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I do not own the Vampire Diaries
"Melly get the hell up!"
I groaned and rolled over, burying my face in my fluffy pillow. I sighed, fully prepared to go back to sleep when suddenly my warm blankets were ripped away by my pushy roommate and best friend, Caroline.
"What the hell Care," I mumbled sleepily as I tried to burrow into my sheets to find some semblance of warmth again. Caroline kept the house at an ungodly 70 degrees and without my covers I was freezing my shorts covered ass off.
"Marty called, said you were late for your shift."
I was instantly up and running down the hall to the bathroom we shared. "Shit, shit, shit!" I hurriedly hopped in the shower and was out the next instant. I pulled my damp light brown hair up into a messy bun and quickly brushed out my bangs. When I opened the bathroom door, Care was already standing there with a pair of jeans for me and one of my USC Trojans t-shirts left over from last year. I shot her a grateful smile and closed the door to change.
"Purse, keys, what am I missing?" I was dressed now and gathering my things.
"Phone," chimed Caroline from the kitchen. I wanted to slap myself. How could I forget my phone? I grabbed it from where it carelessly lay on the sofa, half dead.
"I'm leaving Care," I shouted as I opened the front door.
Caroline cleared her throat behind me. "Aren't you forgetting something?" I thought about but I didn't realize what she was talking about until I noticed she was looking at my feet. My bare feet. I cursed and raced to my room to grab my black motorcycle boots before I was on my way out again.
I drove like a bat out of hell to get to work, which my old little Bug protested the whole way. When I finally pulled into the parking lot in from of the book/coffee shop I worked at, I was already almost an hour late.
I tried to duck in through the front door but there was no possible way with all the customers farther back in the store. On top of that, the registers were right next to the door.
"Melody," I looked up to see Marty, my boss standing near the first register. His hairy arms were crossed over his chest and his dark shirt was stretched over his beer belly.
I sighed and followed him to his office. "You're late," he barked as soon as I closed the door.
"I wasn't on the schedule to work today," I argued. I always worked a double on weekends so Monday was supposed to be my day off. When I told Marty that, his already ruddy face turned redder.
"Can't you call in someone else?"
"I called you in so I expect you to work!" His spittle hit me dead in the face and I made a disgusted sound in the back of my throat as I wiped it off. That only made his face nearly turn purple. After a few moments and Marty's decision to breathe again, his face turned back to its usual ruddy self.
"You know Melody, I'm sure if you refuse to work I can find someone else to fill in for you. Permanently."
I gaped at Marty. "You-you're firing me," I stuttered, completely shocked. I'd been working at the bookstore since it opened five years before. The amount of blood, tears and sweat I'd put in the place was crazy. Well maybe not blood and tears but there had been a hell of a lot of sweat. Carrying heavy boxes full of books is no small feat.
His shoulders moves up and then down in a way that caused his rounded gut to move a little. My jaw snapped shut and I turned on my heel. I walked out of the office and Marty's door slammed shut behind me. It opened a second later as Marty hurried out.
"Melody!" Marty shouted but I didn't answer. "Melody, where the hell are you going? We've got customers at the registers!"
"Get somebody else to do it," I called over my shoulder. "I've been fired, remember?"
It wasn't until I was at the front of store that it sunk in that I no longer had a job. My eyes stung as I sulked over to the cafe area of the story. I didn't see the woman and she didn't see me until we ran into each other. We both fell the ground, our things sprawled around us.
"I'm so sorry! Mom always told not to walk and read but I never listen." I looked up at her and gave her an understanding smile. She was really pretty with long chocolate brown hair and eyes to match. When she stood, she was a lot taller that my five-foot-three frame.
"It's fine. My mother used to always to tell me the same thing but when it's good, you just can't put it down," I said as I handed back her book
She smiled at me. "I'm Elena," she said and she held her hand out.
"Melody." I shook her hand and I was about to ask her a question when she glanced at her watch.
"Oh darn, I'm late!" I helped her gather the rest of her stuff off the ground and then she was off.
"See you around," she called as she hurried past me and towards the door. I nodded even though she couldn't see me anymore and continued on the the cafe.
When I took a seat at one of the wrought iron tables, a chocolate muffin and a steaming cup of coffee were set before me. I looked up to see a handsome blonde staring down at me. "Breakfast on the house."
"Thanks Matty," I sighed and hugged him. Matt had been my best guy friend since my freshman year at USC. I'd secretly had a crush on him the first time I met him but he was nothing more than a brother to me now. Besides, he was Caroline's ex-boyfriend. I wanted to stay but I had a feeling that if I did we'd end up talking about Care.
I grabbed the muffin and the coffee and was about to leave when Matt caught my elbow. I silently sighed and turned to him, the answers to his question already on the tip of my tongue.
"She's fine Matty and no, she isn't seeing anyone yet."
"Am I that transparent," asked Matt as he tried to smile like he normally did but he fell a bit short.
I sighed and pulled him into my arms. "I get it Matty, you love her. But you're not doing yourself any good by always asking about her."
