act i

pg.vi

𝐔𝐏 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐀𝐃𝐃𝐄𝐑

' 𝐢'𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐫𝐲 & 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬,
& 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬 '

_________________

tuesday.

                JUNE SAT COMFORTABLY at the dinning room table of the kipling Residence in silence, flipping through a magazine article. she hadn't spoken to anyone since saturday, and the only reason she was over there currently is because yolanda was supposed to touch up her hair — now that that was done, june sat.. quiet.

             the day had come of her interview for the job in manhattan, and although she didn't show it, june was so nervous. she dreaded the thought of someone judging wether or not she'd have a future with them based off of a couple of questions about herself she didn't even know the answers to.
she'd never been to one before, she had no clue what they would ask.
          on the outside ,however, she kept a straight face.

              meanwhile, rara, dizzie & boo were consulting about money they needed for new equipment, due to the fire burning shaolins things. june didn't intervene.
         mylene, regina & yolanda where talking about a variety of things amongst eachother, and even though she was sitting right in front of them , june had no idea what they were saying.

           however, subconsciously she was only waiting for one person to walk through that door.

"j, what has got you so quiet over there? that ain't no regular book, so i know you ain't focused on nothing important." regina chuckles, receiving a playful glare from june.

"my girl is busy thinkin' of that job she applied for."yolanda winks, knowing she was the only one who's been informed of the interview. june grinned a little, looking up from her magazine once.

"a job!? where you bout to be workin at?" boo loudly inputs, startling her. june now places the magazine down, giving them all her attention as all eyes were on her.

"i didn't tell you? any of you?" she whispers lowly, receiving 'no's' from all over the table. june knew she kept her mouth shut, only because she didn't feel it was that important.

"oh. well.. i have an interview in manhattan." she tried to contain her smile. "pretty cool." june tried to keep it cool, but it was hard as regina gasps loudly.

"it's for dior productions." june shot yolanda a certain look, which she shrugged off smiling. "what? j, this is good news! this could take you places."

"yo! oh my god, my little j finna be doing big things and shit." regina quickly came over and sat next to june. "could you hook a sister up with a modeling contract?" she began to strike several poses, making all the girls laugh.

"i can see it now, my name across the cover of a article... of course with y'all too.." yolanda  jokes.

"noway.. you're ugly." boo boo laughs, receiving a thump in the head by yolanda in return.

"isn't mylene going to manhattan too? you two goin together?" rara asks, now making the table quiet. june & mylene look at eachother, then away.

"i was gonna just ask zeke if he wanted to come along." june professes, trying to avoid the awkwardness of the room. she looked back down at the paper, not planning on engaging any further, until;

"well, i plan on going with ezekiel.. and he already knows this." mylenes eyes shot directly at june, who looked back at her surprised.

"oh? you two are back cool now?" she raised an eyebrow, unaware of the reunion. everyone was quiet. mylene smiled.

"appears that way. he came in handy sunday."

          june looked to both yolanda & regina, who avoided eye contact. this was news to her, and although she gave him that pep talk about never leaving friends in need behind — she couldn't help but feel upset with him for not telling her. she could've atleast gotten a warning that the saga continued.
           — and mylene. something about her attitude didn't sit right with june.

"oh. interesting." june smiled, shaking her head, thinking back to all those words he said & how heated he was when she asked him to play for her.

       suddenly it was as if there was some type of aroma in the room, and everyone could sense the 'tension' as mylene stared at june, and june continued to stare at the magazine pages.
             she could feel herself getting upset, as her carelessness began to become frustration. june felt it wasn't her place, yet she couldn't help but be bothered by it. it was starting to get old.

"how?" mylene questions, still staring at the girl. june glanced up, realizing her staring. she hated being stared at, especially by females.

          before june could speak any further, which she didn't plan to, boo prances over and began to mess with yolanda's hair  like the juvenile he was — taking all the attention off the conversation being held by june & mylene.

"boo stop!" yolanda exclaimed while shooing him off. eventually that took mylene's attention, and she finally gave her eyes a break from june; which was good for her because june was moments away from acting out of character.

          best believe as soon as ezekiel walked through that door, she was going to have to speak with him.

"boo stop messing with your sister!" mrs.kipling demands, walking in the dinning room. "winston we're gonna miss our bus!"

"how long you guys going out there?" dizzie asks his parents.

