act ii

pg.ii

𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐌

' 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐬
𝐢'𝐦 𝐬𝐩𝐮𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 '

_____________

FALL,
1978

     JUNE LIGHTLY TAPPED her fingers on the white leather seat, she sat on so often it nearly became apart of her. with her notebook in her hand, and pen on her ear, she studied the actions of her favorite co-worker, daniel as she and several others participated in a game of charades.
in the entire dior building, it was filled with different departments, and within those departments there was only a few employees so young they still considered them kids; including june — her being the youngest of them all. it took no time for her to find her place amongst them though; it was like a different world.

"oh i got it!" june shouted with confidence, "you a sloth." she smirked. daniel smacks his lips, quickly stopping his gestures & shaking his head.

"a panda!" another person on their team shouted from across the room. june giggled softly as daniel began to laugh.

"man — y'all are never gonna get it. it was a turtle." daniel professes, popping another piece of popcorn into his mouth before plopping himself down in the chair beside june.

"that makes the score 3–1. michelle, brandom and i won." stephan chirped, also partaking in some popcorn. june playfully rolled her eyes as she and daniel exchanged smirks.

"that's only because michelle cheated." june murmured to him specifically, dapping him up in their handshake they made up awhile back.

    it's been a little over a year since june had been working at dior productions, and she was completely in love. she had friends, freedom within her workspace, & she was in the city 24/7. everyone treated her like an adult, despite her only being seventeen.
however, with good, there was also bad. it was starting to get hard juggling her life in the bronx with the new life she'd created there. celine had grew fond of june, more than before, which was a blessing and a curse. with potential, she also saw someone capable of doing tasks others couldn't — making june always busy, whether she was at work or not.

"what!? no, y'all just suck." michelle jokes, throwing a piece of popcorn over at June.

"bet if it was about her and that lover boy, she'd guess that correctly." vanessa, the bold, flamboyant twenty-two year old white girl with bright pink hair jested toward june. june gasped , laughing a little.

"lover boy?"

"figuero, the boy you cant ever stop talking about." dani inserted, spinning around in the office chair as the television channel was set on the dance show platinum boogie. her smile faded, and she sunk down.

another downside about her current work situation; rarely did she ever get to spend actual time with ezekiel. he was always busy at the internship when she's free, and when he is she isn't — plus his music with boys was starting to take off as they actually began to make money from shows they'd do. they barely had time for one another as of lately with school starting back up, but they managed to make it work. they always did.

"aye!" june testifies, "i haven't said one word about zeke all night; as a matter of fact, i should be with him now, watching him perform but no i'm here after my shift ended , with you guys."

"perform? he a singer now?"

"he be doing poetry or somethin, at this place she don't even like going to." daniel intervenes. june scoffed, now remembering the fact that she told him how much she couldn't stand how zeke was working with men at les inferno.

"he's a wordsmith, and he's so good. i'm telling you, if you heard how my man flows — y'all would be so amazed." she perked up, getting giddy and excited. the girls all admired her in awe of how highly she spoke of him.

"you really love this dude." daniels voice interrupts her thoughts. june came down from her mental high, looking over at him.

" i also love you guys." she innocently smirks, mimicking him.

"girl we know that. we your family now
mama." vanessa pats her shoulder, now taking the seat on the other side of her.

"she love me more though, just so y'all know." daniel whispers to vanessa, winking at june shortly after.

june smiled, placing her hand on her chest. there, she was so happy, it was like she really forgot all her worries. it was a safe haven.

"from station to station, and across the nation , i am cool calvin moody." the dance show hostess on the television began to speak. "tonight platinum boogies here to spread god's love with, mylene cruz & the soul madonnas!"

    the television took over everyone's attention in an instant , as all six of them rotate to where they could properly see.

"ain't those your girls?" daniel asks june.

"yes sir." she excitedly replied, tuning in to give her bestfriends her undivided attention. she was so proud of everyone; even those she barely associated with anymore.

    mylene & june rarely communicated after summer '77, but june thought nothing of it. she had her thing going on and june respected that. plus, ever since the ezekiel situation, things were awkward between the two.

"now save your soul, with mylene cruz & the soul madonnas.." calvin introduces them, as the camera zooms over to where the three of them stood in the shadows, lookin like angels.

june sat on the edge of her seat, as the song began to play & mylene's soothing vocals captivated the entire room. she then remembered that summer, the last day of her sophomore year when she heard mylene singing in the church; how she told zeke she wish she had a voice like hers —

"so i'll keep a light in my window.." mylene sang as the beat began to drop , turning around to show off the beautiful dress that wrapped around her hourglass figure.

