act i

pg. iii

𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐃 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐓𝐒

' 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐞𝐭 '

_____________________

                 THE BRIGHT RAYS OF THE SUN beamed down on the entire south bronx, heating everything in its path. kids played in the streets , jumping rope & running around broken fire hydrants , finding just about anything to keep them entertained & cool. venders selling shaved ice for a nickel. teens running ramped, feeling as if they're on top of the world. it was summer to the young ones, it was the summer for to wind ones.

         june was sleeping more peacefully than ever in her bed. her head wrapped so tightly under her blanket it was a miracle she could even breathe. she was in a deep slumber, dreaming away her deep subconscious, until the sound of birds chirping loudly sounded from outside her window.
           she groaned lighlty, slowly pulling the cover from over her head, only to immediately go back under once the sun shined into her eyes. almost immediately. she feels the painful consequence of all her drinking last night.

     with a raging headache, june sat up and looked around — confused as to how and when she even made it home. before she could even get out of bed good, she heard her door knob twist open.
          a small head peaked through. "auntie said come here." maya pushed her glasses from the brim of her nose. june stared at her, not saying a word. she was still trying to piece everything together.

"hello!" maya shouts, snapping as well. june quickly puts her hand on her head, hoping to subside the headache.

"dammit maya! just tell her I'll be in there after i take a shower."

       maya stares at june, trying to analyze her. best believe if something didn't seem right, maya lewis would do all she could to investigate, especially if it wasn't her business — nine times out of ten , it never was.

"what?" june bucks, realizing the girl was staring. she drags herself to her vanity, rummaging through the drawers for something to wear.

"i don't know, but when I find out , you'll be in trouble." maya grew a mischievous grin. june narrowed her eyes, wondering how to feel about her semi threat. without further hesitation, she went to her door , pushed maya by the head & closed her out of the room.

"hey!" the young girl shouted, but june ignored her calls as always , turning on her radio. it was like a typical saturday, but it wasn't. today was the official first day of summer break, had june not been so caught up in past events of last night she would've realized it sooner.

            after her long , steamy shower , combing out her wildly deformed curls & coils she ruined by the way she slept , doing the basic hygien routine & taking an aspirin —- she'd gotten dressed and prepared for her unexpected day.

           ezekiel gazed up at the eight story apartment building in front of him, preparing himself to see june, something he always did. she had no clue what's so ever that he was coming over at that specific hour; he wanted to surprise her.

"yo man, what are staring at?" rara asks from beside him, receiving no response.

"let's go get my girl!" boo exclaims , running towards the building , leaving his brothers and ezekiel shaking their heads.

"boo stop playing, you know that's zekes girl!" rara teases with a smirk , causing ezekiel to playfully push him, shortly after following behind Boo.

             june slowly trudged into the kitchen, wanting badly to eat. her aunt sat with her arms folded, wearing her robe. iris watched june's every move , already aggravated by the girl and she hadn't even said a word.

"did your sister not tell you i wanted to see you?" iris retorts. june grabbed the large bag of sour cream & onion chips off the counter, beginning to munch on them carelessly.

it was obvious june had forgotten all about her getting caught last night, and the horrible tongue lashing she received in response to that incident; how she went to bed crying. it was all a blur, but iris remembered every detail & right now june was pressing her luck.

"i forgot." june began, once she saw the annoyed look on her face. "but i'm here now , so.. what?"

     iris pinched the bridge of her nose. it was always a constant battle between the two. iris was oil & june was water, they just couldn't get along. the only time iris wanted to even talk to june was when she was drunk, and june didn't like her all around.
     june was her own person, did what she wanted and went as she pleased because as far as she was concerned, iris didn't care. the only person she truly answered to was carter, if he was okay — she was fine.

       it was rare they'd have an actual civilized conversation without it later turning into an fight.

"you think you're grown huh? can do, go, and say as you please — well news flash, you're not. you're barely sixteen & living under my roof." iris lectured. june bit her bottom lip, barely listening to a word coming out her mouth. it was nothing new.

              the last thing she felt like doing was wrestling her aunt over who was right, but she couldn't help it. iris irritated her, and her mouth was too smart to hold back.