"well the funerals tomorrow at nigeria falls, so we'll be back on saturday."

"cool."

"mylene have you talked to your father?" adele turns to the mylene, as does june.

"he kicked me out mrs.kipling." she sighed.

             june looked at her, wondering what must've happened to result in that. nobody told her anything, and she was sort of upset by it — but at the same time, june had so many secrets that she kept within herself, she didn't have the right to be upset.

"and for singing ma! ain'tthat wack?" yolanda exclaimed, shaking her head.

"that's wack right mrs.k?" regina agreed. "especially because she's about to be a full time disco star. mylene tell her about jackie."

"i got a producer producing me now" mylene grins, looking down.

"a famous producer." yolanda adds with excitement.

          the whole conversation took june by surprise, but she kept it to herself. all she knew was mylene was singing for the man at church, she had zero clue what transpired after that & she sort of didn't care.

"okay well you can stay while we're gone, but when we get back, we'll have to figure this thing out. i'm sure your family misses you." adele reconciles while looking at the girl with sympathy. "winston !" she calls shortly after.

"i'm here my dear.. ok kids you know the drill." their father slid in smoothly, bringing a smile to everyone's face. "no fighting , mind your manners , no biting , no strangers and no water balloons. give me some love!" he whined as he, yolanda , dizzie , boo & rara all hug eachother tightly.

           june watched them, half smiling. to her, they were all so luckily. the home was so loving, and warm. she adored them; a hardworking mother & father, who cared for their kids. the love was so strong, it was hard to imagine anything different.

she wish she had a family like that.

"yolanda you're in charge." adele says before walking out the door , receiving a loud 'yes' from yolanda in return.

           rara watched, waiting for the door to close shut before continuing on with their conversation from earlier.

"alright y'all , zeke's gonna get back here from work and he's gonna wanna know how much money we've got. diz, how much did you get from the couch cushion?" rara begins to instruct, looking to his brothers.

"$12.40"

"turn tables?" rara turned to boo.

"i fixed the burnt ones, but if we get another turn table and a mixer, dj boo nasty gonna be chilling like a villain." boo smiled while rubbing his hands together.

"y'all are stupid, for real." yolanda rolled her eyes at her brothers.

"the money's gonna be used for our dj gear. that's our thing for now." dizzie stated with a smile.

"i thought shao was pissed. what? he's y'all brother again now?" june raises an eyebrow. the boys looked amongst eachother, scratching their heads.

"he doesn't even know."

          before june could ask further questions, a knock was heard at the door, and before anyone else could get up to get it, mylene did.

"hey." the sound of ezekiel's voice caught june's ears, making her instantly turn around.

"that's all , just heh? ain't you excited to see me?" mylene asks , causing june to roll her eyes in annoyance.

here she go.

"well yeah i'm happy to see you." ezekiel walked into the dinning room to greet everyone. june's heart fluttered, seeing his smile.

that smile.

          but she was not his friend at the moment, so she took her eyes off him & stuck her head back in the magazine. suddenly every article began interesting.

"yo, what's happening." he greeted all the boys with mylene trailing behind him like a lost puppy. ezekiel pauses, noticing june sitting there, pretending she didn't notice him. regina flicks her shoulder to grab her attention, making her instantly look in his direction.

"hey." he greeted , smiling at her.

"hey." she returns , blandly. yolanda & regina giggle under their breathes and the boys all smirk. ezekiel placed his hand on his chest, smirking, pretending to be hurt.

"did i miss somethin'?" he asks with a laugh. june ignored him, rolling her eyes and staring down at the paper.

"how was the new job?" rara asks , interrupting the moment, gratefully.

"it sucked." he replied with a smirk. june mentally added that to the list of things he neglected to mention to her; he had a job now?

"um can I talk to you for a second , back here?" mylene asks lowly  while motioning for ezekiel to come to yolanda's bedroom with her, which threw everyone off guard. zeke hesitated, before following behind her until he was stopped.

"hope you brought some money." boo calls before he could leave completely. june watched.

"yeah yeah , this is my life savings right here. $31.18." he pours all the money out onto the table , before meeting mylene in the bedroom.

       june looks as he leaves, wondering what mylene could possibly be trying to talk to him about in yolandas room that she couldn't say at the table. she hated jumping to conclusions, but her mind was running ramped.
          once he was gone, she shifted her seat, closing the magazine.