"damn.." everyone in the room mumbled in unison, all for different reasons.

"they look so fly!" june hoots, shocked. "that right there goes to show, the bronx produces the baddest." she smirked, popping her imaginary collar.

"nah, brooklyn all the way." michelle argues.

"brooklyn?" daniel grimaced. "harlem is where it's at." he added, stirring the pot.

"i can't hear the music!" vanessa chided at the three bantering back and fourth.

"so i can ease the pain that, life could bring.." the girls sing in unison , "i have been chosen for a work to do , to make a world of love for me and you.."

it was so pure , and angelic — it could make even the worse of heathens soul cry. they did their thing on that record, much like the last one. they were the real deal now.

"to make a world of love .. for me and you.." mylene sang smoothly , ending the song off with one last note before disappearing off the screen completely.

everyone in the small conference room applauded as if they were really watching them perform live, hooting and whistling like true fans.

"shh, it's time for the interview!" vanessa whispers with excitement, turning up the volume on the remote..

"mylene where did you learn to sing like that?" calvin asks, holding the mic up to her mouth to speak.

"well mr.calvin, regina, yolanda & i like to call church gods nightclub," mylene went on, answering his questions.

    june sat in a daze, getting lost in her own thoughts per usual. she began to pretend it were her on the big screen, answering interview questions and wearing a sexy , glittery gown. however, it were just a fantasy, a singer wasn't written in the stars for her.

her eyes then slowly trail above the television, looking at the giant clock on the wall that read 11:52.

"shit!" she whispered loudly amongst herself, quickly jumping up. "yo, i gotta go."

"what's the rush kid? got curfew?" dani laughed, making the others laugh also.

"actually yeah, which was an hour ago." she replied, softly hitting the back of his head.

"bye junie, kiss mylene goodnight for me." vanessa teased making june laugh.

"i don't think mylene plays for your team bud." daniel says , laughing also.

"give me an hour with her and we'll see about that." vanessa cockily states.

"you are out of line." june laughs, before nearly slipping out the door.

"oh yeah j, i'll be by to pick you up tomorrow for the shoot." daniel warns before she could leave. "and don't forget about the signatures , you know how she gets when she doesn't get her stuff on time."

june sighed, already exhausted for the next day, & it hasn't even came yet. it's either school or work with her, never any in between.

"aight. see you tomorrow." was all she said before exiting the building completely.

    EZEKIEL gazes up at june's dimly lit apartment building, wondering wether or not she was even home. he was bitter about how she neglected to show up to he and boys performance, but how much he missed her outweighed all of that. he could see her right that second and forget the entire thing.

    climbing up the fire escape, once he made it to the sixth floor , on her bedroom window he placed a folded sheet of paper he'd written specifically for her — hoping she got it in time.

JUNE sat on the empty subway, wishing it'd just go faster. everytime she left that place, it was like reality would hit her all over again. she'd have to go back to the bronx, to her same old apartment, alone.

she figured ezekiel was upset with her for not showing up like she said she would, but it wasn't intentional. time slipped by, and she found herself enjoying the company of her coworkers — she'll never tell him that though. it's life, he'll just have to get over it.

      something told her to go by his home, see if he was even awake — but she pushed the feeling aside. too often did she feel so tired, that she could just pass out on the subway. it was like coming down from a sugar rush. now that all the excitement was over, what now?

    stumbling her way into her quiet apartment , june tried her hardest not to make any noise. she didn't want to speak to anyone, she never did anymore. she just wanted to go to bed — not be scolded about her late arrival or anything.

   iris gave her a break after carter died, but as more time passed, she got back into her old ways. lately she's been riding june even more, but she believes it's her mother that's behind it all.

"here we go again." iris' voice startles june along with the sudden flick of the living room lamp. "do you know what time it is?"

june groans, rolling her eyes. she drops her house key on the side table, looking at her shortly after.

"i stayed late." her tone was nonchalant.

"no shit. why?"

"huh?" june questions as she walked to the kitchen for a late night snack. iris then gets up beginning to follow closely behind her.

"if you can huh, you can hear." she places her hand on her hip. "what was the reason?"

it wasn't out of the ordinary for them to argue; that was a known fact. however, june was growing older, and she was growing more tired of her aunts constant complaints. she didn't classify herself as a kid anymore, nor did she accept any childlike rules.

