Sample Disc

“What are you thinking?” Brendon asks, pressing the joint to his lips. I shrug, looking up at the stars. Decembers in Vegas are about as cold as Mays in Vegas. “You look thoughtful.”

“You ever think about what a mess we are?”

“Not really. I mostly just worry about no failing school.”

I snort, rolling my eyes. “You’re an idiot.”

“You don’t care.”

“I want to be artistic.”

“You’re pretty artistic right now.”

“Not right now.”

“You’re being way too specific.”

--

Brendon is passed out in the passenger seat of my car, leaning on my shoulder, mouth hanging open. He snores.

It’s Wednesday, now, at least. He came over on a Tuesday afternoon, and now it’s a Wednesday morning, the sun still hasn’t risen, and he’s asleep on my shoulder.

He fell asleep while we were driving around town, trying to find shit to do at three in the morning on a Wednesday.

The volume turned up on the radio, fuzzing in and out of connectivity, we sang together, loud and stupid, and when I looked over to him, his eyes were slipping shut.

I don’t really plan on taking him home.

--

“I got in so much trouble.” Brendon says. The phone is muffled, and there’s too much treble, and too much static, and not enough of Brendon being with me.

“What happened?”

“So, I walked in, and said I’d be doing homework, and they just start fucking screaming about how I shouldn’t be out on school nights, and who was I with, and why didn’t I think to call, and I’m grounded forever.”

“So you’re not coming over tonight?”

“I didn’t say that, you jackass.”

I smile into the phone, nodding my head.

“Okay. What time are you coming over? Because my dad gets home soon and--” the front door slams closed. “Never mind. He’s home now.” I sigh, frowning.

“So? Then you come over here, and rescue me, and be all valiant and shit.”

I chuckle, peeking my head out the door and towards Dad’s room. The door is closed, and the light is on, which means if I leave right now, I can get out without having to tell him where I’m going.

“Fine. Yeah. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

“Who said chivalry was dead.” I can hear the grin in his snotty voice, and I like it.

--

“I can’t believe you got me to drive all the way out here.”

We’re in the middle of the desert.

We are in the middle of the desert.

My gas tank is almost empty.

He’s got me wrapped around his finger.

Brendon shrugs, leaning against me.

“I wanted an adventure.” He says, nose wrinkled in a way that could drive me up a wall.

“My dad’s going to kill me.” I say, frowning a little.

“Quit worrying about getting killed, Ryan. It’s totally ruining the mood.”

I frown as he presses a chaste kiss to my lips, and then I feel silly for using the word ‘chaste’, and he tangles our fingers together and takes a deep breath.

“I want to remember this forever, okay?”

“Okay?” I question, looking at him.

“No, seriously, Ryan. Twenty years from now, even if, y’know, we’re not together, I want to think about this and be like ‘wow, that Brendon kid was totally badass for wanting to adventure in the desert. He was a standup guy.’ and then you’ll think about how fucking awesome we are together, like, now, and you’ll be like ‘He sure had a great ass. Totally fuckable’ and then you might have to jerk off, because, y‘know, even thinking about my ass gets you going.”

I take a minute just looking at him, and yeah, he’s probably right.