"yo, j, what was that?" regina scolded. june looked at her confused.

"what was what?"

"that." yolanda whispers, confusing her even more. june looked at the boys, who were speaking amongst themselves before responding to the girls.

"girl bump zeke, i ain't studying him." she rolled her eyes. yolanda & regina didn't take her seriously at all. rarely was june truly mad with zeke, if ever.

         the two girls knew june had feelings for zeke, not from june herself but they just assumed. however, they never spoke on it because they knew june would never say anything — especially since they were close to mylene.

"bump zeke? girl." regina glances up at the boys, then back at her. "you saw the way he was looking at you?"

"zeke?"

"zeke." both girls repeat in unison, breaking the cycle of whispering.

"what about him?" boo intervened. yolanda scoffed.

"yo, mind your business!" she shouted, but that only made boo want to bother her more.

"someone likes zeke and i'm gonna tell!" he sang, cackling maniacally. june places her hand on her forehead, nearly laughing.

"june?" dizzie inquires. june nearly chokes, and the room fell silent, as they waited for her to defend herself.

"no way diz, my girl don't like no zeke." boo nudges his shoulder. dizzie shrugs. "ain't that right j?"

           june smiled softly, not taking any of it seriously.

"oh my — i'm bout to go. i gotta get changed and stuff." she stood up, beginning to gather her things. "i'll catch you all later, and thanks again yolanda."

"no problem sista'."

"see you at the party!" rara shouts after her as she walks to the door. june looked back, noticing they were all still looking at her with those silly expressions, it made her laugh.

"right.. ok."

            EVENTUALLY, june made it home, and did all she needed to do to consider herself 'ready' for the interview. she ate, took a shower, ate some more, watched television, stared at the wall & finally got dressed.
she studied herself carefully in the mirror, trying to mentally avoid her flaws.

           june was such a tomboy at heart, it took her nearly an hour to find a decent outfit that she felt best fit fr the occasion & her personality. it was a short pink dress that hung off the side of her shoulders, and it fit her perfectly. her hair was curled at the ends, and her face? naturally beautiful — despite what she thought.

             carter slowly walks out of his room, preparing to leave out. as he walks by, he sees a quick glimpse of his sister running her fingers through her tresses. doing a quick double take, once he realized what she was wearing , he stopped in his tracks.

"where the hell— what you all dressed up for?" he asks. june looks at him through the mirror with a grin. since mylene has already called on ezekiel to go with her to manhattan before june could; she thought to ask the one person she loved the most to take her.

"bubba could you please come with me somewhere?" she frowned up. "i know it's last minute , but i got this interview—"

"interview? for a job?" he raised an eyebrow and his jaw sort of dropped. not once did she run the idea of even applying for jobs by him. usually she'd tell him everything.

"yeah, in manhattan—"

"manhattan!?" he raised his voice so suddenly, it startled her. she placed her index finger on her lips, telling him to hush.
"yo, who taking you to manhattan cause i know you not riding the subway or the train like that."

            carter was always worried about his sisters, out and about — however they were usually with people. june only ever kept secrets when she was up to something, so carter but two & two together, and somehow ended up with 6.

"that's what i was trying to ask you carter. could you take me? you know i rarely ask you for anything but mylene's taking ezekiel & i don't want to be alone." she folded her arms, pouting like a child. carter laughed lightly, scratching his head.

"you know i would do anything for you right... but there's this thi—" he began, but june quickly waved him off, already knowing what he was about to say. carter always had something to do, rarely did he ever actually find the time to spend with his sisters, but at that point june was growing used to it.

"i know i know. work." she droned, causing him to immediately feel bad.

"sorry bugs, maybe next time—"

"if there's a next time." her mood was ruined. she didn't want to hold a conversation with him at all. carter smacked his lips.

"you ain't got a friend or something you can go with? i don't like the idea of my sister out here flaring around in a little dress, walking the streets of manhattan with all them white folks."

          june shrugged, turning off the bathroom light and softly pushing past him, walking into her room.

"i'll figure something out, dont worry about it." she nonchalantly replies, sitting on the edge of her bed.

           carter stood for a minute, looking at his sister. he could tell her hurt her feelings. she always had that same look in her eyes whenever he'd say he couldn't do something with her — but he couldn't help it. in the business he was in, if you get a call; you go.

especially since he was behind the murder of a child.

            june's eyes roamed from her hands, to her feet, then to the floor. her room stayed clean, so when she saw a small notecard on her carpet her eyes furrowed.

