It was a Monday morning in the summer of 2014. Eric had just woken up from peaceful sleep, eagered to have one of the best days of the year happen. He planned on going to the beach with his two best friends, Jack and Tony, and stay the night with a few girls they graduated from high school with. The day was going to be filled with drinking, laughing, swimming, maybe fucking, and making this one hell of a graduation party of their own.

Eric messaged Tony via text message saying, “Are you ready to party bro!”

“No man I’m not going.” Tony said.

“What?!?! why not?!?”

“Jack and I got into a fight.”

“Oh my God! What now?”

“Its a long story. I don’t want to talk about it.”

Well that really bummed Eric out. He told Tony that he would not choose sides and would go off and do something else for the few days he had off of work. Tony texted back saying “Thanks bro. Have a good day.” Eric figured then since he had not visited his Uncle Barry in a while that he might as well drive down to San Diego and hang out with him for a few days since his friends are pouting at each other.

As Eric was all cleaned up and ready to go, he decided he should at least go check up on Jack and see how he is doing. Jack had recently gone through a tough break up with his former girlfriend, in which he found out she was cheating on him. It broke Jack’s heart very much, and Eric tried his best to cheer his buddy up.

Once he arrived at Jack’s house, Eric had to ask “What happened last night?”

I was hanging out at Tony’s house last night. We were playing Madden. At some point we take a break so that Tony can use the restroom. I check my Instagram for any messages from that bitch(Jack blocked his ex’s phone number. So the only way to reach him at that point is through Instagram direct messaging.) While on their, I see that Misty(Tony’s sister) posted a picture of Yugioh card. I glance at the comments and some pervert going by the username MaturePlayer. So I see this freak’s profile and its filled with disgusting pics of animation. I comment on Misty’s picture saying “Who’s this freak?” You know me, Eric. You and I have done are best to be big brothers for her and be there for her when her family can’t. However like 10 minutes later, she comes busting in Tony’s room yelling at me. Misty said why am I getting in her business. She didn’t even give me a second to explain. She just kept going on and on. Misty then began to put the phone in my face and thats where i just had enough and shouted, “Get the fuck out of my face!” She got the idea and left the room, but before leaving Misty said ‘asshole’ and slammed the door. And through that whole time, Tony just sat at the end of the bed just looking on, not even trying to tell Misty to calm down or step back. Although when she left he did tell me not to speak to her that way, and I was just pissed. I mean really? You’re not going say anything to her, let alone defend me for her just getting in my face. So I left his place and came home. Haven’t spoken to him since last night.

Eric responded to Jack, “Just you two hurry up and be friends again. What about the girls though?”

Jack said, “They’re taking their boyfriends instead.”

“They just never seem to make up their minds do they?”

“Hell yeah.”

Eric, not wanting to cause problems between his two best friends, tells Jack the same thing he told Tony and will not choose a side. Many times in their friendship, Eric has chosen Tony’s side over Jack just on how they long have been friends before Jack came. Many times all of hem have just been ridiculous in the situation between them, but in the end they all get over it and go back to playing sports or doing dumb shit.

Just as Eric was about to leave Jack’s house, he got a text message from an old girlfriend. She wanted to meet up with Eric and get reacquainted for old time sake. Eric saw this as a sign that she wanted to have sex. So he heads over to the nearby Jamba Juice and awaits for her arrival.

“Judi! How have you been girl?” Judi and Eric use to be best friends in middle school. They both had a crush on each other, but neither made a move. Before they graduated middle high school and moved to different towns, Eric told Judi he had a crush on her. Judi returned the favor and said she liked him too. They walked home and are now just hanging out for the first time.

“Hey Eric! Good to see you!” Judi said. They give each other a hug, order smoothies, sit down, and reminisce about old times at school. Eric and Judi go from talking about relationships they have been in, to sports they are each a part of, to both their parents getting a divorce, to all the dumb shit they have done in the past four years.

Just as Judi is leaving for volleyball practice, Eric walks her to her car. He opens the door like a gentleman. Judi says she was very happy to see him after all the years. Eric smiles and puts his arms around her and goes for a kiss. But Judi moves her face and laughs. “Hahaha not on a first date,Eric!”

Eric, feeling like he was teased this whole time, said, “Awww you got to be kidding me?”

“Don’t worry cutie. I like you. Maybe next time.” Judi gives a big hug to Eric and gets in the car, but not before winking at him.

Eric still feels that he was teased, but is happy to know that in time he will see Judi pretty soon… That is until he pulled in back of Judi’s car and she reversed into his car.

