I'm With You

PREVIOUSLY WRITTEN ON HIGH SCHOOL NORMALITY

"If I had no friends, I would be looking for some reinforcements."
"You don't have any friends."
"But I have drugs."

"David. What a pleasant surprise. Have you come to feed your addiction?"

"Steve, I came over here to tell you to not sell anything else to Mark."

"David, David, David, don't you understand that I am not the one that seeks out my customers? They find me. If Mark finds me again wanting the goods, I have to supply them."

"Steve, just be smart here. Leave Mark Adams alone."

"What if we put ourselves in a situation where he would HAVE to listen to us?"
"We are NOT locking ourselves in a room."
"No, I mean like an intervention."

"It's not you, it's me. You are a great guy and any girl would be happy to have you."
"So, you're breaking up with me?"

"I hope we can still be friends!"

"I'm sorry for everything that has happened. Your escapades and sailor mouth get on my nerves, but you wouldn't be you without those things."

"I'm sorry too, Aaron. I can't believe this got so out of hand."
"It's okay, Mark. It's okay. Let's just get down from here."

"Term ended and I'm coming home tomorrow. I wanted to know if you would want to grab some coffee on Sunday around 5?"
"Um, sure. Sounds good. I'll see you then."

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"Are you out of your fucking mind?"

Mark Adams was astounded by the fact that my ex-girlfriend, Joy Harris, had just called while we drove to the Coffee Plantation.

"What's the big deal? We had dinner before she left, we kept in touch a little on Facebook. We're friends."

"But this is different."

"How?"

"Because she's coming back from England and the first person she wants to see is you!"

"I don't know if I was the first person or not."

"You might as well have been since you're seeing her on SUNDAY."

I pulled into the parking lot of the Coffee Plantation and parked the prius.

"I think you're making a bigger deal out of this then needs to be made."

"I don't think you're making a big enough deal out of this. This is your ex-girlfriend--your ex-girlfriend who you broke up with right before you went all the way with her--your ex-girlfriend who made out with some other guy--"

"I'm very well aware of who she is, Mark. She's my ex."

"Just don't do anything you'll regret. Callie seems really great."

The thing that Mark didn't understand was that I wasn't planning on doing anything even potentially stupid. I was in a relationship with a girl who I really cared about, and I wasn't about to screw that up.

My name is David, and I'm a normal high school student.

And in my eyes there was absolutely nothing abnormal about seeing a friend who happened to have been my girlfriend at one point.

"Really David?"

"Don't you remember the last time you met up with her?"

Michael Florence and Aaron Stanwick were just so supportive.

"What about last time?"

"Remember, it got all awkward?"

"That's because we were talking about my accident, and rehab, and our relationship."

"And what do you think you'll talk about this time?"

"We're just grabbing a quick cup of coffee and talking about her England experience a little bit. Why would our relationship come up?"

"Why wouldn't it?"

"Thank you, Captain Logic."

"David, we're just looking out for you."

"I know you are, and I appreciate that, but trust me when I say that I know what to do here."

Once we had moved on from the subject of my coffee date with Joy, our reunion at the Coffee Plantation was a lot of fun. It felt as though we were never apart.

The next night, Callie Anderson and I went to dinner for our two month anniversary. I had saved up some money from working at the UPS Store so I could take her to the Capitol Grille.

"Do you want to split the lemon chicken?"

"David, I've been thinking, and, well, where are we?"

"We're at the Capitol Grille about to order dinner."

"I mean, where are we in this relationship? I mean, it's been two months and I feel like we've gotten nowhere."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, after two months with Joy, where were you guys?"

"Starting the last month of our relationship."

"Why are you skating around this subject?"

"Because if I skate anywhere near it, I might fall through the ice."

"Meaning..."

"Meaning that two months with Joy wasn't at all the same as two months with you. Everything moved so fast with Joy."

"How was the sex?"

I did the cliche spitting out of the drink in response to this question.

"Why would you ask that?"

"Can you just answer the question?"

"We never had sex."

"But you just said things moved really fast."

"They did. We professed our love for each other after three weeks."

It was Callie's turn to do the cliche spitting.

"Did you love her?"

"I thought I did. But I think I just wanted someone to love."

"And you don't now?"

"What's the point of this conversation?"

