act i

pg.ix

𝐒𝐄𝐓 𝐌𝐄 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄

' 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐞
𝐰𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐞
𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐯𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐞𝐲
𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐞 𝐦𝐞 '

          JUNE SLOWLY UNFOLDED THE PAPER. she'd never admit it if you asked her, but she was afraid of what it might say. it were as if nobody was around her; just her & the paper.

"girl if you don't just open the damn thing." iris comments without even glancing in her direction. june ignored her, taking a deep breath before reading it aloud.

"dear ms.monroe, after careful consideration.." she started slowly, scanning through. she'd never had a job before, so she didn't know what all to expect.

          a wide smile made its way across june's face as she read through & through. she didn't want to miss a word — it was that important to her.

"holy shit! i got it!!!" she rejoiced, nearly crying tears of joy. "i fucking did it!! i-i don't know how, but i did!" she happily jumps up and down, not caring who saw. nobody could tell her anything in that moment.

she was happy.

          i gotta tell carter; she immediately thought. he was the first person she'd go to with any good news, no matter what.

              june began to knock and knock with no rest on his bedroom door, until she finally got an answer. he swung the door open, looking down at his sister with confusion.

"what the hell?" he replied groggily, rubbing his eyes.

"yo, guess what?" she grinned placing the paper behind her back. carter shrugged slowly, not knowing at all what to expect.

"what?"

        wirh the smile never leaving her face she handed him the paper for him to read himself. carter held it out, before pulling it closer; trying to figure out what it was. once he finally began to read his way through, a smile formed on his face.

"oh shit june!" he continued to read the fine print, just so he could know what she was getting into.

"ya girl is employed."

            carter instantly embraced her, ecstatic, thinking of all the opportunities & doors she was going to open. with everything in his soul, he wanted for his sisters to succeed. this was the first step of june becoming her own, & he was happy he'd be able to see it.

"congrats kid." he handed it back over to her. "you got your ticket, now the question is, what are you gonna do with it?"

               he didn't want her to stay. no matter what, he wanted both of his sisters out the bronx. carters expressed it time & time again, how june needed to stop playing and actually apply herself — because she was capable of so much. rarely did she listen, she was stubborn. he learned a long time ago that his sister had her own pace & her own way of doing things; even if she had no clue what she was doing.

"i don't know — all i know is, imma make it out of here somehow. imma save, and work hard —" she began , planning and processing everything. "and i want you to come with me. you, me and maya, we can go somewhere beyond newyork."

            carter smiled hesitantly. that would've been the perfect opportunity he thought, to let her know that there was noway he could possibly leave the bronx alive. for years now, he's had weights greater than him, dragging him down. he was in so deep, he'd already dug himself a grave.

he couldn't tell her that.
           

"of course." he foretold. june bit her lip, thinking to herself. so many thoughts ran ramped in her head, it was hard to keep up.
she stood there, until a sudden gasp erupted from her mouth as she thought of someone she nearly forgot about.

"there's someone i need to see." she says , before nearly dashing over to the telephone to call that already familiar number.

            june waited, listening to the rings of the phone. she bit her lip, praying he'd answer. it's been a minute, but she was hopeful. finally the line picked up, and she waisted no time before asking;

"you busy?"

"nah." the raspy voice replied.

"come over." june nearly demands, her body filled with excitement.

             the night sky was filled with stars, not a cloud in sight. street walkers strolled by every now & then, but for the most part it was quiet — peaceful.
            june sat on the curb , eagerly waiting to see that car pull up. a couple weeks felt like forever, & they weren't even close — but she liked his company.

              no more than five minutes later, lorenzo finally pulled up, stopping right in front of her. june shot up, inviting herself into his vehicle.

"what's up girl?" he chuckles. june stares at him as if he held all the answers, grinning like a fool.

"i got the job." she sang like a kid, doing a small victory dance.

"oh forreal?" he smiles. "congrats girl."

"i got you to thank."

"me? nah, you did all that on your own."

"you did help me though." she admits. lorenzo pauses , before chuckling lowly , as if she'd said something funny. june narrowed her eyes, beginning to laugh a little also. she knew that laugh. "you high?"

"higher than a kite during a hurricane." he confesses , making june laugh aloud.

"off what?"

          lorenzo reached into his pajama pants pocket, pulling out a bag full of thick green cannabis.

"you smoke?" he asks. june looked at him, then at the bag.

"boy do i?"  she took the bag, examining it carefully. "come with me, i know a place we could go."

            she led him up the fire escape of the six story apartment building, until they reached the roof. nobody was there oddly enough. just then two alone , with the sound of the wind passing them by.

"you come up here often?" he questions , observing the area.

"i used to." june leaned against the brick wall, looking down below. "when we first moved her — i was like nine. i used to just sit & watch the sunset. or whenever i was too scared to sleep, i'd sit & watch it rise."

"what happened?" lorenzo stood next to her, suddenly interested in what she had to say.
june giggled softly to herself; she had no clue what happened to her.

