Destined To Explode

It’s odd to wake up in a warm house the next morning, no noise of the city bustling outside or Rick slamming around in the rest of my apartment, just the peace that is silence, something in which I rarely come across. Even Jack who slipped into the room at three am, mumbling something about being lonely and cheese biscuits was now quiet, not muttering or shuffling from his make-shift bed on the floor and May had already vacated the room, probably to help her Mom prepare for the day ahead. It’s only when Rian pokes his head round the door, a massive grin showing even in the still dim room that I actually decide to get up and help.

“Morning Barakat and Barakat’s cousin, the Mom of the house would like to know if you want breakfast.”

“Stupid question.” Jack mumbles into the floor, not moving an inch. “I’ll be down in five.”

“Pops?”

“I’ll make myself some toast when I’ve showered. Thanks, Rian.”

He nods courteously before he shuffles in quickly and kicks Jack in the leg, laughing as one of his best friends jump at the contact. “You’re such a douche bag, Rian! Get out!”

“I’m gone!”

I laugh as I nudge Jack with my own foot once I pull myself out of the bed, protesting as he licks my ankle in return. “You never change do you, Jacky?”

“Not until it’s for the best, Popsicle.” He groans as he pulls himself off of the floor. “Tonight, we are all sleeping down in the basement and having some sort of movie night, because I know you, you’ll disappear back to Illinois before I can even blink.”

“Could it also have something to do with your apparent fear of sleeping alone?”

“How dare you think such a thing?” He looks up at me. “Why don’t you try living in a bus with loads of people for most of your year and then not feeling abandoned when you have to sleep in a room alone!”

“Normal people would savour that, Jack.” I laugh as I bundle everything in my arms ready for my shower. “You hear that? Normal!”

* * * *

“Jack! Bring back the cake batter, now!” I screech, chasing after him as he continues to shovel the sloppy mixture into his mouth, grinning as he sprints around the house, his long legs carrying him further and faster than my own. “Stop making sex noises as well, that’s just so wrong!”

“But it’s just so good! I would totally give up sex for this!”

I can’t help but double over in laughter at my ridiculous cousin, sliding around the corner in my socks thanks to the help of the wooden flooring with Jack squealing as he heads for the front door, probably trying the age old trick of running up the street so that I wouldn’t bother to follow. His plan is cut short though as the door opens and he runs into Alex, the cake mixture going all over both of them, as well as Lisa who stepped in just seconds after Alex and, the floor.

“See what you did now, Jack?” I sigh, throwing my hands up exasperatedly. “Go and get the mop.”

“I don’t know where it is.” He shrugs, crouching down to try and scoop the gloop back into the bowl but Alex stops him with a swift smack to the back of the head whilst laughing and shaking his own head.

“You live- that just-“ I stumble over my words as I stare at him in awe. “What the hell? It is in the hall closet, just like it always has been!”

I decide to go and grab the cleaning utensil myself all the while pointing Lisa to May’s room to borrow some clean clothes with what I hope is a kind smile even though she is making a fuss over nothing, while Alex simply shrugs off his jacket and throws it into the laundry pile before he sets out trying to help me clean up the mess.

“Did Joyce leave by any chance?” Alex laughs once I send Jack off to go and make more mixture, hating the fact that he feels the need to act childish even though right now isn’t the time for his hyper state of mind.

“Don’t I just know it? She took May with her as well to go and pick up my Mom, so now it’s like I’m babysitting him. Zack and Rian ditched as well to go and find large amounts of alcohol.”

“I’m sure that’s what you planned for when you drove all of the way down here, huh? Looking after Jack like he’s a five year old and trying to make some sense of my life for me.”

“It’s all in a day’s work.” I smile, nudging him out of the way. “Go and get changed, Lex. I can get the rest of this, no worries.”

* * * *

Thanksgiving dinner seemed to go down a treat; Mrs Barakat’s cooking being as perfect as normal, as I’m sure the rest of the guys Mom’s is as well, even though I have never had the opportunity to find out in the four years that our families have been having joint dinners, seeing as I had restricted myself to staying in Chicago.

No one consumes too much alcohol for one and when the parents finally leave, minus my own Mom who takes the guest room for the night (having planned a day for just the two of us tomorrow), we all traipse down to the basement, throwing as many mattresses, pillows and blankets as we could have carried onto the floor, setting the space to look like a giant slumber party.

“Is Lisa not coming tonight then?” I ask out loud as I shuffle some of Rian’s clothes back into his suitcase instead of having them all over the floor, so that I can spread out another comforter for someone.

Alex shakes his head in reply. “She said that she was too tired to drive over after seeing her parents or something, I don’t know.”

I can sense the sour tone in his voice as he throws himself down onto a pile of cushions, yanking a blanket over himself, his eyes settling on the TV that Zack is setting up on the opposite wall, I open my mouth to say something to him but I decide that maybe this time he doesn’t want to talk about his troubles with Lisa.

“POPPY! Come sit with me.” Jack whines, patting the spot next to him before making grabby hands in my direction. “We’re gonna watch Good Burger!”

“I’m surprised that it’s not some shitty horror that Rian wanted to watch.” I chuckle as I drag the fluffy blanket that I had gotten for myself and plonk my ass down next to Jack, silently apologising to Alex as I cause his blanket to shift off one of his feet. “I seem to remember that’s all you guys used to want to watch.”

“We’ve matured.” Rian winks but is quickly shushed by Alex whose eyes haven’t shifted in the slightest from the screen. “Well, except for Jack.”

I shift my eyes from the drummer and have to resist the urge to laugh at Jack, who is sat crossed legged, a seemingly permanent smile on his face, looking like a child at the summer fair as he watches Kenan and Kel on the screen.

It’s good to be home.

Notes