"Nothing. There's no point. Let's order dinner."

We did end up splitting the lemon chicken, but the rest of dinner was not as romantic as I had hoped. Much of it was silent, actually.

The drive back to her house wasn't that much better. We listened to Coldplay, and I sang a little bit, but it didn't put a smile on her face.

When I pulled up to her house, I broke the unbearable silence.

"Callie, what's up? You're not yourself tonight."

"I'm sorry, it's just that I saw on your Facebook that you're seeing Joy tomorrow."

"Yeah? So?"

"Well, I was a little confused as to why you didn't tell me."

"I guess it slipped my mind. We're just meeting for coffee, it's not a big deal."

"But it is for me. You are about to see the girl who broke your heart into a million pieces."

"Yeah, but those pieces have been mended because of you."

"But what if that is all I am? What if you see Joy tomorrow and every feeling you have ever had for her comes back and you look at me and say 'Thanks for the glue'?"

"Callie, you have nothing to worry about. You are so much more than glue to me."

"Okay. I trust you. Goodnight."

We kissed, and then I drove away. On the way home, using the album "X and Y" as my soundtrack, I thought about how far I have come since my relationship with Joy. It had been almost a year since the first time I saw her working at the cash register of the Coffee Plantation. I remembered the rapid pace of my heartbeat when I caught the first glimpse of her face, and the adrenaline rush I felt when I was going to talk to her at regional choir auditions. I remembered the magic of our first kiss on Valentine's Day, and the excitement of telling her I loved her. Then I remembered the paranoia that set in when I found out that Jamie was a guy, and the hurt I felt when I found out that she had kissed him.

RING RING RING

"Hello?"

"If you don't want me to see her tomorrow, I won't."

"David, I want you to do whatever you want. It's not up to me who you have coffee with."

"But if you are uncomfortable with me seeing Joy, then I will call her tomorrow and cancel our plans."

"No, that wouldn't be right. She's been excited about seeing you. You should meet up with her."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am. I'm sorry that I was so dramatic tonight. It's just that--um--actually, never mind."

"What?"

"I forgot what I was going to say. It must not have been important."

"Okay. Then I guess I'll talk to you sometime tomorrow."

"Okay. Bye."

The next day, I called an emergency meeting with the guys so we could talk about my confusion during the date.

"Dude, you are so stupid."

"That was a little blunt--"

"I mean, why isn't this obvious to you?"

"If it was obvious, would I have called this meeting?"

"It's just that, you're usually pretty good with this type of stuff."

"What kind of stuff? What are you guys getting that I'm not?"

The three of them gave me one more "You're an idiot" look before Mark spoke.

"Callie loves you, you fucking moron!"

The peanut gallery nodded in agreement, and then it hit me.

"Oh my God, I AM stupid!"

"So what are you going to do?"

I had to think about this. Callie had told me to meet up with Joy, but the one person I wanted to be with was Callie. That's when I realized exactly what I needed to do.

RING RING RING

Callie received a text message asking her to meet me at the Coffee Plantation at 5. It was a good thing that she didn't know what time I was meeting Joy. After I got a text back saying "Ok," the plan was underway.

I got to the Coffee Plantation at 4:50 to get a table and wait for Callie and Joy to come. At around 4:55, Joy got there.

"David!"

She wrapped her arms around me and gave me a hug. It was good to see her; not awkward like the last time I saw her.

"Let me grab a lattee and then I can tell you all about England."

"Okay, great."

While Joy waited in line, Callie arrived.

"Hey babe."

"Hey. I could really use a cappuccino right now. Shall we wait in line?"

"You go ahead, honey, I'll stay here with the table."

"Okay."

Joy came back to the table with her lattee and she started telling me all about England.

"So, did I tell you that Othello is my new favorite play? It was so amazing reading Shakespeare in England. I felt like I was truly immersed in the world that Shakespeare lived in. And I will tell you there is NOTHING like seeing A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Globe. I will never be able to watch theatre the same way again!"

It was at this time that Callie came back with her cappuccino.

"Oh Joy, there's someone I want you to meet. This is Callie Anderson, the greatest girl a guy could ever ask for."

"Oh, so you're Callie? I've heard so much about you."

"You must be Joy. It's so nice to finally meet you."

"Likewise."

