Hold My Heart Like A Hand Grenade:

Homecoming

Joey's house was huuuge! I tried so hard to hold in my amazement but I must have failed because as soon as we got to the driveway he said "Whatever you do, please don't judge me based on my home or my family." "No problem" I said, "it's sorta against my policy to judge you anyways." I goofed to make him feel a bit better. He turned and smirked at me with that special look in his eyes. We walked up the driveway and into the house and let me tell you something, it wasn't beautiful or amazing, it was Joey. There was a slight mess strewn about but it wasn't disasterous. There was nice furniture but it wasn't spotless. There were picture hanging but they weren't all that straight. As I took it all in I was finally able to relax again because I realized that it was just as livable of a house as any. Joey took off his shoes and I followed placing mine neatly beside his. I noticed another pair of slightly smaller shoes and the thought occurred to me that Joey may have a brother. Before I could ask he screamed "MOOOOM! I'M HOME! AND I BROUGHT MY MEW FRIEND SAMMI WITH REMEMBER!?!? WE'LL BE IN MY ROOM WITH THE DRUMS!" He turned to me and put his pointer finger to his mouth and, as indicated, I was silent. "Ok Joey" came the soft reply of his mother, "I gotta run a few errands but there's snacks in the kitchen for you and this time, share with your brother. You're father will be home around 4 and dinner will be ready at 5 so your friend will have to leave then, unless she's staying for dinner." the voice was getting closer and closer when Joey frantically screamed "OK MOM! I HAVENT ASKED YET, WE DONT REALLY KNOW EACHOTHER TOO WELL YET YKNOW SO LIKE...YKNOW." This totally confused me but his mother's reply came back quickly and softer again, as if she had backed away. "Ok Joey. Let me know and don't be strangers ok?" "YEAH MOM" He yelled back and grabbed my arm as we ran up the stairs.

"This," he said as he gestured into a room, "is the most important room of the house. Why?" he hesitated for a moment before swinging the door open grandly and saying "because it's mine!" The walls were a deep blue color and almost everything else was black. there were band pictures plastered everywhere to his walls and anywhere else that a poster could be. He had a few pictures and autographs of famous people laying around on his desk and magazines sprawled across the floor. "Joey" I said in a curious voice. "Yeah" he replied. "Yknow how you said you're mom made you clean your room?" I hesitated before laughing and saying "Something tells me you just say up here for a few hours and then TOLD her you cleaned!" We both busted out laughing and he defensively said "hey! at least I made the bed!" I nudged his shoulder playfully and he fell backwards onto the bed.

"Joooooeyyyy!" Joey sat up instantly when he heard the sound of his brother's voice. "I'll be right back" he said quickly as he rushed out the door. I was growing curious at why it seemed he didn't want me to meet his family but I knew not to press. While I waited I sat down on Joey's bed and just took everything in. He had a nice house and his mom seemed nice enough from what I heard so, why the protectivity? Why on Earth would he be acting so weird? Just as I was beginning to form a thought, and a possible question, Joey burst in through the door with a plate of pizza rolls and two cans of soda. "Thanks Jake!" He yelled down the hall before slamming the door shut. I got up to help Joey carry the things over to a table and said "Hey Joey....Do you mind if we keep the door open a little? I just....Uh.....Please." It wasn't Joey that made me uncomfortable, actually he probably made me the most comfortable, but the door being shut made me feel trapped. Stuck. It made me thinks about the last time I was in a boy's room with no parents and a closed door. Suddenly I began to panic. What if Joey said no, what if he was just like the other boy, what if he was no different and it was all going to happen again. I started to get a little light head when Joey snapped me back to reality and said "Yeah no problem. I just don't want my brother snooping in on us yknow? He can get kinda annoying." He smiled back at me as he swung the door opened again and I felt a lot better.

Joey and I ate our snack and drank our sodas when we heard the door downstairs. "Must be my dad" Joey said as he went for the door. "I'll be right back, I just wanna let him know that you're here and all yknow." I nodded yes and I drank up the last of my soda and Joey vanished again down the stairs. I listened quietly, not that I was trying to snoop, I was just curious. I could almost swear to you that I thought I heard BJA down there but from past experience with Joey I knew not to even say that name. Joey came back up the stairs with two more sodas and plopped down on the bed next to me. He tossed me a soda and said "do you play?" As he pointed to the PS3 on his dresser. "A little" I said with a shrug so he knelt down and grabbed two controllers as he popped a disk into the console. We played Call Of Duty for about 45 minutes when my phone started singing "Hooooome! We're coming hooome again! Home! we're coming home again! I started fucking running-" I cut it off there knowing it was Aunt Brenda calling for me to come home. Joey giggled at the special ringtone I had picked just for her and I said "Hey Aunt Brenda," the only words I would get in on this conversation. "Hey sweetie how's it going? I was just calling to remind you to be home in 15 minutes for dinner. We're just having chicken tonight but tomorrow's pizza night if you'd like to invite your friend over. He can come straight after school if you'd like otherwise the pizza will be here at 6 like always so you just let me know ok? And make sure you're not late today. I'll see you soon and we can talk ok? Ok!" Click. The call ended. Joey looked at me and we both laughed insanely. "Is she always like that?" He asked between laughs. When we caught our breath I explained that Aunt Brenda was like that in the phone but not in person though, she's still pretty crazy.

Joey walked me to the door of his house and asked if he could walk me home. I didn't want him to have to walk back all alone so I told him I'd feel better if he just walked me halfway. When we got to the halfway point I regretted telling him that and we stopped for a moment. "Hey I had a lot of fun today" I began. "We should totally hangout more and uh..well tomorrow's pizza night at my house and my Aunt says I can have a friend over if I'd like so...." I left the question hanging there and Joey understood. "Yeah!" He said all excited and finished by saying "I'll totally ask my parents as soon as I get home but there's just one thing..." He looked a but nervous and I was going to ask what but suddenly I couldn't speak. Joey continued slowly and almost in a whisper as he looked at the ground "I uh..Well I was kinda hoping we could maybe be more than just friends yknow...." My breath caught in my chest and I was speechless. The silence driving Joey insane and rendering me helpless. "Shit. Shitshitshitshitshit." Joey said. "I knew I shouldn'ta said anything yet I mean we just met! how stupid could I be? Listen, Sammi I'm sorry I even said anything. do you think we can just-" In an instant he looked up and I, still unable to talk, grabbed his hand and kissed him. It was nothing miraculous and it only lasted a second but it was the greatest second of both of our lives. When our lips broke we both pulled away with a foolish smile. "of course" I whispered softly and Joey just smiled. We both parted after that and about two minutes later I got a text from Joey

that read

"I can't wait to go to school tomorrow and hold hands with my beautiful girlfriend so that everyone will know she's mine."