Lifesaver

Chapter 7

When me and Joey got to his house, it made me miss the life I had before my mom passed. His house was filled with family portraits and I could just tell this was a home where everyone is accepted and loved as they are.

Of course the first thing Joey asks me is if I want to go outside and shoot hoops with him for a little bit. I say sure and follow behind him to his backyard. I did not want Joey to think I am the basketball type after I asked to play with him and his teammates that one day so I say, "I hope you know I suck at basketball and might have only wanted to talk to you when I asked to play." Joey just grinned real big and said, "I figured but I'm glad you made the first move because I had already been thinking about how I would approach you first and I honestly had no clue." I just roll my eyes, jokingly as always, and reply, "Well I guess it's a good thing I tried to shoot my shot but I would rather watch you play then me join in from now on" as I throw him the basketball I had been dribbling. As Joey catches the basketball he asks me if I knew what I wanted to do after graduation since I am a senior. I told him I have looked at colleges but did not really know, I just wanted to dance and get involved with the Boston Ballet again. Joey just smiles and says, "Well, I've never seen you dance but I think you should. I'll be your number one fan and be at each and every performance you're in." I just smile real big and say, "Wow, I've never had a fan before. What do you want to do after graduation, even though you're only a junior?" That is when Joey looks at me and says, "I haven't really talked about it to anyone, not even my teammates but I feel like my girl should know."

Joey then says, "Coach K at Duke University wants to recruit me and give me a scholarship to play basketball. If I accept the offer, I'll graduate a year early and reclassify. Meaning, I'll be in North Carolina next fall instead of here." Even though I knew nothing about basketball or the recruitment process, I knew Coach K was one of the best because my mom was a Duke fan her whole life. I just walk over to Joey, hug him, and tell him no matter what he decides to do, I will always be proud of him and either cheering him on at Duke or the Academy during every game. Although I am expressing how happy I am for him on the outside, deep down he makes me wonder if I should start looking into colleges outside of Boston and New York. I mean, North Carolina has fantastic dance schools, right?

When Joey and I go back inside, we go to his room. He says he is going to shower and says I can use his sister's shower if I needed to. The only thing wrong with staying the night with Joey is, I had not been home all day and literally had nothing. Joey hands me one of his shirts and says I can sleep in it and keep it if I wanted to. Of course I said I would because it smelled like him and fit me like a dress, it was super comfortable. When I walk back into Joey's room after showering, he is laying in his bed shirtless and wrapped in blankets while playing on his phone. When Joey notices I walked in, he looks up at me, smiles, and says, "I think you should keep the shirt. It looks way better on you than it did me." I just look at him and say, "Don't say that because then I might want to take all your clothes. They're comfy." Joey just laughs and says, "I have plenty of t-shirts and hoodies to share, now come lay with me." As he said that I felt butterflies in my stomach because I had never been interested in dating before Joey, so I had never cuddled with a boy before. As I went and laid in Joey's bed, he put his arms around me and kissed me on the top of my head while holding me. For once in my life, I felt safe and protected. For once in my life, I was not afraid to fall asleep.

I think Joey could tell I was tired because he says, "If you're uncomfortable sleeping in here or sleeping with me, I can go downstairs or you can sleep in our guest room. Whatever you're more comfortable with." After laying with Joey for a while, I was not bothered by the idea of sleeping with him so I just said, "I'm fine snuggling with you all night. I just want to go to sleep." Joey smiles, kisses me again, and says, "That is the answer I was hoping for but I will never be down for making any girl feel uncomfortable so I'll always ask your permission." I just smile real big and kiss Joey on the cheek before pulling the covers up and rolling over. I could feel Joey's arms wrap tightly around me and that is when I fell asleep.