They shook hands and Callie pulled up a chair while I waited in line to get an espresso.

"So David told me you were in England for the semester. How was it?"

"It was amazing. I can't even begin to describe it. Have you ever read Othello?"

I was very proud of myself. I had gotten my girlfriend to be comfortable with me seeing my ex-girlfriend simply by inviting her. Not that Callie didn't trust me, but I think having her there made everything all the more comfortable. It was one of the things that I loved about her.

"And that's how I came to the conclusion that it's not a play about race, but a play about jealousy!"

"That's brilliant! I've never thought of it that way."

The three of us were at the Coffee Plantation for about two and a half hours talking and laughing and having a great time. At about 7:35, Joy's mom picked her up (since she still didn't drive herself) and then it was just Callie and I.

"So what did you think of her?"

"She seemed so sweet. I can't imagine her breaking your heart."

"Well people tend to do the unexpected."

"Speaking of the unexpected..."

"I invited you because I wanted you to see that those feelings I once had for her are gone."

"What about the whole idea that you never forget your first love?"

"You're right. I will never forget about her, or my relationship with her, but there are a lot of things I will never forget. Seeing my mom get arrested, my six weeks in rehab, my car accident--all things that I will never forget, but they are all in the past, and that is where my feelings for Joy are and will stay. You are my present, and hopefully my future, because I love you, and I want us to last so much longer than Joy and I did."

"I love you too, David."

Callie and I kissed and embraced for the next ten minutes or so. It was the first time I ever saw that everything, no matter how horrible the event, happens for an important reason. Whether it results in us meeting someone important, or simply occurs to provide us with some emotional growth, every event that happens and every opportunity taken has a substantial purpose in creating who we are.

RING RING RING

"Hello?"

"David, I need you to come home right now so you can take me to the airport."

"Where are you going, Cal?"

"I'll explain on the way to the airport, but you have got to come home right now."

"Okay. I'll be there in about ten minutes."

And while everything in life has a purpose, we unfortunately do not know what the purpose is until a series of events has led us there.

David Adler

Normal High School Student

Before It's Too Late

PREVIOUSLY WRITTEN ON HIGH SCHOOL NORMALITY

"I never want to speak to either of you again!"

"David, it's not MY fault that Mark is mad at you guys."

"You know, if you can't see the point by yourself, you really have become a total asshole."

"If I had no friends, I would be looking for some reinforcements."
"You don't have any friends."
"But I have drugs."

"Mark, it was Steve's amazing skills in persuasion that led me to relapse. Have you forgotten that?"

"I am NOT your responsibility. You don't have to look after me or whatever it is you're trying to do."

"I'm sorry about my parents."
"Are they always like that?"
"Pretty much. They were getting a lot better, but they always do and then this happens."

"Mark, I know that you hate me right now. And believe me, I haven't been very positive about you lately either. But I just want to talk. Call me back."

"Are you gonna answer that?"
"Nope. I'm going to have another joint."

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"Good morning, sunshine."

It was the night after Winter Formal, and I was lying in bed (fully clothed) with my beautiful girlfriend, Callie Anderson.

"How'd you sleep?"

"Better than I have in a while. I like having another body in this bed."

"It makes me feel less alone."

We kissed and then went downstairs to have breakfast.

"So what are you going to do about this whole Mark on drugs situation?"

"There's not much I can do. Mark won't listen to me. He won't even look at me."

"But this is the time that he needs all of you most."

She was right. He did need us right now. If it had been anyone else supplying the drugs, he would have been fine, but this was Steve Weiss we were dealing with, and Steve's customers ALWAYS come back for seconds.

My name is David, and I'm a normal high school student.

And even though Mark and I were no longer friends, it was normal to be concerned about this.

On Monday morning, the students of Summit Peak High School walked the corridors exhausted from the weekend. It was not uncommon to find people dressed in baggy sweatshirts rather than the preppy brand names that generally dominate the school. Of course, there was one person who, as usual, defied the general fashion expectations.

Steve Weiss was dressed in a classy, pinstripe suit and a fedora. He was dressed like a boss, but I could see right past the facade and see him for the company bitch that he truly was. Maybe if I talked to him, he wouldn't be so eager to sell Mark drugs again.

"Steve!"

"David. What a pleasant surprise. Have you come to feed your addiction?"