Judi didn’t look back to see Eric was trying to wave bye and she hit the bumper. AFter the hit. Eric had to comprehend the sound of the hit came from two cars and not a heart attack. They both parked their car and got out. Eric, feeling very stupid, said sorry to Judi. Judi said it was her fault for not looking back. There was not much either could do. Judi had to leave for practice and couldn’t take care of the car at the moment, but she did give Eric her insurance number. They both said bye once more in depression, as both their cars are ruined, even though Judi’s was going to take less work to fix than Eric’s car. His car’s bumper was bent. For some reason the light on the side it was hit was fine, but the other side popped out.

Eric called his stepfather, who was the owner of the car, and Judi’s insurance agent three times each before getting it all figured out. At about 2, after sitting in his car for an hour upset that his car is messed up and will probably have to pay for the damages, Eric drives the car slowly over to Jack’s place. Eric didn’t want to take the chance in driving the car over to his Uncle Barry’s house with the damage it is in.

When Eric arrived at jack’s and explained what happened to his car, Jack said, “Bummer Bro! What are you going to do now?”

“I don’t know,” Eric said. “I dont want to drive anywhere with the conditions it’s in. God! This day really started off on the wrong note!

“It sure has. Wanna go to the beach, bro?”

“I guess. I mean, and I know more terrible things happens when it’s being said in movies, but what else could go wrong?”

So Eric and Jack pack up their towels, sun screen, hats, cash, and head on the road to the ocean. They took Jack’s car, which is in better condition and has better gas mileage than Eric’s messed-up car.

For an hour-and-a-half drive, Eric and Jack listened to the song, Loyal by Chris Brown, probably 10 times. It got to the point where both Eric and Jack could lip sinc it all the way. Yet the song had a meaning for Jack. Since walking in on his girlfriend fucking her ex in the tree house, she and Jack built, he has listened to this song that he believes sums up how she was through the whole relationship. “I got a promise ring for her,” jack said. “And it was all for nothing.”

Jack and his ex were together for almost two years. They met on the corner of the street by Redlands high school, and immediately had a connection with each other. Many people came up to jack and told him that she was bad news, a cheater, a whore. However Jack did not want to believe. He only saw the good inside her. There were problems here and their from old boyfriends but Jack would just stand up like a man and intimidate them. Jack fell in love with her. He told Eric and Tony many times, at a time when his family and life was falling apart, she was the best thing to come into his life. His family, other than his stepfather, were happy for him. A month before Jack was graduating from high school, he bought a promise ring for his girlfriend. He was going to give it to her the day he was graduating, signifying that they will always be together. Yet it all changed when Jack went to surprise her at her house, a day before graduation, with lunch. Jack knocks on the door and she didn’t answer. So he walks to the back and sees a man jumping over the fence and his girlfriend walking in the house. he is heartbroken when he hears her shouting she’s coming when he still see’s the man going over the fence. Jack goes to the front door in tears, in shock with what he just saw. She opens the door and sees him. She tries to explain what happened, but there is no way in fixing the image in Jack’s head. Jack in complete despair, tells her, “It’s over.”

Eric, who is never good with words, tells Jack, “I know people are going to tell you the same cliche things when people go through this type of stuff: ‘forget about her, move on, there are better fish in the sea, you’re better without her.’ I’m not going to say it, but it is true. I know you don’t think it is at the moment, nut you will. It will take time. two weeks, 3 months, maybe even a year. I don’t know. But Just think of it in this way: If it was your perfect world, would you want to have gone to the backyard to see the truth or not go back and live in a lie?” Jack was silent.

Jack keeps driving, this time listening to Summer by Calvin Harris. Eric starts dancing like a wild man to lighten up the mood in the car. Jack squints a smile and starts to move with the beat. Both men acting as weird as anyone can be in a car on a highway with cars driving by thinking “what the hell are those guys on?”

As they exit the freeway, Eric gets a call from his mother. She tell Eric that he got mail from his lawyer stating that he has to give back some of the money he was given off the lawsuit to his dad. Eric’s dad didn’t pay child support for a certain amount of time. So Eric won a case and was given $3,000. It said in the letter from mail that he was to give back half. The only problem was that Eric had already spent half of it, and the other half was to go towards the damages to the car.

Recalling what his Uncle Barry told him when he got this money, Eric knew he was going to have to pay them back some anyway. So he told his mom he will figure it out. Eric was beginning to think what he said earlier was about to hit him, and it was going to hit him even harder as the day went on.

The guys arrived in Huntington Beach and prepared for the big waves, hot sand, and gorgeous babes. Once Eric and Jack got on the beach, they went straight to the beach. It was cold, but of course give it time and it was a good feeling for both of them. Eric and Jack jumped and dived over the waves. After a few minutes went by, it became difficult for both of them to swim back to shore. Then Jack realized the rip tide was strong and swam as hard as he could back to shore, but Eric was still out there in the ocean.

