The Boy I Knew

Meeting New People

PJ comes downstairs from going to get Madison. He comes down by himself and sits back down on the couch.

"She's doing some important coloring right now." PJ jokes as he sits back down with his laptop. smile at him.
"Okay, so I got work tomorrow. Just working in the office. Madison will come with me so you'll have the whole house to yourself." He says, looking up at me from his laptop. I nod. The whole house to myself?? What will I do!

"So you guys switch off every week with Madison?" I ask.

"Yep. I have to have her back on Saturday by noon when I have her. Same goes for Melanie." PJ answers, looking at his laptop.

"That's gotta be so hard." I say sympathetically. PJ looks up from his laptop at me for a split second.

"Oh man you have no idea. It sucks. Especially when she tells me her mom was working the whole week. Which I get it, she's got a busy job. But again, I work too and make time for Madison. But I mean most the time she comes to work with me. She loves it. Melanie isn't a bad mom, that's the only thing I would change if I could." PJ explains.

I look at PJ and nod. His face looks so sad. I'm sure it's hard. I couldn't imagine raising a kid through a divorce. Just then someone comes through the door. PJ turns around to see who it is.

"Honey I'm home!!" A man's voice echos through the mud room. PJ smiles and looks at me, then back at the mud room. He knows who it is before they even come through the door. The man walks up the couple stairs and into the living room. His arms stretched out in a grand entrance.

"Holy shit you're finally home. I've been bored out of my mind dude." The man says. He's shorter than PJ, has a stalky build, short dark hair, and bright blue eyes.

"Jeff! I missed you baby girl!" PJ says getting up and sprinting over to the man, whose name I now know is Jeff. He braces himself as PJ is bolting towards him.

"No, PJ NO!!!!" Jeff yells, but with a smirk on his face. He turns away with his hand on his crotch. PJ jumps on him and tackles him to the floor. The two are wrestling around in a pile of flailing arms and legs. A bunch of giggling and yelling projects throughout the house.

"Just shut up and take it Jeff!!" PJ yells. All the sudden PJ smacks him in the crotch and immediately gets up, laughing uncontrollably. I never get over hearing that laugh. That loud, obnoxious, goofy laugh. Jeff doubles over, rolling around on the floor holding his crotch.

"Ah!!!! Fuck you PJ" he groans.

"What, I thought you missed me Jeff!!" PJ jokes, catching his breath from laughing so hard. Jeff slowly gets up, still holding his crotch.

"Yeah I take that back." He jokes.
"I'll get you back motherfucker, don't worry." He adds.

"Oh you don't mean that booboo!!" PJ says, wrapping his arms around Jeff and kissing his cheek. Jeff pushes him away and laughs.

"Get the fuck off of me!!" He says, shaking his head and wiping his cheek with his hand. He looks up and sees me. This whole time I've been stifling laughter, and he finally sees me.

"Oh, Camille this is my best friend Jeff Tremaine." PJ says, holding his hand out, motioning for me to come over to them. I get up and walk around the couch over to the two boys.
"AND the only other person to know the code to my front gate so just be prepared for this fucker to walk in whenever the hell he wants." PJ says, rolling his eyes with a slight smile.

"Jeff this is my old friend from Knoxville, Camille Decker." PJ introduces, putting his hand on my hip. There's that term is again, "friend". Camille, that's what you are right now, don't get upset. I smile and hold my hand out. Jeff grabs it gently and nods his head forward, greeting me.