"No, Steve, I've been clean for 5 months and I'm not going to start again now."

"Okay, but if you ever want to splurge a little--"

"Steve, I came over here to tell you to not sell anything else to Mark."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Remember that ass-kicking I offered so many months ago? Well, that's what's coming to you if any more addictive substances pass through Mark's mouth."

"David, David, David, don't you understand that I am not the one that seeks out my customers? They find me. If Mark finds me again wanting the goods, I have to supply them. The economy is all about goods and services and I as a supplier have to give the public what they want."

"I don't need an econ tutor, Steve, I need you to stop hurting my friend!"

"But he's not your friend anymore, David. You betrayed him. You basically left him to his own devices, and, well let's face it, he's not exactly Einstein."

"Steve, just be smart here. Leave Mark Adams alone."

As I walked away, I felt proud of myself, but the reality of all of it was that there was nothing stopping Mark from buying more from Steve, and Steve, no matter the threat, would not pass up a sale.

Meanwhile, Aaron Stanwick approached Mark, hoping to talk some sense into him and maybe rekindle their friendship.

"Mark!"

Mark looked at Aaron with that bewildered look on his face.

"This guy? Really? What could you POSSIBLY want?"

"I want to talk. Did you get my message?"

"Oh THAT? Hahaha, that was a laugh."

"I don't remember there being anything amusing about it."

"Oh it was. 'Mark I just want to talk' haha that shit's fucking funny."

"Are you high right now?"

"What if I was?"

"Seriously Mark? Why?"

"What's it to you?"

"Mark, if you're doing drugs--"

"What's--it--to you?"

Aaron looked at Mark with disgust.

"Nothing, I guess."

"Good, because it has absolutely nothing to do with you."

After choir that day, Aaron and Lupe Gonzales (the little lady that started this great big war) came up to Michael Florence and me.

"Is Mark doing drugs?"

"Hi Aaron, so nice to see you."

"Okay, let's put our personal issues aside here and talk about this."

"What's there to talk about? Mark has moved on, and so should we."

"You guys don't understand! I feel like this is all somehow my fault!"

Michael and I gave him the "No, REALLY?" look.

"I have to get to Key Club, but I'll see you all later."

She kissed Aaron and left.

"What are we gonna do about this?"

"Mark isn't friends with us either, Aaron. He's not gonna listen to a word we say."

"What if we put ourselves in a situation where he would HAVE to listen to us?"

"We are NOT locking ourselves in a room."

"No, I mean like an intervention. That's how we got YOU off of drugs."

"Actually, I made that decision on my own if I remember correctly."

"Look guys, I know that I've been a real idiot these past couple months, but you can't forget that we all used to be best friends."

"Emphasis on the used to be."

"David, maybe Aaron's right. Maybe we could stage some sort of intervention."

It sounded like it could have worked. But interventions are supposed to evoke emotion. How were we, the three people Mark hated most in the world, going to evoke any emotion other than annoyance?

"I'm in, but first, we have another person to intervent."

"Who?"

"You."

"What?"

"David's right. You have a problem, and you need to fix it."

"What the heck are you talking about?"

"I think you know, Aaron."

"Look deep inside of you and figure it out. What is the only thing standing between you and Mark's forgiveness?"

Aaron thought for a minute and finally figured out the one thing he could do to earn Mark's forgiveness.

"Okay, I'll break up with her."

"Good man."

"But I'm not happy about this."

"Is any break-up happy?"

After school, Aaron found Lupe to give her the news.

"Hey. Um, I have to talk to you about something."

"Um, me too. Actually, I should probably go first."

"Okay..."

"Aaron, I have really enjoyed these past two months, but I feel like we're growing apart, and I just need some time to figure some things out. It's not you, it's me. You are a great guy and any girl would be happy to have you."

"So, you're breaking up with me?"

"Yes, but I don't think that this is goodbye. It's just, ta ta for now."

"Wow, this is just so unexpected."

"I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay. I have to go now."

"I hope we can still be friends!"

"Sure, Lupe. Sure."

Now that that was over, it was time to figure out the intervention.

"Hey, the winter choir retreat is on Friday. Why not have it then?"

"That's a great idea! Except that we're seniors, which means that we'll be leading groups."