"ain't this my mama's place? ain't she the one sending money for the bills? ain't this in her name?" she wasn't even being sarcastic. iris laughed loudly.

"oh i'm sorry — where's she at again?" iris sarcastically asks. june chewed slowly, losing her appetite. rarely did she ever bring her mother up, but when she did — it was never sweet. "exactly."

           june stayed silent , feeling a series of mixed emotions at once. half of her wanted to give iris an earful & go off on a rant about how both her mother and iris sucked. the other half was just .. numb.
          iris took a deep breath. she slid over a stack of newspapers to the end of the table where june stood.

"there's a lot of people looking for employees. since you're so grown, find a job. it's summer, the perfect time to work." surprisingly, june quickly snatched the papers, taking a look at them. usually she'd argue back, but it was clear that a job was the only way she'd make it out. being in the house less would do her good. "you should find atleast one by the end of the day." iris stood up, lingering a bit , before walking away from the girl.

          just as iris left, a powerful knock came from the front door, that shortly turned into a beat. assuming it was just one of maya's annoying friends, june ignored it.

"i'll get it!" maya exclaims from the living room. june just stood in the frame of the kitchen, listening to the stereo play and scanning the newspaper.

      nothing but black and white, crimes and politics. nothing caught her interest in any way, and it was starting to bug her. without a second thought, she folded up the paper and stuck it in the back pocket of her shorts.

"june!" maya screeched loudly causing june to jump a bit. she sighed heavily, walking out into the living room to lock eyes with the boys sitting on the couch. good times played on the television, capturing dizzies afternoon. a wide smile came across her face, she was always happy to see them despite the fact that she'd seen them a day prior.

"hey!" she greets, trying to hide her gratitude, but it was obvious.

"hey—" ezekiel began.

"you got some food? i'm hungry!" boo exclaims, sinking down into the sofa. june looked at the child in confusion as the two made eye contact. "fine. i'll look myself." he sucked his teeth, walking past her.

"boo you can't just be eating people food!" rara shouts at his younger brother.

"this isn't people's food, this is June's food. there's a difference." boo retorts, taking a large handful of chips and eating them. june laughed at his foolish antics.

"yo, boo's right. this is june." dizzie shrugged , getting up and joining boo in the kitchen. june jokingly gasped at the boys rummaged through her kitchen, eating chips.

"come here." ezekiel requests with a smile, grabbing her hand & leading her out the front door, closing it behind them.

            june began to feel a deep feeling of nervousness, not knowing whether or not the news would be bad or good. his eyes remained on her & his hand continued to hold hers.

"what?" she arches an eyebrow, still keeping that nervous smile.

"so last night, you know with the whole get down thing shaolin was talking about? you know, the boy with the leather?" he inquiries. it took her a couple of seconds, but then it all came back to her, the boy in the leather. she nods her head. "well i rocked the mic."

"huh?" she was genuinely confused. ezekiel let go of her hand laughing, thinking of a way to explain to her in a way she'd understand.

"last night, i got on stage in front of hundreds of people and rhymed for em. it was something different.. like poetry, but over a beat and shit." june placed her hand over her chest. rarely did ezekiel ever put himself out there like that, so just to hear that he'd done something like that — she was proud.

"forreal?" she beamed. ezekiel nodded with a confident grin, something you didn't typically see. It looked good on him. "thats awesome."

"now the guys and i have a thing going. we're doing this music thing forreal, we call ourselves the fantastic four plus one. training starts today at shaolins & i wanted to know if you could come." she bit her lip anticipating whether or not she'd go with him. if she was even allowed to. "cause you know i can't do this without you." ezekiel adds. june smacks her lips, trying not to blush.

"you really want me around?" she wasn't surprised, but was caught off guard if anything.

"more than ever." he admitted. june swallowed hard. "and it would've been better having you there. having my number one girl & biggest supporter cheering me on and shit."

         june let out a small laugh, rolling her eyes as she felt the butterflies fluttering around inside her stomach. the thought of him ever being truly hers was so foreign to her, she tried not to think of the concept. he always teased and joked about her being his, and she'd always claim him. but june was starting to grow up, and was tired of the game of feelings.