"nothin." she shrugged, turning her back to the torn down city in front of her. "now, i hope you brought a lighter." she smirked, changing the subject. he playfully rolled his eyes before taking the lighter from his other pajama pocket & flicking it , revealing the perfect flame.

            she watched silently as he lit a joint, handing it over to her afterward.

"you know what you're doing right?" he asked humorously , yet cautious. june nodded her head , taking a long & powerful inhalation of the drug.

"i always know what I'm doing." she states after finally exhaling a large puff of smoke & passing it back over to him.

"no doubt about that." he agreed , barely knowing what he was even talking about.

            two blunts later, the two of them sat on the fire escape stairs in front of her room, giggling & talking about the most random of things. in a way, they were bonding to june. she'd made a friend out of him that she didn't expect.

"you ever think of weird shit?" june doses, leaning her head on his shoulder. "like what if we had finger sized nipples .. and nipple sized fingers?"

              lorenzo looked over at her like she was slow, before he busted out laughing.

"why are we born , just to die?" he asks with a shrug. "everything weird. here we are — given a select amount of years to live , & we don't know how many. we're born into a world you didn't ask to be in & no matter the circumstance , you're expected to survive and make something of yourself. the fuck type of shit is that?"

             june's mouth hung open as her last two working brain cells tried to make sense of his context.

"that .. is crazy." she mumbled eventually, still not fully understanding what he had said.

               a moment of silence fell over them, each thinking of different things. the subject ranged from cats to crime — neither of them had a clue what to say to one another. it wasn't awkward, but they were lost.

"you seeing someone?" lorenzo asks out of nowhere. "like a boyfriend or something?" june thought for a second.

"nah." she shrugged. "you?"

"nah."

"cool."

           he looked at her, grinning a little. she payed him no mind, she was still spaced out. lorenzo has came down from his high, and was now able to concentrate.
            rarely did he ever find himself kicking it with a female; giving her time & attention — it all seemed too much. however, june made it easy. her vibe , her aura, he liked it all.

"yo, who you got on the side? cause i know niggas out here waitin to get the chance." he professes, finally breaking away his stare. june raised an eyebrow.

"what are saying?"

"you're fly as fuck. ain't no way you just out here with nobody tryna get at you."

             june laughed at the subtle compliment. she never really thought that much of herself; she had no clue what ezekiel or any of the other boys she attracted saw in her.

"thankyou man.. ok so imma be honest with you." she took a deep breath. "there's a reason i'm single."

          lorenzo braced himself. the way she spoke; there was no telling what she was about to say. he was nervous. was she born a man? did she have a child? an std?

"which is?"

"i'm fuckin crazy." she laughed, snorting. lorenzo didn't know how to find it funny, until he heard her ugly laugh.

"i see." he comments, making her laugh even harder than before.

"its getting late, and i know you tired." she spoke after finally catching her breath. lorenzo looked down at his gold accented watch, viewing the time.

"you right. it's probably past yo bedtime anyways."

"bedti— boy i'm grown. i don't have no bedtime." she denied. lorenzo looked at her, then smiled.

"you not grown." he denied, standing up, as did she. he stretched out his arms, revealing his tall figure.

"definitely is—"

"let me take you out sometime." he spoke quickly, catching the girl off guard. june furrowed her eyebrows; curious as to where that possibly came from. the question had been pondering in his head all night though, and he just gathered the courage to say something to her.

"like on a date?"

"yeah." his tone was soft. " i'll take you anywhere you want to go. just say the words."

            june smiled softly. she'd be lying if she said she didn't want to go with him. their vibe matched so perfectly, it were as if they had chemistry from the start — however, there was ezekiel. ezekiel was waiting for her, and she knew that. the last thing she wanted was for another character to get intertwined with her perplexed feelings.

"i'll call you." she grins. it wasn't a no; nor was it a yes. he looked at her for a few seconds, then smirked, taking her hand.

"i'll hold you to that girl." he kissed the top of her hand, before letting it go. rarely did june ever blush, but that boy was charming! she couldn't help but to feel tingles everytime he smiled.

"goodnight lorenzo." she bits her bottom lip softly, watching as he walked down the fire escape. she opened up her bedroom window, preparing to climb inside.

"night youngin'." he looked back just to see her expression. june playfully rolled her eyes, sticking out her middle finger, before sliding into her bedroom & closing the window after.

     THE SUN HAD SET, & rose again. june was woken up to the sound of birds chirping loudly outside her window, and sun shinning brightly through her sheer white curtains.

          rubbing her eyes softly, she rose, giving her mind time to catch up with her eyes. glancing at the clock placed on her nightstand, she saw the hands struck on 3:30 clear as day — which was abnormally late for her to be sleeping in.

           however, instead of getting out of bed & finding something constructive to do; she fell back onto her large pile of pillows surrounding her, preparing to go back to sleep — that's when she heard a faint knock on her bedroom door. assuming it was only maya , she ignored it , until;

"junie!" the voice of nobody other than regina diaz shouts, entering the room and closing the door behind her. "girl i'm sorry, but i have got to lace you about last night!"

          june stares at her, aloof. she was so energetic and happy, & june barely wiped the crust from her eyes.