"But can't you convince her to-" I cut him off.
"Nuh-uh, I already told you I wasn't getting into this. You wanna talk to her and get some answers you call her up yourself. I'm Switzerland here. Besides, we both know that no one can force Caroline to do something she doesn't want to do. Give her some time."
He sighed but nodded. I gave him another hug and shooed him back to work, joking that no one else was getting fired today.
With nothing else to do and the fact that I was avoiding telling Caroline about my new unemployed status, I head over to one of my favorite places: the Santa Monica Pier.
The Pier wasn't as lively as my other favorite hangout, Venice Beach, with all its performers and eccentric people but I needed a semi quiet place to think.
When I got the pier, there were a bunch of school age kids running around. A little girl with short tufts of blonde hair pulled into pigtails walked passed me holding a giant stick of cotton candy that was bigger than her head. I smiled back at her when she gave me that toothy smile that only little kids could give.
"Guess its field trip day," I mumbled to myself as I took a seat on one of the benches. I dug through my bag until I pulled out my notebook and a pen and spent the next few minutes writing. I didn't realize so much time had passed until my stomach started to grumble for lunch and my hand started cramping.
I sat back and read over my new song, happy with the way it turned out. I was wandering around working on the melody when I tripped over something. My arms wind milled as I tried to catch my balance and my notebook went flying.
Before I could aquatinted with the wooden boardwalk, strong arms wrapped around my midsection to help me catch my balance. I looked up to see a man with dark hair tucked under a cap and aviators hiding his eyes.
"Woah there," he mumbled. His arms lingered at my waist before he let go. I took a step back to clear my head.
"Thanks for helping- Crap!" I suddenly exclaimed.
"What," asked the stranger. He seemed a little surprised by my sudden shout.
"I lost my notebook! Did u see where it went. It was small and made of black leather-" I stopped when I realized he was smirking at me.
"Oh so it's one of those notebooks huh?"
My cheeks turned scarlet. "No! I just like to write in it. You know, jot down inspiration and the like."
"Inspiration for what?"
I shrugged, not willing to tell a complete stranger about my songwriting. "If you find it will you let me know? My phone number is written in the front if you need to call and let me known or something."
His smirk returned full force. "If you wanted me to call all you had to do was ask. I have to warn you though, my girlfriend is totally into women." His dark eyebrows wagged above his low hanging sun glasses, glasses low enough that I could just make out the icy blues cold of his eyes.
I snorted and rolled my eyes. "That doesn't even dignify a response," I said before turning and walking the way I had been going. If he was gonna be all pervy, then I kind of hoped he wasn't the one to find my book.
x-X-x
"You got fired?" screeched Caroline as I sat Indian style on our little green couch. I picked at a loose thread and didn't respond. "I can't believe this," she mumbled as she paced back in forth in front of me. She raked a hand through her long blonde hair, which somehow managed to fall back seamlessly into her perfect waves. If I would have done that, half of my hair would be sticking up in the back.
"Technically, I quit,' I added helpfully. Caroline stopped in front of me and glared. She looked like a force to be reckoned with when she had her hands on her hips like that and that fierce look on her face.
"Well you can come work with me at the store," she offered when she'd finally stopped glaring at me. She was talking about her little boutique she had saved up all of her money since middle school to open.
I shook my head. "It's alright Care. I'll think of something."
"You know what this means right," she asked and I shook my head. "Job hunting!" She dropped down on the sofa beside me. "Get the newspaper," she commanded and pointed to the kitchen.
I sighed and went to grab it. "Oh and my laptop too!" This was gonna be a long day.
x-X-x
Matt called one morning a week or two later at an ungodly hour, which if you ask me is any hour before at least noon. Of course Caroline answered the phone.
"Hello?" she asked as she stirred something on the stove. She was already fully awake, dressed in shorts and a blue tank top and her hair was slicked back in a ponytail.
I had been wallowing in self-pity when the damn phone had gone off. By the time I'd dragged myself to the kitchen, Care had already answered. I was about to return to bed to sulk over my jobless state in peace when Caroline stilled.
"What do you want Matt?" My ears perked up and I decided to stick around, if only to give Caroline an excuse to not talk the Matt.
"Can we not do this now?" She slid a sideways glance my way as if to point out the reason why she didn't want to talk to Matt. She sighed and handed me the phone.
"Morning Mathew," I deadpanned.
"I know I probably woke you up but I have a good reason." When I didn't hang up on him to return to my nice cozy bed, he took that as encouragement.
"Well a buddy of mine works for this major record company and he says that there's an opening for a paid internship."
For a second I was stunned silent before I shrieked in delight. "Thank you Matty, thank you so much! I could kiss you." I could hear him chuckling on the other end at my outburst.
Matt gave me the address and the number for who I needed to get in touch with for the interview. As soon as Matt hung up, I called the studio and a lady picked up. The entire time, Caroline was breathing down my neck as I the woman talked about the internship. When I hung up, I had plans to visit the studio for an interview the next day.
