Rock Candy by E. L. Gasperini Illustrated by Sayo Ameno Cover by Yuzuki Momoi Series editor: Marcos Benevides Cover design by Junko Takahashi © 2021 Atama-ii Books, Tokyo Print ISBN: 978-1-941140-13-0 Other versions: visit www.atama-ii.com ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This work may not be reproduced without the consent of the publisher. THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is coincidental. Length: 20 story pages; approx. 3,200 words total. Level: CEFR A2+; approx. 500 headwords. Recommended for learners at these levels: CEFR A2 and higher, if read with teacher or peer support. CEFR B1 and higher, if read independently or without support. Age 14+ may contain mature situations. Contact: publisher@atama-ii.com
AN EASY-ENGLISH LOVE STORY... WITH A TWIST! Before you read
Age 14+ This story contains romantic situations
ROCK CANDY This story is about YOU. In this story, you meet a young woman who is a pop star, and maybe you fall in love with her. She will make you think about life as a famous person. Before you read, think about these questions: • Have you ever met any famous people? • Do you think that life is easier or more difficult for them? • Would you want to date a famous pop star?
Next, learn the keywords for this story.
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Keywords babysitter (n.) someone who takes care of children backstage (n.) the area where performers get ready before and after a show be into~ (v.) to be into someone or something is to enjoy it very much; e.g.: “I’m really into pop music.” boring (adj.) something that is not fun; not exciting break up (v.) to end a romantic relationship broke (adj.) someone with no money; go broke (v.) to lose all of your money come out (v.) to stop hiding something; esp. one’s sexuality K-pop (n.) a type of popular music from Korea motorcycle (n.) two-wheeled vehicle with an engine musician (n.) a person who makes music narrow (adj.) not wide; e.g.: your eyes become narrow when you almost close them post (n.) a public message online; post (v.) to make a public message, e.g.: on social media
scandal (n.) a bad or surprising event that makes the public shocked or angry social media (n.) websites that connect people, so that they can share information; e.g.: Twitter, Instagram, etc. spin (v.) to go around in a circle text (n.) a short written digital message; text (v.) to send a short written message tour (n.) a series of music concerts in different cities trending (adv.) when a social media post becomes very popular because many people share it wide (adj.) not narrow; e.g.: your eyes are wide when they are completely open wink (v.) to quickly close and open one eye in a cute way
Rock Candy “I have a job for you,” Billy Park says, popping his head into your office. Billy is your boss. You work at his music company in Los Angeles. The company manages pop stars. Billy’s most famous group is Rock Candy, a K-pop girl band. They are starting a big concert tour today. They will play at many cities around the world. The Rock Candy tour is all that Billy has talked about for months. If the tour is successful, the company can make a lot of money. But if something goes wrong, Billy could go broke. “What’s the job, Billy?” you ask. “Another exciting email?” It’s a joke, but it’s true. The music business can be fun, but your day-to-day job is pretty boring. It’s mostly office work. Sometimes, if you’re lucky, you can go to a free concert. “No,” Billy answers. “I need you to drive Emi Song from LA to Las Vegas. In secret. Tonight.” “WHAT?!?” you jump from your chair, eyes wide. “Emi Song? The lead singer of Rock Candy? But she’s an international star! She should travel first class, not in my old car!” “Yes, but there’s a problem,” Billy says. “Emi broke up with her boyfriend last night. Now, social media is going crazy, and so is she. She’s talking about ending the tour and going home. I really need your help on this one.” “But why me?” you ask. “I’m not a driver.” “Because you’re... safe,” Billy says. “Safe?” you ask, narrowing your eyes. “You mean I’m boring!” “No, come on!” Billy says with a smile. “All I’m saying is that I can trust you. We can’t have a scandal right now!”
Billy is right to be worried. He is also right about you. It’s true that you are... well, that your life is kind of boring. The fact is, you enjoy your quiet life. In your job, you meet many famous, wild people. Most of them are not really happy. It can be difficult to live that way, always trending on social media. You don’t understand how stars like Emi Song can do it. She tells her fans that she doesn’t care what people think. Last year, she caused a big scandal by sharing some of her private photos online. Many fans became angry. If she did something like that now, it could hurt the tour. That’s why Billy is so worried. Emi lives a wild life, and social media loves it. Her fans follow her around and post stories about her. They often post about Emi with other famous people, so her name is always trending. What’s worse, Emi’s boyfriend, Antonio Kintana, is famous too. He is a movie star. When they first got together, it was big news. Fans posted about all the parties that they went to, and all of the crazy things that they did. If Emi and Antonio really did break up, social media will soon go crazy again. But even if her life is kind of wild, Emi is a very good musician. She’s not like most pop stars. She writes all of the music for Rock Candy, and she also plays the guitar very well. People say that she could be the next Taylor Swift or Billie Eilish. She’s that good! But now, all that you can think about is tomorrow’s trending news. Already, on Twitter, the top posts read: > Emi and Antonio break up! > What will Emi Song do next? > Will Rock Candy end their tour? You think about these questions as you drive. You will pick her up after the show and then drive her to Las Vegas.
