Horizon

        His fingers ran between the strings of his old friend, the guitar.  His voice made a path of notes joining the instrument, from the rise of the high notes to the abyss of the low ones. Sometimes he stopped to write a phrase for some lyrics in his little blue notepad.

Mac was in the other side of the room listening to him, paying attention to the words of the song Tate was writing while he unplugged in some of the microphone's wires to the speakers.

 “I have an announcement, everybody,” Mac said raising his hands, "Chester…drum roll, please."

Chester, his silver lip piercing flashing in the light, turned around and attacked the drums with a flurry of rapid motion. Philip looked at Mac, his eyebrows pinched so close together it made a perfect bridge between his nose and forehead, before scratching the back of his light-blue hair.

"I got a call from the peeps who organize the S.U.N Music Festival this year, guess what…we’re on the roster!" 

"Wow…how…when…what are we going to play? How many songs?" asked Philip.

Chester started kicking and playing the drums while screaming "yes!" at the top of his lungs. Between Philip obsessing and Chester’s banging, Mac spotted Tate in the corner who didn't even move.

"Hey, man!" Mac yelled to Tate.

He didn't answer.

"Tate!" This time he raised his head confused, his hand still moved on the paper making the pen look like it had a life on its own. "Didn't you hear me?"

"Uh...sorry I was...you said something about a festival right?" 

"Yes! We are going to S.U.N festival in a month," declared Chester shaking Tate's shoulders and jumping up and down like a kid on a playground. Tate couldn't decode what Chester was saying at first, then it sunk in and a smile grew on his face. 

"I can see us on stage, Within Inferno, spectacular red lighting, smoke and fire, and the crowd screaming as we start the show!" he exclaimed, grabbing Tate by the neck with his arm forcing him to bend down to his shorter height.

"I called them back in April, sent them our demo and a video of one of our shows. They wanted new alternative rock bands and artists…and here we are." Mac finished unplugging all of the equipment. Tate took a deep breath. He would miss Lip and Cheese but most of all, Mac.

He felt guilty for having more feelings towards Mac than for the other members of the band. For thinking more about his happiness —because even if he didn't want to admit it, he loved Mac the way he used love his family— and the thought of having to leave him like that…

Tate tried to at least see how the people he met in another life were doing...about two years ago he looked one of his school friends on a social network. On the screen was an image of his friend, it was him, thirty-something years older and balder and he had kids. Something Tate would never have: a life beyond eighteen years.

"What does S.U.N stands for?" asked Phillip.

"Sounds...Under...Natural…conditions, maybe, I don't really know," Mac replied honestly.

"All I know is it stands for the best opportunity we’ll ever have to change our lives forever! Come here." Tate walked to the center of the studio and stretched his arms out. Once his three friends were gathered in front of him he said, "You are going to be big!"

"You mean, WE are going to be big." Mac corrected.

"You are going to make the inspirational-together-forever speech aren't you?"

"Shut up, Lip," said Chester to Philip.

"I mean that no matter happens we stick together, alright mates? You are like my brothers and we are going to that festival and we are going to kill it, okay? It's our chance to let people know who we are, we are Within Inferno but we are also family…Mac, Lip, Cheese, Tate everybody will know our names."

Tate heard a small whip and looked at Chester. He was on the verge of tears. Tate laughed and asked, "Are you really going to cry?"

Suddenly the whole group rushed up to Chester and ruffled his hair, mocking him because of his sensitive behavior. 

"Okay so these organizers told me that we need to make a new video…you know, some fresh ideas to promote the band. Do you have any?" Mac looked at the other boys, "Tate…any ideas?"

"Yeah, he always has brilliant ideas and a sew songs up his sleeve."

"Well, not this time." Tate crossed his arms in on his chest.

"You were just writing a song!" Mac pointed to him. "Come on, we need new material."

"I don't have it done yet, but I'll finish it today and tomorrow I'll show you."

"Right, so we need a music video also," suggested Philip.

"My uncle can film it, like the last music video we did,” Mac started explaining.

"Uncle Jon?" asked Tate.

"Yep, that uncle."

