'It's been like this everyday for the last week,' he said. I had never seen or heard Pete's parents argue before so I tried to make a joke about it, but he didn't laugh. We were in his room and everyone else was due in less than an hour when we heard something smash downstairs, followed by a lot of yelling.

He had invited twelve kids from our class to his house for a barbeque. I stopped coming after Pete's fifteenth birthday. They took it for granted I would probably show up. Some afternoons after school, I would show up with Pete unannounced and his mother would always have enough food ready, just in case. I could just walk right in, even if I wasn't with Pete. I was so familiar to his parents I didn't need to knock. I have lost count of the number of nights I spent at Pete's house throughout my childhood and well into my teens.

Have you ever noticed how people's homes often have a certain smell? That's how I knew it was different. The house looked the same as it always had and yet this time, it felt like I was going behind enemy lines.