Bullets
Shatter
The journey to Melanie’s house was, thankfully, short. Joey didn’t know how long he’d be able to deal with his mind-boggling thoughts: one minute it seemed all too real, having to go to war; the next it was all too impossible.
While although Melanie’s house was only a few blocks away from Joey’s, there was a vast difference in its aesthetics. The Armstrongs chose to live modestly, rather than flaunt their status as the family of a rockstar, yet on the other hand Melanie’s family lived in luxury, their spectacular three-storey house the subject of much envy from the neighbours.
The teenager smiled to himself as he thought about how truly lucky he was to have a girlfriend like Melanie. She was always modest about what her parents did for a living, preferring to make a name for herself. She had been well liked at high school, yet never it get to her head; her grades had always been straight A’s and she had always been willing to lend a hand to anyone in need.
Joey wondered what Melanie saw in him. She could’ve had any guy she wanted – and yet she had picked him, Joey, the quieter boy, he too struggling to make a name for himself away from his father.
He soon found himself outside of his girlfriend’s house, standing by the white picket fence. He fumbled a little with the latch on the gate, before taking slow but sure steps up to the intimidatingly large house in front of him.
He cleared his throat and knocked three times. He could hear footsteps rattle the wooden floors on the other side, and much to his desperate relief it was Melanie who answered.
“Joey!” she exclaimed, throwing herself onto her boyfriend for a hug. She was still dressed in her pajamas, her blonde hair loosely falling onto her shoulders. She gave a little laugh upon seeing his expression. “Don’t worry, my parents aren’t home.”
“No – it’s… it’s not that,” Joey said uneasily. His eyes flicked past Melanie in the direction of her house’s interior. He cautiously returned his gaze back to his girlfriend’s face. “Mind if I – er – explain inside?”
She nodded, stepping aside from the doorway to let him in while creasing her eyebrows in concern. Joey wandered into the kitchen, trying to ignore the pressing feeling that was telling him not to explain to her what was going on.
“Joey, what’s wrong?”
The teenager still had his back to her as he began to speak. He was looking out through the back door and across Melanie’s lavishly green lawn, his eyes locked in a trance.
He shook his head, forcing himself to focus. “Melanie… have you head that the situation in Iraq has gotten… worse?” He swallowed, wondering why with each minute that passed it was getting harder and harder to talk about the possibility of war.
“No…?” She paused. “But – what does that have to do with – ”
Joey turned around, taking a deep breath and forcing his hazel eyes to make contact with her blues. His voice was unusually hoarse, as though he had spent the hours previous to their conversation constantly yelling. “Conscription’s been introduced. I’m part of the age and gender bracket that they want. I have to go to war.” The last six words came out in a rush, and yet their impact was obvious in the room. Melanie’s hand flew to her mouth in shock while the colour immediately drained from her face.
She continued to stare at him in disbelief, barely able to speak. “But – they can’t – college – war – you…”
“C’mere,” Joey said softly, opening his arms wide for a hug. Melanie held him close, her body still while she remained in shock. More than anything he wished for everything that troubled him to go away; for everyone he loved not to be as affected by the new situation as much as he was. He moved his lips close to her ear, savouring
the sweet smell of her hair.
His voice was quiet yet forceful as he spoke. “Don’t you worry,” he whispered, “there’s no way I’m going.” He kissed the top of her head, keeping his arms firmly wrapped around her.
He wasn’t going to let a war shatter his life.
No way.
While although Melanie’s house was only a few blocks away from Joey’s, there was a vast difference in its aesthetics. The Armstrongs chose to live modestly, rather than flaunt their status as the family of a rockstar, yet on the other hand Melanie’s family lived in luxury, their spectacular three-storey house the subject of much envy from the neighbours.
The teenager smiled to himself as he thought about how truly lucky he was to have a girlfriend like Melanie. She was always modest about what her parents did for a living, preferring to make a name for herself. She had been well liked at high school, yet never it get to her head; her grades had always been straight A’s and she had always been willing to lend a hand to anyone in need.
Joey wondered what Melanie saw in him. She could’ve had any guy she wanted – and yet she had picked him, Joey, the quieter boy, he too struggling to make a name for himself away from his father.
He soon found himself outside of his girlfriend’s house, standing by the white picket fence. He fumbled a little with the latch on the gate, before taking slow but sure steps up to the intimidatingly large house in front of him.
He cleared his throat and knocked three times. He could hear footsteps rattle the wooden floors on the other side, and much to his desperate relief it was Melanie who answered.
“Joey!” she exclaimed, throwing herself onto her boyfriend for a hug. She was still dressed in her pajamas, her blonde hair loosely falling onto her shoulders. She gave a little laugh upon seeing his expression. “Don’t worry, my parents aren’t home.”
“No – it’s… it’s not that,” Joey said uneasily. His eyes flicked past Melanie in the direction of her house’s interior. He cautiously returned his gaze back to his girlfriend’s face. “Mind if I – er – explain inside?”
She nodded, stepping aside from the doorway to let him in while creasing her eyebrows in concern. Joey wandered into the kitchen, trying to ignore the pressing feeling that was telling him not to explain to her what was going on.
“Joey, what’s wrong?”
The teenager still had his back to her as he began to speak. He was looking out through the back door and across Melanie’s lavishly green lawn, his eyes locked in a trance.
He shook his head, forcing himself to focus. “Melanie… have you head that the situation in Iraq has gotten… worse?” He swallowed, wondering why with each minute that passed it was getting harder and harder to talk about the possibility of war.
“No…?” She paused. “But – what does that have to do with – ”
Joey turned around, taking a deep breath and forcing his hazel eyes to make contact with her blues. His voice was unusually hoarse, as though he had spent the hours previous to their conversation constantly yelling. “Conscription’s been introduced. I’m part of the age and gender bracket that they want. I have to go to war.” The last six words came out in a rush, and yet their impact was obvious in the room. Melanie’s hand flew to her mouth in shock while the colour immediately drained from her face.
She continued to stare at him in disbelief, barely able to speak. “But – they can’t – college – war – you…”
“C’mere,” Joey said softly, opening his arms wide for a hug. Melanie held him close, her body still while she remained in shock. More than anything he wished for everything that troubled him to go away; for everyone he loved not to be as affected by the new situation as much as he was. He moved his lips close to her ear, savouring
the sweet smell of her hair.
His voice was quiet yet forceful as he spoke. “Don’t you worry,” he whispered, “there’s no way I’m going.” He kissed the top of her head, keeping his arms firmly wrapped around her.
He wasn’t going to let a war shatter his life.
No way.