"i got caught coming home last night." she blurted out, changing the subject. "at first it was cool cause it was only carter, but then iris came in and saw i was wearing her shit — then boom i was busted. i got my ass handed to me."

       ezekiel pauses, before busting out laughing. june watched him silently, it reminded her of carters laughter the night prior, which she didn't get.

"damn girl , i thought you was a pro at sneaking around." june playfully punches his shoulder.

"i am. it was just one minor slip up!" she chuckles.

"speaking of, you know you left your notebook in mrs.greens class? i got it." june's eyes widened & her laughter ceased as she hadn't even realized it was gone — which was surprising. "don't worry, i didn't open it."

thank goodness

"forreal? where is it?"

"you have to come with me to find out ."  ezekiel smirks. june places her hand on her hip as she shifted her weight to the opposite leg.

"i'm going with you anyways. so where is it?" ezekiel then laughs , shrugging. he for sure wasn't giving in that easy. not only did he take pleasure in teasing june, but he wanted to ensure that she'd be there. june on the other hand wasn't worried. "i'm going to find it."

"bet you won't." he teases. she thought of a quirky reply for awhile, but before she could get it out , the door slams open.

"you two done yet?" boo asks through a full mouth, and a half eaten sandwich in his hand. june scrunched up her face, seeing the chewed food in his mouth. " and do y'all got any mayo?"

          the two stared at boo , wondering whether or not to laugh , because no one ever knew when to take him serious. june didn't even recall having sandwhich meat in the fridge.

"yeah let's just go." june whispered to ezekiel, who in return looked down at her with a smile.

       if felt as if the entire sun was traveling closer and closer to the bronx by the minute to the five teens. the heat made the small journey to shaolins place tiresome for june , who was constantly using the newspaper for protection from the sun. sweat dripped down dizzies forehead and onto his eyebrows, as he'd wipe it away every moment he could.

           once they'd finally found their way to shaolins place, it didn't take forever for june to recognize the place was an old abandoned apartment. a series of questions filled her head as she & her friends stepped into the darkened hall, only having the sun to guide their path.

"this is it. you ready?" rara asks them all, as if something greater than they could comprehend awaits beyond the door. june gulped, now nervous.

           nobody answered with words, as rara twisted the door handle, soon revealing shaolin & grandmaster flash in a room behind a turn table. his place had an odd breeze flowing through it, which made the teens relieved.
          however june was taken aback. she remembered shaolin from last night — & zeke mentioned that's where they were going. however, she didn't recognize the other one, and was now wondering what she'd signed herself up for.

"yo books, finally! grandmaster, this is my wordsmith." shaolin professed, putting his arm around ezekiel. june narrowed her eyes.

"books? wordsmith?" she spoke to herself, trying to make these things make sense. everyone knew after the introduction was over, june was going to ask a series of questions.

"uh, osu grandmaster." zeke nervously smiles at the man.

          growing bored of the introduction that had nothing to do with her, june's eyes wondered over to the room beside them. she noticed the graffiti on the wall almost instantly. curiously, she glances at the small audience to make sure nobody was watching her, before curiously slipping away.

       gazing around at all the posters & art covering his wall, june smiled, amazed. he had couches, a little bookcase — it didn't take her long to realize this abandoned building was his actual home.

"who's the girl?" the grandmaster spoke loud enough for her to hear, but she didn't pay it any mind. she was too lost in her surroundings to even concentrate on what they were saying.

      meanwhile, the boys all look behind them, expecting for her to be there but she wasn't. each of them slowly turn to eachother in confusion.

"— that's june!" boo's vibrant voice echoed through the apartment.

"our best friend." rara adds , bringing a small smile to her face as she plopped onto one of the couches, making herself comfortable.

         soon enough, all five of the boys found themselves in the room where june had been; discussing what the grandmaster had told them. shaolin put on a record to take away from the silence whenever someone would stop speaking — which was rare.
         while june was busy searching through the newspaper and highlighting jobs of interest, the boys got high. usually she'd partake, but she needed to concentrate; it was already hard enough.