"i'll make it up to you." he declared. june half smiled. "i'll take you & maya somewhere — soon."

            she picked up the notecard, examining it.

lorenzo

          she tilted her head to the side, a small smirk forming on her face as it revealed a phone number she had yet to call. june thought for a second; it was almost perfect. almost too perfect.

"ok." she grinned, realizing she neglected to tell him anything.

  
           not only would be the perfect opportunity to see what this lorenzo boy was all about, but june didn't have to be alone. plus he was fly, so making ezekiel jealous would be perfect.

               JUNE hesitated a minute before calling the phone number. it wasn't like she was afraid though; june wasn't afraid of anything, according to her. she just didn't know what she was getting herself into. he could be some sort of pimp for all she knew.

"i'll be there at 4."

             was all lorenzo says, hanging up instantly. june's mouth hung open, as she let the dead line play in her ear. it wasn't until after that she realizes what she'd done.
         she asked a boy that she barely knows for a ride to manhattan, and for him to pick her up at her friends parents salon, in less than an hour.

atleast he was fine.

                 THE WIND blew freely through june's hair as she approached the kipling salon. loud music blared from the small building as rara stood in front of the door collecting cash from the people walking in.

"damn you making bank." was the first thing june says, approaching the doorway. rara pauses from counted his cash, taking a good look at her.

"dang j, you look good!" he dramatically dragged out once she got to him.

"thanks." she, beginning to walk past him, until he stopped her by placing his hand on her shoulder. june scoffs , looking at his hand.

"now that'll be five dollars." he responds with a smile. june cackled loudly.

"five dollars— boy you better move." june demands, pushing the slim boy to the side and making her way in.

           different color fairy lights were hung, liquor was on display, boo was on a turn table & everyone was dancing. it looked like a real deal house party — you'd forget it was a salon.

"damn." she states, looking at the small yet somehow large group of people dancing and grinding upon eachother. june scrunches her face up at how close they were dancing, yet was slightly amused.

"grandmater, boo nasty!"

since when did boo know how to dj?

           june stood off to the side, just taking in her surroundings. she tried to spot regina & yolanda, but couldn't through the busy crowd.
          at last, her eyes roamed to over where the dj both was. beside boo stood ezekiel, handing him records whenever the song needed to be changed. june bit her lip, finally seeing him alone so she could speak to him like she planned.
           she fought her way through the crowd, trying her hardest not to get groped by a stranger.

   
"aye, come here." she demanded, shortly after approaching him. ezekiel quickly glanced at her , then back to boo, then back at her again.

"uh- yeah.. yeah.. i'll be right back." he calls to boo as june led him over where the dryer section of the salon was.

          it was a little quieter, yet you could still hear all the commotion coming from boo and the crowd.

"i didn't know boo could dj." she says as he entered from behind her.

"he can't." ezekiel laughs. june tilted her head, trying to put two and two together, but failed.

"so i heard through a little birdie, that you were making a trip to the city today." she quickly changed the subject, caring less about what was going on out there. "after all this."

          ezekiel scratches his head, realizing he neglected to tell her anything pertaining to mylene. he felt bad for not talking to her at all the past few days; he just found himself so busy.

"she just asked me and i said yeah. tryna help a friend out like you said." june rolled her eyes.

how he gonna use my own words against me?

"oh. well that makes two of us taking a trip to the city don't it?" she folded her arms, genuinely smiling. it was contagious, cause zeke smiled too ; although he was slightly confused."

"you're going with mylene?"

"no, i got my own thing going." she began, "i got an interview for a job out there & shit." ezekiels smile widened.

"for real!? j, that's fucking awesome!" he hoots, suddenly hugging her causing them both to stumble against the wall. june pushes him off, laughing. "that's what you looking all good and shit for."

"you think i look good?" she looked down at her outfit as if she'd forgotten what she was wearing.

"june, you always look good. even when you ain't trying. we been over this." he chuckled, watching her roll her eyes, trying to retain from blushing.

"thanks." she looked down, placing her hand on the back of her neck. june forgot that she was supposed to be mad, and the fact that he of all people was making her nervous — said something.

"yo, if you want me to come with you I can — i mean .. i know i told mylene — " he began, stammering on his words.

