4:23PM

I look at my phone that just buzzed, having received a text from Jake.

Hello, fellow earth traveler! 🌎

I chuckle, shaking my head.

Okay, I KNOW we're called Saturn Mutants, but c'mon. What do you want, idiot?

Do you mind if I go to my cabin for a few days? Before we tour???

I laugh out loud.

I'm not your mother, Jacob. Do whatever TF you want

Unless you want me to be your Mommy ;)

YES! BE MY SUGAR MAMA!

I just threw up a little in my mouth.

You're the one who suggested it, dumbass.

Yeah whatever. Have fun. Don't get eaten by a polar bear or something.

...there aren't polar bears in Wisconsin.

You never know. Did we not watch Lost together? Hello, they can be anywhere. ✨

Suuuuuuure.

So when r u leaving?

This weekend. Don't plan on staying there long.

Alright. Have fun, be safe.

When I get no reply, I grin wickedly.

Mommy worries about her baby

Orion! 🤮

Laughing to myself, I put my phone down and go back to concentrating on work.

I'm determined to have this come back tour be the best one ever. It had to be big. It had to be bold. I had to outdo myself, which was daunting if I was being honest.

Being famous is such a strange phenomenon. I sometimes thought of myself like everyone else did--a person named Orion Bauwens, sexy lead singer of Saturn Mutants, jazzhands. Super talented. A man who makes what they do look easy, like anyone should just be able to pick up a guitar, start strumming away, and sing perfectly.

How does someone outdo that? Sure, I am that guy, but at the same time that guy was a legend. That guy was respected and revered for his musical talents. That guy had won more awards than he could think of off the top of his head. And I had to do better than that?

Fuck me!

Just then my phone buzzed, saving me from existential panic. I picked it up and smiled when it was Amy.

4:34PM

Hiiiiiiiii! How's my favorite dickwad doing?

Mature, Aims. I'm doing just fine, thanks.

I pause a moment. Actually no, that's a lie, I'm freaking about our upcoming tour. Save me from myself, Aims!

TOUR?! You fucker, you didn't tell me!

Yeah I did.

No, you didn't.

It's not my problem your brain is swiss cheese.👀

I'D REMEMBER MY FAVORITE BAND TOURING, THANKYOUVERYMUCH!

STOP SCREAMING AT ME!!!1one 😭

NO. Fine. I'm bored. Lets rob a bank!

I laugh. Naw. If I'm going to do something I've never done before, I'd rather it be more mundane. Go to the zoo or something.

....wait.

I'm waiting.👀👀👀

YOU'VE NEVER BEEN TO THE ZOO?!?!

No. That would require, you know, money. Something my family sorely lacked.

Ori, you're serious?

Why would I lie about something stupid like that?

My phone rings, and it's Amy. Rolling my eyes, I answer. "S'up?"

"How have you not been to a zoo?"

"I told you," I sigh, rubbing my eyes beneath my glasses. "The zoo that was closest to us you had to pay for, and the other one we had to drive to, and we didn't have a car. Ergo, I've never been."

"As an adult you never went?"

"When did I have the fucking time, Amy? Remember? Lead singer of international rock band?"

"We're going to a zoo."

I give my high-pitched laugh. "What?"

"Pick a day, fly over here. This is non-negotiable, mister!"

I sigh again. "I d'no, Amy. I said I'm planning for the tour--"

"Non-negotiable!"

She hangs up on me. I look at my phone and roll my eyes.

Well, guess I'm going to a zoo.

~

"Oh my God, Amy! Amy, are you seeing this?! They are so cute!"

It's that weekend. I am currently at the Minnesota Zoo. Specifically, the penguin exhibit. The cute penguin exhibit. The adorable penguin exhibit. I'm shaking my sister so hard, her head is bobbing around.

"Yeesh, I thought you wanted to keep a low profile, Ori!"

"I am!"

"Squealing like a little girl, loudly, isn't exactly low profile, O."

"Amy!" I gush. Yeah, I fully admit, she's right. I'm gushing. Squealing? Debatable. But I have totally found my new favorite animal. "Look at how they walk!"

Before my sister can reply, I do my best penguin waddle. Amy immediately slugs me in the shoulder. I stop, rubbing my arm and glare.

"Ow, hey...the fuck?"

Amy hits me again, and then points at what appears to be a school field trip. "There are children here! Language!"

