Like a Million Lights

“What are you guys going to do for the summer?”, mom asked again before taking a sip of her water. I chewed the pasta in my mouth and eyed Tanner to answer first. It was the usual night where my dad wouldn’t be home until dessert time. My eyes wandered to the guy who sat next to Tanner, who was stirring the pasta around with his fork on his plate.

Tanner nodded and swallowed the food in his mouth before answering. “Yeah, we sorted out some things and I think we’re going on tour this summer.”

“That’s wonderful.”, mom gasped. “Congratulations to both of you and your band, Joel.”

Joel looked up to mom and smiled. “Thank you, Mrs. Radcliffe, we couldn’t even do it without Tanner here.”, he chuckled and clapped Tanner’s shoulder from the back before he received a high five from my brother.

“And how about you, Mariza? Aren’t you going somewhere or doing something this summer?”, mom turned her attention to me. I nodded sharply in excitement and a grin already rose up on me again.

“That’s actually what I’m going to tell you right now.”, I smiled and placed down my fork. “I just received an e-mail from my friend and it was about a spot of a summer intern as an assistant for a photographer who’s going to work all summer and he needed an assistant just for the summer, but if I did a good job, he’d take me as a permanent assistant.”

Mom’s eyes widened and laced her fingers all together before placing them on the table. “What kind of photographer he is?”, she asked firmly. It was her “mother tuition” kicking in.
“He’s a photographer for bands and musicians, mom, and he’s going on tour with this band for the summer to take pictures of them, and apparently, he’s a great friend of this band.”

“What band?”, Tanner asked as he chew his food and narrowed his eyes.

I eyed him and smiled. “I think he works for The Maine.”

Then, Joel choked on his water and burst some of it out from his mouth. Mom, Tanner and I looked at him in confusion, but I could see that my brother knew what was going on. “Are you okay, man?”, he asked him and patted his back a bit.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”, Joel coughed and wiped his mouth with the napkin. “Just got something in my throat.”

I rolled my eyes and turned my attention back to mom. “So, what do you think?”

Mom pursed his lips to the side and looked at me straight in the eyes. She always did this when she was deciding when I was asking for permission. “Well.”, she huffed. “Your father and I would go on a second honeymoon this summer after all, and I was thinking that you would go with Tanner, but if that’s what you want, then fine.”

“Thank you! Thank you!”, I practically jumped out of my seat and threw my arms around her. “You’re the best mom any girl could ever ask for!”

She giggled and hugged back. “Just make sure that those boys won’t do anything to you.”
************
When I was done cleaning out the table and putting the dishes into the dishwasher, I went up to my room. I was passing by Tanner’s room that surprisingly had his door half closed when I heard Joel and Tanner’s argument.

“Are you going to let her go?!”, Joel hissed loudly to my brother.

Tanner sighed and he ran his hand down his face in frustration. “If my mom lets her, that’s not much I could do.”

“You know that we’re going on tour with The Maine all summer, meaning to see her with them all summer! You’re killing me here, Tanner!”

“Well, we signed the contract and we couldn’t bailed at them like this.”

I couldn’t take it anymore so I just slammed the door open, making Joel and Tanner jumped in surprise. “Why do you hate me so much, Joel?!”, I spat. He just froze there and stared at me, just like what my brother did. “Do you really want my life to be that miserable!?”

Joel just stood there and looked at me straight in the eyes. I bit my lower lip to held it inside, not wanting to burst everything out because it wouldn’t be fair to him. Tanner stepped forward and separated Joel and I a step back.

“Guys.”, Tanner said lowly as a warning, like Joel and I would be tackling each other onto the ground any second. I took a sharp, short breath before turning on my heels and darted out from Tanner’s room. The tension was too much to bear.
***********

“Yeah, I could do that.”, I answered Dirk about what I could do as his assistant. He called immediately after I answered the e-mail that my friend sent, who was actually his former assistant, but she couldn’t do this summer, so she recommended me to Dirk.

"Great, I’ll see you a week from now. Do you need any ride to Tempe?”, he asked. My eyes traveled around the room for the answer. I wouldn’t want to bother Tanner and I couldn’t even stand within a mile radius from Joel after what happened tonight. “Mariza, are you still there?”

“Yeah, I’m here.”, I snapped out from my thoughts. “I could… ask my brother to drive me there.”

“Awesome, see you then.”, he ended the call. I tossed the phone onto the end of the bed and leaned back onto the headboard. It was nice to know that I had something to look forward to for the summer, even though I found out that I had to spend it near Joel, but I was hoping he’d be so busy, he didn’t even have the time to socialize.

I was so busy in my mind, thinking about what would the tour be like, that I didn’t notice that Tanner was knocking on my door and just sat on the edge of my bed. “Rissy.”

“What, Tanner?”, I groaned with my eyes closed, tired of another conversation with him.

“You know that Joel never hated you.”

“Like I would believe that.”, I chuckled and just kept my eyes closed with my head facing the ceiling.

“He just needs some time to accept you back into his life.”

“Time?”, I asked and opened my left eye before opening the left one and sat straight. “He has all the time in the world, heck, he had six months while I was locked in that damned place, and now you’re talking to me about he needs some time!”

“Mariza, you’re coming on this tour is like cornering him to jump off the plank!”, he shot up onto his feet and faced me. My eyes widened and just stare at him with the same annoyance he had. “Your presence is messing with his mind!”

My jaw clenched and I had never been this mad to my brother, ever. “Get the fuck out, Tanner.”

We were on a staring contest and I was the winner until Tanner scoffed and walked his way out to the door. When he was at the doorway, he stopped and turned around on his heels. “You know that going on tour is going to mess with his feelings and he’d need more time.”

I didn’t answer and just kept on staring at him, so Tanner turned around again and completely disappeared.