Ivy Grows

So it was..

I first met Samuel in front of my house when I was eight years old. My family and I had just moved in next door to him. His mom and dad had offered to help us move in. Karen, his mom, had been ecstatic when she found out my age because apparently all Sam had was older siblings.

"Finally, someone he can play with.." she'd sighed happily, smiling down at me.

When he approached me from behind his mom, I quickly shuffled back. I don't know why I was so nervous to meet him but now I just brush it off as shyness.

"Hello," was the first thing he'd ever said to me. My cheeks probably matched the red shade of my hair.

"Hi," I'd mumbled, leaning into my mom's side again.

And I'd tried to be friends with Sam Kiszka. I really did. For the following weeks, I'd went over to his house and he'd come to mine. We talked about Pokémon, Video Games and just about anything else he could think of.

Yet, whenever I wanted to talk about something I was interested in like Hannah Montana or even Barbies, he would ignore me or interrupt me.

After the fourth week of this foolishness, I'd cried and told him to go home. He was confused and asked why. I'd never given him the reason because even then, I'd expected him to figure it out himself. 

We kind of stayed friends into middle school. Mainly because we rode the bus home together every day. Sometimes we'd hang out afterwards and play make-believe. He always wanted to be the strongest, most powerful knight in whatever pretend kingdom we'd imagined that week. While I always had to be a damsel in distress.

I would sit on a rock while he fought off an imaginary dragon.

"Sam, can I please be a knight too this time?" I'd pleaded, knowing I was once again so close to going home.

"No, you're a girl so you have to be a princess or something.." he'd argued. I wanted to throw something at his huge head.

"No, I don't! I can be anything I want.." I almost yelled. He looked confused yet again. I stood up from my place on the rock, "I'm going home, Sam. I don't want to be your friend anymore."

I spent so many days crying or angry over that stupid boy. Sometimes I'd even imagine his face on my pillow and I'd punch it until I couldn't punch anymore. He just always had a way of turning me into a person I rarely was. I was never a mean child or even a sensitive one. Yet I'd leave his house in tears nearly every time.

Now things are much different. I don't think I'd ever rid myself of Sam completely because I'd fell into a pretty nice routine of visiting his family. Them much more welcoming and bearable than him. His older siblings had started to feel like my own. Karen and his dad, Kelly were like second parents to me. I'd always come to Karen for advice or to talk about anything. Kelly always knew how to cheer me up with a joke when I was down.

Jake and Josh were his older brothers and I thought they were hilarious. Mainly because they'd pick on Sam all the time. Which felt like retribution in it's finest form.

Veronica or "Ronnie", his older sister was always showing me new makeup techniques and was the best at providing advice on boys. Not that I ever needed it. I was pretty awkward when it came to boys.

I was definitely closest with Josh though, although he was 3 years older than I was. I even had a teeny-tiny crush on him at one point but he'd found out quickly and kindly rejected me. Something about us being too far apart in age. I wasn't in love or anything so it was pretty easy to get over.

Which brings us to now, sitting on their couch, watching some documentary about Elvis with Karen, Ronnie, and Josh. A bowl of popcorn sitting on the ottoman in front of the couch, long been discarded.