Chapter 10

"Tomorrow at 8 in front of the MSG" " I'll be there" I promised. We got up, he grabbed my wrist and took me in front of the door. He opened it and at the same exact moment, he let my hand go.

7:30. Normal girlfriends should currently be sleeping next to their boyfriends, dreaming to be the future mother of the guy standing next to them. They should spend their free time with him, in his arms, have a walk, talk about the future.

Well, it is absolutely not my case. I'm just laying on the couch, eyes opened, separated by a 7 centimeters wall from my boyfriend and thinking of nothing but another guy. What a pathetic disgusting girl I was. But I thought about yesterday night and didn't regret anything. I listened to the silence in the living room and decided to get up and dress as quietly as possible. Al wouldn't wake up (at least, I hoped) and I could hopefully going to my 'meeting'.

Madison Square Garden.

Madison Square Garden. I always loved that place. Since I went here for the first time when I was 14. I looked at my watch, worried. I was happy to see himagain but … it was gonna be the last time. Today was the last day and I couldn't anything about it. I knew they would go back in LA tomorrow and then Phil told me they were doing the European tour from February to April. 2 months. Then he would go back to LA and let me remain you I lived in New York. God …

"Good morning Coffee Girl!" I turned back and saw Peter, a cigarette between his lips. Ari, Phil and Phred were following him and my heart skipped a beat. I thought we were going to be alone. "Curly Hair … " I frowned "You smoke?" He sighed. "I unfortunately do. I started young and that's a very annoying habit" "Ewww, don't you approach me then" I warned him, half-serious, half-joking. He gave me a very sweet smile and despite the coldness, my whole body seemed to burn. I hugged the rest of the guys (come on, I really appreciated them) and Phil whispered me how Al and I were doing. "I slept on the couch" I shrugged and Phil sighed. "You slept on the couch?" Bruno asked. I mentally wished to kick his leg. STOP GIVING ME HOPE STUPID HAWAIIAN CURLIED HAIR. I ignored him and asked instead "So, what's up with MSG?" Peter answered "Oh actually, we're not going to MSG, you see that skyscraper there – he pointed a skyscraper two blocks away – we're going here" "Well, that's very interesting" The guys laughed. "You'll see what's happening. Now let's go. Oh, and by the way, I'd like to ask you to keep what's all going on as a secret. Nobody's supposed to know …" I was surprised by this request but promised and we headed to the tall tower. I was walking next to Peter and it was extremely difficult to not look at him. I saw he was also trying to resist but we both figured out it was unnecessary. Phil, Phred and Ari weren't blind and it was our last day together so … who cared? "By the way, Phil and I made our little searches and we found out your guitar is a J-180 Eb and that she is extremely rare" "Wait, you made research on a guitar at 5 in the morning?" Bruno laughed his ass off "That's why I love you. You always answer unexpected things." I blushed and pushed him away. "There are only ten guitars like yours in the world and it's quite understandable, it's made with three different wood extremely hard to polish. Its sound is just unique! I can't believe you found that guitar in a trash can" I smiled and we were interrupted by Phil who jumped between us.

