Chapter 40: Spread
[Chapter 40: Spread]
Ryan stared at the lavish spread of high-calorie breakfast in front of him, unsure if it was morning or noon. It was true that many often had casual lunches, but this breakfast seemed excessively extravagant.
"Ryan, you come over so early and didn't even give a heads-up, otherwise I would have prepared more. How does it taste?" Taylor's mother, Andrea, said cheerfully.
"It's enough, and it's really good. You all should eat too," Ryan replied with a shy grin, feeling a bit awkward under her watchful gaze.
At that moment, Taylor's father, Scott, set down his newspaper, "Are you taking Taylor out for a ride today?"
"Not exactly," Ryan shook his head, explaining the purpose of his visit.
"Electronic music?" The middle-aged couple seemed somewhat confused, then exchanged glances with each other.
"Yeah, I mess around with electronic music in my free time. I just play for fun, not on the same level as a professional singer like Taylor," Ryan continued explaining.
"Oh, a trendy thing that young people like," Taylor's mother nodded repeatedly, not really knowing what electronic music was, let alone that it was primarily played in nightclubs.
"Well, it's great that you and Taylor will have more in common," Scott nodded, seemingly approving.
Ryan couldn't shake the feeling that something was off with the two of them. Just then, Taylor entered the dining room, her hair resembling a bird's nest, dressed in cartoon-themed pajamas, rubbing her eyes as if she had just woken up. She drowsily asked, "Mom, where did you put my glasses?"
"From morning till night, you either lose this or that; how would I know?" Andrea stood up to help her daughter find her glasses.
Upon seeing Ryan sitting there, Taylor didn't react much and continued her search for her eyewear. Moments later, she sat down across from Ryan, her hair still tousled, wearing oversized black round-frame glasses.
As they ate, Taylor stuck to her usual habits, being picky about what she ate, worried about gaining weight and maintaining her image.
"Austin!" Andrea called upstairs, probably anticipating that her son would sleep in today, being a weekend.
They ate breakfast quite leisurely, and around 9:30, Taylor gulped down the last bit of her milkshake.
...
"Okay, I need to go change clothes," Taylor said, putting down her cup.
"You could just wear that; it's supposed to be 'down to earth,' and dressing too exquisitely would defeat the purpose," Ryan observed with interest.
"Are you kidding me?" Taylor shook her head furiously.
"Ryan's right; we're filming at home," Andrea chimed in.
"Let's get started quickly; I have a meeting soon," Scott checked his watch.
"I'm not doing it!!!" Taylor's scream shattered the calm of the morning.
...
Later, as she looked at the video of herself on the computer screen, she exclaimed in despair, "It's over! I look like a complete idiot!"
Ryan thought it wasn't so bad; usually, they filmed the "normal" part first and then the "crazy" part, but in Taylor's case, it was the opposite.
She hadn't even washed her face, still wearing glasses, and walked around imitating a gorilla, completely sacrificing her image for the sake of filming.
By then, Taylor's father had driven off in his Cayenne, and Taylor's mother was in the middle of her morning soap opera, leaving only Ryan and Taylor in the kitchen.
"Hey, Ryan, did you know Carrie Underwood is dominating the charts right now?" Taylor suddenly asked.
Ryan was busy editing the video and nodded absentmindedly.
"I'm talking to you!" Taylor frowned.
"So what? Are you going to release a new song? Like the one You Belong With Me?" Ryan kept his focus on the screen.
"Not yet; I mean..." Taylor hesitated, the words almost on the tip of her tongue.
"Ugh!" Taylor was frustrated.
Ryan glanced at her before returning to his work. After reminding Taylor to post the video on her main social media accounts, he got up to leave.
"Are you leaving already?" Taylor called out to his back.
"Couldn't you drop me off at Blackbird Studio?" she suggested hopefully.
...
After waiting in the car for twenty minutes, Taylor finally came out, carrying her usual Coach Legacy handbag. However, since the weather had warmed up, she wore a "new skin," a solid-colored strapless maxi dress, paired with a rare pair of high heels. She had also added several accessories, including bangles, a necklace, and earrings, creating a rather "complicated" look.
Though she was still young, she insisted on dressing maturely, reminiscent of when Ryan first met her. He mentally critiqued her confused sense of style.
Objectively speaking, though she didn't have a knack for fashion, her figure was...
Hearing the click of her high heels, Ryan's gaze fixated on Taylor's long legs. While her obsession with image might have its pros, at least it meant she kept in shape.
In the car, it seemed like Taylor had something on her mind, but she held it back, clearly anxious.
"What do you want to say?" Ryan asked, slightly irritated.
Taylor pouted, refusing to look at him.
"Here we are; get out," Ryan announced as he parked in front of Blackbird Studio.