"You know what this means right?' I turned to look at Care after I'd hung up. She was bouncing on the balls of her feet excitedly. Call me crazy, but I was a bit scared.
Caroline didn't wait for me to answer. "Were going shopping for a new interview outfit!" she squealed and I groaned.
"But Care," I whined and she gave me her best mom look, which if you ask me she was way to good at.
"Nope. No whining because it's final," she growled and shoved me out of the kitchen. "Now hurry up and get dressed, we leave in forty."
x-X-x
The next morning, Caroline woke me up at the butt crack of dawn and I let her because I was determined to get this job. It was a little off from where I wanted to be but I had to get my foot in the door somehow.
I took a long hot shower to wake up, even lathering up with my favorite body wash instead of the ivory soap I normally used. I slipped into my favorite lacy blue boy shorts and the matching blue strapless bra. Say whatever you want but sexy underwear is always a confidence booster for women and right now, I needed it.
When I padded into my room to get something to wear, I wasn't surprised to find the Caroline had already picked something.
The top was a turquoise halter style blouse that clung to my skin when I put it on and the grey dress pants made my ass look good. I borrowed a pair of pumps from Caroline that quickly had me rethinking my decision, but they matched and I wasn't falling over so I could deal for a few hours for the interview.
Because I was lazy and I thought it looked professional, I slicked my hair back into a ponytail and curled the ends. I didn't bother with makeup aside from some mascara and clear gloss.
Caroline was up and dressed by the time I slowly made my way into the kitchen. The sound of her whistles and catcalls had me grinning and I made a show of bowing in the middle of our little kitchen.
I still had time but I was nervous about the interview so I left early. My old little Beetle managed to carry me to LA without me having to stop and coax her into running again. When I got the the studio, I was fifteen minutes early. So like any normal person, I got out and decided to look around.
Salvatore Records was this ginormous steel and glass building that made my jaw drop. I bet I looked like a tourist as I walked through the front door, my eyes wide open and my jaw slack. It was like I couldn't take in everything fast enough.
Someone behind me cleared their throat and I turned to see a young woman only a little older than me sitting at a rounded desk. Her blonde hair was perfectly coiffed and her smile was condescending, as if I was some little child that didn't know any better.
Trying to look professional and not like I'd just been staring, I straightened out my top, brushed a piece of invisible lint off my pants and made my way over. "Hi," I said trying to be polite. "I'm here for the internship interview." She seemed surprised but nodded and handed me some papers and a name tag.
"Go down this hall and take the elevator to the seventh floor. Right off the elevator there's a waiting room. Ms. Gilbert will find you there shortly." I nodded and followed her directions.
When I got of the elevator on the seventh floor, I looked on in awe as pictures after pictures and awards after awards lined the hall. My fingers brushed over them as I took my time reading the names of people ever signed to Salvatore Records. I didn't notice a woman walking down the hall, her attention consumed by her BlackBerry until I ran into her. Her coffee spilled and most of it landed on the white carpeting.
"Oh my, I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, her hands over her mouth in surprise. I looked up and was shocked to see a familiar pretty face framed by long chocolate hair. She was dressed in a tank top, jeans and converse. Next to her, I felt really overdressed. A
"Aren't you the girl I ran into yesterday at the bookstore?" I tried to remember her name. "It's Alana- no Elena- yes it's Elena!" I was so happy I'd remembered her name.
Recognition dawned on her and she smiled. "Yes it's Melody right?" When I nodded, she smiled even brighter. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm here for the internship interview. I'm guessing you're Miss Gilbert." She nodded.
"You're a bit early but we can start now. Come follow me, my office is down the hall." I followed her and she asked questions as we walked. "So why are you interested in this particular internship?" In other words: what were my reasons for wanting to work here.
"I just love music, have for as long as I can remember. A friend told me about the internship and with nothing holding me back, I jumped a the chance." Elena nodded, seemingly satisfied with my answer. We had reached her office now and I followed her inside.
"Well here at Salvatore Records, that's the kind of enthusiasm we want. What I need to know is if you're qualified for this job."
I silently cursed. What the hell did you need to be qualified for a music company internship? "Um well I graduated USC last year if that's what you're wondering. I majored in music studies and I have a minor in creative writing."
Elena looked curious. "That's kind of a weird combo. What made you minor in creative writing?"
I shrugged. "I like to write and I wanted something fun to do in college." Before she could respond, there was a single loud bang against her closed door. Elena stood quickly; looking irritated and incredibly pissed off. She yanked the door open and yelled, "If you two can't quit for two seconds I will personally kick your asses!"
I stood and when I went to turn around to see who she was talking to, I teetered in my heels and tripped over one of the leather chairs in front of her desk. A sense of déjà vu swept over me as my arms wind milled and the carpeted floor rose up to meet me. But for the second time in my life, strong arms wrapped around my waist to keep me from falling. My eyes, which had shut tight, opened to meet familiar icy blue eyes.
"We have got to stop meeting like this."