Chapter 3

I heard music, very loud music. Where the hell was it coming from? I picked my head up off the pillowcase and opened my eyes. I laughed silently to myself. It was just my stupid alarm clock going off.

It was 7:45 in the morning. I had to meet Mike at Lena's Café at 8:30.

I rose out of bed and headed into the bathroom for a quick shower.

The warm water felt good on my aching muscles. Unfortunately, being a dancer always put a huge strain on my body.

When I finished in the shower, I threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. I put on some make-up and did a few other little things before grabbing my keys and heading out the door.

I woke up to sounds of whimpering from beside my bed. I peeked an eye open to find Aristotle sitting on the floor next to me.

"How did you get in here, mister?" I said rubbing at my eyes.

He cocked his head from side to side and stared at me. Then, the whimpering started again.

"Do you need to go out or something?"

That was the wrong question to ask. His tail started wagging fast and he began to bark.

"Okay, okay…let me just get some shoes on."

I quickly padded out of bed and threw on some slippers. Then, I walked out into the hallway to find his leash.

Aristotle ran by me and sat by the door. It was almost as if he understood everything that was going on.

I attached his leash to his collar and headed out the front door. It didn't take him very long to find a spot outside to relieve himself.

"Well, at least you let me know when you have to go, instead of doing it in the house," I told him.

He walked over towards me and jumped up on my leg.

"Good boy!" I said, petting his head.

I had to admit he was a pretty cute dog. He was smart, too. "Come on let's go wake up sleeping beauty."

He hopped down off of me and led us back towards our apartment.

When we got back inside, I let him off his leash and set off down the hallway towards Lily's room.

"Lily, time to wake up for school," I said knocking on the door.

She blinked her eyes open a few times, stretched her arms above her head, and sat up in her bed.

"Buenos días," she said.

"Good morning. Why don't you hop in the shower and I'll make you some breakfast."

"Okay, tia.

"Would you like anything special?"

"Just some cereal, please."

"Alrighty."

I headed towards the kitchen to fix Lily her breakfast. I poured her a bowl of cereal and also cut up some fresh strawberries and blueberries.

Then, I put together her lunch and fed Aristotle his breakfast.

Weekday mornings were always hectic for me. Now, they were ten times crazier with Lily and Aristotle to take care of.

When Lily entered the kitchen, I placed her breakfast in front of her, and then excused myself to take my own shower.

Twenty minutes later, I was dressed and ready to conquer the day.

"We have to leave a little earlier today because I have a lot of work to finish up at the studio."

"Are we still going to the pet store after you pick me up from school?"

"Of course! I always keep my promises, missy."

She gave me a HUGE smile, "Yay! I'm so excited!"

"Me, too. Go get your backpack and we'll get going."

"Okay, tia Tana."

Five minutes later, we were out the door and climbing into the car. I had a feeling that it was going to be another long day.

The parking lot outside of Lena's café was filling up quickly. It was like this every morning. Most people stopped in for a cup of their amazing coffee; others just came for the delicious food. For me, it was a mixture of both these things that kept me coming back for more.

After parking my car, I walked inside the café in search of Mike. I found him sitting towards the back on his iPad.

"Good morning, Mike."

He stopped what he was doing and looked up at me. "Hey there, stranger."

"How's it going?" I asked.

"It's going. I ordered you your usual, French vanilla soy latte."

"Thanks," I said sitting down across from him.

"So, how was work last night?"

I thought back to last night. Immediately Santana and Lily's faces came to mind. "Work was pretty interesting last night. I found Aristotle a new home."

"Oh, wow! That's great news, Brittany! Although, I bet you are a little sad."

"Of course I am, but it isn't about me. Aristotle deserves the best and I believe I found him that. You should have seen the look of pure happiness on the little girl's face. She was so excited."

"That's awesome!"

"Yeah. It was a really good fit. They were perfect for each other."