"i was just chillin with coworkers. it ain't a big deal."

"not a big deal? june this has been nearly every night. when you get to school, you're too tired to focus, and when you get home it's like you disappear." iris foretold. june pauses, a confused expression forming on her face.

"yo.. i don't even know why you're tripping right now. since when do you care?"

"you're my niece , when have i not-"

"i ain't twelve anymore ok? i can take the truth." june stops her before she could continue her sentence. iris hesitated, before shrugging.

"fine. ya mother has been up my ass about you and maya , and i can't shake her. she tryna blame me for the way you turned out." she quickly spoke, not even stopping to realize what she was saying.

june found herself getting offended in the spot. not only did dana pop back into their lives , it's like she secretly began controlling things too. she kept her distance, cause june made it clear that's how she'd rather it be, but that didn't stop her from seeing them.

"what you mean , the way i turned out? i ain't got a damn thing wrong with me."

the two had a small stare off, both displaying their own attitudes toward the situation just by the looks on their face.

"june, you haven't spoken to her since may. she tries to get you all these things and move into your life but you push her away."

"materialistic stuff don't matter to me. you can't buy back abandonment." june let out a chuckle, hopping on top of the counter , with a mouth full of grapes. she couldn't take the situation seriously.

"its funny?"

"to me it is." she continues nonchalantly munching on the fresh green grapes, before iris quickly snatched them away with annoyance.

"look, what you need to do is get it together." she demands, stepping closer. "your grades are slipping , your attendance is wack —"

"you want me to quit?" june tilts her head, waiting for an answer to her sarcastic question. iris only glared at her, knowing she didn't want her to. she needed June. If it weren't for her and her mother, she'd have to work herself. june knew that. she knew it too well. "thought so, then you'd have to actually do something like buy groceries or pay bills — and you can't , can you?"

iris folded her arms, realizing she was being tested by a seventeen year old. too often did they find themselves in the same situation, and it was growing old.

"watch yourself little girl. i don't know what them motherfuckers up there got you feelin like, but you not grown."

june's eyes roamed from the top of iris head, to her feet. one thing she never was, was afraid of her. especially now.

"i been grown ever since my granny died. i don't need nobody but myself and i think we both know that." june rolls her eyes before hopping off the counter and walking away, having enough of the conversation.

"since you're so grown, move out! bye!" iris calls after her, only to receive a loud door slam in response.

that's the third threat iris made to kick her out that month.

     june kicked off her shoes, tossing them over near her closet before falling backward onto her bed, staring at the ceiling. the only thing illuminating the room were the street lights; not the moon, definitely not the starts.

"i have to get the hell out of here." june sputtered, sniffing lightly as she turned her head toward the window, looking out — before something caught her attention.

a folded sheet of paper was crammed underneath the window with her name written on it. without moving much, she managed to stretch her hand over to it. she slowly unfolded it, seeing the writing.

tonight was a definite success, would've been great if i saw my girl out in the crowd; but i understand why i didn't. i love you j, and i hope you can say your not was a success too.

i'll call you when i can.

— zeke

june read the note, over and over again.
she didn't think too much of it, because that's how they communicated now; through notes, whenever one was unavailable. he didn't notice it, but she did — how his notes got shorter and shorter.

"zeke." she read his name aloud, placing the paper on her nightstand. "i'll call you when i can." she sighed, clutching her pillow closely.

she wasn't mad, she wasn't upset, she just didn't know how to feel about anything at all.

THE NEXT DAY

"so, you said the boys name was what again?" june asks twelve year old maya, who sat beside her , watching soul train on the living room television.

after a long night and an even earlier morning, june found herself waiting on daniel to come get her before work as she chatted with her little sister for the first time in a minute.
much like june, maya had her own life now and it was developing rapidly.

while all this was happening, june was rushing trying to sign through papers for celine, that she neglected to handle last night due to her tiredness.

"his name is michael, but all the girls call him
mike mike."maya smiled big. "he is so sexy."

june nearly chocked on her own saliva, stopping for a second to laugh at the words that came out her sister's mouth.

"maya denise — what do you know about sexy?"

"i just know you call zeke that all the time." maya laughed, resulting in june tossing a pillow at her head in a playful manner. just as she were about to say something slick, a knock came from the front door.