After a long silence Mac was the one who spoke up first. "I have to go, I have a family reunion."

"Yeah, I should go too…I'm hungry," said Philip. "Want to go, eat something?" 

"I'm in," replied Chester. "Tate, you coming?" 

"No I'm fine."

Tate was fine, or that is what he wanted to believe. He got back home and sat next to Titan, the dog listened with his ears up to the incoherent things that Tate said out loud when Lily entered, letting the smell of burnt cookies enter to the room with her, suffocating Tate and interrupting the conversation with his pet. 

"Cassie passed by today, she wanted to see you," Lily said leaning on the door. "You should clean this up…smells horrible here."

"Just like your cookies." Tate laughed while Lily frowned and crossed her arms. "What did she say?"

"She just wanted to talk to you, I think."

Tate smiled without thinking, he stroked Titan carelessly. "About what?"

"Dammit, son, I don't know! She looked happy though. Have you asked her out yet?"

Tate didn't respond. He needed to know what she wanted to talk about but it was late and he was sure Lily prepared something for dinner.

"I know what you are thinking...dinner will be ready in an hour, you have time."

Tate opened his eyes as wide as sawcers and raised his eyebrows. He thought that the only person who could read his mind was the girl he was supposed to fell in love with. Did Cassie know that in a few days their connection will be stronger? 

"I have to go," he stood up so quickly that Titan started barking, Lily got next to him and picked him up. "Do I look good?"

"As handsome as always." 

With her free hand she pinched one of Tate's cheeks tightly. He kissed her on the cheek and petted the dog, who sprinted towards the door when Lily called him.

"Tate?"

"Yes, Granny?" he said in the most childish tone he could do.

He remembered the day he started calling her "Lily"...the day he walked up to her front door with a miniature version of Titan and a backpack, crying because he ran away from home. That was five years ago and he hadn't returned home yet. Home is now where Lily and Titan live, in their cozy house between the city center and the beach.

Lily's face lit up, her big apple cheeks turned red and her eyes narrowed as a consequence of her broad smile.

With that same sweet smile and face, when she said the following words, he remembered how similar they were, "Don't fuck it up."

He closed the door and headed down the street. When the wind blew his hair and made his eyes water, he regretted not actually bringing a jacket. Despite the cold wind coming off the sea, the sky looked like a masterpiece painted by the masters from a bygone era. Pink and yellow, violet and red, strokes of white clouds and bright little dots for stars…it looked like the moon was chasing the sun to the horizon.

He murmured to himself.  "I won't"

He headed towards Mac's house.

➳

Cassie's cell phone rang. Her heart dropped and so did the plate of food on her hand. Was it him calling?

Wait. Did she actually care if it was Tate who was calling?

She calmed herself and stepped over the food on the floor. She walked slowly to the cell phone on the table. Her voice trembled. "Hello?"

"Look outside your window."

"Tate?"

"The one and only." She could picture him smiling with a phone in his hand. She hung up frowning, turned around, and got close to her window.

There he was. There was no doubt it was him. Tate. 

He started screaming something Cassie could not hear though she strained to catch every word. Tate jumped up and down looking at the floor and with his hands balled into fists, he grabbed his head.

He didn't know Cassie lived on a seventh floor.

He pulled Mac's cell phone out of his pocket and signaled Cassie to answer it. She did. Cassie looked out of the window and blurted out, "What do you—"

"But soft...what light through yonder window breaks?" he said over the phone, his voice sending chills down her spine. His voice causing little sparks of fire inside her.

"Tate what the hell are you doing?" She couldn't help but smile, hoping Tate didn't see that well from afar. He could only see a person with hair as blond as gold, her silhouette cutting the light coming from the window behind.

"...it is the east, and...Cassie is the sun!" He recited making a emphasis of her name. "Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, who is already sick and pale with grief..."

Cassie was speechless. Tate had just wooed her with lines from Romeo and Juliet. She rolled her eyes and sighed, "What do you want?"

"I should be asking you what you want? Lily told me you asked for me at home so here I am…now tell me everything you wanted to tell me."

Cassie smirked.