"what's up?" her voice was raspy, but she was curious.

"oo i wish you were there." regina smiled big, plopping herself onto june's bed. "so, jackie ended up coming up with this bomb ass song. when i say bomb — june, that shit is fire."

             her mind automatically roamed to the events of yesterday. the man in the tub, regina holding ice to his balls to revive him from a premature death, him literally waisting their time — she was shocked. june quickly sat up, confused.

"forreal? jackie? the junkie white man?"

"yes! i was surprise too." regina continues, "we showed everybody. mylene's tío, her papí.."

"wait wait wait , even pastor cruz was there?"

"yep and he ain't bitch out or nothin'." regina nods. june folds her arms, smiling a bit, still in the state of shock and confusion. how could she have missed all of that.

"no way."

"that's not even the crazy part though!" regina moved closer. "you should've heard what her uncle said to her father in the beginning. he aired all his shit out." she whispered. june's eyes widened with suspense.

"what?"

"nevermind all that though. i'll tell you all that with yolanda — but oo june there's so much to tell you!"

"spill it all."

"so, apparently not only is mylene gonna be a star — but we all are." june furrowed her eyebrows, wondering who she was referring to.

"hold up, you & yolanda gonna be singin with her?"

"and.." regina started with a small grin. june tilted her head, not catching her drift. "you too..."

              june's heart nearly thumped out her chest. it was one surprise after another. she didn't know what to do with this information — especially since she'd just woke up minutes prior.

"me!?" it took her aback. there was no way june would be singing on a record; she didn't care who said she had a voice. that was dead to her. "what?"

"we're gonna be a girl group j. picture this , the four of us sellin records and shit!"

"last night must've been one hell of a night, cause what the hell — there's no way i'm doing that." june shook her head. "i do not like performing for crowds and shit."

"ok don't think of it like that. think of it as being a backup singer—"

"for mylene? hell. nah." regina sighed heavily, knowing june was entirely too stubborn to give into anything she was proposing.

"but june!" she whined. "you have such an amazing voice! you heard the way we sounded together last night, that was somethin! you can't deny that."

        june thought back silently. they'd been singing together since forever, but that was just for fun. june loved music — she admired mylene's gift, and loved what the boys were creating. she knew millions of songs, and had the voice of a hunmingbird. however, her mind was made.

"he got this amazing song for us and he thinks we'd all sound good on it. he said it himself. " regina foretold, leaning closer.

              june looked at her pleading friend, trying to figure out a nice way to tell her she couldn't go for it. not only was june doing her own thing — she had plans. singing back up for a girl she could barely stand to be alone with, was not part of that plan.

"gina, i can't do it." she began. regina smacked her lips, letting out a whinny noise. "however, i will support you guys & be there every single step of the way — kind of like i am with the boys. i promise."

             regina quit pouting & folded her arms like a little kid, making june giggle.

"what about you though? you supporting everybody but who supporting you?" she blatantly asks. june thought.

"with me it's different — but it's all cool because i has a plan." she sang. "i has a job now."

"a job — where you finna be workin?"

             june smiles, leaning onto her headboard to support her back. regina grinned a little too, curious as to what june was implying.

"let's just say it's .. on the brighter side.." june jokingly drifts, seeing if regina was smart enough to catch on.

"oh — OH!" she shouted with a gasp. "noway you're talking about working with the celine dior!"

"the one and only."

"you got the job!!?" regina leaps, nearly tackling june, as she embraces her in her arms. "yo! my girl gonna be workin with celebrities & shit!"

"oh my goodness, you think so!?"

"hell yeah!" she let her go. "what if you meet michael jackson!"

              june's eyes nearly pop out the socket at the thought of meeting her celebrity crush since childhood. the michael jackson — she wanted to explode. both girls let out a scream.

"when did you get the news? when do you start? how much are they paying?" regina interrogates as the two calm down from their fangirling, but they were still shouting at one another.

"last night i got the letter, and i start next week, but i gotta go in sometime to speak with her, and i start at $16 an hour sis." june bit her bottom lip with excitement.

"16 an hour— oh my god! oh my god!" regina repeated as if she were gonna be rich. "and i'm the first person you told!"

                  june then scratched the back of her head, knowing good and well she was not the first person to know. regina gasped.

"see what had happened was .."

"ugh, well i'm atleast the first friend right?"

                 june then thought of lorenzo. she smiled , replaying his laugh in the back of her mind; his smile. he was so physically attractive & mentally stimulating, it wasn't hard for her to get lost in her own world.

"june!" regina snapped, gasping. june giggles , thrusting her head back.

"i'm sorry ok! like .. i don't know man. i was excited , one minute i'm tellin carter; the next i'm out getting high on the roof."

"you & carter smoked together?"

"nah." regina then gasped again, feeling betrayed.

