First, they ignore you.

First, they ignore you, then they laugh at you. Then, they call you names. Next, you tell the recess monitor about what’s been going on. All of a sudden you’re a little tattle tale, too. So you bring the whole ordeal to your mom after school. She wants to know who it is that’s been instigating the whole thing. Brandon, mostly. Jake and Eric too, but they’re really just the followers. Brandon is the one who keeps giving you a hard time but you didn’t even do anything to deserve it.

Mom gets involved and ends up calling Brandon’s parents. Turns out it’s just parent, since his father passed away a couple years ago. Lung cancer. Mom is not exactly surprised. Mom has an MSW and used to work with behavioral therapists pretty often. Brandon’s mom Linda seems nice enough but totally overwhelmed. Linda is going to talk to Brandon and see what he says ; she apologizes already on his behalf. This is not the first time Linda has gotten disciplinary complaints about Brandon.

The next half of the year is fine. Brandon generally stays out of your way. Jake moves to North Carolina and Brandon doesn’t have his whole crew with him anymore. Mrs. Maglio gets married and becomes Mrs. Miller and then leaves later in the year to have a baby. The new teacher, Mrs. Ellis, doesn’t know anything about yours and Brandon’s history. She puts the two of you together to do a research project on Moctezuma for Social Studies. Brandon reluctantly meets with you at the library to do research but suggests you bail and shoot his BB gun in his backyard. You say okay but that the two of you should come back tomorrow.

That summer you and Brandon actually start to get along. The two of you have a lot of fun. The following year, he makes you try whip­-its and invites Ashley and Nicole over to his basement. His Mom is out on a date but you told yours that she is home supervising. The next year your mom finds pot in your sock drawer and knows immediately that you got it from Brandon. She forbids you from seeing him and tells you that he’s distracting you from your school work. Trust her, she says. She knows these things.

But Brandon and you remain friends throughout high school. You get high, play XBOX, and fly his drone around McCullen park pretty much every week. When graduation rolls around, most of your other friends head off to schools in different cities. But Brandon lives at home and goes to junior college so he can improve his grades and reapply. That year he develops a pill problem. He gets sober but you can tell it’s taken a toll. Things feel different now, more grown up.

You still see him when you come home from breaks. You grab pizza or go see a movie. Your mom actually supports you seeing him now, she says he’s had a rough couple of years. It’s not as much fun to hang out with Brandon as it is with your other college friends. You come home for a short visit and plan on just seeing your family. Brandon sees your car parked outside and wants to know if you want to hang out. For the first time, you wish Brandon would go back to ignoring you. For the first time, you ignore Brandon.