CANVAS BLUES
Vignettes Regarding the Artwork of Brendon Kotes

LXXV: Yesteryears

Saturday came with a sprinkle, leaving yellow pollen outlines to mark parked cars even long after they’d driven off. Brendon’s father decided to replace the mailbox—“Been pooling water for months ever since those stupid kids batted a three hundred down the street”—and his mother had gone off shopping with Aunt Laurel, leaving Brendon alone during that auspicious morning.

Had he been able to go back, just not answered the door, remained crossed-legged on his bed sketching out a thirty-by-thirty-inch spaceship on cheap poster board…

But he hadn’t known, had he?

Casey scowled when Brendon opened the door. “What’s this I hear about you writing comics with Robbie?”

“I—”

“Is that where you are all these nights? Not actually doing homework?”

“We only meet up like once or twice a week. I didn’t think you’d care. Aren’t the two of you friends again?”

“Friends?” Casey scoffed and tossed his hair out of his eyes distractedly. “He’s no friend of mine.”

Brendon sagged against the door frame. “What happened?”

“Nothing happened. Unless you mean my boyfriend is chilling at a stuck-up douche’s house when I call.”

“Did he get a girlfriend I don’t know about?” And Brendon couldn’t keep the bitterness from his tone or the curl from his lip. All those race nights where Casey had stared in longing at the side of Robbie’s face… All those jealousy-fueled mutterings about Tori Kel… All that proof that Brendon never would be more than second-best…

“How in damn hell should I know? I’m not his keeper. You up there sucking his dick to get some of that cash he has lying about?”

Brendon straightened, back cracking as he snapped to tight attention. “No! Of course not.”

Casey tossed his hair again, and this time it drew Brendon’s gaze to a fresh cut at his hairline—held together with a butterfly bandage and a lot of hopes and dreams—where something long and thin had hit him. “Well, then, come on.”

“Come where?”

“To Robbie’s,” as if it should have been obvious.

~~~~~~~~~

Next Chapter Coming August 18th