"and then to top it off, you get high without me. unbelievable." she shook her head dramatically, making june laugh. "hope it was worth it."

"oh definitely." she didn't hesitate to respond. "you remember that fine guy that took me to my interview?"

"yeah yeah , big baller lorenzo." regina grinned.

"yeah, well it was with him. girl when i tell you he is such good company — my goodness. he's so sweet too." june raved. "we was out there for like three hours, just talkin and smokin."

              regina placed her hand on her chest, feeling shocked. not too many caught the attention of june monroe, so the fact that she was talking about this guy like this — was unexpected. she rarely even spoke of ezekiel to regina , and she loved him.

"you guys didn't ... you know ..?" regina implored with a whisper. june scrunched yo her face, knowing exactly where she was heading.

"definitely not. girl he's just a friend." june denied. she'd be lying if she said the thought didn't cross her mind , but she'd never betray zeke like that. deep in the depths of her soul, june knew; ezekiel was supposed to be that one for her.

"yeah and so is zeke, and lord knows you'd give it up to him in a heartbeat!"

"that's so different."

"wait.. so you're not denying it?" regina smirked, as if she didn't know. "holy shit, you wanna fuck ze—"

"i don't want to do nothin with nobody ok. shut up!" june tossed her pillow at her.

"it's ok june, you're gonna lose it eventually! atleast if you give it to him, you'll know the person cares about you. you know?" regina shrugged.

                june knew all of that. little did anybody know, she had everything planned for whenever that day came. it wouldn't be rushed, or urged, and she'd be ready. it's something she'd keep within her for years.
              she knew it'd be to him, cause she promised it would be. he's the only one she could ever see herself trusting her body with. june wasn't like most teenage girls in the bronx; sex was more than just physical to her. she was brought up on the belief of soul ties and extra baggage that came with physical intimacy. there's nobody she'd ever chose over ezekiel.

"i think you should tell him." regina interrupts her heavy thinking. june looks down at her comforter, fiddling with a lose string.

"tell him what? that i want to lose it to him?"

"duh. does the boy even know you're still holding out?" june shrugged.

"we don't talk about that shit." reginas mouth hung open, as if she were surprised.

"yo .. is he..?"

"he better be! and i'm not playing." june pouted, still plucking at the string. "besides, when we were in eight grade, right before freshman year — we promised it to eachother. he never broke a promise."

"that's some cute shit right there. i ain't surprised."

                 june huffed, looking over at her clock. she assumed since she was now wide awake with the company of regina , she might as well pull herself together for the day.

"let me go brush my teeth & get myself together." june yawned, stretching her entire body.

"please." regina jokingly responded, covering her mouth. june gasped, playfully pushing her.

"what you tryna say!?"

"nothing my little bright eyed ray of sunshine." regina laughed , completely laying down on junes bed. "now hurry along. i'll be right here when you get back."

               HOWEVER, later that evening, regina & june grew bored and ended up going over to yolanda's place — where both she & mylene resided. the boys were nowhere to be found, as the girls sat in yolanda's room & vibes out to her several disco records, while mylene packed her single suitcase in preparation of finally going back home.
             everyone was genuinely happy. no stress, no worries, just excitement and many talks of the future. although june's thoughts were mainly with ezekiel, it was small stuff. like where he was, what he was doing, who he was doing it with — was it constructive? was he thinking of her like she was of him?
the questions were so reoccurring, it almost bothered her because she didn't know the answers

              june sat by yolanda's window , watching as the sun began to turn into night once again. the days seemed shorter that summer, but that was because she always found herself having fun; the best known time killer. perhaps had she not slept the day away, it wouldn't have slipped through her fingers as easily.

"atleast if you get kicked out your house again, you know where to come." yolanda m said to mylene as they packed her stuff back into her small brown leather suitcase.

"i'm gonna miss you all."

"girl i can't believe you're going home. i'm gonna miss having you here all the time." yolanda sighed. "i've been living with three stupid boys my whole life. it was nice having a sister for a change."

"i'm gonna miss wearing all your clothes." mylene jokes, laughing along with yolanda. "we gonna see eachother all the time though, now that we're a girl group."

"with the exception of miss june over here." regina mumbles, flipping through fashion articles. june let out a small laugh, still staring out the window.

"you'll still sing with us before the summer is over though, right j?" yolanda asks, now turning her attention over to june, as does mylene.

          june looked in their direction, making instant eye contact , as both girls stared at her in silence ; with the exception of donna summer playing melodically in the background.

"you .. being serious?"

"like a heart attack." regina answers for yolanda, still flipping through the magazine.

"i still don't get why y'all want my voice anyways, ain't nothin special bout it. i'm not minnie riperton."

"it's important cause this really ain't truly complete without you." yolanda spoke in a 'duh' sort of tone. "we sisters."

"she's right you know." mylene adds, now continuing to fold her clothes neatly in the suitcase. june inhales deeply.

"i'll sing with you guys during the ed koch hearing thingy in a few weeks — that should count for somethin right ?"