"What are you going to do now?" Taylor hesitated, questioning him.
"Hang out with Abigail," Ryan replied.
"Oh, then have fun," she exclaimed, getting out swiftly.
"Shouldn't I be hanging out with you?" Ryan mumbled to himself as he stepped on the gas, driving away.
...
In just a few days, various versions of the Harlem Shake exploded across the internet, sparking multiple imitation versions that continued to replicate and spread like a virus.
...
"Fuck, Austin, you are really good at it!" Paul exclaimed as he watched a video on his phone, surrounded by a bunch of people bursting into laughter.
...
"Holy crap! How many views?" While taking a break from recording, Taylor suddenly found herself drawn to the staff's discussion.
...
"Over five hundred imitation videos?" Joel casually searched YouTube and was stunned by the results.
...
At night in Atlanta, at a fancy club, a giant screen on the wall played Jimmy Kimmel's show, which offered a humorous take on political news, and today was no exception.
"Let's pay attention to the Donkey party's primary elections. Today, Senator O'Connell from Illinois openly criticized his primary opponent, Senator Sharlarie from New York, claiming she was 'all talk and no action,' and he better hope she truly is because she just mentioned O'Connell's birth certificate from Hawaii..."
"Wait, did you just hear that sound? Did you guys hear it?" Jimmy expressed confusion and curiosity.
The sound was growing clearer -- a strange rhythm and rumble.
"Do the Harlem Shake!!!" a uniquely echoed voice resonated.
In the next second, Jimmy started convulsing like he was electrocuted, his hands involuntarily moving in a standard Harlem Shake dance, prompting healthy laughter from several people watching TV and eating chips.
All of them were Black, dressed in hip-hop style, with gold chains, braids, and tattoos -- rap flavor permeated their conversations.
"Wait, this isn't funny, brother. Us Black folks will be running this country by the end of the year; Jimmy is just playing favorites!" Ludacris waved his hands, sitting in the middle of the group. As a representative of the Southern rap scene, he had already won multiple RIAA multi-platinum certifications, gaining a Grammy back in '05 alongside Arthur and Lil Jon.
Not only was he somewhat well-known in rap, but he also made strides in Hollywood, playing an important comedic role as Tej Parker in the second Fast and Furious movie, which opened other acting opportunities for him, much to his chagrin for not being cast in the upcoming Fast and Furious four.
"Oh, you may not know, but some teams are already filming their version of the Harlem Shake," another Black guy sitting next to him pointed out, his towering height indicating that he was Joe Johnson, the core player of the NBA Atlanta Hawks.
"It's like a gust of wind; today's in the spotlight, and tomorrow you might be forgotten," Ludacris scoffed, getting up to whisper with a nearby video vixen.
Video vixens were an integral part of hip-hop culture, dating back to 1995. Every hip-hop music video had them as basic elements. They were essentially profession video models, and this phenomenon peaked around 2000, with video vixens earning up to ten thousand dollars for shooting an MV. This led more and more young women, mostly Black or mixed, to join the fold. In 2005, one particular video vixen even published a book detailing her experiences with several well-known hip-hop artists, skyrocketing to the top of the New York Times bestseller list.
Most of the women surrounding hip-hop stars mixed these identities -- video vixen, "post-girl," and others -- a category Ryan would term the hip-hop girls.
There were many like them present on-site, enough for the athletes and their entourage to pick two to three each. If nothing unexpected occurred, it would be another wild weekend like countless others before.
Then, a white male stepped in from the outside.
He stood out, sporting a baby face, the only white guy in the room. Though obviously an odd one out, the Black folks noticed him and greeted him warmly, and he chatted back with enthusiasm, creating an oddly harmonious moment. In fact, this entire party was hosted by this young white guy, who had become Atlanta's premier "party promoter," having first made his mark in the hip-hop scene back in 2002 organizing parties for Eminem and Ludacris during their "Anger Management Tour."
Ludacris noticed him and quickly ditched the two women he was with to approach the promoter.
"Scooter, Pontiac chose to renew; a million a year! Can you believe it?" Ludacris exclaimed, excited.
"Yep, I just called them," Scooter replied casually.
Ludacris had previously endorsed Pepsi, but after the criminal elements in his lyrics got them publicly boycotted, the endorsement was terminated. Afterward, Scooter negotiated an eight-figure endorsement contract with Pontiac. From then on, Ludacris became Scooter's "brother in arms."
"Did that kid bring anything to America? When are we letting Diddy check it out? I hear he's into new flavors lately," Ludacris joked, making a "yummy" face.
Scooter shrugged, "You would have to ask Arthur; he's the one riding herd now."
That effectively passed the buck to Arthur.
Scooter then noticed Jimmy still clowning around on the television, making him wonder, "Who produced this silly song?"
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