Enlist (Revised)

Over exaggerated but I like to think that parts of this story are true. Actually, OK, so it is over dramatized, but to rephrase a lot of these events *are* true. It's about high school friendship.

    Just another school day here at Morton High. The year is 2006 and I am a sophomore. On this rainy day in fall I got together in the morning with my friends and the clouds, they were coming down on us quite hard as if to make a statement. We met before class at the same place we always meet. And we argued about the same stuff we always argued about. “Why the hell are we out here? It’s cold and it’s raining.” I said. “Let’s go inside.” But of course there was always a rebuttal. I am not going to show you their point of view but I will say this, no man has anything to prove by standing out in the rain, it is ridiculous, I don’t care how macho you think you are. 
    “There is an assembly today.” Tom interrupted as the five of us fought like little children. He probably knew that this discussion about the crappy weather, and even more about our pride was going nowhere so he decided he would shift the topic.
    “Ya, I heard there was going to be a  guest speaker, about the war or the military or something like that.” Cameron added. It took the three  of us, Will, Eric, and I, a couple of seconds to think it over before deciding that the weather was not a very interesting topic. And so we all resolved to stand out there in the cold and even though we did not say anything all five of us understood what was happening. That is how it worked. The topic is dropped, we are moving on. Next subject.
    “You know what that means!”
    “Aw, hell ya! no class today!”
    “No more teachers, no more books, no more…dirty looks? You know what I‘m getting at.” I said in frustration. They nodded their heads in agreement. And as we stood out there in the pouring rain waiting for Pavlov to ring his bell, oblivious to any other fellow school mates passing by, it would not occur to me until two years later that I had wasted my entire high school life hanging out with these people I called friends. We were lame, we had no girls on our shoulders, and we were not popular at all. But I have to confess, I would not have had it any other way.

I guess this is, I bid you farewell my friends
And until we meet again
I will always remember when you stood by my side through the rain
And the times of our lives
When we would meet at the movies
Stay up late through the night, times have changed
And we’ll part our separate ways

    It was two years ago on that very day when a guest speaker, a war veteran, came to Morton High to talk to us about the future of our lives and where we were headed. “You are the future” he would say as he stood erect and stiff like the Statue of Liberty. I picture him straight out of a toy box, uniform and all. “It’s the end of the world, as you know it!” he shouted, as he pumped his fists in the air. I am not sure if his intentions were to instill fear in our minds but that is exactly what he did. He made it clear to us, especially us young men that there was going to be a draft, and that we were going to war. “Everything you know, everything you value and hold dear to your heart, your i-pods, your cell phones, and your computers. You will learn what it truly means to value your life.” My god, it is like this old crazy man is straight out of a sci-fi movie like the Matrix or something. Give it a rest grandpa. Every day has supposedly been the end of the world for the past two billion years. Guess what? We are still here!

    I try hard to think about how stupid and outlandish this old washed up war veteran sounds but it is not that easy. I start to think that maybe there is truth in what he says. And before I know it thoughts start to creep in. How can this be? How come I cannot just ignore this stuff and live my life happy and carefree? I mean, look at me! I’m just a kid, do I really have a say in what goes on out there?  It is too late now, the thoughts will not stop coming.  I try to ignore them but the more I resist the more vivid they become. Can you imagine being in a war zone? Gun shots fill the air, dead bodies on the ground, this is not just a movie anymore, to me this is reality. Should I sign up for the military? I imagine Uncle Sam pointing his finger “I want you” His eyes burning right through my soul. He knows my deepest darkest fears and he knows I am a coward. “I’m watching you. I will get you sooner or later, why wait!”  Do my friends see this? Do they know what is going on?

“Craig, Your over reacting”  I hear someone say, almost as if I am being awakened from a bizarre dream.
    “And besides, even if there is a draft we can all flee to Canada! The greatest place in the world! With their spacious hockey arenas and amber waves of… maple syrup.”
    “You’re an idiot Will, you know that? And don’t hit yourself on the way out. You will have no one to cry too! Right guys? We are going to stay and fight like true Americans! All for one, and one for all!” Tom shouted.
“All for one!” they screamed as they pumped there fists in the air. Just like the old war veteran except it is different now,  almost comforting to know that I am not alone. And as I toyed more with this idea I decided to let it sink in.
“Well Craig? Are you with us or not?”
“I will use you guys as my human shield” I muttered
“He’s in!”
“Not if I use you first.”
“All for one, and one for all!” the five of us chanted.

    Just another day here at Morton High with my stupid friends. They are so lame! I do not know why I hang out with them. Maybe because I am too lazy to make new friends, maybe it is because I have nothing better to do, not that any of them have anything better to do either. These guys might not have held my hand when I was feeling down but I know they would have had my back through battle. Somehow I had forgotten this down the road but I remember now, and it’s funny how one small memory can change everything, or rather... when everything changes you remember that one small memory. I can clearly see them standing by my side as I was being threatened by a half fried brainless wrecking ball. It is brief but it is real. These guys literally got up and stood by my side while this massive blob and his followers inched closer and closer to me spouting wild accusations toward my face. We held our ground.  And so I write these words, even though we have grown apart and we do not talk a lot. They were as much a part of my past as anything else, and so this is for them.

I guess this is, I bid you farewell my friends
And until we meet again
I will always remember when you stood by my side through the rain
And the times of our lives
When we would meet at the movies
Stay up late through the night, times have changed
And we’ll part our separate ways

Author's Note

Just another one of those pieces of writing I put up on my profile just for the sake of having it up there. I hope you enjoy. Oh actually you know what it would be kind of nice now that i think about it if i could get some feedback on the structure of my writing. I have a feeling i might be doing something wrong, in terms of different people talking and where to put indents.

Reviews

[Esha]

commandable work ....
i look forward to read more of your work ......

[deeps]

Wow! This is quite the powerful story you have written here. sad really. I found it very well expressed. You are a powerful writer.