Fluorescents

73

I say this with a full heart, enjoy my loves.

Almost 6 years earlier

" ohhhhh nooo,
not meeeee"

I watch as he sings from above me, my body laying comfortably against the worn down and partially ripped couch. My eyes scrunch up from the smile spread across my lips and the laughter erupting from in between them.  " we never losttttt controllllll" he continues singing my favorite song practically loud enough so that everyone backstage, on stage and on the floor can hear him.

" Ok ok ok" calm downnnnnnn I tell him, in between fits of laughter. He keeps belting but soon enough i stand up and pull him down to the couch with me. " If I agree that you sing it better than - will you please just shut the fuck up" I almost scream, the wide smile still tugging at my lips. He nods his head and I finally am able to pull him down completely down on the couch with me." There." i say abruptly.

" Nope, say it" he groans, nagging at me. " Say it, say it, say it, say it-" his voice is groggy and deep from all the cigarettes he's smoked since his childhood but he still never fails to act like a 3 year old. I groan in my spot and he continues nagging at me.

" Ok FINE" I finally give in, turning to look at him with a deadly yet playful glare. " You sing it better than him." I finally huff, rolling my eyes and sitting back on the couch with my arms crossed along my chest.

" Thought so pumpkin." he huffs, laying back on the couch with me and looking up at the ceiling the same way i am. I enjoy the silence, feeling his presence near without having to hear it. I feel and hear him shuffle next to me but don't bother removing my gaze from the ceiling. I hear him rustle and move, digging into what sounds to be his pockets before pulling what he wants out. A light flicker comes from next to me and I finally watch him from the corner of my eye as he sticks a cigarette into his lips and begins to light it. The fumes instantly fill the air and my nostrils and I try to suck in my breathe, after almost 17 years I still can't manage to get used to the toxic fumes he always has released into the air.

" You're never gonna give that up huh" I remark, turning to look at him with another glare and my arms crossed over my chest once again. His eyebrows raise and I raise mine back at him as he turns his body to give me his attention. " You gotta let that go slick." I sigh, pushing him at his shoulder and bringing my legs up to sit criss cross on the couch. My body sinks deeper into the old couch as he shrugs and takes another puff from right next to me. My eyes roll and I lay back, enjoying the silence and his presence once again. " I wish you wouldn't do that so much" I whisper, almost to myself but not completely.

" I know," he says equally as quiet. " I'll be fine," he huffs in a light and almost unconvinced tone. I nod my head, not agreeing but trying to convince myself I agree. I didn't like arguing with my uncle slick. We never did. He made it easy not to. Atleast not really argue, yeah we teased each other and drove each other crazy, but we very rarely actually argued. I think deep down he knew that i was tired of it. He knew just how much my mother and father drained me when i was back home, and just how much they loved to fight with me. The last thing he wanted to do was bring that on tour with us, he knew that this was my safe haven and my home away from hell.

" Yourrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr " I hear a muffled yet familiar voice sing wistfully from a distance and I slowly bring my legs from under me and place them on the ground. " Your sexxxxx is on fireeeeeeeeee" He continues bellowing through the hallways, the voice getting louder and closer. A smile lightly tugs at my lips at the noise and the thought of Slick smoking himself to death disintegrates from within my many thoughts and I push myself up to stand on my feet as I hear the voice right outside the door. I turn to look back at Slick once I hear the doorknob move and catch him rolling his eyes and huffing in distaste. I know he never had a liking for Brandon but I never seemed to care. Brandon was perfect in my eyes no matter how much Slick said he wasn't good for me. That man was every teen girl with a love for music's dream.