"but let me get this straight." she leaned in, looking at each person. "he gave you guys a purple crayon, and expects you to do what? make cover pictures?"

          they'd been there for awhile, but nobody knew how long. even though june wasn't high herself, she'd lost count two hours ago of how long she'd been sitting in that room.

"we don't know yet. some shit with the records or something." ezekiel dragged , examining the purple crayon that was being passed around to everyone.

"should've been listening , april. " shaolin laughs along with the other boys, messing up her name on purpose. june scoffs, glaring over at him. the two didn't speak much since she'd been there, but she would catch him staring every now & then. she'd just assume it was because she tried to hit him with a shoe the night prior, which it sort of was.

"my name's june you asshole." she remarks, rolling her eyes. shaolin only laughs in a psychotic way before inhaling the joint.

"well june, you don't smoke?" he studied the joint between his fingertips, wondering if he should pass it over to her or not. june shook her head, now looking down at the newspaper.

"i don't smoke with strangers." she teases, but he couldn't tell. his eyes shift from the lit drug, to her. he smiled.

"we not strangers. you're june and i'm the lady killing romantic." he leaned foward, looking the girl straight in her eyes. "here."

           none of the boys payed them any mind, expect for ezekiel. he continued to stare between the two, as if something would transpire.
           june hesitated, before pushing the paper aside & taking the oddly large blunt and putting it to her lips. she inhaled deeply, feeling the smoke form in her insides. not before long, she released, coughing right after.

"fuck." she said through coughs. shaolin & ezekiel both laugh as rara pats her back roughly.

"my turn!" boo happily snatches the blunt from her as she continues to choke.

"you need some water or something?" ezekiel asks through laughter. june manages to shake her head, gulping hard on her own saliva.

          once her choking subsided, and the boys ignited their second blunt, june continued to scan through the paper in search of something special. the paper held jobs for several different cities, as if june even felt like traveling everyday.
            however, nothing caught her attention. all there was were fast food joints, supermarkets & retail stores hiring. june was dying to make her own money, yet there was a certain way she wanted to do it. whatever she did she wanted to enjoy herself. she heard the same philosophy over & over growing up; you live to work, and work to live — but she wasn't buying that.

"you live to live, only work to survive." she whispered to herself, crossing through the third mcdonald's place she saw.

           seconds later, after reading carefully; it were as if god heard her thoughts as she was shown something on small print on the paper.

ASSISTANT(S) NEEDED FOR
DIOR PRODUCTIONS
MANHATTAN, NY

           june rubbed her eyes a few times, hoping she wasn't imagining things in front of her. her eyes quickly shifted to the description section; of which was entirely nonexistent, all that was there was the phone number & location. she knew exactly what that place was.

             liza dior, the now owner & daughter of founder celine, ran a the production company called dior. the place was big in new york, especially in the higher class areas. they worked with magazines, commercials, even movies.
            everyone who knew the name dior, immediately knew where to connect it. the name was a brand, it was more than just a business.

           MUST BE 18 OR OLDER, june read. she scoffed lightly with small laughter as her excitement instantly ceases to exist. she new it was too good to be true, especially for a girl like her; raised in the bronx, barely a family, with no type of class compared to the white folks sipping their tea near 5th avenue in manhattan.

she flipped the page.

       as more time passes, june concludes her search. either she'd found the one or nothing at all. she grew restless, so she joined her friends in getting higher than the clouds. the pink panther theme played as all laid sprawled out through the room.

            boo was laughing to himself. shaolin was worrying about the crayon, that was no longer in his grasp. dizzie disappeared out the room, and was writing on the wall with the crayon. rara was dazed off, in his own thoughts. ezekiel was in his feelings, thinking of how he got dissed by mylene. now june was on the floor, laying on her back & staring up at the crummy ceiling.

