xix. "VERY MESSY."
January 19, 2018. | Third Person POV.
Los Angeles, California.

The plush living room was cloaked in a hazy glow from the neon light strips Sedona had recently installed along the ceiling. The faint scent of champagne and weed hung in the air, evidence of the evening's indulgence. SZA leaned back on the couch, a mischievous grin on her face as she passed a pre-rolled blunt to Sedona. 

"Girl, your closet is insane," SZA said, adjusting the oversized pink wig on her head. The fur coat she'd draped over her shoulders nearly swallowed her petite frame. "What even possessed you to buy these wigs?" 

Sedona laughed, her blue wig slightly crooked and her fur coat trailing on the floor as she poured another glass of champagne. "I think it was for Halloween last year? Or maybe I was just bored. Either way, they're coming in handy tonight." 

The two women dissolved into laughter, the kind that came from both the weed and their unfiltered friendship. Sedona grabbed her phone off the coffee table and waved it in front of SZA. 

"You know what we should do?" She said, her eyes gleaming. 

"Oh no," SZA replied, narrowing her eyes playfully. "What's that look for?" 

"Let's go live," Sedona said, already opening the Instagram app. "It's been forever since I've checked in with people, and you know the fans are gonna eat this up." 

SZA groaned, but the smile on her face betrayed her amusement. "Fine, but if I say something dumb, it's on you." 

Sedona hit the "Live" button, and within seconds, the comments started flooding in. The two women waved at the camera, their wigs and fur coats making them look like they were part of some avant-garde photoshoot. 

PartyNextDoor's "Break From Toronto" played softly in the background, the beat adding to the laid-back vibe of the night. Sedona leaned closer to the screen, squinting at the scrolling comments. 

"Alright, alright," she said, her voice light and teasing. "Let's see what y'all wanna know." 

The first question was for SZA. 

Fan: How's the tour going?? What's been your favorite stop?

SZA smiled, adjusting the blunt between her fingers. "Tour's been fire, y'all. Honestly, every stop has been special, but if I had to pick. . . Chicago. The energy there was crazy." 

Sedona grinned, nodding. "Chicago does show out." 

After a string of fun fan questions about the tour, music, and wigs, one comment caught their attention.

Fan: Sedona, what's your type? You dating anyone?

Sedona groaned, leaning back into the couch. "Y'all love being in my business, huh?"

SZA smirked, turning to face her friend, her eyes practically sparkling with mischief. "Yeah, Sedona. What's your type? You seeing someone? Or should we talk about—"

"Don't even start," Sedona cut her off, pointing a warning finger at her. "Cause if I start it's about to be a mess."

Eventually, SZA wasn't one to let an opportunity pass and let the clip out. "Okay, okay," She said, biting her lip to stifle a laugh. "But, let's just say... hypothetically, there's this fine ass man she got her eyes on. Real chill, real talented. Maybe a little mysterious. Keeps to himself. Maybe someone we both know."

Sedona gave her a deadpan look. "You're so annoying."

SZA cackled, leaning into the camera. "I'm just saying, I feel like y'all would look cute together. That's all!"

Sedona shook her head, unable to stop herself from laughing. "Listen, I'll admit—hypothetically if we're talking about the same person—he's fine. Cute. A lil' shortie but that don't matter to me—an inch difference never hurt nobody. Got big-ass ears like Dumbo, but can still get it."

The live chat exploded.

Fan 1: WHO HAS BIG EARS LIKE DUMBO?! WE NEED NAMES!
Fan 2: Not Sedona airing him out on live 💀.
Fan 3: Girl, we KNOW who you're talking about 👀.

SZA was practically rolling on the floor with laughter. "Big-ass ears like Dumbo?! You're so rude!"

Sedona shrugged, her lips curling into a sly grin. "I'm not wrong, though. And if he ever sees this, he knows I'm playing. Kind of."

SZA wiped tears of laughter from her eyes, shaking her head. "You're wild. I'm gonna leave you to explain yourself when this hits Twitter."

Sedona rolled her eyes, taking another sip of champagne. "Y'all are not gonna stress me out tonight. Next question!"

The next question was directed at Sedona. 

Fan: Where's the sophomore album? We need new music ASAP!

Sedona groaned dramatically, leaning back against the couch. "Y'all are not gonna let me breathe, huh? I promise it's coming. I've been in the studio, cooking up something special. Good things take time!" 

SZA raised an eyebrow at her, smirking. "You better not be lying to them." 

"I'm not!" Sedona protested, sitting up straighter. "In fact..." She trailed off, a sly smile spreading across her face as she reached for her phone. 

"What are you doing?" SZA asked, watching her suspiciously. 

Sedona pulled up her music library, scrolling through a list of demos. "I'm about to give them a little something. Just a taste." 