"Have you got a slight idea, homie?" Ari asked Bruno. "I do. It's not very catholic but that's my feelings and it's straightforward so … I think he's gonna appreciate it" I didn't ask what they were talking about; I didn't want to seem to be a dumb idiot. After climbing 17 floors, we were led into a spacious room and the blonde girl who was our guide proposed us to sit which led us into very awkward situation. Peter and I were sandwiched between the three guys. We tried to not touch each other (because if I did, I was gonna … OMG, I don't know what would I do) but it was just impossible because we were too closed. After the five most stressing minutes of my life, an imposing giant colored man arrived in the room. Peter went straight up hug him and started talking to him while I freakin wondered where I already saw Mr Giant. "Oh hello, who are you?" Mr Giant asked me. Even though he had the coolest voice, I kinda freaked out because I remembered what Bruno told me 10 minutes ago "Nobody's supposed to know". "Cee-Lo, I promise she won't say a thing about that. She promised she wouldn't and trust me, I would entrust my life to her" Peter said with his serious voice. "Oh fine then! Cee-Lo's (even though I still didn't know where I saw him) voice turned warmer. I am Cee-Lo Green, you might have never saw of me but I think you may already have heard me. I was the lead singer of the band Gnarles Barkley." Gnarles Bakley? The dude who sang Crazy? "Gnarles Barkley? Oh my God … You've got one the most precious voice on earth!" I said, very impressed. Mr Giant smiled and turned to Bruno "She's got tastes … I like her!" Curly Hair laughed and gave me THE look again. That look which I think means I just wanna keep you in my arms and never let you go. Dead. "Now let's work, we've only got a day" Cee-Lo said. Funny how all the musicians seemed funny folks in real life but when it came to music, they acted like surgeons who were operating on a heart. I decided to get up and let them sit on the couch to focus on what they had to do. Mr Giant kindly smiled to me to thank me and I sat on a table, a few meters away from them. "So … I kinda had something stuck in my head since three days" Bruno said "It'd be pleasure to hear it" "I hope its not corny … I see you drive round town with the girl I love and I'm like, fuck you, OUH OUH OUH" My first thought when I head that was that it was just stunning. The tone, the beat was just amazing and Peter's voice already lost me since his concert. Cee-Lo also seemed to like it because he had a big smile on his face. Ari, Phil and Phred looked surprised – in a good way – and where whispering some stuff. Then the lyrics popped up in my head. Sweet baby Jesus. Was it a coincidence? Was he really talking about a girl he liked but she was already taken by another dude? Because it really looked like Al, Peter and me. The guys turned to me and I knew that no, it wasn't a coincidence. OH GOD. I saw Bruno glanced at me for half a second and my heart beat went faster. "I love it Bruno! Okay let me continue it … I guess the the change in my pocket wasn't enough and I'm like, fuck you! ..." "That wasn't what I wanted to say but it's awesome man!" Wait a second. 'That wasn't what I wanted to say.' I really had the confirmation this song was written for me now. Or basically for Al. They kept writing the song but I couldn't tell you the rest of the lyrics because my brain was just tortured. The fact he wrote a song for me was a sign. He was telling me something right? But I couldn't do ANYTHING as long as I was with Al. But Bruno was gonna leave New York for two months. Urbana, Phil's girlfriend couldn't come with them so I had no chance. And if I left Al and 'date' Bruno, it would just be horrible to be away from him for two months. And Al was so sweet. He could cook, he offered me presents and flowers (even though flowers sucked – ah, another thing I never told him) and above all, he wasn't going to tour for two months. What I was gonna do? Stay with the man I didn't love anymore – or even maybe that I never loved – or go with the guy that every woman in the world would chase? That was a cruel dilemma. After an hour (that seemed to be a 5 minutes reflexion for me), the Smeezingtons and Cee-Lo finished their song. I learned from Mr Giant's manager that it was extremely fast for musicians to write a song so rapidly. Everyone in the room got up (I imitated them even though I didn't know what the hell we were going to do now) and we all walked up one floor to arrive into a corridor full of studios. It was the first time I came into one and let me tell you it is really impressive. This one was particularly big and no doubt important. Bruno and Ari started to play with the keyboard and Phil told me they were trying to find the main rhythm. They found it quickly and Cee-Lo was already playing the bass while Phil added some electronic sounds. It all went fast and in less than one hour and the half, they were ready to record Fuck You. "After you" Cee-Lo said to Bruno but he refused "No, this song is made for you. Your voice just sticks perfectly to it. You're the only one who can sing this properly" I found this very noble from Peter. This song was just absolutely amazeballs but he gave it to Cee-Lo like a gentleman. What an adorable cutie pie. Cee-Lo entered in the booth, put some Dr Dr's Beats Pro on his ears and started recording. "This is so wow!" I finally said when my boys and I were finally alone. "It is uh?" Peter smiled. "Insane …" He smiled again "Hey, come here, take a sit next to me. Imma gonna show you how to create and mix a song" I obeyed with pleasure and sat between Phil and Bruno. Every buttons on the board were different and specifics for one sound, the echo or the music beat. He could accelerate or slow the music and he frequently stopped Cee-Lo to tell him to do this or that. "I thought you were a loser in technology" I said, impressed. He burst out loud "I am! I'm not a music producer technically. This is just a demo and an expert and Cee-Lo are gonna work on the song again afterward." "It already sounds good though …" "Haha, you really think I'm a genius, that's sweet" Phil and Phred giggled and I turned red "Did you know that basically, I wrote this song thinking about you?" He told me that very frankly, without shame or scariness. Maybe a bit anxious . "I … I wasn't sure" I just answered. "Well now you do" This is where my brain decided that I had to leave Al. Because I was just totally under Peter's charm and any non-lesbian girl couldn't resist it. I have made my decision. I would leave Al and talk to Curly Hair. All the tensions in my body disappeared and every little part of my body was released. The decision I made maybe wasn't the right decision but this is what I wanted. My knee touched Peter's leg and he smiled to me.

Suddenly, the blonde girl who was our guide came in the studio and interrupted everybody. "Excuse me to bother you but there is one lady who wants to talk to Mr Mars" "Tell her I'm working" His leg was still touching mine's "She seemed to know you very well" "I'm very sorry but …" "Oh come on Bruno, don't tell me you're not recognizing me?" a woman's voice interrupted him and she got in the room. She was tall, had a tan skin and had long black hair. Her face was well harmonized but a bit too small for her body. I wouldn't say she was beautiful but let be honest : she was pretty. But what shocked me the most is that was that she was wearing red lipstick that totally made look her like a whore. I usually didn't care about people but this girl totally looked like the girls I hated when I was young. Pretty but not pretty enough so they bought whores's clothes and putted tons of make up to hide their real 'her'. Red lipstick could make you very elegant but on this girl, it looked pathetic.

Peter's pale face worried me. He really looked shocked and like he was … possessed. "Teepri, what are you doing here?" He removed his leg and I don't know why but it hurt me. "Just wanted to say hi" she smiled and I wanted to slap her. That was 100% fake smile. "No really, what do yo want?" "I told you …" "Don't lie to me!" He quickly got up from his chair, grabbed that 'Teepri's' arm and took her outside. I looked at the door which has just been slapped and I don't know why but my whole body seemed to decompose. Who was that girl? How comes she just has to come in the room and made our little nice bubble disappear? I tuned to Phil, he also seemed surprised. "Wow, I would have never thought that she would come back … " "You know her?" I asked. "No I don't but I recognized her as soon as she came in. Bruno described her to me a hundreds time" I really wanted to ask him who was she but I knew that as soon as I would ask it, I would regret it. Phil looked at my terrible face, looked me in the eyes and sighed. "She's the Grenade girl"