life's rain // bruno mars

chapter five

Chapter five

“If I could just become rich, I'll drop out of college as fast as Turner kicked you out of class for dozing off.” Stephanie opened her can of Diet Coke and put it to her lips, rolling her hazel eyes. “I swear.”

Steph wasn't exactly rich, but she might as well be in my middle class eyes. Her parents were just living extremely well, that's why we stay in a condominium ten minutes away from university and not in a dorm. So basically Steph lives off her parents money, (I guess, I do too) but she wants to make her own money—without college. That was something we had in common, the need to accomplish things on our own, that's why she never even insisted on buying me a new camera but I let her give me one of her old cell phones to use. It was a Blackberry. I regret laughing at Bruno's. Sweet karma. “I didn't even get a chance to close my eyes before she yelled at me to get out.” I picked at my sandwhich. “The witch.”

“Bitch Witch,” Stephanie said, tossing her black bangs out of her face. That's the nickname for Turner, one of the reasons was because she has a really long nose with a hairy mole at the end of it. Disgusting to look at for two hours if you ask me, you can't help but try to escape into reveries.

I leaned my back against the wall. “We should go to a party this weekend.”

Her focus was on her salad as she faked a gasp. “Did I just hear correctly? Lena Token and a college party?”

“It's no big deal,” I said. “I've been to one before.”

“But it's such a rarity!” She looked up to me. “All you do is study and shit. Are you going to invite boy toy?”

“Bruno, you mean?” I ignored the sad feeling that went through me. “And no, I haven't talked to him since you know when.”

She sent me a sorry look. “I'm sure after you almost died in the lake he saw those two bouncing beauties you have through your wet shirt. Trust me sweetie, he'll call soon.”

I laughed, taking a piece of salad she didn't eat and flung it at her. She always knew how to make me feel better. My manager Christopher suddenly opened the door to the storage room where Stephanie met me to have lunch on the days she didn't have classes. “All right Lena, lunch is over. I shouldn't have to remind you.”

“What's up, Chris?” Steph waved three fingers at Christopher, almost as though she was playing the piano. She always thought he was cute, and was into older guys like that, that's why she drives two hours away every college break to see her thirty-year old boyfriend. Chris gave her a single nod and I apologized to him before he left. Steph blew me a kiss as she went out the backdoor, I caught it and pretended to throw it away. She flicked me off as her last goodbye.

I returned to my place behind the counter, working with customers on whether they wanted to buy or sell their junk. My hope was a flame that was being constantly fueled. When the bell sounded someone's entrance, and it wasn't him, a gust of wind blew over the flame, making it die out only for a tiny second before it would flicker to life again. It was a mere example of the perpetual cycle of losing and gaining hope. As if it was a natural reflex, my eyes went to the door every time it opened to see if it was him or not.

It never was.

Instead, his brother. He didn't enter the store but was walking by when I spotted him through the store's window. “Arlene,” I addressed my coworker. She was very quiet and reserved, I knew she wouldn't object. “Handle the counter for me for a minute? I'll be right back.” I didn't even stay to hear her tiny ‘okay’ before jogging outside. “Eric!” I called and he whirled around, a smile registering on his face once he saw me. 

“Hey,” I breathed when I caught up to him. “How's everything?”

“Everything's good, Lena.” He was still smiling. He didn't look like an officer who was just suspended five days ago. “You?”

“Good. I'm good.” I glanced back at the store to make sure Chris hasn't caught me yet. I stepped closer to Eric. “Is everything all right with Bruno? I mean, he hasn't talked to me in awhile since. . .” My sentence was left hanging in the air.

“Bruno? Yeah, of course. He's just up in New York.”

My eyebrows shot up. “New York? What's he doing there?”

Eric tilted his head to the side, narrowing his eyes. “You don't know? He's trying to come up in the music business.”

I thought about all those muscians on his walls and the instruments he owned. I never had gotten the chance to ask him about it. Actually, I never had the chance to really ask him about anything yet and that made me feel disappointed on the inside. “He hasn't called you?” Eric asked and I shook my head. “He likes you, Lena. I'm sure he'll call you soon.”

My name was being yelled from behind me. I knew it was Chris and asked Eric quickly, “When will he be back?”

“Tomorrow,” he answered. 

*

It was often that I couldn't sleep at night, but I had several books, and studying, to keep me company, and a journal to store my inescapable thoughts. But on this sleepless night, I decided to walk outside instead. I remembered there was this twenty-four hour lounge, named The Lounge, Stephanie and I used to hang out at all the time, but that was during the summer before college started.

That was my destination.

I found the place within ten minutes of walking. The Lounge was nearly empty, with all wooded floors and walls. On the small stage was someone doing spoken poetry. I caught some of his lines as I made a beeline to the counter.

Why love sometimes goes unknowledgable

Blows my mind to the unimaginable

I ordered a coffee with change I found in the pockets of my hoodie. Everyone began to clap when the poet was done, a pathetic sound coming from six sets of hands, and a woman replaced the stage. “Now night loungers, I'd like you to welcome a pretty new act, Bruno!”

I almost fell off my bar stool.

There he was, walking on stage in yet another flannel shirt and taking a seat on the stool. He balanced his guitar on his thigh as he adjusted the microphone. He had to lower it. That made me smile. “Hey, what's up guys?” He received a round of pathetic sounding greetings. “Wow, you guys are too live tonight,” he chuckled into the mic. That stirred up bits of laughter. He grinned. “There we go, that's what I'm talking about.” He strung a chord on his guitar. He seemed like a completely different person on stage, as though a heavy layer was stripped off of him, showing something entirely new and intriguing underneath. Something free.

“My good friend Phil couldn't be here tonight. Says he's still sick from some lake water. Don't know how that happened.” He smiled lightly to himself at his inside joke that would have been ours if he knew I was here. “Okay, this is a song I wrote while I was in New York. It's not finished yet, but I think it's all right.” His eyes scanned the crowd. I ducked my head, pulling the hood over my unruly hair. “It's called All About You and I hope you'll like it.”

My coffee was cold. Bruno's voice was like no other. I couldn't even pay any attention to the caffeined drink when his voice swirled around me, leaving me with this drunken high of musicality. I watched him say goodnight to the crowd and head outside. I slid off my stool and followed. “The tables have turned,” I called out to him when I couldn't stand him walking away any further. He turned around abruptly, his guitar case swinging over one shoulder. I stopped walking. He took a few steps closer to me, his eyes narrowing. “Lena?”

“I saw you in there.” I had to call out to him because he was still pretty far away. “Unbelievable.”

A smile flickered on his face. I could see it all the way from here. “Thank you.” When I didn't say anything he spoke, moving closer. “I didn't see you in there.”

I shrugged, looking at a few bystanders before returning my gaze back to him. “I was in the back. Had to take some late night runs and ended up here.” I rocked back and forth on my heels. “So, how was New York?”

“Lena,” Bruno said, shaking his head at me. He was smiling. “Just go out with me.”