I unwrapped my napkin and placed it on my lap. The waitress came out with our coffee and asked if we were ready to order.

"We are both going to have a short stack of your chocolate chip pancakes with fresh strawberries and whipped cream on top," I stated.

"You got it!" she said. "They will be out shortly."

"You have everything you need, mi amor?"

"Si, tia Tana."

"Bueno. I will pick you up here at 3:20, okay?"

"Okay."

"Perfect. Aristotle and I will be waiting for you. Have a great day at school. Try to talk a little bit, okay, honey."

"Okay. I will try. Have fun at work. Bye, tia."

"Thank you. Bye Lily."

She gave me a quick hug before opening the car door, climbing out, and walking inside.

I backed away from the curb and headed towards the recording studio.

Mike and I had just finished our breakfast and were walking to his friend's studio.

"So, why do we need to stop by this studio, again?" I asked.

"I want to see if my friend Dylan has any tips for us for our auditions."

"Uhh, please, I don't even want to talk about auditions. I received another message last night from a company I auditioned for telling me I wasn't the person they were looking for."

"Yeah, I keep receiving those phone calls, too. It's crazy, we are both very talented dancers."

"I know we are. Anyone would be crazy NOT to hire us."

"This is why we are going to see Dylan. Maybe he can give us some advice on what we are doing wrong."

"I hope so because I am almost ready to give up."

The rest of our walk was spent in silence. When we finally arrived at the studio, we took the elevator up to the 3rd floor.

When we stepped out of the elevator, the first thing we heard was shouting.

"You are ridiculous, Dylan. Please tell me exactly what it is you do not like about the song?"

"Santana, the song just does not fit your voice. It is flat. Your voice is so much more powerful than how you portray it to be in that song."

"You told me to write a song that depicted something hard going on in my life. It doesn't get much better than that!"

"Listen, all the other tracks sound amazing. I am really happy with how they are turning out. However, this song is not making the cut. We need to fix it."

"I am not fixing anything. If you hate it so much, fix it yourself!"

"Why are you being so difficult? You are acting like a child!"

"Excuse me? I am not acting like a child. If you would just pull your head out of your ass and see the potential my song has we would not be arguing."

"Santana, you need to realize that your song does not have any potential as it stands right now."

"Fuck you, Dylan!" I screamed as I walked away from him.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm taking a break."

"Of course you are."

I kept walking until I reached the back room. I flung my body onto the couch and let out a long, loud sigh.

"Dylan?"

"Hey, Mike. I didn't even hear you come in."

"Is this a bad time?"

"No, not at all."

"Who was that screaming?"

"That, my friend, was the new artist we signed to our label."

"She did not sound very happy."

"Well, that's because she isn't. She pretty much hates my guts right now. Anyways, what can I do for you?"

"Well, for starters…I want you to meet my friend Brittany. She is an amazing dancer."

"Oh yeah, more amazing than you?"

"That is highly unlikely," I said. "Nice to meet you!"

"You as well, Brittany."

"We are both striking out at auditions and I wanted to know if there were any tips you could give us."

"Hm, well…the dancing world is about as tough as the singing world. If you do not have everything we are looking for, we cast you aside."

"What is it that people are looking for exactly?" I asked.

"Well, Brittany, that depends. Most people are looking for a fresh face, someone who they feel the general public can relate to. You have to be passionate about what you do. You cannot be one of those people who give up easily. You have to fight for your spot and your chance at greatness."

"What if you have been fighting and it is still getting you nowhere?"

"Well, I would say you are not looking in the right direction for what you want, then."

Dylan's advice was really making me think about things. Maybe I wasn't auditioning for the right roles. Maybe I wasn't putting a hundred percent into my work. Having thoughts such as these was not improving my mood at all. I needed to clear my head.

"You're welcome to look around if you'd like, Brittany. I want to show Mike the new cigars I purchased."

"Okay. I mean…if it's okay with you."

"Perfectly fine. Just don't touch any of the equipment."

