Hidden Valley (D. SWING)

XXX. Seasons Change

"So did you meet with those guys like we asked you?"

It's another frosty January night where Don has made his window his choice of exist. This time he picked up a passenger, a passenger who did not have to lie to go out with her friend to sit back and watch the stars... because her parents aren't home and the two are in her backyard as her sisters sleep soundly in the comforts of their beds.

"Nah, not yet," replies Don.

Paulette groans, adjusting the beanie on her head to cover the tips of her ears. "How about this. Me and the girls are going to the studio this weekend with them. You two stop by. You guys would compliment one another so well." Don shrugs off her statement without much to say. Each member of Unity has been saying the same thing for a long time now. "Don't just be brushing me off, D," she giggles. She points her finger into his thigh with a poke. "I'm keeping your ditty little secret, you owe me. Or did you forget, DJ Swing?"

Don only laughs. Her jokes even more humorous to him because of his knowledge that she'd never betray him. "Whatever," he laughs.

"Speaking of Swing..." She segues with the use of his playful moniker that originated from his sports career. "Baseball season is coming, your shoulder's healed up... what's up? I know you said you've been working out and you're still on the team. You gonna' snag another scholarship for baseball instead?"

Don being dropped from his scholarships is something he almost never talks about. It happened after he was taken back to the doctor when Cynthia threw a bag of flour at him. His original injury was heroic. The universities interested in him were in awe that he risked his all to save a young girl. The injury was mild and he was confident that he'd bounce back in no time. He was eager to finish physical therapy so he could dive into a pool as soon as possible. The worsening of his injury is what broke his confidence. He could tell by the look on his doctor's face that what was once a quick-fix had become a real issue. The universities were notified and the moment they were told he needed a second surgery with an extension of his cast and physical therapy, they all feared he had become more of a liability rather than an addition and pulled away from him... their offers went with them.

It was one of the main reasons he was depressed.

These days he is doing much better.

"So, I been thinking about a name," he says as he changes the subject. "DJ Swing is getting lame."

Paulette's lips smack in response to him ignoring her question. She knows he did it on purpose but has no energy to call him out. "I like Swing. Then, you write your little songs and it says D. Swing. I think it's cute." There it is. That is his secret. Two years ago he began to dabble into poetry after an English project went beyond well. Over the summer he found himself writing with a melody in mind and after being fired from Bobby's Burgers, he began to compose music, chords at the least, to go with what he heard in his mind. He's gotten to the point where he goes as far as completing the song before having Paulette sing it. The only other person aware would be Dalvin.

"I don't want cute. Cute is... cute is a puppy. I'm a man. I need— I need sexy, you know?"

Paulette stares back at Don with her nose scrunched up in disgust. "See," she waves her hand. "Now, you doing too much. D. Swing slash DJ Swing is dope as fuck. Let it be!"

"What about DeVanté?"

"ChaVanté? Ain't that your cousin name? Why your auntie make her baby sound like she in the French projects," snickers Paulette. She continues to laugh regardless of the lack of laughter on Don's end. "Don, that's funny. Admit it."

He ignores her again. "Duh-Von-Tay. What you think? Like, fo'real, fo'real?"

She shrugs her shoulders, growing colder due to the fact that they've been sitting outside for twenty minutes. Her light shiver causes for him to scoot closer. "I think it's... it's okay. Just DeVanté? That's plain. Don't drop the Swing. Swing is a part of who you are."