"yes!" yolanda smiled. "and you gotta come to the recording session tomorrow at the church."

"oh duh, wouldn't miss it."

"'mm, yeah, as long as it doesn't interfere with your plans , business woman." mylene smirks , referring to her newest employment. june sucked her teeth, grinning.

"business woman? nah, my girls gonna be a model. straight up." regina testified, confidently.

"i'm an assistant, okay?" june giggled , stopping them from saying anything else crazy.

"for now." yolanda spoke , as if she knew for a fact june was gonna be more than just that. "as far as I see it, we all got plans. we're all leaving the bronx someday for somethin better."

             june held her knees to her chest, now thinking of the future. she couldn't wait. with everything in her, she wanted to be successful, in whatever it was that she did with her life. after she turned eighteen, she could move to manhattan if she wanted to — but why stop there? she wanted to go places, and see things! meet new people, try new things.

however, all that meant nothing if she was alone.

"let's make a promise." june began, sitting up straight. "no matter how far we make it , or how many miles we are apart, we'll never forget eachother. if any of us need eachother, we'll be only one phone call away."

             the three girls looked amongst eachother, neither of them expecting her to say that. a small smile formed on yolanda's face , that soon crosses the other girls faces too as they looked back at june.

"sisters forever?" mylene smiled, looking at them all.

"sisters forever."

            BEFORE ANYBODY KNEW, they were at mylene's fathers church, listening to the record up close and personal. mylene , the girls & the entire church choir formed a sound so heavenly it filled the entire opera house church. her vocals so perfect & unmatched, you'd think she was used to this.

                 june stood in the pews, watching from afar as the girls owned the stage in their matching dresses & harmonic voices. only then did she understand what regina meant — jackie had created something new. a disco gospel hymn was never heard of, only a genius could come up with such. not only was it unique, but it was actually good. it was like the song was made for a spiritual awakening for anybody with a weak soul.

"these chains on me, won't let me be. you've got the keys, come rescue me."

           ezekiel was on the piano, playing gracefully throughout the entire song. june hasn't seen him since his interview with papa fuerté the other night, & she was dying for the chance to speak to him. he was too busy playing to pay her any attention, but she couldn't take her eyes off of him. to her, he was the star of the entire show.

         june dressed up nicely, just because she knew she was going to see him that day. her denim single breasted skirt hugged her nicely & so did her brightly striped halter top. white sandals complemented her look & so did the gold hoops , with her naturally coiled hair in a half up & half down style.

all this, just so he'd notice her.

"and i will ascend above the clouds and make myself .. and make myself .. like the most .. high!" mylene cruz belts out the last note of the entire song with all her heart & soul, sending shivers down everyone's spine.
june smiled big, as the session finally concluded.

"i would just like to say to my beautiful daughter , and to all of you — we all have flaws ." lydia cruz began, stammering on her words.

         everyone sat at the cruz dinner table after the recording session, eating & conversing like one big family. it was the highlight of everyone's entire day, actually being able to enjoy the company of one another.

         however , as she tried to focus on what the woman was saying , june felt a hand slowly touch her bare thigh; making her jump a little bit. glancing at ezekiel, who sat directly next to her, she studied the amused grin on his face as he contributed to stare at mrs.cruz — as if he were listening to her.

     just as she was about to ignore it, june began to find it hard as he proceeded to slide his hand upward. biting the insides of her cheeks, she tried not to let out a giggle, placing her hand on top of his so he'd stop.

"we all wrestle with demons , but uh — I — but god , he loves us anyway. " mylene's mother erupted with giggles between each line, making them all laugh.

"mommy you sound drunk." mylene chuckled.

"how about we eat." mr.cruz says before lydia could go on any further.

     soon enough everyone began to break off into their own conversations about several topics. regina & yolanda were still going on about the song , no one knows what the adults were talking about, june & ezekiel we're chatting & meanwhile mylene was staring at them, trying to listen to what they were saying to eachother.

        mylene sat directly across from ezekiel, making her able to hear everything they were saying to eachother. out of all the conversations surrounding her, theirs  stood out.

"you miss me? i know it's only been an entire day , but .." june jested jokingly.

"yeah i missed you." ezekiel grinned. "you're coming with me to shao's tonight right?"

            it seemed like forever since she hung around the boys. she honestly missed them, maybe even shaolin too. she was dying to hear what they were working with as far as sound.

"duh."

"good, cause i'm tryna see you." he whispers flirtatiously. june glanced down, feeling her cheeks burning as she tried to remain calm, but on the inside she was screaming.

              mylene  pursed her lips together, thinking of a way to insert herself into the conversation without out making it obvious as to what her intentions were. she couldn't help but to feel bothered as she watched the two, giggle and laugh like a couple.

"hey, i can I talk to you for a sec?" mylene asks, forcing a smile. june looked at her , then at zeke, before excusing herself from the table.

"you good?" she asks as the two girls walk into the hallway, far from where any of the guests could hear. mylene stood in front of her, looking as if she were contemplating her entire life.

