Chapter Two: Crushin' on the Low
CJ had freestyled in front of crowds, battled dudes twice his size, and even rapped through a power outage once.
But none of that prepared him for Shantel.
She wasn't loud. She didn't chase attention. She attracted it.
Quiet confidence, box braids cascading down her shoulders, and a voice that could calm storms — or cause one.
To CJ, she was a melody waiting to be written.
It was Friday. The sun was sliding down behind the school rooftop, painting everything in gold. CJ and the crew had just wrapped up a cypher in the back lot.
"You zoned out again?" Lulu elbowed him. "That's the third time you've looked over there."
CJ didn't answer. He just kept watching Shantel at the far end of the field, sitting alone with her sketchbook, braids catching the breeze.
"I swear if you don't talk to her today," Lulu said, "I'm writing your bars for you. And mine are about frogs and heartbreak."
The others laughed, but CJ straightened his hoodie and walked off before his courage deflated.
---
"Hey," CJ said, hands in his pockets.
Shantel looked up, eyes calm but curious. "Hey… CJ, right?"
"Yeah." He rubbed the back of his neck. "You remember me?"
"You're kind of hard to forget," she smiled, closing her sketchbook. "I heard you rapping the other day. The 'breathing through this pen' line? That stuck."
CJ blinked. "You liked that?"
"I felt it," she said. "Most people rhyme words. You rhyme life."
CJ looked away for a second, swallowing the rush. "That means a lot… I, uh, didn't know you draw."
"I don't show many people," she said. "It's personal. Kinda like your notebook, I bet."
He nodded. "Fair. You ever write lyrics?"
She tilted her head. "Maybe. You ever write about love?"
CJ froze. That hit harder than a beat drop.
"I write about what scares me," he said honestly. "So… not yet."
Shantel smiled. "Maybe I'll give you a reason to."
They both laughed — light, easy, like a hook floating in the air.
Then CJ said, "Can I walk you home?"
She shrugged, closing her sketchbook. "Sure. But only if you drop a freestyle before we reach my gate."
CJ grinned. "Deal."
And just like that, he wasn't chasing the throne for a moment.
He was chasing her smile.