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I nod back “Sa pictures forpaid royalties It seeirls paidfor Baby Gap or whatever the fuck was hiring”

Brittney is silent, waiting for me to continue

“It was only a few steps away froan to dabble in creatinggone by

It’s a fucking cliché that I’ Sure, I say ‘fuck’ every other sentence Maybe I talk about raphy But I’ that I own, I built onhanded this to me I built this All of it

But I had help

“But I needed row,” I continue, and Brittney narrows her eyes She ot into business with so perood”

So far, she hasn’t given

“But as tian to work more and more with oneto invest it inpains were behind us Things were looking good,” I tell Brittney

She nods “But?” she asks and I smile

“But that was at first When ere se hits eventually Got big Becaetting jealous Never got over the fact that he was a minority investor”

Brittney nods “You guys didn’t part well?” she asks me

I shakehead Started getting caught up in shit that I stayed away fros Self-destructive shit More self-destructive thanin hundreds of thousands of dollars in his invest up broke each month”

“What did you do?” Brittney askscloser

I shrug “At first I looked the other way,” I tell her and pause, thinking back “But eventually it got to be really bad He started eot to the point that onea loan because Simon had taken the o”

I pause again Brittney looks ather head on my chest