"a hip a hop a hip a hop a hip a hop a hiiiip." ezekiel sang off key to the rhythm of the song. june giggled. "and this is for you mylene, bitch can diss but one day it's me she's gonna miss." he sang while him and all the boys laughed.

          june brushed it off. she knew soon they'd be back to the way they were. ezekiel  was better than anyone when it came to not holding grudges, especially towards friends.
that's one way he & june were different; he knew how to forgive.
              she wouldn't mind if he weren't to move past mylene though, she'd actually be relieved. although june played it safe and never admitted her feelings, she felt them all too deeply; especially when it came to ezekiel. regardless of that though, no matter how much she pushed the thought away, june was in love.

it made her sick.

          she couldn't shake it. it made her want to die — cause she was sure he loved mylene & the thought of him with someone else made her sick.

"yo be serious man, we only got like 20 hours." shaolin chuckles while taking the joint from zeke.

       the room fell silent with only the music being heard. it wasn't until a sharp crack erupted from the other room, that everyone was shook out of their thought. all heads snap to see dizzie standing there, and a broken purple crayon beside his foot.

"oh.." june gasped, as everyone began to comprehend what just happend. all were in shock.

"my fucking crayon!!!"  shaolin shouts at the top of his lungs. june quickly sat up, preparing herself if anything were to go down.

"yo shao, i'm fucking sorry!" dizzie tried to calm him down, but by the time he finished the sentence, he was already being chased around the apartment, about to be attacked by shaolin.

"yo shaolin man! calm down!" june yelled as the two ran past her, almost trampling her.

"it's just a fucking crayon! a crayon!! it's not even that serious!" boo exclaimed. shaolin stopped chasing after the boy and turned his attention over to the youngest, already irritated.

"if you don't think this is serious then bounce! go find snow white and the rest of the seven dwarfs!" shaolin hollered. boo didn't hesitate to stand up and make his way to the front door.

"come on let's go. ma making ricearoni with the non federal cheese and that ground meat chilli." boo held open the door, quickly exiting after, followed by his two brothers.

"sorry shao. lets go ra." dizzie added while while walking past shaolin and leaving also.

"peace zeke.. bye j." ra said while waving both of them both off.

"bye." june waved the boys goodbye. had she not been so comfortable where she was, june would've left too — but she didn't. not only because of comfort, but she'd rather be with them then her home.

       after closing the door to the apartment, shaolin turns to the two people remaining.

"yo, you guys can leave too man." his voice was calm, you'd forget he was just yelling a minute ago.

"nah, if imma rhyme imma need a beat." ezekiel professes, but shaolin wasn't hearing it.

"— you all can go get yourselves some dinner." shaolin continues. ezekiel shook his head.

"look. if you believe in flash, then i do too." he states, nothing but genuine & honesty in his voice. shaolin glances at the couch, where june now sat, curled up in the corner. he shrugged, sitting next to her, with ezekiel sitting directly across.

"and you may be annoying shao," june finally spoke up, beginning to close her eyes. "i believe in you — all of you." she grins without opening her eyes.

       shaolin & ezekiel both looked at her, both with admiration. shaolin wasn't cool with females, rarely ever did he find himself liking one; but with june it was different. he digged the vibe. she was bold, attractive, & had a good head on her shoulders. although he thought those things about her — he'd never try her. not only did he never trust females, but he saw the way ezekiel would look at her. shaolin was a lot of things, but naive wasn't one.

       sooner than later, the sun had set. it was pitch black outside, leaving only the street lights illuminating the sidewalks. ezekiel was writing in his notepad and rhyming to himself out loud. shaolin stared at ceiling from his bed, listening to ezekiel. june was fast asleep on the couch. had june not been snoring, ezekiel & shaolin would've forgotten she was even there.

          shaolin glanced over at her, finding it hard to concentrate with all the noise she made. he then looked at ezekiel, who didn't seem to mind her. he licked his lips, thinking it was the perfect time to ask a question that's been pondering in the back of his head ever since he'd met the pair.

"yo zeke," shaolin kept his eyes on the ceiling. "what's up with you & ol' girl?"

           ezekiel stopped what he was doing, losing his train of thought instantly. it was out of nowhere, they'd spend atleast 30 minutes without speaking.

"mylene?"

              shaolin shook his head, looking down at his wordsmith with a nonchalant expression.