"you and zeke — it's like watching soft porn."

           june's eyes widened at mylene's word choice, but at the same time it made her laugh because she didn't know what she was talking about. to june, all they were doing was communicating like too humans.

"what?"

"you and him got somethin going on dont y'all?" she interrogated. "i thought you ain't like him like that! i thought y'all was just friends." she mimicked, managed to whisper and shout at the same time. june scoffed, not knowing if she should take mylene serious or not.

"yo mylene, it's not that serious." was all she said, grinning. that made mylene even more skeptical. "i never said i ain't like zeke."

"you never said you liked him either june."

"because, honestly mylene that's none of your business." june professes, trying her best not to be rude. she wasn't trying to hurt mylene's feelings, but at the same time she needed to tell her the truth. "why you care now though? it's not like you wanted him when he was after you."

"that's not true. you wouldn't understand." mylene denied. june rolls her eyes. all she could think about was the trouble ezekiel went through to get that record for mylene that night at les inferno, and how she danced with him just to diss him later.

"you right. i wouldn't, especially why you care now. it just don't add up."

                  mylene stood, thinking to herself. it'll always be deeper than what june knew, because she didn't see what other people saw when she and ezekiel were with one another. the chemistry, the love; it was unmatched. when it came to june monroe, mylene never stood a chance with ezekiel — and she knew that. june was first, and always will be.

          so it wasn't the fact that he was falling for someone else ; it was the fact that it was june.

"j, i don't want to lose our friendship over a boy .. but zeke, he's different you know? i got mad love for him." mylene confesses. june wanted to gag at the thought.

"i do too girl, i understand all that. it's no hard feelings, i just don't know why you pulled me away like that."

"because seeing y'all was driving me insane." she whines, glancing at the end of the hall to make sure nobody was there. june giggled.

"huh? how? we ain't even do anything."

          mylene rolls her eyes, knowing june was having trouble taking her serious. just like at papa fuerté's, june made it seem like mylene was tripping over nothing — but she wasn't naive.

"you don't see it, but i do. girl he looks at you like you're the most beautiful thing to ever grace this planet. you ever notice that? or how you're the very first person he speaks to whenever he comes around?"

                 june knew exactly what she was talking about, but she never thought too much about it. it's not like ezekiel did it on purpose; or so she thought.

"to you it might not be anything, but that's something."

"so what you saying? lay off zeke so you can get your fair shot?" she was genuinely confused. mylene shrugged.

"all i know is , i do need to be focusing on myself. one day imma cross that bridge man, and i ain't comin back." mylene spoke. "you are too j; so i'm asking, what are you gonna do?"

                  what am i gonna do? the question pondered in her mind repeatedly. june has a plan, however, when mylene asked her that she felt lost.

"live in the present. i don't know what the future holds for any of us, but i'm fine with that. right here, right now though; i'm young — you just made a fire record, the boys are having fun with this music thing & i'm cresting somethin for myself." june foretold in a hushed tone. "we shouldn't even worry about a boy. they change like the weather."

                 mylene took in her words, thinking of an argument, but she couldn't. june was right. even if she wasn't ; there was nothing mylene could do at that point to change anything.

"you're right. you know, zeke could find some girl off the street and fall in love within the next month." mylene giggled, but june barely cracked a smile.

"right." she agreed, knowing deep down that she wouldn't accept that, but what could she do? "so we good?" she asked, extending her hand out to mylene. the girl paused, before taking it and shaking it.

"we good." mylene smiled, letting her go.

             once the pair had gotten back to the table, it were as if they never left. everyone resumed to what they were doing before , except this time mylene wasn't eavesdropping. it felt like a weight had been lifted off the girls shoulders.

"what was that about?" ezekiel whispers to june. she looks up at mylene, who didn't notice a thing, before shrugging.

"the song." june replied with a smile.

"yo you brought those rhymes?" boo interrogates, approaching the four boys who sat, waiting on his arrival.

       immediately after dinner was over , ezekiel & june both headed over to shaolins new home — this was june's first time even being there. rara, dizzie, boo & shaolin were all sitting around, bobbing their heads to the beat of the record shaolin would scratch every now & then, nothing new.
           it were as if she never missed a beat, everything seemed the same except for the setting. the building was bigger, and much more lively; yet it still had that eerie feeling.

        they'd been there for atleast fifteen minutes; as june sat on the couch, listening and observing as the boys interacted.

"rhymes?" june implores, raising an eyebrow.

"i wrote them some rhymes for the dj battle." ezekiel explains, as he dug into the pocket of his jeans, grabbing his old notepad.

"aw shit, bringing out the big guns." june smiled, instantly getting excited to hear each verse.

"alright; dizzie i wrote this rhyme for you, boo you take that one. this is my verse , and ra this ones for you." ezekiel distributed four different pieces of paper to them each.

