A Little Piece of Heaven

I took a deep breath and grasped Johnny's hand. He kissed my forehead, and I turned to see my parents, Greg and Christine, walking up the sidewalk with John and Jennifer Ash. My father hadn't changed much since I last saw him, but then again, he always looked the same to me- a pissed off, graying asshole.

I smiled as pleasantly as possible and said, "Hi, Mom."

My mother was a shorter woman, much like me, with dark maroon hair and blue eyes. She was always smiling, no matter what, and she approached me now with open arms. I hugged her, and she kissed my cheek.

"Lissa," she said. "My, you've changed, haven't you?"

"I've grown up," I said. "How have you been?"

"Oh, same old, same old," said Mom. "Can't complain. Oh, my! Who's this handsome young man?" She gave Johnny's arm a gentle pat, and he smiled.

"I'm Johnny," he said, offering his hand out.

"Pfft! Enough handshaking!" said my mom. She wrapped her arms around Johnny, and his eyes grew wide with surprise.

"Ma, let him go," commanded my dad, walking in the door. "Hello, Lissa."

I bit my cheek and mumbled, "Hi, dad."

He patted me on the shoulder, and I winced. Johnny and I led them to where everybody else was. Naomi was sitting next to Jimmy, silently playing with her ring and visibly shaking. Brian had brought his guitar out and was showing Craig a few things, and Zacky and Matt were leaned against the back wall talking. The room grew silent as I walked in, the group following.

"Guys, this is my mom, Christine, and my d...dad, Greg," I said. "These are Naomi and Craig's parents, John and Jennifer. Mom, Dad, Mr. and Mrs. Ash, this is Zacky, Jimmy, Matt, and Brian."

Jimmy stood up and shook John and Jennifer's hands. "Mr. and Mrs. Ash," he said, "it's nice to finally meet you. Naomi's told me a lot about you."

Naomi slowly stood up and said, "Hi. Did you guys get a hotel?" I saw the desperate look in her eyes, and I hoped they had gotten a hotel for her sake.

"Of course, Naomi," scoffed Jennifer. "What? Did you think we were actually going to stay here with seven other people?"

John looked at Naomi's hand as she was attempting to hide it. "Whatcha got there, Naomi Michelle?" he asked, taking her hand.

"You're engaged?!" hissed Jennifer. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"It never came up," groaned Naomi. "You didn't tell me you were coming down to visit."

"You must be the lucky guy," said John, smacking Jimmy on the back.

"I count myself lucky," chuckled Jimmy. He shifted uncomfortably to sooth his stinging back.

Naomi led them to the dining room, and Craig and Brian followed them. Johnny, Zacky, and Matt all watched awkwardly as I turned to my parents. Mom looked between me and my dad and said, "Well, I wanna hear about how they got engaged so fast. Greg?"

"I'll be along in a second," my dad replied, his eyes not leaving mine.

Mom nodded and left, followed by Johnny and the other two. I crossed my arms and sighed. There was an awkward silence between us, but my dad sat down in the chair and looked up at me.

"Lissa, we've been worried about you," he said. "You disappeared after graduation. All your clothes were gone. All your important things packed. All you left us was a note: Leaving. Sorry. Love you, Lissa. We assumed you had gone to college somewhere without telling us. Couldn't be that smart, could you?"

"Oh shut up, Dad!" I snapped. "You don't know me. You never have. And now I'm stupid? What the fuck is this about?"

"Hey, watch your mouth, young lady." He stood and grabbed my arm. I twisted, trying to get away, but his grip got tighter. "You may not live under my house anymore, but I'm still your father. You will show some god damned respect."

He shoved me, and I fell to the floor, hitting my head on the end of the couch. I gasped a bit and held the side of my head. I saw the fire in my dad's eyes, the same fire that had forced me into the hospital one time. He took a step toward me, and I kicked his shin. He stopped to check his leg, and I took the opportunity to crawl away.

I rushed into the dining room, where Johnny caught me in his arms.

"You okay?" he asked.

I felt tears starting to swell in my eyes, and I said, "Don't worry about it. I'll be fine for now."

I buried my face in his shoulder as my dad came into the room. He took a spot by my mom, not saying a word. Matt glanced between me and him, and he immediately knew. He took out his phone.

A moment later I got a text.

From Matt:

Remember your anger. Use it. <3

I smiled at him and nodded. Johnny wiped my tears away and whispered in my ear, "Come on. I'll take you somewhere. Anywhere you wanna go."

I looked at my dad and replied, "Away from here."