"no, no, it's fine. you made a promise, you should keep that." she sighed, thinking him and mylene together. "besides, i got a ride and everything so it's nothing."

"a ride ? from who?"

         she expected the question , because she knew him. june didn't hesitate to tell the truth however, cause lorenzo was nothing to worry about.

"remember ol' dude from the diner?" she mimics in his voice from the other night. ezekiel thought for a second , before realizing who she was referring to. his expression grew suspicious.

"you like him or something? i thought he was nobody."

          june smacks her lips , smiling like a child who just got caught up.

"he ain't nobody."

"if he's nobody then how you ask him to go with you, before you ask me?" he interrogates. june thought, he did make sense.

"look." june placed both of her hands on his shoulders. "he's only giving me a ride because i had nobody else. it's a moral support thing."

"you had nobody else? j, you literally could've asked anybody else." june took her hands off his shoulders, finding the conversation humorous.

          sometimes june swore zeke sounded like her brother, especially when it came to guys. rarely did june ever mention another boy, but when she did, ezekiel acted as if the world was about to end.

"you're going to another city with a stranger, that sounds sketchy as hell." he continued.

          on ezekiels behalf, too often did june make reckless impulse decisions, and he seemed to be the only one aware of that. he always found himself looking out for her, even when she didn't know it.

"just because you don't know him, don't mean he a stranger." she retorted.

"where you know this guy from? he damn sure don't go to southmoore."

          now was the time june quieted down, realizing the fault in the entire situation. as soon as the words would escape from her mouth; she already knew what ezekiel would say.

"i cant remember." she lied. june refused to receive a lecture from zeke at that moment. "all i know is, everything will be fine. he's a cool cat zeke, you'd like him."

          hearing her talk about him, made zeke want to vomit. he stared at her, trying to find the words to say. no way was he about to let some boy come in & take her away in any form.

she was his bestfriend; his girl.

"promise me you won't do nothin crazy with this man, j. really promise."

            june smiled softly, holding out her pinky. as he intertwined his finger with hers, she thought back to the last time they did that — right before the shoot out at les inferno.

"i promise." she spoke. letting her go, ezekiel smiled a little, looking into her hazel eyes as the sun shined down on them.

if you don't get your girl, someone else will.

          shaolins words echoed throughout zeke's mind, sending shivers down his spine.

he couldn't let her go.

    
           like an epiphany, zeke began to realize he couldn't play it safe anymore. he had to step up before someone else got to her without him getting a second chance.
          ezekiel knew where his heart lied, and what his feelings were. for once, in that moment, everything felt right. it was completely opposite of the illusion of him & mylene. it was utter bliss.

  
he had the urge to tell her the truth.

"what?" june looked back at him, slightly concerned as to why he was staring at her the way he was. "is something wrong?"

"i need to tell you something." he blurted out, trying to prepare his thoughts without sounding stupid and making a fool of himself.

come on man, you've known this girl since the fourth grade.

            june's expression didn't change, as she waited for him to speak his mind & say whatever it was he had to say to her.
          once he opened his mouth prepared to speak , out of nowhere , they hear a sudden stop in music; snapping ezekiel & june back to their reality.

"what the fuck is you doing with this!?" an angry stranger shouted at the silent crowd.
her & zeke walk back out to the area where everyone was to see 3 buff dudes dressed in all black ransacking the place.

"this don't fly, & when shit don't fly , the cesars come party crashing." one snarled at everyone.

"take that cash!" he ordered as another one snatched the money from rara. june stood in the corner, trying to make out what was happening.

"yo, we worked our asses off for that money, so we're not gonna be giving it up without a fair one." ezekiel spoke out, stepping closer to the scene.

        one of the strangers instantly took out his gun and held it to rara's head. the room was dead silent, and everyone felt their hearts drop.

"how about i shoot him in the head and we call it a fair one." he threatened. as he was speaking, another one started throwing chairs and breaking glass, tearing the whole salon apart.

"hey!! all that ain't necessary!" zeke announced.

"shut the fuck up!" the man with the gun exclaimed, as the pistol came across ezekiels face causing him to instantly fall to the ground, with mylene rushing to his aid before anyone else could.

           june was frozen with fear. here were three men, threatening the lives of her friends or an unknown cause; and she didn't know what to do.