"We will have partners. We can just tell them that there will be a time period during the retreat that we will be gone. There should be no problem with that."

"Well, we don't have any other ideas, so this one is just as good as any."

The week continued. We continued our plan and Mark continued coming to school more blazed than the Beatles when they performed "Yellow Submarine". It broke our hearts to see his bloodshot eyes and his ridiculous behavior during choir, but we knew that everything would be resolved on Friday.

Friday finally came, and the three of us could not be more anxious about the events that were about to take place. We had each written letters to him that we would read aloud during the intervention. Hopefully they would evoke the emotion that needed to be evoked.

"So the big intervention is today?"

"Yup."

"What are you thinking right now?"

"That this could all turn out very badly."

"Well, think of it this way. At this point, you have absolutely nothing to lose. You've already lost whatever it is that you could have lost from this. Just try your best."

"Why are you so great?"

"I don't know. Why don't you answer that for me?"

I gave her a kiss, and then headed off to the choir retreat.

The choir room was bustling with excited choir kids wearing costumes of their favorite movie characters. Mal Wales and I had decided to dress as Winnie the Pooh and Tigger (she was Tigger) and we called our group the "Hundred Acre Wooders". At first she thought it was stupid, but I convinced her that it would be fun.

The festivities began, and Mark was obviously baked like a fresh cherry pie. He was running around, laughing at the games we were playing, asking freshmen for their phone numbers, and goofing off. When Miss Connolly gave us the command to go into our small groups, I told Mal I had to go do something.

"You're gonna leave me with all of these stupid kids?"

"You'll be fine. Just don't scare them too much."

"Okay then."

Aaron (aka Batman) and I met in the choir room while we waited for Michael (aka Wesley from "The Princess Bride) to come back with Mark.

"So how is he getting Mark in here?"

"He's telling him that all of the male seniors are doing a dance and they need to meet in the choir room at this time."

"Nice."

Silence.

"David, I--"

"It's okay, Aaron. Let's just focus on this right now."

Finally Michael and Mark walked in the room.

"Um, where are the other senior guys?"

We looked at him in silence. He had sobered up a little since the retreat began an hour and a half prior.

"What's going on?"

I allowed another moment of silence to pass before I spoke.

"Mark, this is an intervention."

"Excuse me?"

"You have a problem, Mark. And we're here to help you fix it."

"What problem? You're the ones that have problems."

"Mark, we've each written you letters explaining how this has affected us, and--"

"Affected YOU? What makes you think I give a rat's ass how this has affected ANY of you? I don't have a problem, not that it's any of YOUR business."

"We want to help you, Mark."

"It's good to want things."

"Mark, please listen to us! Don't you remember what it was like when David had his drug problem? Don't you remember how stupid you thought he was, and how concerned you were for him?"

"Things change, people change."

"Mark, you know that's not true with us. We are best friends."

"No, we WERE best friends, until you ALL decided to betray me! Well I'm sick of being betrayed! I'm sick of having friends! And I am so damn sick of people telling me how to LIVE MY FUCKING LIFE!"

Mark sprinted out of the choir room, and after a moment, we ran after him, but when we reached the door, he was gone.

"Well, so much for that."

"Where could he have gone?"

"He couldn't have gotten very far. The only place he could have disappeared to in five seconds is the stage."

But when we got to the stage, Mark wasn't there.

"I wouldn't worry about it. Wherever he is, I'm sure Connolly will find him."

"Maybe you're right. Let's just go back to our small groups."

But as soon as we were about to split, we heard footsteps in the catwalks.

"OH MY GOD!"

"What?"

"I remember freshman year he told me that his happy place was Heaven."

"Um, he'd kind of have to die first."

"No! Heaven, as in the highest point on the stage!"

"You don't think he'd go up to Heaven in his condition, do you?"

More footsteps.

"SHIT!"

The three of us scurried up the spiral staircase that led to Heaven. I had been up there only once, and it would be quite a nasty fall if one were to stumble.

After about ten minutes, we reached Heaven, and there was Mark, sitting on the metal floor.

"I'll go get him."

"No. I'm the one who started this. I should be the one to end it."

Aaron slowly walked the two steps up to Heaven and carefully walked over to where Mark was sitting.

"What are you doing here?"

"I came here to talk to you."

"Why?"

"Because you're my best friend."