"to be continued." june jokes , before getting up to answer the door. looking through the peephole , she immediately got excited, opening the door to be greeted by daniel.

"what's happenin youngin? you ready to go?" he asks, not even bothering to step inside.

before june could speak, once again, she found herself being cut of mid-sentence, but this time by the phone ringing.

"yeah, just let me go get that." she replies , leaving him by the door to go answer the single landline in the house that hung on the kitchen wall. "you can come in!" she instructed, before picking up the phone.

"june monroe speaking.. and no i ain't no ancestor of marilyn." she spoke. instantly a familiar laugh filled her ear, making her heart skip a beat. "ezekiel?"

"why you answering the phone like you running some business?"

"zeke what are you doing? aren't you supposed to be at the internship?" she whispered sternly, ignoring his question.

"oh so you don't wanna talk to me? it's like that?" he chuckled. juns smacks her lips, grinning & beginning to fiddle with the cord.

"boy you know i'm always down to talk to you."

"meet me for lunch today, i miss you." ezekiel whines, really hoping she could. june hesitated for a second, knowing she had somewhere to be and things to do, but she missed him so much. it was a matter of priorities.

but it's been three days since they've last spoken.

"what time?"

"now. meet me at rosa's." june glanced over into the living room at daniel, who was too busy talking to maya to notice, before answering.

"y-yeah, ok, i'll meet you there. see you then." june spoke one last time before hanging up. biting her lip, she silently contemplated to herself how she was going to get to see him, and get to work on time.

"you ready now?" daniel asks, noticing she was off the phone. she bit her lip.

"umm.. yeah.." she began, rubbing the back of her neck, nervous. "how much time we got?"

"not much, why?"

"well.." she sat on the other side of daniel, "zeke wants to meet up and it's been forever since we've last kicked it.. but i guess i'll tell him i can't go.. even though i really want to." june pouted, slowly treading back to the phone in hopes daniel would give into her antics. he inhaled deeply, laughing a little.

"fourty minutes. we have fourty minutes to spare." he finally responds. june smiled, quickly embracing him. "you're lucky i like you."

"thankyou so so so much." she mumbled into his chest. excitement filled her bones. she didn't care if it were only five minutes, as long as she got to see him she was satisfied.

"still have to finish these before we get to ms.dior though." they pulled away from eachother as he handed her the stack of papers she left on the couch.

"fine by me. let's jet." she instructed, going to grab her coat off the rack. "i'll be back later tonight maya, and tell iris i'll be on time."

"got it." maya stated lowly, studying the two of them before they left.

june smiled widely once she spotted ezekiel sitting alone in a booth made specifically for two. the restaurant was less busier than usual, which wasn't odd for it to be a saturday morning.

"this seat taken?" she asks, approaching him. ezekiel quickly looked up, her presence taking him by surprise. he expected her to cancel, or for something to come up — but she pulled through. he immediately slid out the booth, embracing her in a tight hug.

"finally." he held her close, inhaling her perfume. "it feels like it's been forever since i seen you."

although they saw eachother all week between classes, it not like they ever got to speak to one another. june used to sit with him and rara at lunch, but lately she'd been needing to catch up with her pre-cal, so she'd be in study hall.

"about that .. i'm sorry i didn't make it last night. time slipped by and before i know it, it's like eleven somethin." she confesses, letting him go.

"it's all cool i guess, i mean — you're here with me now. thats all that matters , right?" he grinned a bit, making her smile too. the two slid into their spots across from one another.

"man, i don't know about you, but ya girl is starving." june dramatically professes, reaching into her bag and pulling out the papers from work and a pen. "i could eat like four burgers."

"what's all that?" ezekiel questions, ignoring her previous statements.

"some stuff celine got me signing for her. it's all good though, i'm halfway finished." june clicked her pen, proceeding to get to work.

ezekiel watched her in confusion. his happy, giddy feeling she had given him was starting to wear off. all he wanted was her; no work, no school, no crowds ; just her, and the fact that he couldn't even have that was starting to bother him.

"you gotta do that here though? right now?"

"uh .. yeah." june didn't even bother to look up to see his annoyed expression. she just continues to go on about her business without a worry in the world.

the only thing that broke the silence and growing tension in ezekiel's stare, was the waitress taking their order for drinks.

however , eventually june caught his gaze, instantly meeting his eyes. it only took her a second to realize why he was giving her the look. clearing her throat, she moved her papers to the side.