"I won't."

Mike followed Dylan down the hallway to an office room. I wandered around the studio. The room was filled with sound equipment and microphones. I could see inside the glass of the small recording area. It looked so peaceful in there. It was like an artist's little world.

I looked down at the table in front of me. There were lyrics to a song scribbled down on a piece of paper. I started reading them over, but stopped when I heard a beautiful voice singing close by.

I walked to the back of the studio and stopped at a closed door. The voice I had heard was coming from behind it.

What lies behind…those eyes of blue?

I seek to know…the essence that is you.

Those eyes they hold a wisdom that is true,

Ohh, baby, can I shelter you?

I watched you smile…so heavenly,

Your eyes lit up…so unexpectedly.

So many things I wish we could pursue,

Ohh, baby, can I shelter you?

Goosebumps appeared all over my body. This girl had a really amazing voice. She was so passionate about the words she was singing. I couldn't help the smile that graced my face.

"She's amazing, isn't she?"

I didn't even realize Dylan and Mike had returned.

"Y-y-yeah…her voice is incredible."

"That it is. It is very unique. She does not sound like most female artists."

"So, what's her name?" Mike asked.

"Ah, I was wondering when I was going to be asked that question. Her name is Santana. Santana Lopez."

Wait a minute. Wasn't the girl I met last night at the shelter named Santana? There was no way it could be the same person. Right?

"She doesn't by any chance have a niece that lives with her, does she?"

"Yes, Lily…. do you know them?"

Oh my God. This was such a small world. I had been face-to-face with a famous singer. I felt like I was going to faint.

"Are you okay, Brit?" Mike asked.

"Yeah…I just…I…"

Before I could finish what I was going to say, the door to the closed room swung open revealing the person behind it.

It was indeed the beautiful girl that I had given Aristotle to.

Our eyes locked onto each other. I smiled shyly before looking down at the floor. What the hell was going on with me? Why was this girl turning me into a puddle of mush?

It was her. Brittany. This was a really small world, and, apparently, it was getting smaller by the minute.

What in the world was she doing here? I was flabbergasted.

I saw a timid smile grace her face and I could not help but smile back.

"Santana this is my friend, Mike and his friend, Brittany."

"Nice to meet you," Mike said.

"You, too."

I glanced over at Brittany who was staring down at the floor. This couldn't be the same girl from last night. Why was she acting so bashful?

"Where did that song come from?" Dylan asked.

"Nowhere. Don't worry about it."

"I like it, though. I think it has a lot of potential."

"Yeah, well, I think my other song has quite a lot of potential."

"Are you really going to continue arguing with me?"

"Yes, because you are being a real jackass."

"I can't win with you, can I?"

"No, because…". I didn't get to finish my sentence.

"Your voice is amazing. I really liked those lyrics, too."

It was Brittany. She had finally spoken to me. I felt myself blush. "Thank you."

"We should record it."

"No!" I shouted out.

The volume of my voice made everyone in the room tense up. I wasn't making this encounter very warm and welcoming.

"I'm sorry. I'm just still really pissed off at you."

"Clearly…"

"I think I need a longer break to cool off."

"Maybe you need a change of scenery," Brittany offered.

"Yeah, maybe."

"Do you want to go for a walk, then, maybe grab a coffee?" she asked.

Why was this girl being so nice to me? I had just completely blown a fuse. I probably looked like a crazy person. Yet, her offer did seem much too good to pass up.

"Yeah, I think that sounds like a really good idea, actually."

"Awesome. Why don't you boys hang out and catch up with each other. I promise to bring Santana back in one piece."

"I suppose that would be okay," Dylan said.

"Great! We will be back in a little while."

I followed Brittany out of the studio and into the elevator. She looked over at me and smiled. I smiled back.

This girl was a complete mystery to me. She was intriguing. I don't know what it was exactly, but something told me I wasn't going to want to come back to the studio afterwards.