Wish You Were Here

Brandon awoke to the California sun in his eyes, his body ached from the awkward position he fell asleep in. he pushed himself up from the bed and looked out the window. The sun illuminated every nook and cranny of a town he knew so well but no longer belonged to him; he no longer belonged there. He heard his beeper go off in his night stand and reached for it. The number was Mike’s, Brandon checked his clock, 7:45 AM. What did Mike want so early?

“Mike?” Brandon yawned into the phone.

“Hey Brandon could you come over now?”

“Uh, sure. I’ll just shower and go.”

“Cool, see ya in a few.”

Brandon found Mike strumming his guitar on his doorstep.

“Hey,” Mike said putting his guitar down.

“Hey, what’s up?”

“What happened between you and Luna?”

Brandon’s eyes widened. The air became scarce in his airways and the blood clogged in his veins. Mike had caught him off guard. “What, why?”

“Well it’s just, one moment you’re telling me you’re in love with her and the next you’re blowing up in my face and denying everything.”

Brandon sighed and sat next to him, “it’s complicated.”

“What happened? Why the sudden change?”

“I didn’t tell her we were leaving.”

“That can’t be why she was so upset. You did something to her and she returned the favor didn’t she? She broke your heart.”

“I,I - wait how’d you know she was upset?”

“I called her last night and asked why she hadn’t called us on tour or even call you and she almost left me deaf.”

“What did she say?” Brandon asked nervous of the reply Mike would give him.

“She told me to ask that repulsive, insolent, sickly-looking motherfucker. So I am.”

“Oh,” Brandon mumbled staring at the gravel between his shoes. Luna’s words once again were razorblades against his skin cutting the thin flesh to sink in.

“What did you do to her?”

Brandon placed his hands on his face, shielding himself from Mike’s inquiring gaze and preventing his mortification to be shown, “we had sex and in the morning I left.”

“You left her?…What is wrong with you!”

“I couldn’t say goodbye.”

“So you just left her? Brandon look at me.”

Brandon peeled his cold clammy hands and looked up to see Mike’s small balled fist coming towards him. He felt Mike’s knuckles bend cartilage and bruise skin, he felt blood run down the slick tissue of his nose, he felt the white hot pain run up his spine and wash up against his blossoming wound.

“Oh my god,” Brandon gasped.

“You deserved that.”

“I am bleeding!”

“Quite heavily.”

“Mike!” Brandon yelled trying to contain the blood streaming down.

“Tilt your head upwards and pinch your nose. I’ll get a towel…and a shirt.”

Brandon did as he was told and began to taste iron in his mouth.

“Here,” Mike said handing him the towel.

“Thank you,” Brandon mumbled, placing the towel up against his gushing nostrils, “god it hurts.”’

“Ha! And I was thinking I hit you too lightly.”

“Too lightly?”

“Yeah.”

“Jesus Mike your hand is like a sledge hammer.”

Mike cracked a smile, “Thank you.”

“Have I stopped bleeding yet?”

“Let me see…ye-”

“What happened Brandon ?”

Both men looked up to see two blue eyes filled with concern and curiosity that belonged to Mike’s neighbor, Joanna.

“Oh hi Joanna. I - uh - Mike,” Brandon started not sure how to explain the matter.

“He ran into one of the pillars, “ Mike stated pointing at the pillar next to Brandon.

“Oh are you okay?” She said bending down in front of him so she was at his eye level.

“I am fine,” Brandon replied. He looked at Mike who was cocking his eyebrow at him.

“You sure?”

“Yeah, don’t worry,” he said giving her a smile.

She smiled softly at Brandon and placed her hand on his knee, “when did you guys get back into town?”

“Last night,” Mike replied making her attention snap from Brandon to him.

“Oh, welcome back then!”

“Thanks,” both said in unison.

“Well I have to go,” she said chuckling and standing up, “Maybe I’ll catch you later Brandon.”

“Sure,” he said smiling.

“Bye Mike.”

“Bye Joanna.”

“Bye Brandon.”

“Bye.”

Both watched her walk away, her black pony tail bouncing with every step she took

“Oh are you okay?” Mike mimicked, “ do you want me to kiss it better?”

“Oh yes please, “ Brandon said leaning towards him.

“Break it up love birds,” Jose said coming towards them, “What happened to you?”

“That got in my way,” Brandon said pointing at the pillar.

“Nasty.”

“Yeah,” Mike said chuckling.

“Anyway, how ‘bout we get this album started?” Jose asked smiling widely.

“What about Kil and Ben?” Brandon asked.

“They’re carpooling. They’ll be here soon.”

“Let’s go then! ”Brandon said standing up.

Time flew exceedingly fast for Incubus, the album was completed in six weeks with the help of two producers. And before they knew it, a new tour was beginning to be planned.

“So have you guys decided on what song is going to be your first single?” Dolly asked the boys over dinner one night.

“Pardon Me, “Mike said swallowing a bite full of salad.

“I said have you-”

“No mom, that’s the song. Pardon Me,” Brandon said laughing.

“Oh!” Dolly exclaimed a bit flushed, “ I see, well that’s good.”

“Yeah. So tomorrow we got to go to Sony Studios and give them the album and tell them the single and plan out the tour,” Brandon replied.

“Tour again? So soon? I barely got to enjoy you boys being home.”