"sorry about that.." she consoled, but nothing changed. june could tell he was bothered by something, and this wasn't the first time she noticed it. it's like they swept whatever problem they were having under the rug, & june didn't mind , cause she hated arguing with him. "okay, i get why you're mad-"

"why i'm mad? cause every time you promise me you'll be there you don't ? or how you're ignoring me for your celine right now." he cut her off, instantly making her regret even speaking at all. "i was trying to pretend everything was all cool and i was over it, but you act like you don't even care no more. like you ain't even with me no more."

june furrowed here eyesbrows, taken back by his words. she was about to speak her piece until the waitress came back with their drinks.
june sat in silence, fake smiling until the woman left. she then turned back to ezekiel, preparing to snap.

"okay, chill. i'm obviously still your girl aight?" she tried to manage a whisper so the people around wouldn't stare.

"obviously to who?" his voice raises a bit, contradicting what she had just did. "if you my girl, quit signing papers and looking at the clock and have lunch with me like you said you would."

june closed her eyes , taking a moment to count down from five in her head. a million voices ran through her head at the same time. it was like she were seeing celine, her mother, iris & now zeke's head spinning around her — everyone demanding her time, energy and patience.

she was sick of it.

"yo , don't try and control me like everyone else , okay?" june snapped. "i'm trying my best and you know that."

"sometimes our best ain't good enough." he mumbled under his breath, adding more fume to her eternal fire.

"you know i try and be there for you however & whenever i can. stuff just been .. so hard lately." june confesses, sighing, & leaning back.

he could sense the frustration in her voice. it was something; maybe the look in her eyes , or the fact that he really knew her, and knew everything's been stressful for her lately, but it made him rethink. he didn't want to fight the one chance they got to be together.

"you right .. i'm sorry." he apologizes. june eases up a bit, not expecting him to say it. "it's like this uh.. college essay i'm writing right now." he continues.

june rested her hand on her cheek, listening to every word like it were his last, just so he'd know she wasn't neglecting him anymore.

he looked into her eyes, and it sent butterflies to his soul. he could never try and hurt the girl he loved more than anything or anyone. though he had shao & the boys, june was his true confidant, she was all he he needed at the end of the day.

"like two sides to every story —" ezekiel began, but was interrupted when another voice was heard from beside them.

"three sides actually, if you wanna include the truth." daniel appeared out of nowhere , startling them both. "sorry to interrupt, but we're going to be late." june scoffed lightly, looking down at her watch.

"thought you said i had fourty minutes?"

"wait — fourty minutes? where you goin?" ezekiel interrogated, "and who the fuck are you?" he turned to Daniel, who stood just as shocked as june.

the two never formally met; june was aware of that and thought nothing of it.
daniel knew all about zeke, but he couldn't say the same.

"zeke!" she murmured with embarrassment. "i'm so sorry about him dani. he's not usually like this." ezekiel looked over at her as if she were crazy. daniel chucked nervously.

"no no, it's alright. i'm daniel young, i work with her.." he introduces himself, holding out his hand for ezekiel to shake — but he didn't. daniel quickly put his hand down, feeling ezekiels eyes burning through his soul. "you're a lucky man. your girl adores you , talks about you all the time."

"who would've thought." zeke's eyes lock with june's, making her shake her head at the way he was acting. just as they were about to get back right, something just had to come along and mess it up. she thought he was overreacting, and he thought she was inconsiderate.

"i'm sorry j but we gotta go, you know how she is about us being late to her photoshoots." daniel repeats, making ezekiel roll his eyes.

"you leaving to go to a photoshoot?" the tone in his voice suggested it was a dumb idea.

"its not her fault, celine picks and chooses who she wants to be where, when and why." daniel comes to her defense before shoe could speak. " if you want, you could come by set later. it takes a lot of time."

ezekiel glared at the two people presented before him, not recognizing either one of them.  although she couldn't help the situation, june felt bad.

"i'm sorry zeke." she mumbled. ezekiel only glanced at her for a second, before shooting daniel a glare, making him instantly put his hands up in defense.

"i'll give you two a minute."

"thanks dan." june smiled, receiving one in return.

ezekiel looked between them both. he wasn't jealous, but he also wasn't secure. he knew nothing about the dude, but he was real familiar with june & that ain't sit right with him.

