Free Personal Narratives: Learning the Hard Way

Learning the Hard Way

“Hi Zac, we are all going out to Hacienda and then we’re all gonna have some fun. I have a surprise for you all. Just be here at six and it’ll be all set.” Kyle hung up the phone and resumed his calling. I threw on a clean shirt and shorts and arrived at his house with two minutes to spare. My blank stare at the empty drive way prompted Kyle to tell me that the six others already went to Hacienda and were getting a table. After dinner we walked to Linway and watched Office Space, a prelude for the weeks to come.

Kyle led us into his barn and showed us a big red octagon with the letters S,T,C, and P on it. “There was a construction zone at the four-way stop,” he said. I presumed this was at county road 13 and county road 34 where the road was being widened. “There was a temporary stop sign up because the one his wall was being replaced. I merely stopped this sign from going to the recycling plant,” Kyle argued. Convincingly enough for a sixteen year old who didn’t have a girlfriend and found himself at Kyle’s every week. The wounds of peer pressure were starting to bend my ethics and moral standards. "Are you suggesting you want us to help you do this again?" I asked. The grin on his face was a definite yes. I let my teenage curiosity make the decision for me, “Sure, it sounds like a good time.” The inner snapping sound echoed the breakage; my values which I corrupted, were temporarily on hold.

Kevin made his opinion known and left after condemning Kyle for his actions. Josh avoided the conversation and told us he was meeting his brother soon for a late night Steak N Shake run. Greg and Troy had their suspicions and didn’t know if it was the right thing to do. Greg didn’t think it would be fun and Troy thought if his parents ever found out, it would be no more Friday and Saturday nights.

Morally, we all knew it was wrong, but Kevin was the only one who blatantly voiced his opinion on it.