Chapter Ten: Showcase Shadows
> Love is loud.
Pain is louder.
But the truth?
The truth sings.
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Day of the Showcase – 3:17 p.m.
Trustline Records Showcase.
The biggest underground stage in Nairobi.
The crowd? Electric.
The backstage hallway? Tense.
The prize? A mentorship deal, music video funding, and a feature with Kenya's top producer.
CJ and Shantel arrived holding hands. Not for the cameras.
For each other.
Lulu, Tico, James, and Charles huddled around them like a bodyguard crew. Even Estelle, the label scout, gave a rare smile.
"You ready, CJ?" she asked.
He nodded. "We didn't come this far to whisper."
Shantel? She looked stunning in a deep burgundy hoodie, gold earrings shaped like music notes, and eyes that didn't flinch anymore.
"Let's turn the mic into a memory," she whispered.
---
Backstage – The Ghost Returns
CJ ducked into the greenroom to fix his mic cable.
That's when it happened.
The lights flickered.
The door creaked.
Blaze.
Black hoodie. Dark eyes. No crew. Just him… and something in his hand.
"Relax," he said, holding up a flash drive. "Not a weapon. A verse."
CJ tensed. "What do you want?"
Blaze stepped closer. "You know who wrote my last verse? Not me. Milo. He's running me like a puppet, CJ. The same guy who—" his voice cracked, "—who put a bullet in Shantel's brother. I just found out."
CJ's eyes widened.
"He's here," Blaze hissed. "He's backstage. He's gonna ruin everything—unless you help me stop him."
A beat passed.
Then CJ did the only thing he could.
He believed him.
---
Backstage – The Setup
CJ and Blaze moved fast. Tico found Milo disguised as a fake security guy, uploading a corrupted beat file to sabotage the final set.
Lulu tackled him before he could finish.
Milo snarled. "She should've kept drawing instead of digging up old names."
CJ stepped forward. Fist clenched. "She turned pain into power. You? Just fear in a baseball cap."
Security dragged Milo out. Blaze slumped in a chair. "You saved me from myself, CJ. Again."
CJ offered a hand. "BarCode never really died. We just… wrote different endings."
Blaze nodded. "Go light it up. This stage? Yours now."
---
Showcase Spotlight – 7:22 p.m.
Spotlights swept the crowd. A hush fell.
Then:
CJ stepped out.
Shantel followed, mic in hand.
The crowd exploded.
Their set opened with spoken word:
> "We weren't born from gold or fame,
But from fire, paper, and borrowed names.
Love isn't weak—it's our loudest fight.
We don't chase fame. We write our light."
Then came the beat.
Booming. Smooth. Electric.
Shantel sang the hook:
> 🎵 "If the world goes quiet, I'll be your sound.
If you fall too hard, I'll hold the ground…" 🎵
CJ spat bars that shook the roof:
> "I've been broke, betrayed, buried and bruised,
But I made pain sing, I refused to lose.
My mama's breath, my city's truth—
I rap so the next kid doesn't have to prove."
The crowd roared.
Phones up.
Tears in eyes.
One moment.
One story.
One anthem.
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Final Scene – Rooftop Again
Later that night, under the stars, CJ and Shantel watched the skyline blink.
"You did it," she whispered.
"We did it," he said.
Then he pulled a small chain from his pocket. A pendant: 🎧
"Not a ring," he said, smiling shy. "But… still a promise. To write love like we write lyrics. Loud. Fearless. Forever."
Shantel leaned in.
"CJ?"
"Yeah?"
She smiled. "Kiss me before the next chorus drops."
And he did.
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