"Where's Lupe? Shouldn't you guys be not having sex right now?"

"We broke up."

"What? Why?"

"Because our friendship is more important than some girl."

"Keep talking."

"I'm sorry for everything that has happened. Your escapades and sailor mouth get on my nerves, but you wouldn't be you without those things, and our friendship is incomplete without my annoyance. But you're not you right now. You started doing drugs, and if you don't stop now, you're going to have a real problem."

Aaron and Mark sat in silence for a minute before Mark hugged Aaron with tears in his eyes.

"I'm sorry too, Aaron. I can't believe this got so out of hand."

"It's okay, Mark. It's okay. Let's just get down from here."

Mark and Aaron proceeded slowly and carefully back to the steps, stepped down from Heaven, and we all walked back down the long spiral staircase in time for the next big group activity.

"Where have you been? These underclassmen are going to kill me!"

"Mal, are they really that bad?"

"No, but you never know what they could be thinking."

At the end of the night, Mark, Michael, Aaron, and I all sat in the parking lot by the Prius and talked.

"What a cliche break-up! I'm sorry, dude."

"It's okay. She was too young anyway. Note to self: never date a sophomore again."

We all laughed. It felt so great to have things back to normal again.

"Hey, does anyone want to grab some coffee?"

"I'm in, but I need a ride."

"Are you ever going to start driving?"

"Not as long as I have you guys to drive me around."

So we proceeded to the Coffee Plantation, our favorite place in the world. It was a clear-cut sign that everything was back to normal.

RING RING RING

"Hello?"

"Hi David!"

"Joy? Hey, what's up? How's England?"

"Well, term ended and I'm coming home tomorrow. I wanted to know if you would want to grab some coffee on Sunday around 5?"

"Um, sure. Sounds good. I'll see you then. Bye."

Yes, it seemed that EVERYTHING was back to normal.

David Adler

Normal High School Student

Separate Ways

PREVIOUSLY WRITTEN ON HIGH SCHOOL NORMALITY

"The only way for us to work is if we leap; if we forget about the possibility of us falling on our faces. Otherwise, we're never going to get off the ground, and we'll never be able to fly."

"Honestly Aaron, I'm sick of your whole 'holier-than-thou' attitude. I'm tired of you feeling superior to me."

"You know what, Mark, if that's what you think then you can go right ahead and think it. I'm done."

"I've been wanting to ask you out for a while, Lupe, but there's always been something in my way."
"Like what?"
"It doesn't matter. All that matters is that we're together now."

"So, how are you planning to tell Mark about this?"
"I don't owe Mark anything. He can figure it out on his own."

"Don't speak to me like that, Jake, I'm your FATHER!"
"You're not my father. You never have been, you never will be, so why don't you go back to Lucy Greer and try to father someone who's too young to know what an ASSHOLE you are!"

"Libby, wait!"
"I can't live like this anymore, Mom! I'm 30 years-old, and it's about time that I started living my own life away from here!"

"You still bought the pill, so I can't give you your money back."

"Fine. But don't ever try to sell drugs to me again, because if you do, I'm going to kick your ass."

"I just can't believe you did this, Aaron! After everything we've been through!"
"You can't use that card, Mark! The friendship card no longer exists with us!"

"Mark, we wanted to tell you, but--"
"But what? You didn't want me to get hurt, you didn't want me to feel betrayed?"

"MARK WAIT!"
"NO! I never want to speak to either of you again!"

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"I told you this was going to happen."

My girlfriend, Callie Anderson, was having an "I told you so" moment while we were on the phone.

"I didn't think our friendship was just going to end, though. Just like that."

"You guys will be friends again tomorrow."

"I'm not so sure about that one."

"Guys are NEVER mad at each other for more than a day or two. One minute they hate each other, the next minute they're going to the Lakers game."

"The Lakers are in California."

"You know what I mean."

She was both right AND wrong with her comments. She was right because I did know exactly what she meant, but she was wrong because Mark Adams, unlike most guys, is not the type of guy who forgives, forgets, and goes to the basketball game.

My name is David, and I'm a normal high school student.

And betraying one of my oldest and best friends was an honest mistake. Right?

"David, it's not MY fault that Mark is mad at you guys."

I decided to talk to Aaron Stanwick about it after AP Government the next day.

