Something strange, something good.

The Confession.

Kenzie

It's been three years since I moved in with the Kiszka's. A lot has changed. Dad hasn't come home yet. I got a letter one month before he was supposed to come home stating that he was needed where he was and he wouldn't be coming home any time soon. Of course Jakes mom said she would take me in until dad came home.

I used to miss him a lot more than I do now, the Kiszka's have become my family and I really love them.

In the past three years a lot has changed with the boys. A year after Jake went to guitar camp Jake decided he wanted to start a band.

He mentioned it at dinner when Josh had Kyle over and Kyle offered to play drums for the band since he had been taking lessons. Two months in they really started to get good. Josh, Sam, and I would sit in the garage and listen to them jam out.

Six months in and they had a couple of real songs that they decided they needed a singer for. Josh stepped in seeing how much fun his twin and best friend were having.

After that they only got better. Josh immediately took to the spotlight and it was amazing watching them work their magic.

Six months after Josh joined the band Jake mentioned that their rhythm was off and they needed a bassist to step in and help them stay on track. 

Sammy had been taking piano lessons for quite a while at this point and decided that if he could do piano how hard would it be to play bass.

They became really good. They would play for our neighborhood and sometimes they would get "gigs" at the school.

Me and Danny would sit on the couch in the garage and listen to them practice. I loved watching Jake in his element. He truly was destined to be a rock star.

Sometime I would catch myself looking at Sammy. He looked so cute trying to figure out the bass and what it was like to be in a band. The music truly was him, something I continued to tell him after that night in the kitchen.

I'm the midst of all their practices and shows they finally had a name they would stick with. Greta Van Fleet. I liked it.

Nobody ever told me what happened but one day I went into the garage to watch them practice and Kyle wasn't there. Sitting in the drummers seat was Danny.

As much as I asked where Kyle was and if he was coming back they just brushed over the topic.

.................

My ninth grade year had just ended and I was going to be a sophomore next year, along with Jake and Josh.

After Kyle left the band Josh didn't really hang out with him anymore and it started to become the five of us. Josh, Jake, Sammy, Danny, and I.

This was Greta Van Fleets biggest summer yet. They finally had permission from their parents to play in a bar and they were so excited.

The day of the concert everyone was so giddy. I helped Jake pick out an outfit for the show and our little braids in all the guys hair, myself included. Just for some good luck.

When we got to the bar the boys immediately went to the back to set up all their stuff and I went to the front of the floor so that I could be right in front of the stage. I stood in the middle so that I could get a good view of all the boys.

They played safari song, highway tune, and black smoke rising. As an encore they played a song I had never heard before. They called it flower power and I couldn't help but think that it was about me. Mostly because anytime they got the chance, the whole band would look at me and give me a nod or a smile.

After the show I ran onstage and gave them all a big hug. I ruffled Danny's hair and gave Sammy a kiss on the cheek before I ran over to Jake and he picked me up and gave me the biggest bear hug. When he put me down he gave me a kiss on the cheek and and thanked me for being his biggest fan.

That night when we got home and all the celebrating was over I was laying in bed and I heard a soft knock on my door. I assumed it was Jake. He would sometimes come to me in the middle of the night to run through a new riff or get help writing some new lyrics.

I was surprised when I opened the door to see Sammy.

"what's up Sammy?" I asked confused. Looking back at the clock I saw that it was almost two in the morning.

"Wanna listen to a John Denver record?" Sammy asked. I could see the hope in his eyes. How could I turn that down?

"Sure Sammy, come in." Since that night in the kitchen I had gotten my own record player and put it directly into my room.

So now, when Sammy and I listen to our records we do it in my room, instead of the kitchen.

I turned on our favorite record and then we started to dance. Instead of the skipping around that we used to do. We started doing a a messy slow dance.

We danced to "back home again," "Annie's song," and our favorite, "the music is you"

After a couple of songs I could tell that Sammy was thinking real hard about something.

"What's going on Sammy?" I asked kind of concerned.

"Oh nothing, I've just got a lot on my mind." He said kind of sheepishly.

"Like what?" I asked. I was curious, what could be so present in his thirteen year old mind.

He shrugged and stayed quiet for a second. I knew that if I was patient he would eventually tell me. After a few more minutes of dancing he finally broke the silence.

"I like a girl. But she'll never like me back. She's older than me, and way to pretty for me." He said really quickly.

Before I could get a word in he started again.

"You're the girl. The girl is you." He practically screamed in my face.

"What?" I asked so softly.

"I knew I shouldn't have said that, I'll just go." He said in a rush as he went to leave my room.

"Sammy wait!" I said as I grabbed his wrist to keep him from leaving.

"What do you mean you like me?" I asked softly as I sat down on my bed next to him, turning to face him.

"Well it's just, your always so nice, and you always talk to me when Danny can't come over and Jake or Josh are too busy. And you always encourage me with the band, and you're so supportive, and you're really cute." He said slowly and sheepishly. "Just forget about it though I know I'm stupid for having a crush on you."

"Sammy you are not stupid." I said as I held his face in the palms of my hands. "But I'm also older than you, and as much as I love you, it's just not okay for us to be like that." I tried to explain as lovingly as possible.

"I know." He said with a disappointed voice.

"Come here." I said with open arms.

He gave me the tightest hug I'd ever gotten and he hid his face in my neck. I hugged him back just as tight. We stayed that way for a couple of minutes before he decided that it was time to go back to his own room.