"oh come on zeke.." she whispers, reaching to hold his hand. "how about this.. just come by later to the shoot after your internship, and we can really spend some time.. please..?"

he stares blankly, still thinking about daniel. ezekiel figured he was probably was overthinking, but that didn't matter. it was the fact that this dude came out of nowhere, talking about june has some place to be, barely acknowledging his presence.

"i just miss you." june continued. "after it's over , im all yours." june squeezes his hand slightly before letting it go. ezekiel pondered on it, looking everywhere but at her. meanwhile june's eyes stayed on him, trailing from his afro to his lips.

"kiss me?"

;she asks, more than demands. ezekiel smirked a little, wanting to laugh at her randomness, but he was still skeptical and slightly bitter.

"you not too busy for that?" he sarcastically replies. june smacks her lips, officially annoyed.

"fine. don't kiss me." june rolled her eyes, grabbing the papers, stuffing them into her duffle bag before exiting the booth completely.

"wait, wait, wait.." ezekiel got up also, grabbing ahold of her forearm to stop her.

"promise me you'll come." she whispers, shortly before his lips met with hers.

"i promise." he says in between pecking her multiple times. june smiles, beginning to pull away once she remembered daniel was waiting outside.

"see you tonight then." she bit her lip, relieved that he finally came to his senses.

"i don't like that daniel guy. it's like a lorenzo part two." he continued before she could leave. june raised an eyebrow.

"zeke, lorenzo?" she laughed. "yo, nothing ever happened with him." she smiled a little, finding it funny he was still holding onto that — she hadn't spoken to lorenzo since the past summer, before he got locked up, but he writes.

ezekiel waited for her to say something about daniel though. something to reassure him that nothing was going down, like she said about lorenzo; but she never did.

"you didn't say anything about daniel." june shook her head.

"he has a girl zeke. he don't look at me like that."

"you say that like people don't cheat." he was almost too quick to say that.

he wasn't wrong, and she knew that. however, the fact that he actually said something like that , to her of all people, didn't register properly with her. she scrunched up her face.

"what you tryna say?"

"i'm just saying.. you spend more time with dude than you do your own boyfriend." he shrugged. "take that however you want to."

"ugh, zeke you know i love you way too much to ever do you wrong. it don't matter how fine a nigga is." now ezekiel was the one with the scrunched up face.

"oh so you think he's fine?"

june internally face palmed herself. she tried so hard to be honest with him, but it seemed to get her nowhere.

"now you're just putting words in my mouth. i didn't say that."

"you didn't have to." he debated, but she wasn't going to argue.

"he's real cool zeke." she sighed, changing the subject. "you'll see."

by the expression on his face, june could tell he wasn't buying anything she was selling. he was stubborn sometimes, but she was persistent. they leveled eachother out, that's why they needed one another more than anything.

however, right then, zeke was tired. he didn't say a word, he just looked at her blankly, then left. no goodbye, or i love you. it wasn't a good feeling, watching him walk away, knowing he was mad over something small she'd said.

since he promised he'd see her that night, so she somehow convinced herself not to stress about it — cause it'll all blow over. if he loved her like he says, he'd be over it by tonight and actually come see her so they could be together at last. if he loved her, he'd trust her enough to know he was the only one for her;

right ?

LATER THAT EVENING

"is that all you've got!? face darling , i need face!" celine dior shouted through her personalized bullhorn at another model, who appeared to be messing up the shoot and just all over the place in general.

one thing about celine was she was precise. if she had a vision she was willing to execute, it had to be exactly how she pictured it. some people labeled her as mean or even crazy, but she was just a creative genius that's misunderstood.

june watched the show from where she sat in the corner, on a chair pushed against the wall, bored out of her mind as she scribbled down flowers in her old notebook she'd had since forever now.

she hasn't been to many photoshoots, but the few she has gotten to see were amazing — she even met a few celebrities, but they were never her type of celebrities; she still acknowledged them though. she was more into the urban audience.

this photo shoot shoot though, was a complete disaster, even she could see why celine was upset. it was such a repetitive cycle though, the model was always boney, and blonde — not that there was anything extremely wrong with that , just not junes cup of tea.
atleast ten of them had came in that day, & the latest one could barely walk in heels, which was a sight to see.

june hadn't been assigned to do anything , and she couldn't get ezekiel off her mind no matter how much she tried.
she just hoped and prayed he'd be walking through that door any second. he never broke a promise, so she was positive he'd pull through.

