Chapter 1-4

Chapter 1

A mother drags her 5 year old daughter to her first day of preschool. "Mommy I don't wanna go to school!" The mother sighs angrily. "Brooke Daniels! Stop now!" Brooke sticks her lip and and quits fighting. Another mother and her son walk into the classroom at the same time. "Oh hi Bernadette!" "Hi Marie!" "So how'd the move go?" "Great! Is it alright if Bruno comes over today?" "Of course! Were neighbors now! I'm sure he'll be coming over all the time!" The mothers say their goodbyes to their children and let them go to class. "But mommy I don't wanna!" The little boy holds out his hand. "I'll walk with you!" Brooke tentatively grabs the little boys hand. "My name's Bruno, what's your name?" "Brooke." The two children walk in to the class together hand in hand. It was the start of an amazing friendship. The two children talked and laughed all day. When Brooke found out Bruno lived beside her both children were thrilled. They shortly became inseparable. They were always dancing and singing together. One day Bruno ran to Brooke's house. "Brooke! Watch this!" Brooke watched in amazement as Bruno danced perfectly in tune to an Elvis Presley song. Bruno's father taught the children how to play many different instruments and how to sing. As the years passed and the children aged, their friendships became very deep. They always had the same classes and always sat together. When one got in trouble so did the other. As high school rolled around their taste in life changed and friendship was put to the test. Bruno wanted to be a singer. He was very talented and Brooke always supported him even when people told him he would never make it. "Brooke I can't do it! Nobody thinks I can!" "Bruno stop! Never say you can't because you can, you can do it Bruno. I believe in you." Brooke convinced Bruno to go and sing in pubs or restaurants and she would always tag along and she became mesmerized by the way he sang. It was like magic. Brooke became very athletic. She became in love with softball. Bruno came to every game and caught her while she had pitching practice. Bruno knew by the way she moved it was her calling. When she played she would get filthy but she didn't seem to care. She loved it. She would get hit by a pitch but she was always eager to show off her bruises. When she pitched it looked as if she was born to do it. He knew that she would make it big someday. People became jealous of what they had. A strong friendship. People started trying to take Bruno from Brooke. But despite their best efforts nothing made him leave her side. Prom rolled around and many guys asked Brooke but she was holding out for one. Bruno. He asked her 3 days before prom. She said yes. Her mother took her to pick out a dress. She picked out a blue dress with sequins. The night of prom her mother helped her get ready. She straightened her long dirty blonde hair and did her makeup. She looked beautiful. The doorbell rang. Bruno. She walked down stairs and saw Bruno standing by the door. He was wearing a simple light pink shirt and plain black jacket and matching pants. "Wow you look amazing Bruno." "You too." They got into his car and drove to prom. They had a blast. Towards the end they snuck out and ran along the beach. They stood by the water and let the breeze blow in their faces. Bruno starts humming a tune and looks at Brooke. "When I see your face there's not a thing that I would change cuz your amazing just the way you are." "Wow that sounded amazing! Was that for me?" "Of course. Because you are very, very beautiful." They both lean in and kiss. It was a first kiss for both of them. After that night they were closer than ever before. It was a week after graduation when it was time for them to do the hardest thing they've ever had to do. It was time for them to go their own ways. "Bruno I don't wanna leave you!" Brooke cried while helping him finish packing. It was the first time she'd seen Bruno actually cry. "I know I don't want to leave you either. Were gonna be on opposite sides of the U.S." "I'm gonna miss you, especially that afro of yours." Bruno chuckled a little. "I'm gonna miss you more though. Your my world. I promise I'll watch you on tv. I might even come to a game if I get enough money." "Oh Bruno..." Brooke threw her arms around Bruno and sobbed. Bruno rubbed her back and told her everything would be ok. Brooke stopped crying and looked at Bruno. "You know Bruno......your gonna need a last name." "Like what?" "How about Mars, because your out of this world! Bruno Mars!" "Yeah. Bruno Mars. I like it. Here I have something I want to give you." Bruno fumbles around and pulls out a black box. Inside is a silver chain with a silver heart. He put it on Brooke and smiled. "Thank you Bruno. It's beautiful." "Yeah, beautiful, just like you." A few days later they shared a final kiss at the airport. "I love you Brooke Daniels." "I love you too Bruno Hernandez. Will you wait for me?" "Of course." He kisses her one last time and they start walking in separate directions. Brooke heading off to Tennessee on a scholarship to pitch and Bruno going to LA to try to land a recording deal. Brooke's heart was shattered into a million pieces. It was going to be hard without Bruno by her side. She would have no one to share secrets with, no one who she could talk to hours on end and they just sit there and listen quietly telling her everything's going to be ok. But this was life. It was never meant to be easy. But she never thought it could be this hard. Brooke sat down and toyed with her necklace. Wondering if life could possibly get any worse. Her flight number was called and she gather her things and boarded her plane. As they took off she watched as the island she grew up on, the one with all the memories, vanished in the clouds forever. "Goodbye Waikiki, Goodbye Bruno." She look at her reflection in the window and watched a single tear roll down her face

