The Priory Lit. Mag

Tonight though, as the unforgettable colors in the sky are being ingrained in my mind, things seem different. The fair has changed for my brother and me, and it now seems more of a chore for Luke to come along. In the old days, we would beg our mom to pick us up just fifteen minutes later, so that we could take another spin on the Ferris Wheel. We would come out of the fair with our jean shorts stuck to our legs in the hot weather of the Arizona summer, and our light colored t-shirts splotched with various foods or desserts from the full day we had just had. We didn’t care though, that’s what summers were for - for us be able to run around all day totally carefree. Most of all, we came out of that fair jumping with excitement, ready to take on the next three months of summer, of those heat filled days of running around our cul-de-sac street free of commitment and school.

It isn’t like that anymore though; things have changed, and we’re older now. Tonight, my brother sulks around the fair grounds, completely consumed by his phone. He’s desperately trying to distract himself from the snotty little kids running all over the place. A blonde girl runs by, holding a massive ice cream cone. I smile to myself thinking, as she looks sideways at her ice cream to protect it from falling over onto the hot playground, of how much she reminded me of when I was little.

Luke scowls at everyone around him, a look I have seen far too often these days. He’s mad because his phone hasn't vibrated for over an hour. He’s constantly texting these days, thanks to his new girlfriend, Haley. She is perfect beyond belief; president at school, straight-A student, captain of the squad--the whole thing--and everyone loves her. Unfortunately my brother is obsessed with her, like every other guy at school.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t hate Haley; I just don’t like how she treats Luke. He’s like a piece of meat to her, something to use when she wants to. The worst part is that he wants to be used because he is so into her. He thinks she actually cares about him. He doesn’t realize that she just wants to be ooh-ed and aah-ed at when she’s walking down the halls with her arm in his. He doesn’t see that she’s using him though, and she’s done the same to every other guy she’s “liked”. Personally I think he could do much better. He doesn’t get that more than half the girls at our school are in love with him. He’s captain of the football team, a total nerd. He could get any girl he wants.

"Let’s go, Jamie," Luke suddenly says to me. "We’re too old for this.”

How could he have forgotten those summer days we spent here covered in pink sticky sugar, desperately convincing our mom that we were eating a healthy dinner?

Things aren't like that anymore, though. I still go to the carnival every summer, but it's not the same. I go alone. Luke’s off to college trying to be an engineer, while I’m still here in Phoenix sitting on top of the Ferris wheel looking out on the city I’ve seen my whole life but it’s different now. It’s full of new faces and new families people I don’t know. It’s not my town anymore, but I have my memories with me.

You see, once Luke went off to college, my dad got a new job and we moved into Flagstaff. I tried to beg my dad to stay in Phoenix but he refused and wouldn’t listen to my constant protesting. He couldn’t understand. For me, to leave Phoenix was to loose a part of my heart; you can’t make cupcakes without eggs, an essential ingredient. So I’ve compromised, and I go back to Phoenix alone for the fair every summer. It hasn’t changed much; it waits for me to come back.