At No Time || Bruno Mars

5

Trystan had been working with Bruno's production team for nearly a week, and she was sure the pent-up animosity she felt toward this newfound "Peter" was sure to burst.

He wasn't as boorish as he was on the first day they congregated, Trystan reluctantly admitted, but Peter still wasn't very open to ideas like Neal was. If he didn't voice his opinion, Peter refused to comment on her aims and left it to Neal to rate her skills. That would have been fine if t weren't for the fact that regardless of if her compositions were noted, they wouldn't be mentioned the next day, and Trystan knew it was because Peter had taken it upon himself to remove them.

"I'm serious, Lique. He's getting his ass kicked when I see him again. He hasn't offered not one great idea all week but won't include mine. I knew he could be an ass growing up but damn, he's an entire asshole now." Trystan was sure she was being overtly-harsh but commenced she didn't care. If Peter could ignore her throughout every session she shared, she didn't find it crucial to speak good of him out of his presence.

Trystan and Angelique walked down a boulevard in downtown Los Angeles. Trystan wasn't sure of the name but figured if she could find her way throughout all of Brooklyn and Manhattan, she was certain Los Angeles could be a breeze.

A shopping bag dangling from the crook of her elbow, Angelique brushed her hand curtly. "Maybe an ass-whooping is what he needs. Or you could ask why he has a problem with you. Melissa has a friend that works at the corporate office for a label called Supreme, and girl, she told me you were all the buzz around there. Everyone's rushing around trying to find great lyricists and composers and shit because they know if P. Dez and you get on a song, it'll be a hit for the next five years. You are a threat, girl, and that threatens Bruno."

"Neal told me the same thing, but I don't understand why, though. Two greats in a studio together? That should excite him more than anything."

Angelique shrugged, appearing almost indifferent to the ways of their childhood acquaintance. "I don't know what's up with him, but he's stuck with you now. You have to wait it out longer than he's willing to. When his boss realizes nothing new is popping and asks the team, Phil--,"

"Neal."

"Yeah, Neal. I'm sure he'll take up for you and tell him that it's Bruno that's not putting in the work, not you."

"You sure about that? They're best friends, Lique. I don't think he would out him like that."

"Hey, you never know. That Phil guy--,"

"Neal."

"Neal, had enough courage to call you and tell you that Bruno was being an ass, I'm sure he wouldn't be afraid of telling their boss."

Trystan made a noise of contingency, but permitted herself to believe Angelique's words. She hadn't a clue why Peter was treating her the way he was, but she was sure she'd find out if, or when, he crossed that final line. 

Trystan's feet padded against the concrete of the sidewalk, her breathing agile in her haste. The sun had barely crept past the horizon, the sky offering only a bluish glow.

I can't wait until my car comes in, Trystan thought, annoyed. Her boss paid for a rental Mercedes that should have been ready for her when she arrived to Los Angeles, but the car company claimed they had yet to finish its repairs.  Trystan substituted the vehicle with her own feet, traveling nearly another mile from the bus station from the three it took her to get there.

If she was lucky, her counterparts hadn't begun any hard work yet and she would arrive without missing anything too substantial.

Her hopes were instantly obliterated when she heard the familiar beat of the melody they had all been working with penetrating through the walls of the studio.