRONG PRIORITIES

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NOAH

Noah was sitting in the Empire conference room with his homie Derek. He had a blank notepad in front of him and he was trying to write some lyrics, but it was hard man! He had too much on his plate lately!

That's why Derek was there. Maybe he can help Noah out or something.

Derek looked at his blank notepad. "Damn. You haven't written a single lyric down. You must really be stuck."

He was stuck! "It's hard focusing on music when your baby mama keeps stressing you like crazy!"

"But why?"

"Over Davis as always! Star keeps saying I'm not being a dad, but I am! I take care of Davis when I have time! She needs to chill!"

"Well what has you so busy? Because you're not making music, so..." Derek questioned.

"I've been busy helping Tiana with Bella." Derek just gave him the most confused look ever. Noah said, "What?"

Derek summed everything up. "So you're helping Tiana with Bella, but you can't help Star with your own kid? That's backwards to me."

"Tiana's my girl. If she needs help, I got her."

"And Star is your son's mother. You don't think she needs help too?" Derek countered.

"Star has all the help in the world. She has Carlotta, Cotton, Simone, and Alex."

"But they're not Davis' father, bro. That's what you're not understanding."

Noah looked at him seriously. "So what are you saying?"

"I'm saying you should focus on your own child and not Hakeem's."

Noah dissed Hakeem. "Well maybe if Hakeem knew how to be a daddy-"

Star cut him off. "Hakeem is a better dad than you any day of the week!"

Noah glared at her like no tomorrow. "Really Star? You lurking now?" Star didn't answer. She just put Davis' car seat on the table. "What is Davis doing here?! We agreed not to bring him to work!"

"Well where else is he gonna go, Noah?!"

"He can stay with Carlotta!"

Star shook her head. "Carlotta is also working. So are Simone and Cotton. And I don't have a babysitter!"

"Then get one!" Noah demanded.

That pissed Star off. She got in his face and hissed at him. "Noah, I'm gonna need you to be a man and take care of your child for once in your god damn life."

Noah shook his head too. "I don't have time today. I gotta write this song."

"I don't care about any of that! Your child comes first!"

Suddenly, Davis started crying loudly and it annoyed Noah. "Why is he crying now?!"

Star quizzed him. "You tell me, Noah. Why is he crying? Do you know what he wants right now?"

"Food?" Noah guessed.

"No you deadbeat! He needs his diaper changed, so here you go!" Star threw a pamper at him and Noah just stared at it blankly. "That diaper ain't gonna change itself, Noah!"

He looked at her as if she was crazy. "You know I don't change diapers. That's your job."

"Exactly, Noah! Everything is my job and I'm sick of it! You don't do shit at all!"

"I DO ENOUGH!" Noah yelled back. "I'm not the deadbeat you make me out to be! I just be busy!"

"Yeah busy with Tiana, huh?" Star scoffed. "I bet you have no problem taking care of her child!"

"She needs help!"

"And you think I don't?!"

Derek stood up, tired of the arguing. He grabbed the pamper. "Okay look, if it's such a problem then I can do it."

Noah grinned and thanked him. "Good looks!"

But Star wasn't having it at all. "NU UH! Sit down Derek! I'm tired of everyone taking care of Noah's son for him! So stand up, Noah!" Noah didn't obey her at all. "I SAID STAND UP!"

Noah sucked his teeth and stood up. Then Star dissed him. "You should be ashamed of the fact your best friend is more of a daddy than you are!"

Noah snatched the diaper from Derek. "Man, chill out with all that dissing! I'll change the damn diaper!"

"Why you still standing here then?!"

Noah rolled his eyes and scooped up Davis after that. Star does too much and it was starting to get on his nerves! That's why he regretted messing with her!

And he ain't ever getting his song finished fucking with her ass.

SIMONE

Simone knew she and Alex were supposed to be focused on helping Star clap back at Tiana, but all that drama was draining. So Simone went to the studio to focus on her own music for a little bit.

Yes she, Star, and Alex were in a girl group but they also did solo projects. So Simone was recording her song she wrote a little while ago called All Love.

SIMONE :

When I do it on my own, no one does it better
Came in this world alone
We're separate, not together
So please don't take it personallll, when I'm just being me
Cause who else is gonna be?

I'm tryna take over the world, I'm not about to slow up
If you can't keep the pace, then you're just playing catch up
Again, don't take it personalll
Cause I'm just doing me, the way it's supposed to be
Yeah

Then she sung the chorus in a high pitch.

SIMONE :

Say what you wanna say, I get it
Ain't no sucker, can't hurt my feelings
But it's cooool
Please really doooo you

But I'mma get this money cause I stay on my grind
Steady stacking paper paper, work for every dime
But whenever you see me, know it's all love, all love
Holler when you see me cause it's all love, all love

Simone stopped singing and sighed because she really didn't wanna sing the song alone! She needed someone on the track with her, specifically a guy because the harmonization would be amazing!

But the only guys that sung at Empire were Jamal and Noah. She wasn't close to Jamal so she didn't think he was an option. She didn't know about Noah either because he and Star had a lot of beef. She didn't know if Star would approve.

Plus, Simone didn't want Tiana thinking she was trying to take her man or something. Even though girls were clearly Simone's preference.

"If you're skeptical about the song, don't be. It sounded good," someone said from the doorway.

Simone looked and saw Royalty Lyon, the only daughter of Cookie and El Diablo. She was shocked Royalty was complimenting her right now because they didn't really talk. They just said hi and bye and kept it moving.

Simone spoke to her. "I'm not skeptical about it. It's just missing something."

"Like what?"

"Another person. I want someone to sing this with me."

Royalty walked in now. "Oh. Well I know you and I aren't really friends, but I'm not making any music right now so I can help you out if you want."

That was sweet of her, but it had to be Jamal or Noah. "Thanks, but I kinda want it to be a guy. You know, because of the harmonization."

"Oh," Royalty said sadly.

"But you and I can definitely collaborate one of these days!" Simone reassured her.

"Are you sure? Because you're always busy with your girl group."

"I get some free time as you can see."

"Well yeah, I wouldn't mind making a song with you," Royalty said.

Simone smiled a little. "Cool. And about the guy situation...do you think you can talk to Jamal about hopping on this track? I would ask him, but I've never talked to him in my life."

"Yeah I guess I can ask, but honestly, us Lyons have a lot of shit going on right now."

Simone believed it too. "Because of El Diablo coming back?"

Royalty nodded. "Yeah. And I know Jamal's having trouble releasing his own song right now, so I don't know if he'll be down."

Simone frowned. "Well if Jamal can't, the only other option is Noah."

"That's probably the better option. You two are close right?"

They were not. "Ever since he and Star put their hands on each other, no. But we're not enemies."

"So I think you should ask him. And whenever you're ready to make that song together, I'll be ready too."

"Alright. And don't worry, I won't make you wait too long," Simone promised.

"I hope not. I hate waiting."

Royalty chucked and walked out of the studio, but a part of Simone felt like she was just flirting with her. Or was she tripping?

Simone had to be tripping because that was their first time having a conversation. There was no way she'd be flirting. But if she was flirting, Simone was totally okay with that too.