Gerard;
Frank, Mikey, and I walked into my house, getting met with the smell of lavender air freshener that my mom likes to use. She says that it's a relaxer, it helps your mind calm down. I used to not believe her, but when I would come home from a stressful day at school, I'd sit in the living room, where the smell is the strongest, and just breathe through my nose. After doing that for a little while, I'd start to feel a lot better.
When we get all the way in and close the door, Frank looks around, peeking into nearby rooms and taking in their interior for a few seconds before turning back to Mikey and myself. "I like your house," he admits after looking into the living room, kitchen, and down the short hallway.
"Thanks. Sure, it isn't all that big, but I like it, too." I do this a lot; go on for too long when people compliment something. I usually reply with another compliment about the thing they complimented. Or sometimes I list one thing that makes it kind of not good, but go back on a streak of good things. I just talk too much sometimes.
"Boys?" I hear Mom say from somewhere in the house.
"We're here, Mom. I brought a friend!" I reply, finally taking off my jacket, shoes, and back pack.
"A friend! Really?" She pretty much sprints out of her bedroom and smiles bigger than she was when she notices the short boy standing beside (and a little behind) me. "Hello, I'm Donna." She holds out her skinny hand towards him and allows her smile to grow, becoming borderline creepy.
"I'm Frank," he replies, holding his hand out to shake hers in return.
"It's very nice to meet you. I think you came on just the right day because we're having homemade pizza tonight. And, boy, can these boys scarf down my homemade pizza!" She laughs for a little bit after that, letting her head tilt back a little to let her boisterous laughter spread through the house. I think now is when I realize that I got my ability to talk for ages to anyone from my mom. My dad is a little introverted, I can be too, but I definitely don't mind a good chat with someone.
"I'm a vegetarian... Would you mind making a cheese pizza?" Frank asks softly, sounding a little cautious.
"I wouldn't mind, the boys will eat just about anything I lay in front of them. In the meantime, would you guys like a snack? I went shopping and stocked up on everything junk wise and health wise."
"Junk food it is," I say, marching into the kitchen and raiding all the cabinets. There's Doritos, Sun Chips, Lays potato chips, all of various flavors. In the fridge there are sodas, waters, Gatorades, and juice. There's also Hot Pockets, pizza rolls, and some of Mom's healthy frozen dinners that she cooks when she doesn't have time to cook when she gets off work late.
We all decide on Lays original chips, soda, and some candy that we found on the island.
The original plan wasn't for Mikey to end up hanging out with us, but he just kind of invited himself. I could've said no, but I guess I feel sorry for him. He doesn't have the most amount of friends, so he doesn't invite anyone over very often.
We end up in my bedroom, the Xbox on and Call of Duty 2 in and getting started. Frank confessed that he has never played Xbox before, so we spend a good ten minutes explaining to him what each button and joystick does. After confirming that he understands, Mikey sets up the game and we start playing.
*
"Bullshit!" Mikey screams after I shoot him in the head for the seventh time. "That is not fair!"
"You're just mad because you've gotten shot more times than a noob," I laugh, shoving Mikey over and making him lose his grip on the controller.
Frank takes full advantage of that and shoots Mikey a thousand times, quitting after his player's body falls to the ground.