"yo diz is up first. let's hope he rhymes as good as he paints. " shaolin starts, after giving them each a moment to read over the paper. he began to mix a random record, as all listened closely.

             the boys each had their own style. dizzie was smooth on the beat, almost like he were used to it — he was so fly. boo busted out singing like a young michael jackson, taking everyone in the room by surprise. everyone knew ezekiel could rhyme over any beat no matter what, so there was no shocker there. june sat in awe, entertained by each of them. there was no doubt that she was their number one fan at the moment.

        however, then cane rara. since everyone had done so good, everyone expected the same energy from the man with the plan; however he crashed. he began to stumble and stammer in ways he's never done before.
         all his friends remained silent, listening to him struggle to catch the beat with his words.

"yo, i don't think we can use you ra.." shaolin interrupts before rara could attempt any further. the record stopped spinning, and nobody said a word. rara's face fell, looking around at all the disorted facial expressions that surrounded him.

"look, i been here before you ever came around. this is my idea!" he argued, his voice filled with fustration.

"and?" shao shrugged in a nonchalant way.
june bit her bottom lip, rarely did rara show examples of outbursts or irritability— she knew he was really trying. he was like a brother to her, and she refused to see him left behind because he couldn't impress shaolin.

"'i'm apart of this!" rara testified. before shaolin could say anything more to him, june intervened.

"ra your mind is just flying too fast, that's the problem." she sat up, crossing her legs like a kid. "shao, can you drop a beat that he can double time to or something?" june suggests.

         shaolin hesitated, looking between her and rara, before placing a different record on. the record spun much faster than the one prior, almost worrying everyone that the plan wouldn't work. after all, since when did june know anything about rap?

            the scrawny boy inhaled deeply, studying the scattered handwriting on the paper.

"you got this." june whispered. rara looked back at her for a second, before turning his attention to the beat — then like that, he began to spit his verse, automatically falling into the rhythm of the record.

            all teens had faces of astonishment, surprised at how quickly he got out his words and how good it sounded. he made it seem so effortless.

"ah shit!" ezekiel hoots, dapping rara up once he'd finished. shaolin took off his headset, finally impressed.

"see! what i tell you!?" june exclaimed, but not to boast , she was just surprised.

"yo j.. how did you know that would work?" rara asks, turning back to her, as each boy did the same.

"i just know my stuff." june grins, popping her imaginary collar.

"i was wrong. that shit was a serious joint." shaolin confesses, dapping rara.

"hold up , we need something." ezekiel began. "something for the conductor for when we're are switching the records."

"yeah, to keep the hype on the star.." shao drifts, "i'm a bad mother fucker."

          each of them thought silently to themselves, especially ezekiel & june. they usually worked best with one another when coming up with something, bouncing ideas off of eachother. she glanced at him, pursing her lips.

"shaolins the dj that we call conducter.."  ezekiel began, writing it aloud. within seconds as smile formed on junes face, as an imaginary lightbulb flashed above her head.

"—  cause shaolin fantastic's a bad mother fucker." she continued for him, both of them hyping eachother up afterward.

"yo that could work!" shaolin confirmed.

"hold on.. y'all can't just say motherfucker." boo chimes in. june scrunched her face.

"why not?"

"it's a curse. say muthafuckee like the puerto rican's do." he says. june narrowed her eyes, knowing he wasn't joking.

"puerto ricans don't say that. you sound chinese." ezekiel rolls his eyes.

"then how they say it?" boo continues.

"books come here and say that again." shaolin instructed. ezekiel got up from his comfortable spot on one of the couches, and made his way to the turn table by shaolin as everyone watched.

"shaolins the dj that we call conductedr cause shaolin fantastics a bad mother -" he stopped him by scratching the record , making it sound ten times better.

           eventually — amazed by what they'd done, boo & rara both join ezekiel i'm dancing and chanted around the turn table, causing june to laugh.

"i can't believe y'all are actually doing this." june says to dizzie as they watch the four boys. she rests her head on his shoulder. "it's like y'all are makin magic together."

"hey, you apart of this too." dizzie comments. june half smiles, knowing it was barely true. "we're making history."

"yeah. all of us." she added, admiring them all.

"there is no way we're not going to win. we're the fucking joint!" ezekiel rejoiced out loud into the empty hallway of junes apartment building. she let out a small laugh, genuinely enjoying his excitement.

"nobdoubt about that, books. better show them who's the best lyricist in all of the bronx." june smirks as the two approach her apartment door.

"i hope you coming too. you know the battles right after i make my speech for the mayor election."

"yeah yeah, imma be there to see my boys shinnin." june smiled big. "spinnin & grinnin baby."

            ezekiel looked down for a second, smiling, then back at her. he was so happy, and for the first time in awhile, it was as if he were untouchable. he and the boys were prepared to take down their competition, here he was with the girl he's been wanting since forever, he had an internship for college — it seemed as if everything was coming together.

"cool." he was lost for words, but he meant more than that. june poked his cheek a little, still half smiling.

            she then thought back to what mylene had said to her earlier, about how she needed to focus on herself and not let any boy distract her from accomplishing her goals — however, to june, ezekiel wasn't a distraction. he actually helped her, inspired her; but she'll probably never tell him.