"the fantastic four plus one are going to be dead to the grandmaster once he hears about this." the stranger states before walking out along with the rest of them, leaving this shop in disarray & the teens in shock.

                june looked at ezekiel, as if he held all the answers, which she was sure he did.

            she stood under the shaded area outside the salon, watching as mylene held an ice cloth to ezekiel cheek, while the two sat out in front of her. june was annoyed with mylene's presence, but she didn't show it as she approached the two.

"is it feeling any better?" june inquired. both heads turn to face her, then back at the street.
          she genuinely felt bad for the boys, and yolanda , but more specifically the boys. from what she heard; she knew shaolin was gonna be pissed once he heard what went down that day.

"a little bit." he says still rubbing the rag against his sore cheek.

                she bit her lip, thinking of how he defended himself & the salon today — even with a gun pointed at his bestfriends head. it was sexy.
               had she not been so caught up in her thoughts of ezekiel, she would've realized the two vehicles pulling up in front her — both with familiar people in them.

"oo, who is that?" june overhears regina through the open door. the sound of rock n' roll gangsta by aalon, snapped june into reality.
           she looks up at both the cars, seeing shaolin in the first one & lorenzo in the second one, both vehicles oddly similar.

              a smile spread across her face, curious as to where the car even came from; & lorenzo was even dressed nicely, as if he were the one being interviewed.

"the one in the white car is fine." yolanda chuckles, referring to lorenzo, causing june to shake her head.

"mmm, take me to church!" regina shouts.

"i'll catch you later e. you'll be here tonight, right?" june asks, slowly walking to the car.

"yeah." he responds still sitting on the pavement, but this time instead of watching the road, he was studying lorenzo. "good luck."

"thanks." she grinned, looking over at shaolin. "shao." june stated, walking past his vehicle.

"july." he Replied in the same tone, watching her walk from behind.

"you got one more time to call me the wrong name." she threatened , not even bothering to look back at him. he only laughs, rolling his eyes & continued to focus on who he'd came for and that was the boys.

               as she was approaching the car, he quickly got out and opened the door for her like a gentleman, taking her by surprise.

"showoff ." june teases, getting into the car.

"i got to let these people know i got you, right?" he chuckles, closing the door behind her.

                   the only thing that kept them from silence on the short trip, was the music playing out for everyone to hear. june was too busy internally prepping herself for the questions they'd ask her to pay attention to anything else. lorenzo would glance at her every now and then, hoping she'd say something, but she never did.

"so.." he began, drifting off. june looked over at him , waiting for him to continue with his thought.  "who was that sitting on the ground, the one with the girl?"

            june tries to think back , then she remembered.

"oh, that's my bestfriend ezekiel." she truthfully responds. "why?"

he bit his lip, shaking his head. "no reason."

         she stared at him for awhile , trying to figure him out , then ended up shrugging it off.

"thankyou for the ride again. i know it was last minute."

"its cool. i was bored anyways." he professes , but in all honesty he was just excited to hear from her. his motives were unclear; maybe he just wanted to get to know her.

"is this your car?" she asks, admiring the interior. "or did you borrow this?" june cocks her eyebrow, curious.

"this baby is all mine."

"its nice." she compliments, still looking at his profile.

damn he's cute.
maybe even finer than before..

      she thought , biting her lip, shortly chuckling after and facing the opposite direction from him so he wouldn't think she were some sort of creep.

"what?"

"nothin, just ready to get this thing over with." she sighed. "you ever been interviewed?" she looked at him once more for an answer. he nods his head.

"whats it like?"

"theu ask you stuff like, what experience do you have or how you'd react to unpredictable situations and shit like that."

"experience?" she drifted, trying to think of someway to try and ease her way through the process without sounding like a lier , because nine times out of ten she was going to be forced to make something up. "fuck. i have zero experience in anything. all i've ever done was smoke weed and run the streets."

yo.. i really need to get it together.

                 she came to the realization quickly. all the time she spent, wasted, being young & dumb. the funny part was, she didn't even realize it until now.

however, she didn't regret a thing.

"look at it like this; they'll only know what you tell them. if you really want it, do what you gotta do to get it." he advised wisely, making her look him slightly differently. he was sweet, a gentleman, attractive & had his own car?

"okay, now there has gotta be something bad about you." june boldly notes. "what is it?" he only looked at her , wondering if he should even take her serious and laughed.

