by Kiara Starr
Music of the Sun
Introduction
“Bullshit,” I thought to myself, while I get up and out off my bed. “Cassie!!” Shit. That was my publicist, cousin and friend, probably wanting me to get a move on. “Cassie!!” she said again. I hear her footsteps climb up the spiral staircase. I run around my room, throwing summer dresses, wedges, 1960's shoulder bags, a floaty summer hat and ray bans. I never leave without them. “Cass, come on. You better be ready, before the 6AM video shoot begins.” I pick up a random dress, a random pair of wedges, a random shoulder bag, the summer hat and the ray bans. “Cassandra Lopez,” she says, rolling her 'r' like I always do, just to annoy her. Now, that is so stupid. I mean... That I can only do that. I hear the door flinging wide open. “Taadah! Hey, Margaritte. What's up, honey bee?” Pfft... Finally, got changed in time. “Wow... I can't believe you do this to me. Have you been practicing?” she interrogates. “Nope,” I shake my head. “I'm always, like, this super-uber fast.” “Dayum, girl. Puh-lease, what's your secret?” I walk over to her. “Are you... You know.” “Ew... I'm not, I'm just, like, an expert at changing so fast, like a rocket ship.” Margaritte laughs, following behind me when I walked out off my bedroom. “What's so funny, Marge,” I complaint. “Well, it's just you never say like in every single sentence, before,” she says, raising her hands and air quoting the word, 'like' as she says it. “Fuck.” “Hey, language.” “Sorry, Margaritte.” “Thank you.”
Chapter 1
I got into my car with Margaritte in the passenger seat. “Ready?” I ask, turning on the radio. “Yes,” she says, after buckling herself down. I pressed on the gas, Britney Spears' Baby One More Time was playing and I drove like hell. All the way to the video shoot. “Wait...” I look at Margaritte. “Damn, just say it... Just say it, Marge.” She looks at me and said, “We need to pick up. Jaime's brother from the airport.” Ergh! Really? Now, she wants me to turn around and drive to the airport. Fine, only if he's cute. “Is he cute?” I say. I can't help myself, but to say it. “Well, he's a lot worse.” Judge. Mental. Bitch. “How?” “Well, just judge him for yourself.” “Margaritte?” “Huh?!” “I don't judge people, like you.” I can't believe, I just said that. Damn. She's going to hate me, now.
Fuck. Sorry, but fuck. Who is Jaime's brother? She never mentioned, this brother of hers. “Which one is he?” I lean towards Margaritte, whispering. “I don't know, just hold up the sign.” She handed the sign over to me. It reads: “Bruno Hernandez.” But who is Bruno Hernandez and why is he here? I hold up the sign, thinking what type of boy, this Bruno is. I look into the distance, I see a boy with an Afro. Trust me, he looks a lot like Sideshow Bob from the Simpsons. “Is that him?” “I think so.” He comes towards us, I look at my shoulder bag. I feel my heart pounding like a bass guitar. “My hair is messed up, Marge.” “No, it's not... You just look like a nineteen sixties, playboy with that hair do.” Damn, she's so right about that. “And besides, Cassie. You don't need man to tell you what to fucking do with your life, plus your just eighteen.” “True, true.” He waves at use, trying to get our attention. I decide to wave back. He comes even closer towards us. “So, do you know... Who this Bruno, might be?” I ask Margaritte, who was on her cell phone. “I think so.” She looks at her cell phone. “Oh, yeah. Jaime just sent me a picture of her brother and boy, he's cute.” She looks at me. “He's about your age and he has an Afro.” She looks into the distance and points him out. “There. That one. He's already here.” She waves her hands, grabbing people's attention and shouting, “Bruno.” “He's there about two minutes, in front of you.” She place her right hand on her right hip and looks at me. “Really?” “Yeah...” “Show off.” “Dumb ass.” She looks at him and says, “Hey, you must be Bruno.” “Yes, I am.” “Bruno, this is Cassandra Lopez. She's a model, actress, writer and dancer.” “Nice to meet you,” he says. I smile at him. “So, is my sister here?” “WHAT?” Margaritte pretends to not hear anyone, like always. “Is my sister, Jaime here?” “Oh... Sorry, no. She's not here.” He's so CUTE. “Cassandra, right?” MEEP! “Are you working with anyone famous? Beyonce? Missy Elliott?” “Hmm... Mmm...” “Who?” Why did I have to sound out a yes? “Um... Bueno, he's this rapper from Young Money.” He's this rapper from Young Money, what 'em I fucking saying.