"june." he didn't bother to lower his voice. not only was june deeply sleep, but he just didn't care. ezekiel pauses, before looking back down at his notepad. so often did people ask him about his relationship with june, so at that point he was used to it.

"what you mean?" his voice was low, and he kept writing, like he were trying to brush the subject off.

"you messing with her or what?" he inquired curiously. ezekiel laughed a little, honestly not knowing what he meant.

"that's my best friend. we been tight since fourth grade." he smiled softly, reflected back on how he first met june.

           she was the new kid on the block. that's back when her grandmother was alive, she was raising her at the time. her mother had just left — but that was back when she promised she'd come back. it all seemed so far away, & june was a completely different person, and so was zeke. for him , that was before everything went downhill. for june, that was just the beginning.

"that's not what i'm asking." shaolin interrupts his thoughts. ezekiel smacks his lips, shrugging.

"why man? where are you going with this?"

             shaolin pauses for a second, thinking carefully. a mischievous smile formed on his face as he thought of a way to get his answers. simple.

"i'm thinking about making her my girl." he almost laughed, but kept a straight face. ezekiel shot his head in shaolins direction so quick he nearly broke his neck in the process.

"Yo girl?" ezekiel scratches his afro. noway was he hearing this boy correctly. "yo girl?" he repeats.

"i didn't stutter." he turned to face him. "what's wrong with that?"

"shao, you don't even know her. she ain't like most girls out here, that girl right there — she's something special. june's not just for anybody... not saying you anybody." he added, looking back down at his notepad.

"damn, you speaking on her like y'all together or something." the thought of even being deeply involved with a female repulsed shaolin. "i thought you was fucking with that other bitch."

"don't call her a bitch." zeke quickly corrects him. shaolin rolls his eyes before continuing.

"how you chasing after her, when you really want june? it just don't make sense to me."

"who said i wanted her?"

"somethings you ain't got to say, it's just known." shaolin sat up, yawning. zeke continued to stare down at the paper, trying his hardest to regain his train of thought, but it wasn't working. now all he could think of was shaolin trying to get with june, and the thought didn't sit well with him.

"we like brothers now." ezekiel began, flipping the pages in his book. "right?"

            shaolin nodded, wondering where he was going with the topic. ezekiel looked at him, so he'd know he was serious.
            they were bestfriends. they formed a bond so tight, nobody could break it. ezekiel & june were always associated with one another. they were like peanut butter & jelly — sure they taste good apart, but when they're together; boom!

             she was his first love, they didn't have to date. before she came along, sure he had crushes, but with her it was beyond that. june was that person for him, despite everything. once he'd try to tell her how he felt, she always pushed him further and further away — so he gave up, however he never moved on.

"she's off limits." he declares. his tone was the same, but shaolin knew he was forreal. he threw his hands up in defense.

"don't worry man, i wasn't tryna steal yo girl or no shit like that."

            the thought made ezekiel relieved. he knew june could have any guy she wanted, they all did, but she never really cared for the attention or platonic relationships. sure she'd flirt, entertain a few boys; but at the end of the day, we she went home she was alone. she refused to settle; and that's part of why ezekiel gave up. he knew he'd never have a chance.

"but wordsmith," shaolin began. "if you don't get your girl, someone else will. i dont feel like seeing you crying & blowing snot bubbles and shit over another female man." ezekiel & shaolin both laugh. "go for that shit."

        his words sunk deep into zeke's head. he knew what he was doing, however , the thought of seeing june even holding hands with someone else made his insides turn.

       before long, june began to move, starting to feel uncomfortable. her eyes slowly open as she awakened from her nap, looking around with confusion.

"what time is it?" she yawns, catching both of the boys attention. both stare at her, causing her to look back at them oddly, as she awaited an answer.

"oh !— uh, 9 something." ezekiel finally answered. she signs, rubbing her eyes. she knew she had to leave, even though the chances of her walking into an empty home were high — the last thing she needed was to spend all night in shaolins apartment when her brother had no clue where she was.

"i'll catch you guys tomorrow." she drowsily replies, still half sleep. both boys watch as she gathers her things slowly, wondering how she could've possibly not heard that entire discussion about her.