"But if you had just told him--"

"Why should I have told him?"

"Because deep down inside of you, you're not the asshole that has taken over these last couple of weeks."

"Oh, I'm an a-hole now? Because I saw something I wanted and I went for it?"

"This isn't about Lupe, Aaron. This is about the big picture. If Mark had liked some Mormon girl that you liked, he would talk to you first."

"Mark would never go for a Mormon."

"That's not the point!"

"Then what is!?"

"You know, if you can't see the point by yourself, you really have become a total asshole."

I would have felt bad for Aaron, who was quickly losing every friend he had, but he brought it upon himself. He may have liked Lupe Gonzales the entire time, but he asked her out purely out of spite.

Choir was awkward to say the least. Michael Florence and I had never felt so disconnected from everyone before. Mark periodically gave every one of us a dirty look, but Aaron wasn't that petty. He simply ignored us.

The rest of the week went by, and then another week, and another, and then before we knew it, it was the first week in December. It was the longest time we had spent without each other.

But Michael and I had other things to worry about besides the end of our friendships with Mark and Aaron. The first weekend of December marks the annual Summit Peak High School Winter Formal, and Michael and I had to plan the perfect evenings for our girlfriends.

"So we'll meet at my house, my mom will cook dinner, and then we'll head off to the dance."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Oh, by the way, Leslie and I are probably going to be having sex after the dance, so you might not want to stay here afterward."

That was one part of the evening that Callie and I had not figured out. She had been dropping sexual hints throughout our entire relationship thus far, but I had yet to follow-up on these hints. It wasn't that I didn't want to have sex with her. In fact, I really, really, really wanted to. But I wasn't sure if it would be right. We had only been dating for a couple months, and we weren't in love. At least not yet.

"So, after homecoming, what do you want to--you know--do?"

"Well, I was going to see what you wanted to do."

"We could go to your house."

"Yeah, I guess we could do that."

"We can go to your room."

"Yes, my room sounds nice, very familiar."

"We could be naked."

It was the most blunt sexual hint I had received so far.

"Are you sure you want to do that?"

"Why not? I like you, you like me, we're dating. A lot of couples have sex."

"No, really?"

She looked at me for a moment before I continued.

"I want to if you want to."

"I want to."

"Then I want to."

So it was settled. Callie and I would be coming back to my house after homecoming and having sex. Now, to get the rest of my family out of the house.

"Mom, when was the last time you and Cal went out to dinner just the two of you?"

"It's been awhile. Why?"

"Well, maybe you guys should go out on Saturday night."

"Why?"

"Well, Jake and I will be at homecoming, and you and Cal will be in the house all by yourselves. So, to avoid having to cook for two, why don't you just go out?"

"Is there any reason in particular that you want your dad and me out of the house?"

"Why would you say that?"

"Well, I don't know. The new girlfriend perhaps?"

"Mom, am I the kind of guy that has sex with a girl after only a few weeks."

"I guess not. Okay, Cal and I will go out to dinner and we'll see that three-hour movie that just came out."

The rest of the week was a bit of a blur. How could I focus on anything when I was going to be losing my virginity in a matter of days?

On Saturday night, I dropped Jake off at his friend Jenny's house and then went straight to Michael's. After dinner, his mom took pictures of all of us, and then we all got into the Prius and went to the dance. Callie looked radiant in her black cocktail dress.

As we all mosied into the packed gymnasium, Lupe and Aaron were already there, both feeling quite out of place.

"I don't generally do this kind of dancing."

"I wouldn't call this dancing. Why did we come tonight, anyway?"

"Because it's our first dance together as a couple, and it's your last homecoming."

"Still, I feel weird being around all of the humping."

"I guess if you can't beat 'em, join 'em?"

"Sure. Why not?"

I caught a glimpse of Aaron and Lupe grinding, and I couldn't believe my eyes.

"Let's practice for tonight."

And with a wink from Callie, we went onto the dance floor and grinded.

Across the room, Mark was standing over by the punch bowl with his date.

"So, are you going to ask me to dance, or are we just going to stand here all night?"

"We could go fuck in the middle of the dance floor."

"What? Who DOES that?"

"Yeah, we're going to just stand here all night."

All of a sudden, Mark was faced with an unexpected visitor.