Eric didn’t notice Jack was back at shore after a few minutes went by. He wasn’t sure why he was back there. Maybe to get a drink. Maybe he was tired. But Eric was not aware of how strong the rip tide was and stayed in longer. Then he got ht by a wave and looked back at Jack and saw hat he was calling out to him. Eric then tried to swim back, but noticed it was getting to be difficult for him. It got to the point where he was diving waves more than swimming back.

Eric began to get tired and restless. He stopped pushing himself and instead just floated in the ocean waiting for something anything to happen. Death.

For most people around the world, death is a touchy subject. They become frightened, even to the point where thinking about the subject is scary and stressful. Many people just avoid the topic all together, but Eric is different. Eric is not afraid of death. He will welcomes it. Wanting it to happen as soon as it can. Do not look at him as suicidal. Eric loves his life. In fact, this is the happiest time of Eric’s life so far. He just has the mindset that it could be better and maybe starting all over again could help instead of waiting for things to change in the life he is in now. He could be going off to a 4-year college, be an outstanding athlete, find his true love, have a great job that he can enjoy everyday he walks into the office. That sort of stuff. If Eric is to die in the ocean in that moment he is in, then he will accept it and go off into the clouds (or wherever he is to be.)

Eric, as tired as he was, kept floating over the waves, waiting. Then he heard a voice. “Grab on to this,” The voice said to Eric. “Kick your legs!”

It was the lifeguard. Eric did as he was told. He grabbed on to the stick and kicked his way to shore. Once on land, Eric just laid there looking at the sky. The lifeguard was talking to him but he wasn’t listening. All Eric could think about was how his car was hit, how he needs to pay a lawyer, how his friends are mad at each other, why he is not did at the moment, and how shitty of a day its been for him. It was only 5 p.m.

Jack came running towards Eric and the lifeguard. the lifeguard brought up that a lifeguard died the day before trying to save someone, but drowned. Jack thanked the man for saving his friend Eric.

“Dude you got saved by a lifeguard,” Jack said while laughing.

“Fuck you, Jack,” Eric said back to jack.

For the next few hours, Jack and Eric walked the beach, staying away from the ocean and its rip tides. They went to the convenient Seven-Eleven to get some coffee, and then sat on a porch looking over the beach… and the girls of course.

Before it got too dark, Jack wanted to take a picture of himself with the setting of the beach. Eric took the picture of Jack, walking towards him looking down to make himself look epic. The picture turned out well after Jack edited it from a app on his iPhone. He posted it on his Instagram, leaving a comment below that said “The water was crazy today. Rip current stronger than I’ve ever felt. Eric almost died.”

It was around eight. The beach was dark and cold. Eric and Jack were watching these homeless guys having a conversation about monkeys and Mars when I got a message from Tony. He saw the pic on Instagram. Eric knew right away that Tony was pissed that he chose Jack’s side. Eric didn’t know what to say back so he showed the message to Jack. Jack took the phone and called Tony. “Hey is there a problem between us,” Jack said when Tony answered the phone. the phone conversation didn’t last long. 30 seconds at most, but in that time, Eric looked over at the pier and saw someone. Someone familiar. However, before Eric could figure who it was, he heard Jack yell out, “Alright motherfucker! I’ll be over in an hour to kick your ass!”

Eric knew right away that this night is going to last much longer now. He didn’t even try to calm down Jack. There would be nothing he could say to keep Jack cool. Jack was heated. They got in the car and headed off back to Redlands to confront Tony.

Jack was driving fast on the highway, which made Eric hold on tight. Then they hit traffic so it calmed Jack a bit and gave Eric a chance to breathe. A Out of nowhere. Jack a received a call from his stepfather, Terry.

“So I got a call from Jerry (Tony’s dad),” Terry said. He was on speaker phone. “He said that you were going to go over there to kick Tony’s ass. Now you’re 18 so you can make your own decisions, but just remember what happened to your brother. He went to jail and was put on probation for punching a man on his property. Even if you don’t throe the first punch your’e still on his property and you can get in trouble for that. So just think about that before anything gets too out of hand.”

Jack responds to Terry, “Yeah I will. Don’t worry. I’m just going to talk to Tony and well get this all straightened. Hopefully it won’t have to go to fighting.”

Terry said good luck and hung up the phone. Eric asked jack what they were going to do when they got there. Jack told Eric to let him do all the talking. Eric then asked what if Jerry gets into this?