"oh and zeke," she stopped, making instant eye contact. "i better get my journal. real delicate shit in there."

       he grinned, standing up to atleast walk her to the door. "i'll give it to you tomorrow, i promise." june smiles, leaning in & giving him a hug around his neck, kissing his cheek after.

"better." she demands jokingly. "peace shao."

"by may." he laughs. june's smile faded as she shot him her middle before walking out the apartment and into the darkness of the hallway.

             zeke turned to shaolin after closing the door behind the girl, smirking.

"may? forreal? you litterally just said her name."

"i like fuckin with the girl." he shrugged, picking up the crayon for the first time in an hour. "now let's get back to work."

              the walk home was treacherous, but she made it safely. as she unlocked the door, she discovered complete darkness. just as she thought, nobody was home. placing the newspaper down on the dinning room table, june decided to partake in the cold pizza she assumed her family left for her. it was a typical night, she'd be alone.
          turning on the television, the first thing to flip on was platinum boogie, a show of which june found herself watching often. she'd take the moves and make them her own — not to mention the songs.

"today we have a special guest here to take you away. join us as we bloom, after the storm with kali uchis!" the hostess shouted into the microphone. just as the artist we're about to appear, the timer went off, signaling that june's slice of pizza was ready.

"whatever goes around eventually comes back to you, so you gotta be careful baby & look both ways, before you cross my mind.."

            june was too busy making her plate to pay attention, especially since she had never heard the song before.
             the only thing separating her from loneliness was the comfort of the music coming from the television, other than that she'd find herself completely vulnerable with only her thoughts to keep her company. she could think of anything; her mother, her father, past choices, love — it'd all only lead her to feel the inevitable sadness that constantly filled the void in her heart. though she'd never admit it aloud; june hated being alone.

"do you ever wonder, what he might be going through on his own and the demons that he's facing alone.." the most melodic voice sung as if it were speaking to june personally. she turned her head, looking at the screen from where she stood in the kitchen.

"so if you need a hero, just look in the mirror.. no ones gonna save you now, so you better save yourself.." the young woman sang, holding june's attention. she smiled softly.

no ones gonna save you now

           it replayed in her head, and she zoned out unintentionally. all she ever wanted to do was be happy — something she never had. sure june would be happy sometimes, but it was always temporary. she couldn't be truly happy, unless she were at ease with herself; and that was the hard part.

you better save yourself

          she prayed for a ticket out, a way out the bronx. june was determined that as soon as she graduated, she would go somewhere far away and live happy, making money & leaving the past behind.
june was smart, and she played it cool; but deep down inside she didn't know what to do. everyone had their place in the world, but she had no clue what hers was.

if you need a hero, just look in the mirror

          like an epiphany, her eyes roam over to the newspaper that had marks all over it. dropping the half eaten pizza almost instantly, she jogged over to it, opening it on a quest to find what she was sure she saw earlier. it didn't take her too long to find it.

DIOR PRODUCTIONS

          it was in manhattan. manhattan. a production company was hiring for assistance and the only thing stopping june was fear and her age; but that was all about to end.
she stared at the phone number, debating within herself. she didn't know what to do, but something in her had a feeling. a feeling she couldn't shake. either she was high on hope, or something was telling her something.

"in order for me to succeed, i have to atleast try." she whispered to herself, walking over to the telephone hanging on the wall.

           atleast she'd be able to say she tried. that was all that counted. if dior wasn't the one, she was sure another opportunity would rise, but coming from where she did — chances were slim. that didn't stop her from dialing that number though.

"hello, this is angela ross working with dior productions. at the time, no one is here to take your call, so if you would please leave a message or come for a visit during our office ours, that'd be wonderful *BEEP*." the screeching noise caught june off guard. clearing her throat she quickly got herself together.

"hi, my names june monroe.. i read your article in the paper and was wondering if you all were still hiring, if so.." she took a deep breath, wondering if she were saying the right words. "i'd like an interview. my call back number is 555-396-8712. thankyou for your time." with that she quickly hung up the phone. her eyes widened, wondering what she'd just done.

"cause after the storms when the flowers bloom."

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