"It's Mark, right?"

"Yeah, and you're Steve Weiss. We're both very well-known throughout the school."

"So I guess you can figure out why I came over here?"

"I don't do drugs. And besides, after what you pulled over the summer with David--"

"Word is that you and David haven't been homies for a month and a half."

"Yeah? What does that have anything to do with this?"

"Well, word is that you have no one to lean on but a slut here or there. If I had no friends, I would be looking for some reinforcements."

"You don't have any friends."

"But I have drugs."

Mark looked around the room. Our eyes met for a second before he turned back toward Steve.

"I guess a little pot can't hurt anything."

"Excellent. Pleasure doing business with you."

I wasn't on speaking terms with Mark anymore, but I knew Steve Weiss, and I knew that this couldn't have been good.

While Callie went to use the ladies' room, I found Mark.

"Mark!"

He turned around to face me, a confused look sitting on his face.

"What the fuck do you want?"

"I came over here to see what you and Steve were talking about."

"It's none of your business."

"Mark, it was Steve's amazing skills in persuasion that led me to relapse. Have you forgotten that?"

"I don't know. Have you forgotten how important it is not to keep secrets from your friends?"

"Mark, just listen to--"

"No, David, YOU listen. I am NOT your responsibility. You don't have to look after me or whatever it is you're trying to do. I'm 17 fucking years old, and I do whatever the fuck I want. We're not friends. You can't tell me how to live my life."

He started walking away.

"Mark, don't do this!"

Mark walked back toward me and got right up in my face.

"Or what?"

And he walked away again.

"What's wrong?"

"How do you feel about going home early?"

"Wow, someone's eager. I'll go find Michael and Leslie."

"Is there a reason why we never stay for the entire dance?"

"I can think of a couple reasons to leave."

We dropped them off at Michael's house, and then Callie and I proceeded toward mine. I was ready to erase what had happened between Mark and I that night. I was ready to forget about how our friendship ended. I was ready to forget about Libby moving out, and Cal's love child, and Aaron and Lupe and Steve Weiss. I was ready to be distracted for the next six to ten minutes of my life as I lay with my woman amid layers of sheets and blankets. I was ready.

"Everything with you has to be a fight. EVERY MOTHER FUCKING THING!"

"Stop YELLING AT ME!"

"It's the only way I can get through to you, you--you--stupid CUNT!"

It was at this time that my parents stopped and looked at Callie and I. Callie's jaw had dropped open, and my face had gone blank out of astonishment and embarrassment.

"Um, you're home early."

"Yeah."

Silence.

"So, this is Callie. Callie, these are my parents."

"So nice to meet you. We've heard so much about you."

More silence. Finally, Callie broke it with a whisper.

"Do you want to go to my house? My parents are out of town."

I replied, but I decided not to whisper.

"Yeah. Let's go to your house and have sex."

We got back into the Prius and headed toward her house.

We were silent for a moment, and then I decided to break the silence.

"I'm sorry about my parents."

"Are they always like that?"

"Pretty much. They were getting a lot better, but they always do and then this happens."

When we got to her house, neither of us were really in the mood for sex, so instead, we went upstairs, dressed down a little bit, and laid in each other's arms talking, kissing, and caressing until we finally drifted off to sleep.

Meanwhile, after Aaron dropped off Lupe, he thought about his relationship with her and his relationship with us. He had given up three friendships as a result of his relationship with Lupe. He had lost his best friends, trading them in for a girlfriend. Thinking about what an asshole he had been, he picked up his phone and called Mark.

RING RING RING

"Are you gonna answer that?"

"Nope. I'm going to have another joint."

"Excellent."

"Mark, I know that you hate me right now. And believe me, I haven't been very positive about you lately either. But I just want to talk. Call me back."

So as Aaron hung up the phone, Mark continued getting baked, Michael and Leslie made love, and Callie and I slept, it was clear how much things really had changed. For the first time, I was in a relationship where we were on the same page. For the first time, Michael was absolutely content with his own relationship. For the first time, Mark felt like he was truly independent. And for the first time, Aaron realized how much he really needed all of us.

And while all four of us were on different pages, we all longed to find somewhere in the middle where we could all meet, allowing our characters to interact in the same fashion as they had only a few chapters ago.

David Adler

Normal High School Student