"i don't know, you tell me." he jested, making her grin a little , playfully rolling her eyes.

                the building stood tall; it was the largest building june had ever seen in the two cities of the bronx & manhattan combined. there were atleast 20 floors.
it made her nervous.
              it only took the two less than fifteen minutes to get there; most of the time she spent thinking of how the process would go. everyone adored manhattan, especially coming from where she did, so the opportunity for her to be able to visit the place everyday was a privilege; but terrifying.

"yo ready?" he asks her, opening the door for her. june gazed up at the skyscraper for the last time before taking a deep breath.

"of course."

               the walk in, instantly being greeted by the smell of cinnamon & a receptionist who looked like they hadn't smiled in years.
june took the time to look around, seeing an abundance of young white girls waiting around. she scoffed softly, praying they weren't there for the same reason she was.

"may i help you two?" the receptionists snarling voice peaks into her thoughts. june turns from the waiting area to meet the eyes of the grimacing woman.

"oh— yeah , i'm here for a interview for the assistant position.." june stumbled on her words , her anxiety overwhelming her. the woman paused, almost as if she were surprised.

"name please?" she asks, pulling out a stack of papers. june hesitates — suddenly she forgot her own name.

"june."

"whats your full name? i'm not one of your little street friends." the lady croaks. june scrunched her face, looking at lorenzo who gave her the same expression, then back at the lady.

don't go off, don't go off.

              she kept repeating to herself inside her mind.

"june monroe."

"now that wasn't so hard was it?" the woman's sarcastic tone made june roll her eyes. the lady began to write something down, before typing something into the fax machine. eventually she handed her a sheet of paper, pen & a clipboard. "take a seat in the waiting area until being called."

          without further instruction, june & lorenzo looked over at the overcrowded area, realizing there weren't any seats left and over half of the girls were on the floor. they spoke to one another as if they knew eachother, but june couldn't relate. she stuck out like a sore thumb.
    

"the floor it is." june softly stated , slightly annoyed as they slid down the corner and onto the floor.

"on the bright side, you're not alone." lorenzo grinned, sitting beside her.

"you right." she smiled. "this would suck." she looked down at the paper she'd received, realizing it was an application — asking her a series of questions like she thought. "and who else would help me lie on this, so i can sound hella interesting." she whispered, giggling.

           two long hours, 3 dozen candidates missing, & four sheets worth of application questions later — they'd gotten down to atleast ten more people. both june & lorenzo we're finally able to sit in an actual seat.
           she stared out the window, watching as the sky slowly tranform from bright & sunny, to a ray of colors.

"monroe? june monroe!?" a short, eccentrically dressed man called out, seemingly out of nowhere. june's eyes snapped from the window and her stomach dropped.

"good luck kid." lorenzo whispered as the girl walked toward the man. june only looked back, slightly feeling that anxious feeling once more.

"thanks."

                june follows closely behind the man as they go up several flights in the elevator. he didn't speak to her once, and she surely couldn't gather the courage to speak to him. she tried to avoid staring at him, but she couldn't help it; from his green hair, to his ruby red shoes. she didn't stare out of judgment, she actually admired how much he stood out from what she'd seen in the building so far.
          she took her eyes off his shoes, now thinking of liza dior. june bit her lip, beginning to tap her foot lighlty against the marble elevator floor, without noticing. the young man looked down at her leg, then back at the doors.

"just remember to keep calm and you won't make any mistakes." he advises her, as if he could read her nervous energy.

          the golden elevator doors opened, revealing a dark hallway. opera music played softly on the speakers, and abstract photos hung on the wall. there was only one room on this hall, enclosed by two large golden doors.

"oh, and don't say anything foolish." he adds, knocking on the doors. june furrowed her eyebrows.

"why would i —"

"come in!" whoever lied behind the door ordered, startling them both. the man said nothing before disappearing, leaving june all alone. june swallowed the lump in her throat, twisting the knob carefully.

            beauty. the doors opened to reveal utter beauty. her walls were white, with art painted by professionals all over. the windows reached from the floor to the ceiling, covering an entire wall — no barriers what's so ever. she had a chandelier hung over her. luckily the woman's back was turned to june as she stood, looking out her window at the buildings surrounding that area.