The fans in the live chat went wild as Sedona hit play on a demo labeled 'Push 2 Start'. The summery, tropical beat filled the room, the bassline deep and hypnotic. Sedona stood up, swaying to the rhythm, her movements slow and sensual. Her voice floated over the track, soft yet commanding, as she began to whine her hips to the beat. 

SZA laughed, grabbing her champagne glass and joining in. "Oh, you're wild for this," She said, clinking her glass against Sedona's as they danced in sync. 

The live chat exploded. 

Fan 1: THIS IS A HIT!!! DROP THIS NOW!!!
Fan 2: Sedona's really out here giving us life 😭🔥.
Fan 3: Why is she whining like that?! I'm calling the cops.

Sedona laughed, twirling in her fur coat and dramatically tossing it off her shoulders. "It's called Push 2 Start and it's going to drop whenever my label allows. So enjoy this teaser for now." She teased, leaning closer to the camera with a wink. 

Unbeknownst to her, the live was spreading like wildfire. Fans were screen-recording the moment, tagging Sedona and SZA on every platform. Within minutes, clips of her swaying to Push 2 Start were circulating Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. 

The live chat took a turn when Sedona grabbed her speaker remote and queued up Dancing Queen by ABBA.

"Oh, we're really doing this?" SZA asked, already on her feet.

"Absolutely," Sedona replied, pulling her fur coat tighter around her as the iconic piano chords kicked in.

The two broke into exaggerated spins, their wigs flopping wildly. At one point, SZA attempted a twirl and stumbled into Sedona, who lost her footing and collapsed onto the couch.

"Not you almost taking me out!" Sedona shouted through her laughter, clutching her stomach.

"It's the wig! It's got me off balance!" SZA replied, laughing so hard tears streamed down her face.

The chat was in chaos.

Fan: Y'ALL NEED HELP 💀.
Fan: I CAN'T BREATHE STOP.
Fan: This is the best thing I've watched so far this year.

As they regained their composure, a fan asked a question that made both of them pause and grin.

Fan: How did you two meet?

Sedona looked at SZA and shook her head. "You wanna tell it, or should I?"

"You start, because you were the messy one," SZA teased. "Very messy."

Sedona rolled her eyes but relented. "Alright, so it was 2015, and we were both at this music festival. I'd just started putting out music, and SZA was already killing it. Anyway, I was backstage trying to act all cool, and I tripped over a damn speaker cord."

"And when she says 'tripped,' she means faceplanted hard," SZA added, laughing. "Like, hard."

Sedona threw a pillow at her. "Anyway, she saw me and instead of helping, she just stood there laughing."

"It was kinda hilarious!" SZA defended, holding her hands up. "But then I felt bad, so I helped you up and got you some water."

"And we've been stuck together ever since," Sedona finished, smiling.

"Stuck like glue," SZA agreed, raising her glass for a toast.

Meanwhile, across the city, Kendrick, Dave Free, and Jay Rock were deep in a brainstorming session, finalizing the concept for the "King's Dead" music video. Jay Rock's phone buzzed with a notification, and he picked it up, squinting at the screen. 

"Yo, have you seen this?" he asked, turning the phone toward Kendrick. "Ain't this the girl you been hanging around with?"

Kendrick glanced up from his notebook, his brow furrowing. "What?" 

Jay Rock hit play on the video, and there was Sedona, dressed in a blue wig and fur coat, her hips moving to the beat of an unreleased track. 

Kendrick's expression remained neutral, but Jay Rock could see the flicker of amusement—and something else—in his eyes. 

"Man, she's wild," Jay Rock said, shaking his head with a laugh. 

Kendrick smirked, leaning back in his chair. "Yeah, that's Sedona for you." 

He didn't say much else, but as he watched the video play out, he couldn't help the small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. There was something magnetic about her—something he couldn't quite put into words. 

Back at Sedona's house, the live had ended, and she and SZA were sprawled out on the couch, laughing about the chaos they'd just unleashed. 

"That was iconic," SZA said, her voice slightly slurred from the champagne. 

Sedona grinned, resting her head against the back of the couch. "Yeah, it was. But now I gotta deal with my manager blowing up my phone tomorrow." 

SZA shrugged, lighting her blunt. "Worth it." 

As the night wound down, Sedona couldn't help but check her phone one last time. The notifications were endless, but one text stood out. 

Kenny: That demo's fire. Just saying.

Sedona stared at the message, her lips curving into a soft smile. Maybe tonight wasn't just fun and games after all.

—

©kashdemi
Volume I- Redamancy.
Chapter Nineteen.
— ０１／１２／２５
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Happy New Year! May 2025 be filled with blessings, wealth, good health, and all your troubles be put away. I have good faith in this year and hope it can only grow.

Thoughts on the chapter? And what do you expect for the next one?

Stay tuned for the next chapter, & til next time!
- shea