"stop! just stop!" celine hollers at the top of her lungs, watching girl struggle with the fan that was supposed to be blowing her hair, as it began to spin at full speed and everything on her began to fly away.

daniel instantly stops taking the pictures just to laugh. while celine began to scold the girl, daniel took notice of june's absence, since usually she'd be right next to him laughing and cracking jokes.

"damn, i thought she was a pro." daniel comments as he approached june in the corner. she cracked a small smile, that faded in less than two seconds. he could definitely tell something was up. "you okay?" he asks , looking down at her.

she sighed, debating on whether to let it all out or not. june didn't want to bug him with her issues with ezekiel, but he was the only boy in her life she trusted that could give her sound advise on how to deal with him. carter was always her go to for things like that, so since he's been gone, she's been trying to be a big girl & deal with their problems on her own — but right then she felt hopeless.

"i don't even know. zeke is pissed at me, but he promised he'd be here to pick me up. so i'm hopin we'll be cool by then.."

she barely paid him attention, continuing to sketch. daniel rolled his eyes at the mention of ezekiel.

"i wouldn't worry too much about it.." daniel sat beside her, looking at her drawing also. just as he was about to compliment her though, celine came sighing over to them.

"i don't know what to do. this was pitiful." celine shook her head. "this avant-garde line is the hardest one yet."

"maybe they're just having an off day.. all ten of them.." june suggests quietly. daniel looked down trying to contain his laughter as celine shot her a glare.

"what am i gonna do? these photos need to be done by 12, and dammit i need a model now!" she complained. "my mother is going to flip."

daniel and june both stared at her in silence for a moment, not knowing what exactly to say. by now, june knew how she operated. she lived for her mother's approval; it was her company after all. rarely did celine take any suggestions from anybody whenever she was stressed.

"wait — i have the perfect person to model the line." daniel grins mischievously, getting up. celine, confused, turns her attention to him.

"who could you possibly know that could model this line the way i want it?"

"the one and only..  june monroe." he grins, shifting his eyes to her. june's eyes widen, not expecting him to put her on the spot like that. celine studies june, from the top of her head to her shoes.

     june was a modest girl, who was naturally beautiful — but she knew nothing about modeling. modeling was more than just taking pictures; you had to have an essence about you. you have to know how to pose, you have to look like you know what you're doing. you had to have grace, poise, and confidence.

    celine had to be careful about it, because the shoot was going to be in some huge magazine issue. they go by the name of vogue.

june was nowhere near ready for all eyes to be on her; but like celine saw before, she knew june was capable of more than what met the eye.

"oh come on, it'll be fun!" daniel added.

june couldn't help but to wonder why was he rooting for her the way he was? perhaps it was something he saw in her that she didn't see.

"monroe, would you even know what to do?" celine interrogates. "it's more to it than just a pretty face. this line is important, you have to be beyond impressive. my name is on the line.. and you're my last hope."

june felt her stomach drop to her socks. celine was so hard to impress, so why out of all people daniel could've suggested, he'd say her name? she was shy & no good in clothes that weren't hers.

"she's everything. she'll be great." daniel spoke up for june. the girl smiles at him. celine still felt unsure, but thought why not. daniel never steered her wrong, and the girl was something different.

"go back there and get dressed." celine concluded at last, taking june by surprise once again. it were as if a swirl of fear mixed with excitement hit her at once, she didn't know how to react. "now! chop chop, we don't have all night." celine began to snap her fingers, shaking june out her daze.

"oh — yes ma'am!" june quickly answered, practically skipping with excitement into the dressing room.

"you better not have made a mistake dani. i have a lot on the line, one more screw up and i'm in trouble." celine droned, low enough to where june couldn't hear as she disappeared behind the scene.

"have faith. if i know anything, i know that girl can rep this for you better than any girl who walked in this place today."

    june took a deep breath, staring into the mirror. her curls pinned back, as she wore an outfit she'd never even seen on anyone before, and the artist did her makeup for the photos. before that day, she'd never had a professional artist do anything for her, ever.

"don't be like those other girls. don't try and be someone you're not." the man spoke , adding the finishing touches to her eyeshadow. "just be you. if you don't want to smile, don't. your eyes say everything."

    she nodded her head, but not to where he'd mess up in any way. she wasn't as nervous as before, somehow the thought of ezekiel walking through that door encouraged her. june tried not to think of all the celebrities she had to compete with, but instead just attempt to be just as good as them.