Chapter 2

My plane landed and I stood up and grabbed my things. I made my way to the baggage claim and took my 3 suitcases off the conveyor belt. I went and got my rental car and loaded my things up. The drive to the university wasn't long. I parked my car and went inside to get my schedule and things. I went back out to my car and grabbed my bags and made my way to my dorm. I opened the door and my roommate was already unpacking. "Hi." "Hey girl!" She was about 5'11" and was thick. She had really long black hair and she was really pretty. "I'm Jessica." "I'm Brooke." "Ohhh that's a really pretty name! Just like you." I smiled. "Thanks." I start unpacking my things and Jessica finishes so she comes over and helps me. I get to the last suitcase. It has all my most precious pictures in it. Ones that I just couldn't leave behind. "Ohh is this your boyfriend! He would be a lot hotter if he didn't have that Afro." I start to feel the tears burning in the back of my eyes. "Oh...I'm sorry I didn't mean to..." "It's ok. It's not your fault. That's Bruno. He's my best friend but I guess you could say he's my boyfriend. We kissed at prom, and then after that. He's in LA trying to land a recording deal, and I'm all the way over here playing softball. We've known each other since preschool. We were inseparable." The tears start falling and Jessica sits there and rubs my back and tells me everything will be ok. "I'm sorry. I just miss him a lot." "It's alright. I play softball too." Jessica was my first real friend. There were a lot of nice people. As the years went by I would research Bruno Mars. I would do it everyday, but nothing ever turned up. I prayed everyday that he would be found and that he wouldn't give up and go back to Hawaii a failure. He wanted so bad to prove everyone wrong. He wanted to become famous and say 'Look, look what I did that you said I couldn't.' I went out a few guys but no one could put the pieces of my heart back together. I decided to major in photography. Softball was fun and I actually had a chance to play on the professional team. Our team was playing Arizona state. It was the world series championship game. Our team was down 3-2 it was the top of the 10th inning and our team was up to bat. We were the home team. Jessica was up to bat and I was behind her on deck. She hit one out to the green. She got a double off of it. I got up to bat and the first pitch was thrown. I hit it and it hit the fence. Jessica scored tying the score 3-3. I made to three and the coach sent me. As I rounded third everyone started screaming. "Down! Down! Slide!" the catcher caught the ball the same time I slid. I heard a crunch and felt and exploding pain in my knee. The umpire called me safe but I couldn't get up. I looked at my knee and I could see small white chunks and lots of blood. I was rushed to a hospital where I was told I had shattered my knee cap, torn my ACL and would never be able to play softball again. They said I would need to be transferred to LA for surgery. Jessica and my whole team came to visit me before I left. They named me athlete of the year. They said that I won the game for them and they would always remember me. Jessica packed my things for me and brought them to the hospital the day I was leaving. "Thank you Jessica, for everything." "Your welcome. I got you something." She reaches in her bag and pulls out a cannon hi-tech zoom camera that I've been saving up to buy. "Wow! Jess I...thanks! It's amazing." I take the camera and snap a picture of her and then I take a picture of my knee. "Why'd you take a picture of your knee?" "Jessica.......do you not know me? You know I have to show this bad boy off!" We share a final laugh and I'm wheeled out and loaded into a helicopter. The press was there and I waved and smiled. Right before I was loaded up a cameraman ran up to me and I just smiled and put both of my thumbs up. The flight to the LA hospital took about 2 hours. The whole flight I was think about Bruno. After 5 long years I may actually find him. When we land it's night and I'm wheeled into an operating room. * Bruno was broke. He had no money and had no way to pay his rent. He got his final notice in the mail and made a hard decision. It was time to go back home. "Bruno? Are you home baby?" "In here Maria!" "What are you doing?" "I gotta leave. No one wants my songs, I'm outta money and have no where to go." "Bruno baby, we've been together for almost 5 years. Why don't you just come live with me?" Bruno ran his fingers through his now short curly hair. "I don't know babe....." He's cut off by the sound of his phone ringing. "Hello?" "Bruno, I'm Nathan secretary at Motown records. My manager heard your demo and he would like to buy it." "Buy it? He doesn't want me to sing it?" "No sir." "Let me think about it. I'll call you back." His heart dropped. He wanted to sing. Not just be a songwriter. But he needed the money. But was this his chance? To stay and have that much more time to be given a chance? "Who was that babe?" "A secretary at Motown records. They want to buy my song." "Don't do it." "Why not?" "Because I said." Maria started to get all over him. He hated it. She was always like this. So clingy and always all over him. He pushed her away and sat down on the couch and turned to tv on. It was on ESPN. He never really like sports, but right before he turned it a name caught his attention. "Softball star Brooke Daniels is being transferred to LA memorial after hitting a game winning hit and sliding into home shattering her knee cap and tearing her ACL. Here's the clip." A clip of a tall but very muscular girl appears on the tv. She hits the ball into the green she started running and she hit third and the coach sent her. The catcher caught the ball and she slid. The umpire called her safe and the crowd started cheering but she didn't get up. The catcher stood up and started yelling to the coaches. People started rushing out and then there was a few videos of someone being wheeled into a helicopter. Finally a single picture of a tanned, blonde hair, blue eyed woman, smiling and holding up two thumbs flashed across the screen. "The softball pitcher was being intensely looked at by the professional softball league, doctors say that the after an injury like this she will never be able to go back to softball. Good thing she has photography to fall back on." Bruno couldn't believe it. Brooke was here in LA! He stood up and grabbed his car keys. "I'll be back, Marie!" "Where are you going?" "Hospital! I have catching up to do!"