“We’ll be back before you know it Mama B,” Jose said giving her hand a squeeze.

“I sure hope so.”

“Anyway Mama B, Brandon has a confession to make.”

“I do?”

“You do.”

“What is it?” Dolly asked

“It’s about his current love interest,” Jose giggled.

“I…I,” Brandon began looking at Jose with a puzzled look, “ am dating Joanna.”

“What!” Jose replied, “ you were suppose to declare your undying love for Mikey! Not his neighbor!”

“I was?” Brandon asked laughing

“YES!”

Dolly chuckled at the rowdy boys around her table.

“Oh well, sorry Mike. I am just not ready to put our relationship out there.”

“It’s okay,” Mike laughed, “But seriously Joanna?”

“Yeah.”

“What she do? Woo you in with the promises of Neosporin and cotton balls?”

“Mike! Of course not…well maybe.”

The table broke out in laughter and full bellies threatened to break at the seams. The warmth of Brandon’s dinning room soothed the boy tired limbs and the abundance of home cooked meals filled their mind with sleep. Little did these smiling boys know the whirlwind fate held in her hand for them. They knew so little, grasped so little, dwelled so little in their current ambient that wouldn’t be seen again for another year. The lives of incubus and the ones around them were about to change for the better or worse, in particular one who only wished to erase one of the smiling boys from the face of the earth.

Luna loved college. She loved the unexplainable buzzing electricity that spilled out during passing periods, the eclectic groups that floated around campus, but mostly she loved the idea of being lost in the large student body. Luna loved it all, every inch of it, the reality of being two hours away from home was just an added plus.
Luna walked lazily down Hollywood Boulevard with her new found friend and roommate Yazmin, her sunglasses keeping the bright fall sun from her green eyes. Luna’s long brown hair curled softly against her shoulders and took flight in the autumn breeze.

“I can’t believe summers gone,” Yazmin sighed.

“I can doll face and it’s better that way,” Luna replied, “the heat makes people do stupid shit.

“People will always do stupid shit Luna, heat or no heat.”

“Well the heat makes me do stupid shit, so I am glad it’s gone.”

“What stupid shit did you do?”

“The kind you regret in the morning,” Luna replied walking into the music store known as Amoeba. Her fingers skimmed across the worn edges of vinyl records that faced her direction in neat rows. Billy Corgan’s raspy voice filled the vast space around her. Her eyes, now uncovered, gazed at the plethora of art and albums the store had against its walls and ceiling. She watched as people drifted in and out and around the store as though pulled by an invisible force. Luna sang softly along with Billy as she made her way to Yazmin, who had wandered to the other side of the store where the new releases were displaced. Luna’s eyes traveled to the stack of CD’S her friend was viewing and grabbed one. Her eyes read the bold white letters across the CD and felt her heart flutter in her chest.

“A new album!” she thought as her fingers felt the hard ridges of the sides molding against her tender fingertips. Her mind began to fuel her wonder of what these five friends of hers could’ve created when Yazmin’s hand had brought her back to reality.

“Hey Luna, don’t drool on it unless you’re planning on buying it,” Yazmin chuckled.

“I- what?”

“You totally spaced out just now for a good two minutes,” Yazmin said, “ with your mouth open.”

“Oh god,” Luna said blushing.

“It’s cool love.”

“Cool,” Luna said placing the album back slowly.

“Aren’t you gonna buy it?”

“I-uh-don’t know them.”

“Luna,” Yazmin said crossing her arms.

“Yes?”

“You have their first two albums hidden between your assortment of fictional works.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah sweetie, I saw them,” Yazmin said handing the album back into Luna’s hands, “Plus the album’s pretty kick ass.”

“You heard it already?”
“Some of it. Micah bought it and he played it for me that day. And now I am buying it and you should too.”

Luna sighed and scratched her head.

“Plus,” Yazmin whispered in her ear, dragging the ‘s’, “they might play the coliseum with Primus and Buckethead.”

“When?”

“Next month.”

“Are you gonna go?”

“Maybe, if I find someone to go with,” Yazmin replied winking at her friend.

Luna looked down at the CD in her hands and back at her friend, “You want me to go with you?”

“YES!”

Luna’s heart whirled inside her, half of her wanted to tell Yazmin ‘no’ and go on living her life pretending that Brandon and Incubus didn’t exist, but holding their new album in hand she wondered how much longer she could keep that up? The other half of her couldn’t keep still, it dripped of anxiousness. It screamed out ‘YES!’ and filled her belly with butterflies. This half, which often pulled at her heart, wanted to see Incubus, wanted to see Brandon.

“I…don’t know,” Luna confessed.

“C’mon, it’ll be fun! You, me, and good music!” Yazmin said leading Luna towards the register, “plus the bands kind of hot as well.”

“Oh god,” Luna said chuckling.

“They are! But I claim the bassist, so you can have your pick of the rest.”

“If only she knew I already had my pick,” Luna thought. “ You like Ben?”

“Yes!”

“He’d probably like you too,” Luna said handing the cashier the exact amount.

“You think?”

“What’s there not to like about you?”

“Aha true,” Yazmin laughed, “ so will you go with me? Please?”

“Just for you, yes,” Luna said. She hoped she wouldn’t regret her answer later.