"close the doors and sit." she foretold june, who followed her every order.

              a tray of champagne sat in the corner , with several clean glasses. her desk was filled with papers & magazines from international publications. june admired and took it all in.

this is the life.

"june, correct?" the woman finally turned around, revealing herself. in her hand she held a wine glass half empty & she wore silk , the good kind. & to june she was physically stunning. "where did that name come from? were you born in the summer or something?"

"my grandmothers maiden name was elizabeth june, so my mother named me june elizabeth." junes voice was quiet & serine, not her usual vibrant vocals. it wasn't intimidation she felt, but more speechless. here she was , in the presence of the liza dior — one of the biggest business moguls in the state of new york.

"no need to be shy; i don't bite.. badly." liza chuckled, walking over to a tray refill her glass. "you drink?"

       june sat, contemplating on wether or not she was being serious, before taking a large gulp of her own saliva.

"actually i do." she thought it'd ease her nerves.

"good." she places a fresh glass of champagne filled to the brim infront of her. june only took one sip & immediately winced and put down the glass. she'd only ever had the cheap brown liquor , never had she even tasted real champagne.

"damn." she mumbled at the strong taste of the alcohol. liza laughed, surprising june cause she didn't realize she'd heard her. "i am so sorry... just .. the taste.." she quickly apologized.

"no need to apologize, It isn't for everyone. it just takes some getting used to." the woman began, sitting on the edge of her desk across from june. "your resume wasn't on file."

"oh! yeah, that lady gave me one earlier.." she drifted, unfolding the sheets of paper she held close to her, handing it over. liza looked at the paper, then back at her before taking it.

"interesting." she scanned through it, taking her time at each section. "you know you left the age section blank?"

"must've slipped my eyes; i'm 19." she lied easily. liza chuckled, shaking her head, seeing right through her.

"your real age." she asks again, leaning foward.

"uh, last time i checked that was it." june stuck by her story, but liza clearly wasn't buying it.

"when's your birthday?" june smiled, realizing where she was going with the trivia.

"may 30th."

"the year."

       june paused for a second , trying to quickly do the math in her head — even though her brother was the exact age she was portraying to be. before she could even get the answer out, liza shook her head with a smile — knowing she caught her in the act.

"ok, you got me." june admitted truthfully. "i was born in '61." liza began to drink her liquor, before quickly realizing what she just said. placing the glass down, liza gasped.

"you're sixteen?" she starts, taking junes glass away from her. "you're merely a child."

"i am not a child. i can hold my own." june responds. "— honestly, i never really had the chance to be a kid, growing up. i had too much responsibility." she confesses.

          liza just sat, analyzing everything that came out her mouth. for once, she actually felt something toward the young girl. liza was intrigued, but before digging deeper — she had to throw in a few obstacles.

"why should i hire you; especially after you just lied?"

            june sat silently, looking down at the rim of her dress, trying to think of an answer. a few seconds passed, and she couldn't even think of one; feelings disappointed in her own self.

"i don't know." she finally looked up. liza slowly nodded, surprised. liza expected fire, but she didn't even get a spark.

         however june held fire within her, she just didn't know how to unleash that passion; especially to a stranger

"then i believe we're through here." liza smiles quickly before returning to her original state, walking back to the window she stood by when june first arrived.

               june looked at the back of her head, knowing she messed up. here was an opportunity for june to pave a bright new path for herself, and actually become something — even if she just started out as an assistant. she was too smart & driven to let this slip through her fingers.

"you can let yourself out." liza adds, knowing june was still sitting there. she said nothing before standing up, beginning to walk toward those large golden doors —- but then she stopped.

i can't ruin this.

           she thought. taking a deep breath, june turned around, prepared for another chance.

"i'm not perfect at all, but hiring me would be the best thing you could do. i could actually do something." june argued softly. "i saw all those other girls out there, they ain't got nothing special — it was like seeing a replica over and over again. i'm sorry for lyin', but i just wanted my shot."

          liza grinned, taking a final sip of her glass of champagne, still facing the glass. although she was still mentally caught up on the age thing, liza showed a rare display of empathy toward the girl. as odd as it seemed, of all the people she spoke to that day, june stuck out to her and she didn't know why.

"i'm listening." liza spoke. june smiled a little, realizing how lucky she was receiving the chance to redeem herself. "let's start over." liza turned around, placing her glass on the desk.

"i'm june monroe, and here's why you should hire me;" she began,

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