"i been thinkin." she began. "you & me .. we're really bestfriends right?"

            ezekiel looked at her with a confused expression; even she was confused by what she said. it was like the words she wanted to say wouldn't come out, and all she could say was something stupid.

"uh.. yeah, why?"

"i want you to tell me the truth, aight?"

"shoot."

"you think me and you would workout? like if we was together forreal?" she implores. "like what if stuff ends bad & we lose the friendship we had prior to a relationship? what if i move away, and you find somebody else —"

"aye aye, stop."

"i'm forreal —" she began, but he abruptly interrupted her again.

"you love me?"

"with everything in me."

"and i love you the same. at the end of the day, that's all that matters." he grinned a little, easing the butterflies forming in her stomach. "we could 'what if' all night long, but as far as i see it, you and me forever. you got my heart, nothin could ever take that away."

           her stomach dropped. in an instant, she wanted to hug and kiss all over him and just never stop. oh how she wish she could hold onto those moments forever and just never let them go. she never wanted to let him go.

"i love you so much." she unexpectedly admits, smiling, as if she struggled to keep tears within her eyes.

"i love you more girl.., but now it's my turn for the questions."

"what you got?"

"you talk to that other nigga lately?" was not what she planned for him to say. june furrowed her eyebrows.

"other nigga?"

"other nigga." ezekiel repeated. "ol' dude from the diner; the one who took you to manhattan."

              lorenzo. june wondered what even made ezekiel speak on him; she doubted if regina had said anything directly to him that pertained to lorenzo, however she could've said something to yolanda .. who spoke to mylene .. who ..

fuck.

"maybe, why?" she inquired, suddenly feeling defensive.

"i can't know?" he shrugs, but she knew him better. he never wanted to just know stuff, there was a reason he was asking.

"yeah, he came by like last night — but we just chilled that's it." june professes.

                 ezekiel grimaced at the thought of them being alone together, but he couldn't get upset because he brought it onto himself by asking her. something about lorenzo bothered him; zeke wasn't sure if it was jealousy or his intuition. either way , he didn't like him one bit.

"so you actually hang out with this fool?" ezekiel laughs a little. "oh."

              june swallowed hard, noticing his change in voice as he subtly insulted lorenzo. usually she'd defend him, but she surely wasn't about to do that with zeke.

"i mean — nah, we just smoked —"

"oh so y'all smoke together now?" ezekiel could feel himself getting frustrated, but he couldn't help it. "yo i love you, but that's stupid as fuck."

            june scoffed loudly, folding her arms, now preparing to argue back.

"first of all he's actually a cool guy zeke."

"you don't even remember where you met the dude, how cool can he be?"

"i know exactly where i met him." ezekiel stepped closer, knowing he couldn't have heard her correctly.

"oh yeah? cause you told me at the salon you ain't remember." he responds. "so where you meet him at then?"

right then and there , june knew she messed up.

"does that even matter? i don't ask you where you meet all the people you know!"

"june, you know all the people i know, so stop playing and answer the damn question —"

"les inferno." she finally admits, not knowing what the big deal was. ezekiel does a quick double-take, looking at june like she had lost her mind, which to him she did. the whole conversation went left, quickly.

"so you're fucking with a gangster now!?" he shouted loudly, startling her.

"zeke hush!" she scolded, hoping no one heard him shouting from the inside. "he ain't even like that."

"june, the only niggas that be at les inferno are gangsters!"

"well he's not one of them!" she argued, defending him. "i don't get why you're asking me about him anyways."

"because, j, the first time i asked you about him,  he was a 'nobody'. next thing i know, you got this nigga comin over and shit .. but you got me over here pouring my heart out to you shit .. it just ain't right." his voice was calmer, and now she could see where he was coming from. june sighed.

"it's not like that i swear zeke. for one, me and him just chilled outside that one time, that's it. for two, he's not you — you know how i feel about you."

"whatever man, i ain't tripping." his tone was nonchalant, and june could tell she had pissed him off. she smacks her lips.

"what happened to i love you?" ezekiel shrugged.

"i don't know, cause right now i feel real stupid." he places his hands in his pockets, looking at her, shortly before beginning to back away. "i gotta go."

             her heart dropped. if looks could kill she'd be six feet under. june hated the feeling of ezekiel being upset with her, especially if the conflict could've easily been avoided. all she wanted was to be honest with him.

"you're not mad at me are you?"

"i'm cool j. you take it easy." he says after shrugging his slender shoulders, walking away from her. in other words, he was pissed.

"i'll talk to you tomorrow!" she called after him, before he disappeared down the hall. ezekiel dryly waved back in reply, making her inhale deeply, leaning against the front door.

"here we go again. " june spoke softly to herself.

             ezekiels intentions were pure, and she knew he couldn't help but to feel the way he felt — so she didn't blame him. he did make her feel bad for her actions though; she blamed herself. in the end, all she could do was hope. hope that she didn't ruin anything, and hope that he still found a way to want her like she did him.

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