Hip-Hop Time Machine

8

Well, I almost fucked it up.

I almost basically killed him. If he had walked away from me, and ended up running into them, or decided he didn't want to be around me anymore because I was acting irrational, this whole mission would be a blow.

The thing is, after these two short days, I've spent more time with him than 95% of his die hard fans. I've realized what kind of person he is and he's not just a whore like the media presents him as, like his music presents him as. Or at least maybe that part of his life is over.

I see him as a friend. Hopefully maybe more. I want him to live. I so greatly want him to live. I want him to experience a full life, meet his grandkids, get married, make more music.

And it all comes down to me.

Outside, we were still standing by the car.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean, Jaz? You can't tell me? Time will? I'm not giving you time. Explain this to me. Explain everything to me. Who even are you?"

My eyes got wide and I motioned for him to be quiet. "Please come inside and I'll explain it. But you can't think I'm crazy. Eric, you can't."

"I don't understand why you would walk around and pretend to be my friend and then not even be honest with me."

I started crying. I don't know what to do. "I'm not pretending, E." I said through the tears, my lip quivering. "None of this has been an act. I'm just scared you're gonna die again, and I can't lose you."

His face dropped. All of the anger leaving his features. "Again? What are you talking about, you're scared I'm gonna die again? That shit makes no sense."

"Please! Just come inside!" The last thing I wanted to do was fight with him. But I understand. None of this does make sense. I just need him to listen to me and not think I'm crazy.

"Fine, Jaz, let's go the fuck inside." He threw the keys in his pocket and started marching towards my front door. At least he still trusts me enough to come into my house.

I sat on the couch and regulated my breathing. "Sit down, E."

"No, I'd rather stand." I shook my head.

"You're going to want to sit down for this."

He plopped into the couch and stared at me. I placed my fingers on the bridge of my nose trying to figure out where to start.

"Start at the very beginning," he told me, calming himself down, too. It was almost as if he could read my mind.

"Ok.." I started. "But even that is hard to find. I'll just- I'll figure it out as I go. Ok, so I'm a really big fan. Always have been. But I know some of your songs that haven't even come out yet. E, I was born in 1999. Five years from now."

I let it simmer for a sec, he raised an eyebrow. "So then how am I staring at you in 1994?" he asked. Did he think I was crazy? Or was he actually trusting me?

"When I was moving into this house- in 2020- the neighbor had a 1964 impala so I walked over to him and told him I liked the car. It reminded me of you. I found out later that it was a Time Machine-"

"Like-"

"Yes. Like the DeLorean. Except all I had to do was think of a time and place, and the car would take me there. No flux capacitor needed. Since the car reminded me of you, I thought of you. I wasn't supposed to tell you any of this because it's like the butterfly effect. Like you're not supposed to interact with yourself in the past or future. Good thing I don't exist yet, but when I first got here I did contact my mom, trying to contact my now 1-year-old sister, who is actually six years older than me. She didn't know it was me though, but back to you. I'm supposed to save you, E. You're supposed to die on March 26th."

"March 26th...?" he asked, waiting for the year.

"19..95.." My tears started coming back at just the thought of actually living it. "When you go to meet Suge and Dre.. something happens. If you were to meet up with them tonight, or at all, then you die. You get sick and die. I needed you to stay with me so that didn't happen. So I'm sorry if I made you feel like a ho earlier or like I was just trying to use you.. that wasn't my intention. I was just trying to get you away from them. E, I don't want to lose you."

He just stared at me. I turned to him and held my knees to my chest. I mustered up what voice I could before it cracked, "I'm sorry." He looked down at my feet before taking a deep breath.

I didn't hear him breathe out for almost two minutes. In the complete silence, I could almost hear both of our hearts beating.

Mine was racing. I didn't know what he was going to say. He could get up and walk away, he could scream at me, he could call me crazy. I didn't know what to say either.

He cleared his throat and I heard the only three words I needed to hear.

"I believe you."