As you drive, you also plan your trip. It’s about five hours by car from LA to Vegas. You will pick up Emi after the show, and then drive all night. If you can get to Vegas early in the morning, she can have all day to rest before tomorrow night’s concert. More importantly, if your plan works, the fans will follow the two other members of Rock Candy to the airport. They will never know that Emi Song is in your car, on the road to Vegas. “It’s a good plan,” you say to yourself. “Billy will be happy.”
You get to the concert hall just as the show ends. Backstage, you look for Rock Candy’s rooms. There are three rooms, one for each group member. You stop at the door that reads, “EMI SONG”. When Emi opens the door, it takes your breath away. She is the most beautiful woman you have ever seen. At first you can’t even speak. “Excuse me... I... uh... Billy... uh, my...” you try to say. Emi looks you up and down. “You must be my new babysitter,” she says with a wink. “Did Billy send you? You look like someone Billy would send. ‘Safe and boring’, right?” she asks playfully. “Well, I... um...” Your mind spins in circles. “Oh, it’s OK,” she says with a smile. “You’re kind of cute anyway. We’ll see later how safe and boring you are! For now, sit down here while I get ready. Or you can give me a hand if you want,” she winks. You sit, and she goes into the next room. Soon you hear the sound of water through the half-open door. Is she taking a shower? The air quickly becomes hot and cloudy in the room. Your face turns red, and you look down at your phone. “Don’t even think about it,” you tell yourself. “Just do your job!”
About ten minutes later, Emi is ready. She comes out of the bathroom dressed all in black. Her skin glows pink from the hot shower. Her hair is loose and wet. She looks completely different, but somehow even more beautiful. She smiles and winks again. “So what’s next, Hot Stuff?” she asks, drying her hair with a towel. “What’s the plan?” “Plan...?” you ask. “Oh, right! Well, I’m driving you to Las Vegas. Billy thinks that’s a good way to stay out of the news.” “A road trip?” Emi asks. “Like in the movies? Fun!” When Emi is ready, you take her out to the parking area. It is empty. No fans, and no cameras. There is no one to see you. My plan worked! you think. Well, almost. When Emi sees your car, she makes a funny face. “Really? You want me to ride in that old thing?” she says. “That looks like my grandpa’s car!” “Safe and boring, right?” You smile. “No one will look for you in this car. Also, it has a great sound system. We can listen to Rock Candy all the way to Vegas!” “Wonderful,” Emi says, crossing her arms. Then she smiles again. “But I have a better idea,” she says. “Wait here!” She runs back inside the concert hall. Fifteen minutes later, she comes back with a motorcycle key. “I bought a motorcycle from one of the tour staff,” she tells you. “Let’s go!” “Wait, what!?” you say, shocked. “No way! It’s too dangerous!” “Oh come on, live a little!” Emi says. “Besides, this way no one will see my face. It’s a perfect way to hide.” “True, but...” you think fast. “I... I can’t drive a motorcycle.” “Oh, don’t worry,” Emi laughs. “You’re going on the back!”
You get on the back of the motorcycle and put your arms around Emi. She starts the big bike easily, and soon you’re on the road. The weather is warm and dry. The wind on your face feels wonderful. Maybe this won’t be so bad, you think. During the long ride, you and Emi talk about many things. She tells you that she used to ride motorcycles with her dad in Korea. “Before you got famous?” you ask. “Yes,” she says. “My life is too busy now.” “Is that why you and Antonio...?” you ask. “I don’t want to talk about that,” she says quickly. “Antonio and I need a break, that’s all.” “Sorry,” you say. You try to think of something else to say. “Um... when I need a break, I... like to read a book.” WHAAT?? Read a book?? you think to yourself. You idiot! You complete idiot!! “Ha!” Emi laughs. “You know, you should meet my dad one day. He’s also cute like you... and boring!” You don’t say anything. Maybe we’ll crash and die, you think to yourself. That would be less painful than this! “Oh relax, Hot Stuff. I’m joking!” she rubs your leg gently. That puts a big smile on your face. As you ride, you talk more. You talk about life, about music—about everything. Emi is really smart and funny. However, you get a feeling that she is also a little sad and lonely. When you get to Vegas, the sun is just starting to go up. Emi stops in front of the hotel and leaves you with the motorcycle. “Thank you,” she says. “I really needed that. See you at the show!” That night, there are thousands of people at the concert—but it feels like Emi is singing just for you. Oh wow, you think. Am I in love?