"nice monroe, nice!" celine shouted at the girl as she struck several fierce poses. the fan in the corner blew her hair ever so slightly , and the custom made outfit fit her perfectly. she looked like she belonged, like she'd done this a million times.

     she even felt good.

however, her positive energy was running off a thought. a thought that once ezekiel saw her, he'd forget about all their issues, and just be happy for her.

but there was a problem;

where was he?

"excellent!!" celine shouted , louder than the music that played. "darling is a star! you're a star!!"

    the words she'd shout would make june want to laugh, however on the inside she still felt low. right then, she was supposed to be feel higher than she'd ever felt. if she did good; she'd be printed in a magazine! not too many girls her age could say they've been in vogue.

all that was great and all, but she couldn't shake ezekiel out her head. something felt wrong, something was off. june learned not to ignore her gut, and her gut was telling her something.

he should be here.

"told you she'd be perfect." daniel chuckled as he continued to snap photos of june.

    she couldn't even force a smile on her face, cause she knew, they'd all see right through it like her stylist said.

where is he?

the internship was long over by now. so if he wasn't there with june, where could he be?

"june i have to say .. these look really good." celine smiles bigger than june's ever seen, atleast while she's sober. the three of them looked through the images in the camera after the shoot was over. "i mean — wow."

june was beautiful in the photos, and she knew deep down she should be happy, any other day she would be, but she couldn't get the weight off her shoulders. june knew she wasn't tripping, cause if she was, it wouldn't have made her feel the way it did.

"that's a wrap guys!" the woman shouted. "i'll review the photos tonight. good job monroe, and good call daniel." celine grinned before taking the camera.

"thanks ms.d." june grins slightly, as celine left, leaving only daniel, june and the crew doing their own thing.

"come on girl, i'll give you a ride home." daniel suggests , slightly hitting her shoulder,

"okay." june croaked a little, her voice beginning to crack a little. he looked at her for a second, knowing good and well she was about to cry any second.

soon enough, the two found themselves sitting in the backseat of his car, with marvin gaye singing just to keep you satisfied. the sappy song seemed to match junes innermost feelings, as she was being held close by daniel, crying onto his shoulder.

"what if he don't love me no more?" june looked at him, her eyes puffy and red from all the tears. "its like .. i can feel me losing him, and dani — i cant — hes my bestfriend." tears spilled heavily from her eyes as she groaning into his chest. it felt as if her whole world was caving in at the thought.

daniel didn't know what to do or how to handle it. here was his friend, pouring her soul out about a boy he barely knew.

"he could do so much better than me." she whispers.

"he can't do better than a girl that loves him j."

"he could find someone prettier though. someone who'll love him too, and ac
fault have time for him. hell, what if it's mylene!? oh god!" june full out sobbed.

never has she ever cried like that over ezekiel. they always kissed and made up, but this time was different. things were changing , and she could feel it. at that point she wasn't afraid of losing her boyfriend; it was her bestfriend. more than anything she wanted him, just him.

"he won't, and he isn't searching. look at me." daniel demands, wiping the tears from her cheeks. "you, june, are perfect. that boy is clearly in love with you. y'all are just goin through something right now, it's something all couples go through. in the end you will be stronger. me and my girl went through it bad too."

"you think this will make us stronger?" she sniffles, and he nods. "i've just lost so much already, i can't lose him. this goes beyond a relationship .. i just can't."

daniel took a deep breath, wanting badly to take his friends hurt away. he knows what she's been through, and he knows she's had a hard time dealing with her abandonment issues in the past. she found herself confiding in him, sooner than she'd ever confided in anyone.

"hey hey, i got something to make you feel better." daniel says , before reaching into the front seat and going into his glove compartment and getting a brown paper bag.

"what's in it?" she manages to ask through sniffles. daniel opened it, revealing several blunts, perfectly rolled. she narrowed her eyebrows, curious as to how marijuana would help heal her heart.

"i know, drugs ain't the way, and that reality is reality at the end of the day .. but, it'll help you escape for a little while." he began, taking one out the bag and lighting it up for her. "this right here, will calm your nerves in ways you've never imagined. this ain't just weed mamas, so be careful."

she looked between him and the blunt he held out for her. she trusted him, and she was in too much distraught to ask any questions.

taking the blunt from him, she immediately began to smoke it, wanting to feel lifted. however it didn't make her feel lifted, it made her feel numb.

the only thing better than feeling everything is as feeling hardly anything at all.

_______________