“He most likely will be out there with Tony,” Jack said. “And he’ll most likely will be drinking.”

Eric and Jack arrived at Tony’s house at 10 to, not only Tony and Jerry, but Ansley, Tony’s mother, was outside as well. They all waited outside for them both to show up and talk about the problem.

“So go on Jack and tell your side of the story,” Jerry said. Jerry’s eyes were a tad red and looked very angered at both Eric and Jack.

Jack would tell his side of the story, But at times, Tony and his parents would interrupt him with comments such as, “how could you disrespect my daughter and my family that way,” “We skyped with him and he was a normal guy,” and “Jack you’re only about saving your pride right now.”

The whole situation got to the point where Jack just lashed out and said “You guys are all blind and think you’re such a perfect family. You guys see nothing wrong with this guy talking to Misty? You guys don’t see anything wrong with Misty getting in my face and yelling at me? In my house, we teach respect. We look at our problems and try to fix them. Not hide them and put on a fake smile so when people come over they get jealous of your guy’s lifestyle. I came here to talk this over, not be disrespected by you all. It was between me and Tony. No one else.”

Then Tony said to jack, “ then why is Eric here? For moral support?” And then he said to Eric, “And you. I don’t have anything to say to you.”

Eric to Tony, “Grow up.”

Before it went any further, Jerry said, “Lets just finish it with that both of you are not allowed in my house anymore. So You guys have a good life and farewell.

“Yeah whatever,” both Eric and Jack said.

It seemed that it was almost over. Tony and his family were walking in the house. Eric and Jack were getting in the car. Then Eric shouted out to Jerry, “Learn how to raise your children.”

“What’d you say, Eric?” Jerry asked.

Eric responded back saying, “You heard me.”

Tony came running towards his parents to hold him back, yelling out, “what’s up then, Eric!”

Then Jack said, “What are you going to do, Tony?

Jack starts walking towards Tony while Eric is trying to tell him to go and it was all his fault for saying what he said. Yet they all some how got in a pile and started shouting things at each other. Jerry and Ansley were still in front of Tony. It then split into two with Jerry trying to calm Jack down nicely (Jack was not caring to listen to Jerry at all) and Eric talking to Tony.

At some point Eric looked over at Ansley who was on her phone. He said for her to get off her phone. he did not want this conversation to be recorded. Then Tony put his mom in front of him. Eric asked for her to move. When Ansley didn’t move, Eric said that he wasn’t going to hit Tony. She moved out of the way. Eric went over to Tony

“We brought you into our family man,” Tony said to Eric.

“I never needed to be in this family,” Eric said. “Just because my mom went on a business trip for a month doesn’t mean I needed a family. And you wanna know why I hung out with Jack today, and why I in the end “chose” his side? Its because…”

“Eric lets go,” Jack said. “There’s no point. They’re not going to listen. Let’s just go.

Eric Looked at them. It was quiet for the first time all day. Nothing was said or heard. Just a dark silence in the air. Then Eric said, “Okay.”

Misty never went outside to tell her side of the story.

Once they got in the car and left Tony’s house for the last time, Eric looked at his hands. His hands were shaking. Eric’s whole body was shaking.

“That’s Adrenaline” Jack said. ‘Your body is all hyped up from the yelling and shouting.”

“Why did you stop me?” Eric asked Jack.

“I thought you were going to hit Ansley. So I wanted to stop you before you got too heated.

“I told her to move. I was not going to hit her I was going to talk to Tony. Didn’t you see me talk to him?”

“No I just glimpsed over when Jerry was trying to calm me down and saw you shouting at them both.”

“I was going to tell him how fucked up of a friend he’s been this whole time with you and I. How this whole situation was dumb. Why I “chose” a side. But in the end, i just want to hit him and say ‘fuck you.’”

“We have all acted like kindergardeners through this bullshit. At least we know that he wont have any real friends like we were. He’s all alone now Eric. He only has his daddy and his soon-to-be ex-girlfriend for friends. You and I are still friends.”

“True. We’ll be better off without him.”

“That right, bro.”

I want my Jersey back though.”

There is only one way to stop caring for a person and that is to think of all the bad stuff they have done. Eric, who keeps his anger bundled in most of the time, had lots anger built up over Tony for four years. From making him pay for food, to buying expensive stuff, to never being there for either him or Jack when it came to girl problems. Tony would only want them to help him with his life problems and ignore theirs. Then there Jerry, a drunken story teller, who once Eric looked up to as a father figure until he saw him hit his wife one day. This family was haywire and Eric knew he could move on and not give a shit anymore about them. Yet it still hurt to lose a friend.