After the show, you try to go backstage, but a guard stops you. “Sorry, staff only!” she says. “But I am staff,” you say. “Here’s my ID...” you say, reaching into your bag. Just then, you stop. NO! you think, searching your bag. My staff ID isn’t here! I must have left it in my car! “Sorry, you’ll need to wait outside,” the guard says. “Fine,” you say. “But can you please tell Emi Song that her ride is here?” The guard looks you up and down and laughs. “Yeah, right!” It’s no use, you think. You wait by the back door for two hours. Soon everyone is gone, and you don’t know what to do. You sit by yourself on Emi’s motorcycle. What are you going to tell Billy? Just then, your phone rings. It must be Billy, you think, so you don’t answer. You’re not ready to talk to him just yet. After a minute, the phone beeps. The caller left a video message. You look at the phone—it’s Emi! How did she get your number? “Hey, Hot Stuff!” Emi says in the message. “You didn’t get me after the show, so I left with the girls. We’re at the VIP Club in Vegas. Come join us! The party’s just getting started!” Behind her, you see people dancing and lights flashing. The other members of Rock Candy are there. But also... is that Antonio Kintana? You feel a sharp pain in your heart. What is Emi’s ex-boyfriend doing in Las Vegas? And why are they partying together? During your road trip, Emi said that they ‘needed a break’. Was that it, then? Just one night? You feel sad, but you’re not surprised. “I guess pop stars are all the same,” you say to yourself as you leave to pick her up. Tomorrow you’ll need to drive to the next city. This time, you think, I’ll rent a car.
You are still sad when you get to the club. You wish that you had never taken this job. You wish that you were in your safe, boring bed right now, watching a safe and boring movie. At the VIP Club, many people are waiting in line to get in. A large man in a black suit stands at the door with his arms crossed. No way I’m getting in, you think. You park the motorcycle on the street and text Emi: > Emi, I’m outside the club. I can’t get in. Please come out. I’ll take you to the hotel. You need to rest for tomorrow. A few minutes go by, but there’s no reply. Suddenly, the man at the door waves at you. “Hey, you there! On the motorcycle! I got a call from inside the club. You can go in!” he says. “Let’s go, move it!” You hurry to the front of the line, and enter the club. Inside, it’s a wild party. Beautiful people are everywhere, dancing and having a good time. A crowd circles Emi and Antonio as they dance together. Suddenly, Emi sees you. She stops dancing and runs toward you. She gives you a big hug, right in front of everyone. You are happy, but you pull back. You don’t want to get hurt again. “Hold on,” you say. “What about Antonio? Aren’t you two...?” “Oh, don’t worry about him!” Emi laughs. “Antonio is just a friend. We’ve always been just friends. It was all a... a show for the fans!” “A show?” you ask. “What do you mean?” “Antonio is not into girls,” Emi tells you. “That was a secret until yesterday. His old manager worried about a scandal. But he has a new manager now. That’s why we ‘broke up’. Antonio wants to come out and be himself.” “Wow!” you say. “That’s great! But... what about you? Who are you into?” “Oh, haven’t you guessed yet, Hot Stuff?” Emi smiles. She pulls you in for a kiss. All the cameras in the room flash at once.
You hang out in the club together for about an hour. It feels like everyone in the room is looking at you, wondering who you are. For a while, you sit at a table chatting with Antonio and the girls from Rock Candy. They are also asking who you are. Emi tells them that you’re a music producer in LA. Soon, Emi looks bored again. “Time to go!” she says, and pulls you out of the club. You go out into the Vegas night together. When you get to Emi’s hotel, she invites you up for a drink. “OK, but just one,” you say. “It’s a long day tomorrow.” As you sit and talk, your phone beeps. It’s a text from Billy: > What’s going on? Photos of you and Emi are trending! “Don’t worry,” you text back. “We’re back at the hotel now, just having a safe and boring drink.” You take a selfie with Emi giving you a kiss, and add it to the text. Then you turn off your phone. “Poor Billy,” Emi laughs. “He’ll go crazy!” Then she adds with a smile, “So, what’s next, Hot Stuff? You know the saying, ‘What happens in Vegas’...?” “I don’t know,” you say. “I... I really like you, Emi. But I’m worried that you’re just playing around. Your life is so different from my life. I don’t want this to become a sad memory later.” Emi stops smiling. She looks at you, then out the window at the stars. It feels like a long time before she answers. “You’re right,” she says. “I was playing. I guess I’m always playing. It’s... safer this way. Sometimes it feels like everyone wants something from me.” She is quiet again for a while. “But not you,” she continues. “You’re... different. I guess that I really do like you. So, I’m not playing anymore. OK?” It’s your turn to look at the stars. Then you look into her eyes and smile. “OK,” you say. “Then let’s see what happens.” You pull her in and give her a long kiss.