I can't help myself; I laugh. It only earns me another hit. At that point I slap her shoulder, not exactly hard, but not exactly softly, either. Before either of us know it we're slapping each other's hands in a blur, shouting at each other. After a moment I dissolve into laughter, grabbing her hands.

"Stop it! We can't fight! Not in front of the children."

"Thank you!" Amy says, throwing a quick glance at a woman who I can only assume is the class teacher, glaring at us.

"Not them!" I snap, and then point at the young penguins mixed in with the adults waddling around. "Them!"

Amy rolls her eyes and walks away, waving over her shoulder. "Bye, O."

"Hey, where are you going?"

"Running away from the freak show that is my brother."

I charge at her. Squealing, Amy takes off running. Laughing my head off, I follow. At one point Amy turns to face me, running backwards. She sticks out her tongue.

"If you like the penguins so much, why don't you go live with them!"

"Maybe I will!" I retort, and start waddle-running, my arms stiff at my sides.

Amy stops running, cracking up, and I plough into her. Ensuring we both don't fall, I wrap my arms around her and steady us both. My sister is laughing just as much as I am as she shoves me off her. People are giving us strange looks, but I don't even care.

"Alright, dorkus maximus," Amy says, adjusting her light pink, shiny jacket. "Where else are we off to?"

I pull out the map from my back pocket, and begin to pour over it as people walk around us. I furrow my brow, sucking my bottom lip into my mouth. But that's all I do, no biting. "Uh...Oh! Let's go see the ring-tailed lemurs!"

"Sure, I'm game."

I start to walk, feeling like a tourist with my head buried in the map. "They're this way...I think."

"After that we should grab lunch--"

As Amy spoke, I lifted my head. I nearly eat the pavement, tripping over God knows what. Amy's hand shoots out, and she steadies me immediately. I can feel my cheeks burning red, but not from almost falling and embarrassing myself.

When I had lifted my head, I saw a man. It was Tristan. It wasn't until I blinked that I realized it was not Tristan. First of all, Tristan would never be caught dead wearing a cowboy hat. Secondly, now that I was looking, the eyes were all wrong, from the color to how they were set on his face. Yet even so...he was familiar enough to make me stop breathing and trip over myself like an idiot. Same height, same slightly tanned skin, same fashion style.

"You okay there?" Amy asks, masking her worry with an amused tone.

"Y-yeah," I tell her.

But I'm anything but okay. I crumple the map in my hands and stalk away, my head down. Amy rushes after me, and within moments she has fallen in line with me. She peeks beneath my hood.

"Well you just did a 180 and turned into Other Orion."

I shoot her a glare, still stomping away.

"You look like you saw a ghost."

"I did," I mutter.

"What's up?" she presses gently.

I suck in a sharp breath. "I thought I saw Tristan. But it wasn't."

Amy grabs my shoulder and forces me to stop walking. I throw her my best scowl, but I should know by now she's impervious to my withering looks. I'm surprised when she starts shoving her hands into my pockets, all of them; my coat pockets, then my hoodie, and finally my pants. I try to fight her off, but she doesn't stop until she's found my cell phone and pulls it out. Scowling right back, she shoves it in my face.

"Call him."

I cross my arms and turn my head to the side. "I deleted his number."

"No you didn't."

I look at her out of the corner of my eye. "How do you know that?"

Amy turns into Scary Amy and glowers. "Because I do. Now call him."

I look away again and don't move.

Amy sighs. "Fine, I'll have to call him then--"

Before she actually does, I grab my phone and fling it as hard as I can in a random direction. For a second she just blinks at me. Then she laughs, much to my annoyance.

"You fucking spaz! You had your phone locked, not like I could get into it, dipshit."

I audibly growl and stalk off to where my phone is. Amy trails behind me, still laughing at me.

"It's probably broken now."

I sigh, scooping up my phone. It is, indeed, broken, the screen shattered. I moan, letting my head flop down, my shoulders slumping. Amy slinks her arm around my own, and begins to pull me away.

"C'mon. Let's go see those lemurs, yeah?"

"Forget it," I mope. "Let's just go get lunch."

"Are you even hungry?"

I wasn't. So I remain silent.

"Lemurs first, then lunch. Then we're going to a store and getting you a new phone so you can call Tristan."

"A-Amy!"

My sister cackles and takes off running. Even though I'm smiling again I sigh, and then take off after her.