Chapter 2
Driving out of the car park was a step forward. Bruno was sitting on the passenger’s seat, smiling. I didn't notice his smile in the mirror when Michael Jackson's Billie Jean was playing. “I love this song,” he says. “It's practically hard to sing, but I never knew that when I tried it.” “You sing,” I say. He nods. Damn, he's so cute. He's Afro is so sexy. “What 'em I thinking?” I mouth. “What?” he says, looking at me. Shit. “Forget it,” I say. “So, are you signed to a label?” “I'm hoping to be signed.” “Oh... Your hoping. That's actually a good thing for anyone that wants to be, where I am. Just keep on hoping and you'll never ever lose. Kay?” He smirks. I open up the storage bin, beside me and took out a tape. I wave it. He grabs it off me. Damn, he has a soft hand. “Bueno, Six in the Mornin',” he reads the label, puts it in and plays it. “This is my jam, turn it up,” Margaritte says from the back seat. I turn up the volume by two. “Bruno, you know what?” “What?” he asks, playing dumb. “Bueno is looking for a singer to sing the hook in, Six in the Mornin'. This is just the rough cut of the song. He needs someone new, so it's going to be an unexpected mixtape.” “What about Ph-” “Are you up for it?” I interrupt Margaritte, asking Bruno to record the hook for Bueno. “YES! That would be so cool.” “Well, come on then. We promise to drop you off after.” He smiles. His smile, his smile makes the sun a lot dimmer. “By the way, how old are you?” I have to ask. “I'm seventeen. I know, I'm not supposed to ask a woman, but how old are you?” “Guess, boy.” He looks at me about three times, before he says, “Sixteen?” “Close?” “Thirty?” “Bitch. She's not thirty,” Margaritte says. “Twenty-one?” “I wish, boy.” “I give up. How old are you?” “You can't ask that to a girl, boy. But I'll tell you, anyways. I'm a eighteen.” “Really?” He says, shocked. “You really look like a twenty-one year old.” I smile at him.
I ran into the studios with Margaritte and Bruno, behind me. And it's like Phil won't expect a thing that his voice is getting replaced or anything. It's that simple for me to do that. “Bueno,” I scream. He turn around, I hanged on his shoulder when I reached him. “Girl, whatcha doing here so early?” “Bueno, I think you'll need to listen to-” “God, no,” Bruno whispers, grabbing my right arm. “You need to listen to this kid sing. All he did was sing throughout the car ride here.” I'm sorry, but I have to lie. “Sure, I'll listen to this kid sing.” He turns to Bruno and asks him, “What's your name, kid?” “Bruno.” He puts his hands on chest and says, “I'm Bueno,” then wraps his left arm around my shoulders and moves it onto my hip. I can tell that Bruno was looking at his hand on my hip. “Come on. Let's here ya sing,” Bueno smiles. “Sure.” Bruno sounds so upset about something. “Go on,” I push him.
He sings: “You'll Never Make Me Stay
So Take Your Weight Off Of Me
I Know Your Every Move
So Won't You Just Let Me Be
I've Been Here Times Before
But I Was Too Blind To See
That You Seduce Every Man
This Time You Won't Seduce Me”
Bueno takes his hand off my hip and claps. “Wow. Your good.” “Thank you,” he says, looking at me. I look at Bueno smiling. Bueno glances at me. “Margaritte take Bruno into the studio,” I say. “Sure,” she says. “Come on, Michael. Let's go.” She walks into the studio and Bruno follows her in. Damn. Damn. Damn. “Really, babe? You bring a singer with you and Marge, just to see me.” “Well, yeah.” “That's a new
one.” “Yeah... I guess so.” He takes my hands and pins me onto the wall. “Your beautiful, baby.” “Thanks.” He places his left hand on my left leg and kisses me on my neck.
Chapter 3
I grab Bueno's hand and we walk into the studio. I see Bruno in the booth. Damn. He's good, real good. “I want a girl to touch 'til six in the mornin'” Bruno sings. I can hear Bueno's rap, during the recording process. I sit down on the sofa, next to Margaritte. After hours had pasted. I nudge Margaritte's arm. She looks at me. “Can I talk to you in private, Marge?” I ask her. “Sure,” she says. I got up and walked out of the studio. Margaritte follows, closing the door behind her. I turn around, saying, “I can't do this. I really can't.” “You can't do, what?” “I'm in love with him, Marge. I'm in love with Bruno.” “Shocking.” I nod my head in agreement. “Listen, Cassie. Just don't tell Bueno.” “Cross my heart and hope to die,” I say, crossing my fingers. “Do you remember the last girl that did that to Bueno?” “Well... no.” “Well... Bueno said she had to go, didn't he?” I swallowed. “He told us, she had to go and we kept on asking him, why did she had to go. He said that she dead and that he killed her, himself.” “That's not true.” “Cassie, you know for fact that it is.” I paced around and I dropped on the floor, I started to cry. “Cassie?” “Ok, fine,” I finally say. “I'll take it easy, then I'll tell him.” “Good luck with that. Cassie.” “Thanks.”