Chapter 3

Brooke looked around and sighed. Light was streaming in through the window and my knee was killing me. I called for a nurse, who can waddling in moments later carrying a small cup with a pink liquid. I kicked back the foul tasting liquid and asked the nurse to hand me my laptop. I managed to sit up and brush my hair. I got on yellow pages and looked up Bruno Hernandez, Peter Hernandez, Peter Gene Hernandez, anything but I couldn't find anything. I started looking around for a photography job and found one. I emailed the manager and closed my laptop. I looked out the window and sighed. "Bruno where in the world could you be?" I hear someone open the door. I turn my head and a man, probably in his early twenties walk in. He's wearing a brown fedora with a yellow feather on the side. He has amazing brown eyes, and an perfect smile with sexy dimples. "Hello Beautiful." I put my hands up to my face and start crying. "Oh my god! It's you Bruno!" He walks over to my bed with the biggest smile on his face. "Wow, you look....amazing!" I laugh and wipe away my tears. "You cut your hair!" He takes his hat off revealing his short curly hair. He takes his hat and puts it on my head. "Where have you been? I thought you went back to Hawaii." "Uh...about that I wrote this song and this guy called me today and said that he wanted to buy the song but Maria......" "She's your girlfriend?" Bruno ran his hands through his hair. "Yeah. She told me not to." That felt like a slap to the face. But I knew he would probably find someone else. With looks like that he was irresistible. "Oh, why did she tell you not to?" "She said because she said so." "Bruno have you ever had an opportunity like this before come along?" "No...." "Then do it. So you might not want to sell the song, do you really have any other option? Maybe if you sell this song it'll give you that much more time to stick around and get a chance to get signed. Do it." He smiled. "You really believe in me don't you?" "Of course I do Bruno! You believed in me and look where I got in life. If this wouldn't of happened I would be in the pro's and......" "......and you wouldn't be here." "Yeah. I wouldn't be here." And I wouldn't know about Maria. "So tell me about Maria? What's she like?" He lets out a sigh and takes a seat by my bed. "Not much to say. She's clingy, always all over me, and everyone hates her." "Wow, how long have you guys been together?" "Almost 5 years." My jaw drops. "Yeah I know, but listen, when I first came here I missed you. A lot, and I guess I was just trying to replace you. But that was a mistake, because I ended up with her." It's silent for a moment before I speak again. "You don't love her do you Bruno?" "No.....no I don't." "Why don't you leave her then?" "Because, it's been 5 years, that's a long time......but we can still be friends right?" "Yeah. Friends." A nurse walks in and says that Bruno needs to leave because visiting hours are over. Bruno gives me a hug and walks out. "Wait! Bruno! You forgot your hat." I hold it out but he just waves me off. "I'll be back tomorrow, just keep it."