The next day, you wake up happier than you’ve ever been. Emi looks happy too. For the first time, her smile looks complete. It doesn’t look like it’s hiding something else. You spend the day in the hotel together, then get on the road again at night. When you turn on your phone again, there are so many messages from Billy. Social media is going crazy about “Emi Song’s mystery lover”. Photos of you and Emi are all over Twitter, but only Billy knows who you are. You tell Billy not to worry. You’ll take care of Emi on the tour. You’ll do your job and keep her safe. So, you and Emi travel to next city together, and then next one after that. Every day feels like a new and wonderful beginning. After a while, things become a little more quiet and you can travel with the rest of Rock Candy. No one finds out the truth about you and Emi, not even the rest of Rock Candy. Only Billy knows, but he is happy as long as Emi is happy. He lets you stay with Rock Candy for the rest of the tour. The tour is a big hit. Rock Candy become the biggest pop stars in the world. It’s the best time of your life. When the tour ends, you are sad to leave Emi in Korea, but you know that you can’t stay there. You try to keep your love alive, but it’s hard. Your lives really are different. As time goes by, you have fewer chance to meet. Finally, after two wonderful years, you and Emi break up. You promise to always be special friends. Later that year, Rock Candy release a new song. It’s called “Hot Stuff”. It’s a sad yet happy love song—just how you feel about Emi. A few years later, you go to a Rock Candy show in secret. You plan to surprise Emi with flowers after the show. You use your staff ID to go backstage. However, when you get near the door, you see Emi inside, kissing someone. She looks so happy. You are happy too, so you turn and leave quietly. The End...?
What if... you did try to stay together with Emi? ...The tour is a big hit. Rock Candy become the biggest pop stars in the world. It’s the best time of your life. When the tour ends, you are sad to leave Emi in Korea, but you know that you can’t stay there. “Come with me back to LA,” you say to Emi one morning. “What?” she answers. “You know I can’t do that. What about Rock Candy? We can’t break up now that we just became big. The girls need me.” “No they don’t,” you say. “And you don’t need them either. You’re the biggest pop star in the world. You can do anything you want. Come to LA with me. I bet that you can be even bigger living there. Let’s stay together!” “Hm, I don’t know...” Emi says with a playful smile. “That doesn’t sound very safe... or boring. Actually, it sounds kind of wild!” “What can I say?” you answer with a wink. “You changed me. In fact, I’m even thinking about buying a motorcycle!” “Well, OK, then,” Emi laughs, pulling you in for a long kiss. “What did you say to me in Vegas? ‘Let’s see what happens’?”
At the end of the last show of the tour, Emi tells everyone that she is leaving Rock Candy. It’s big news all over the world. She’s trending again, but this time you’re happy about it. Billy, however, is not happy at all. You lose your job in his company, but soon you become Emi’s new manager. With your help, she becomes an even bigger star. She even appears in a hit movie series with Antonio Kintana. The following year, Emi writes a new song about you. The name of the song is “Hot Stuff”. The song has a happy and exciting beat, just like your new life together. The End.
Book review 1. Did you enjoy this story? Why or why not?
2. Who are the main characters? Can you describe them?
3. Where does the story take place? Can you describe it?
4. Which ending did you like more? Why did you like it?
5. Can you think of another way to end this story?
About us ABOUT THE AUTHOR
E. L. Gasperini is an award-winning author and educator who has travelled the universe from Porto Alegre, Brazil, to the furthest reaches of space.
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR
Sayo Ameno is an award-winning illustrator from Kyoto, Japan. You can find other examples of Sayo’s work on Instagram and on Behance.
ABOUT THE SERIES EDITOR
Marcos R. Benevides is an ELT author, editor, and publisher, and associate professor of linguistics at J. F. Oberlin University, Tokyo.
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