Chapter 4
The next day... Damn. I wake up beside... Bruno?? Pinch me, now. Is this even real? Is this really happening. Bruno grabs a pillow and starts to hit me with it. “Cassandra. Wake up, honey.” It came out from his mouth, but it didn't sound like him. It sounds like Bueno. My eyes blurs for a couple of seconds. “Bruno?” I had to ask. “No... It's not that Afro kid. It's Bueno, baby.” I see him, right in front of me. “You've fallen asleep, while we were finalizing the new version of six in the mornin'.” I look at him, so confused about what he just said. “So, I had to carry you home.” “That's so sweet of you, but I really need to tell you something.” “What is it?” he says, blushing a little. “And please, don't get made at me.” He chuckles, “I won't Cassie.” “I...” “Go on.” “I think that I've fallen in love with Bruno,” I say, letting it out, easily. “WHAT?” Bullshit!! “Are you crazy?” I look at his shirt on the bed. “Probably?” I shrug. “You just only known him for a day, and you don't no nothing about this boy.” Did he really say that? I can't think straight. “And what do you really know about him? Is he better than me? I want to see you try.” “Bueno... All the I know about him... is that he's Jaime's brother that is all, that is all that I know,” I explain to him. “Bullshit. BULLshit. BULLSHIT, CASSIE.” I got off his bed with my dress on. I walk over to the door, I feel his hand holding onto my arm. “Please, Cassie. Please, don't you dare leave me.” I turn around. “Please?” He keeps on saying. “I'm not leaving you.” I feel his relived breathing. “I'm just leaving your place.” I remove his hand off my arm and left.
As I walk towards the park in Bueno's neighborhood. I see Jaime, pushing someone on the swings. I look at her, waving my fingers as a shortcut, just to say, Hello! “Cassie. Come and meet my brother,” Jaime says when I was walking towards her. “Sure, do.” I stop walking when I got beside her. She pulls me to the pathway, near the swings. She steps back, a little. There he is. Bruno. Standing, right in front of me. “Cassie, this is my brother. Peter,” she smiles. “Hey,” I say, drawing a small arc with my left foot. “Bruno, this is my friend's cousin. Cassandra Lopez, she's an actress, a dancer, a model and a writer.” Bruno puts his right hand, in front of me. I stand still for a while. “You shake the hand, Cassandra,” he notices. “Oh...” I play dumb. I put my right hand, in front of him. He grabs it and shakes it. “OK?! I better push my son, whose on a swing, now. Don't mind me,” Jaime says, sneaking towards her son. Bruno walks towards a park bench, still holding my hand. “After you,” he says. “Sure thing, Bruno,” I smile and sit down. He sits down, beside me. “Does she know that we already met?” I ask him. He shook his head. “Go, tell her.” I push Bruno towards Jaime. “I will... Soon.” “Now, Bruno. Now,” I demand. “No... Not until I tell you, something.” “Go on,” I say, sounding like I'm not interested. “I love... your dress. Cassie, did you wore that yesterday?” “Come on, just spit it out.” “Damn it...” I look at him. “OK! Fine, your hot and you deserve a better boyfriend than Mr. Six in the Mornin',” Bruno says, mocking Bueno and Margaritte's attitudes. “Ya dig.” “Uh huh!!” I DIG YOU, BRUNO. “So... Me, you, movies, Sunday.” “I'll be there,” I smile.