Chapter 4

The elevator binged announcing the arrival of Bruno and Maria. I hobbled over and met them at the elevator. As soon as Bruno saw me his smile immediately returned. "Hey! Look at you, already up and walking! You look great." He gives me a hug. "You must be Maria. Hi I'm Brooke." She looks me up and down and rolls her eyes. "Excuse me is there a problem?" "Oh, no. Does your knee hurt? I hope it does." "Oh it hurt when it first happened but now it doesn't hurt as much." I give her a grin. Her phone rings. While she's talking on the phone Bruno starts talking to me. "I'm so sorry, she's just really....Uh.....jealous I guess." Before I can reply she's butts in. "I have better things do to so bye! Oh and you don't be getting any ideas." She gets all over Bruno again and he shoves her off. "What's you problem Bruno?!" "You! Now go do whatever you have to do." "I'm just going down to the lobby." "Have fun." She walks into the elevator and me and Bruno walk back to my room. "Hey, Bruno I need a demo from you." He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a flash drive. "Here." I put it into my computer and turn the volume up. I'm blown away. "Oh my god! Bruno this is amazing! I can't believe no one wants you!" "You really think so?" "Yeah this is better than when we were in high school!" I take my camera from around my neck and put it on the bed beside me. "Bruno listen, I found this place, Atlantic Records, where they need another producer, I know this isn't what you want but it could get you out there. Someone might hear your song and what to try the kid out, and they'd see how amazing you are and then your name would be out there and you could get signed." He doesn't really say anything at first. "I don't know.....I really wanted to be a singer." "I know Bruno, but maybe the worlds just not ready for your awesome singing voice, and maybe you could just do this and some lucky person might hear you sing and sign you." "You really think this is how to get there though?" "I don't know but why not give it a shot?" He sighs and then look at me and smiles. "Alright, if you think this could work let's do it. I have nothing to lose." "Awesome." I give him a hug, we both hold on to each other longer than you should when your hugging. "Uh....sorry.....that was....sorry." I feel myself start to blush. "It's ok." I stand up and Bruno helps me get my crutches. I grab my camera and we walk out. We walk back over to the balcony and I see something that enrages me. I start snapping pictures. "Bruno...." He takes my camera and looks at the pictures. It's Maria and another man. Kissing. "Bruno....I'm so sorry...." He just glares down at them. "Bruno, I know your mad but this is a hospital...." He storms off down the stairs and I don't even have time to stop him. I zoom my camera in on Maria and watch as everything unfolds. He walks up to Maria and the man, who are in a serious make out session, and pulls them apart. He started yelling at Maria and the man, they started yelling at him and then the man and Maria walk out together and Bruno just sits down at a table and puts his face in his hands. I get in the elevator and take it down to the lobby. I hobble out and sit down beside Bruno. "Bruno? Let's go up to the room, c'mon." He stands up and he has tears running down his cheeks. I wipe them away. "You wanna talk about it?" He doesn't say anything. He follows me to the elevator and we ride up in a thick silence. When we get back to my room a slide into bed and scoot all the way over and pat the bed. He slides in and I rest my head on his chest. He puts his arm around me. I lay there and listen to the familiar sound of his heartbeat. "Brooke.......I have to go back to Hawaii." I sit up and look at him. "What? Why? What about your song you were going to sell?" "I have no money! I have no where to go, I'm broke." "Then stay with me! I have money, I can give you some. I found an apartment I'm going to rent just down the street! It's two bedrooms, please don't leave me again Bruno!" A single tear rolls down his cheek. "I can't do that Brooke." "Yes you can Bruno! I swear to god if you walk out of this room with a mindset of going back to Hawaii, I'll whack you with my crutches." He gives me this 'no you won't' look and smiles. "I couldn't, what about your leg? How are you going to pay for that? What about a job? You don't even have one!" "My leg is paid for in full, the athletics association paid for it for me, and I'm meeting with a photographer tomorrow, she was impressed with my work, all I have to do is fill out the paperwork and I'm hired." "Whoa, well you have no where to stay so....." "I'm meeting with the complex owner tomorrow evening, she's coming here so I can fill out the paperwork. Now, all you have to do is say you'll stay and I can have a moving van at your apartment in 2 days, and yes I have a car that's parked outside." He chuckles a little. "How do you have so much money?" "I had a job in Tennessee that was very, very high paying. Now please say you'll stay?" I stick my lip out and try to give him my best puppy dog eyes. I bat my eyelashes a couple of time and he laughs. "Alright, alright I'll stay." I get the biggest smile on my face. "Awesome!" I give him a hug and he picks up my camera and looks through my pictures. "Wow your really good at this." "Thanks." "Eww what's this?" He turns the camera towards me and I see and bloody picture. "Oh that's my knee, what it looked like when it first happened." "Wow, that's really bad." "Psht! Your telling me!" He gets to the pictures I took of him walking into the hospital. "Man, these are amazing! They look like they were taking professionally!" "Thanks Bruno." He puts my camera down and pats his chest. I lie down and he turns the tv on, I don't even see what's on though because I fall asleep. Being in a hospital, just closing your eyes for 2 seconds even if your not tired, makes you fall asleep.