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Mason walks out of the shop door and looks over at the grill. He sees me sitting at the picnic table between the two buildings and walks over, taking a seat across from me.
“What have you been up to?” he asks.
This is the first time I’ve really seen my little brother and had a chance to talk to him since the day I moved out. “Working myself to death. How’s soccer?”
He grins. “Really good. Coach says if I keep up the good work, I could be the first sophomore to win MVP next year.”
I smile. “That’s good! I’m proud of you. Looks like that full ride to college is getting closer.”
He nods. “Why didn’t you tell me you were moving out?”
I take a drag off my cigarette and shrug. “I don’t know, Mase. It wasn’t exactly planned. I was offered an opportunity, and I took it. I needed out of that house and his rules.”
“It wasn’t that bad, Dane.”
I lock eyes on him. “No, it wasn’t. But you know me, I have to do everything the hard way and on my own.” He looks a little sad, so I add, “It’s nothing against you, Mase. I just need to be on my own.”
A long silence draws out while I smoke the rest of my cigarette. “So how are things going with that Lindsey girl?”
He smiles. “Home run,” he says with a big smile covering his face.
I shake my head. “You did it anyway?”
“No big brother to watch my every move, what do you think? You would’ve done the same thing.”
He’s right, I would have. But now that I’m a little older, I see what he’s gambling: his future.
“I don’t have shit going for me like you do.”
“Don’t worry about it, I used protection. I’m not stupid.”
Dad walks up to the table with his hands on his hips. “I think you have work to do, Mason.”
“Alright, see ya later, Dane.”
I nod goodbye and watch as my dad takes Mason’s seat. “I have some news.”
“What’s that?” I ask, flicking my cigarette into the gravel.
“I have another band set up to play this weekend. You’ll still get your turn, but your show will end at ten. Then the other band will play from ten until midnight.”
My eyebrows draw up. “I thought we were the Saturday night band?”
He nods. “You still are. This band, they’re on a small tour. They’re just passing through. They have followers and will bring in a lot of business. Next week, everything will go back to normal.”
“I can’t believe this. My band, we’re doing good. We draw in a crowd. Every week it’s getting bigger.”
“I know, Son. I’m not doing this to punish you. I’m just trying to keep things new and fresh for the customers. They like your band. They do. But how many times do you think they’ll continue to come out and watch the same band over and over?”
“Whatever. My break’s over. Better get back to work.” I stand and walk back inside, leaving him sitting alone.
It doesn’t piss me off that he hired another band. It pisses me off that he hired another band to play on my night. And instead of them opening for my band, my band’s opening for them. We’re the loser band that plays before the major headliner.
The moment I walk back into the bar, Alissa knows something’s wrong. She walks over to me, holding her empty tray at her side. “What’s going on, babe?”
“My dad hired another band for Saturday night,” I say, walking behind the bar to wash my hands before getting back to work.
Her brows scrunch together. “Really? So, you don’t have to play Saturday? Maybe we can go out and see a movie or something.”