Chapter 5
YES, YES, YES,YES, YES. She said, yes. Well... Sort of. “BRUNO,” I hear my sister, yell. Oopsy! I ran towards my record player, I lift the pin up and to the side of the record. “THANK YOU!” “WELCOME,” I yell back to her. I walk out of my room. I walk downstairs and towards the kitchen, I see my sister cooking. I sit down on a stool, watching her cook. “Bruno, can you tell me? What is going on between you and Cassie?” she says. “I don't know... What your talking about?” I say, nodding my head. “Come on. You only play the Beach Boys when you're in love and Bruno, you're in love with Cassie.” Shit. “Come on. Admit it. Admit that you're in love with Cassie.” “Fine. You've caught me, sis. I love Cassie. I'm in love with her.” She smiles at me. “I don't know, if I should tell her.” “Then don't hide it from her. Tell her, how you feel.” She walks towards the her cell phone and picks it up. “Don't you dare... Make me, tell her now.” She starts to press things. “Don't...” She gives the phone to me. “Jaime, please,” I mouth. “Hello, this is Cassie.” I hear Cassie's voice. “Hello, who is this?” I start to freeze. “Hello. Jaime, don't play trick on me, girl.” “Go on, Bruno,” she mouths when I look, right at her. “Hey, Cassie. It's Bruno.” Damn it... “Bruno?” “Yeah, I'm so sorry... If my sister woke you up.” “It's OK. I was already awake.” “So, about the movies on Sunday.” “Are we still on with that?” “Yes, but I have something to tell you.” “What is it, Bruno?” I hear Cassie's voice crack. “Well, I actually fell in love with you.” I laugh. “Wow.” “Yeah, I know...” I hear Cassie's phone go onto deaf tone. “Hello, Cassie. Are you still there?” I put the phone down. “What happened, Bruno?” she asks. “She hung up on me, sis,” I say, looking at Jaime's picture with Cassie and Margaritte on her phone. “Hold on. Cassie, hung up on you. Bruno, that's good new. It means that she feel in love with you too.” “I don't believe you,” I say, getting off the stool and sitting on the coach. “You've got to believe me on this one. Cassie is not that kind of girl to fall in love with... boy's with an Afro.” “You know... I actually think that siblings should be more friendly to siblings and they should tease him or her about their fucking hair.” “I'm so sorry, Bruno. But Cassie?? How? And why?” “Hm... The airport. She picked up with Margaritte.” “Wait. Marge, never told me that.” “Well... Sis, Cassie was there. She look so damn hot with just a dress on.” “Yeah. I can see that. She's always like that when Bueno, her boyfriend is not around.” “She... She had a boyfriend.” “Well, yeah.” I turn my head, so I can see a little of her. “But there going to break up soon. Actually, Bueno called me, earlier. He told me that Cassie told him that she fell in love with you and that they had an argument about it.” YES! Cassie is going to be single and all mine. “But she doesn't like boys, who use her for fame.” “I'm not going to use her for fame. She got me to sing for Bueno and I sang-” “Billie Jean,” she interrupts me. “How did you know?” “Marge told me.” Marge! I'm starting to hate her for that. Yes, really? I'm starting too. “And damn that girl should really shut her mouth.” I look at my sister's kid. He looks at me like I should really do something about my sideshow bob looking hair. I pick him up, looking at him not saying anything, but this kid really knows what I'm telling him without even saying a word. But I wonder. What he's telling me, now and what he's thinking about.
I hear the doorbell ring.
Chapter 6
I hear the
door bell ring. Shit. That must be her. “Hey, Jaime. Wazzup?” Maybe, not. “I'm good, Marge. Come in, come in.” Margaritte walks in from the front door. I hear her heels, tap dancing on the floor. “So, how was Bueno and Cassandra doing?” “Well, Bueno is pissed, right now. And Cassandra is acting like a complete whore over, all of this nonsense.” Margaritte, eventually, saw my hair. Damn. I need to cut it down. NOW. “Oh, hey.” I stand up from the sofa, caring Jaime's baby in my arms. “Say something, mean to me and I'll hurt you,” I say, handing Jaime over to her baby. She rummages through her hand bag, looks like a coach hand bag, almost similar to Jaime's. Not that I know it. I just guessed it. She gives me an envelope. I take it off her hands. “What is this?” I ask. “That's your pay check, dumbo.” I look at the envelope, I look at Jaime then to Margaritte and back to the envelope. I tore it open. I find myself taking out a check and a note. The check was from Cash Money records and the note, the note was from... Bueno? It reads: “Good job on the vocals, boy. But stay away from my girl. OK – Bueno.” I place my hand on my heart. I felt it beating. It beats like I was about to drown in fear. I place the note from Bueno in my pocket. Margaritte fold her arms. “What?” “Good luck on your date.” “Come on. Marge, it's not a fucking date. It's just a little thank you movie for getting me into a song.” “Well, that's what they all say. And that's how Bueno got Cassie to fall in love with him.” “Read my lips.” Margaritte nods. “I. Am. Not. In. Love. With. Miss. Cassandra. Lopez.” Margaritte mumbles something to me that I can't even understand, because it's in French or maybe English. I don't know. “Yes, I do,” I say, not asking Margaritte any questions. “Gotcha. I said that you do and you just agreed to that.” “I'm not in love with her. I just think that I needed time to settle down and Cassandra seems like she's doing it.” “Doing it means fucking in California. I bet they don't teach you that in Hawaii, Bruno.” “Stop, cursing.” “I will, if-” “If what?” I had to interrupt, Margaritte. “If she agree to a dare.” She elbows my sister and gives her a little wink. Jaime seems to nod her head. “OK. Your on.” “I dare you to kiss Cassandra. If she kisses you back. It means that you get to date her again. If she doesn't kisses you back, than I'll get you signed to a label. Deal.” “Your on.” “Shake on it.” She puts her hand forward, towards me. I take her hand and shake it. “I'm enjoying this already,” she smiles.
