Zel-kun’s Words

Throughout my earlier childhood, I can remember people who I called friends.  I welcomed them into my home, I trusted them, and I had some fun.  Unfortunately, these friendships never ended well.

Earliest one I can remember is Ryan, talked about back in chapter II.  As I mentioned, that’s when my suspicion of other people began.  Despite that I made the attempt to trust people, and each time I have been betrayed in the end.

Doug - Friend in elementary school, used to go on about being half-indian.  One day during recess he ran towards me and clotheslined me, much to the delight of the surrounding children.

Gevin - First off, who names their son Gevin?  He was a new kid in school.  And in elementary school, being the new kid is equivelent to walking around with a giant ‘kick me’ sign on your back.  I decided that I would approach him where he sat at an empty lunch table, and befriend him.

Things were good until a couple weeks had passed, when while walking through the schoolyard, he turned to me, popped me in the mouth, then tripped my legs out from under me.  I don’t remember anything after that concerning him, what sticks out the most is the blood from my lip on the gravel.

Justin - What a weird kid.  Not weird in a good way, the kid was seriously messed up in the head.  The kid lived with his father, but usually stayed at his grandmother’s house, which was a couple blocks away.  His grandmother had a large bell in the backyard, that she would ring every time she wanted to summon Justin home.  Throughout the whole neighborhood, you could hear the bell tolling.  Even from my house, six blocks away.

He approached me on my way home, spouting off some nonsense about actually being fifteen years old.  He then challenged me to a fight.  Admittedly I was a bit flattered, I’ve never been challenged before.  I’ve been jumped dozens of times, but challenged?  This was the first.

He came at me, so kicked him in the manberries.  Dishonorable, I know now.  But I had a ‘friend’ who now wanted to beat me up, and it seemed like a simple solution.

This pattern repeated a few times, until he finally got a little entourage to help him.

Nikki - That’s right, I had a friend that was a girl.  I can’t even remember much about her other than the name.  I only remember the bitter end.  I was riding my bike during the wintertime, it was about thirty or fourty degrees, when she decided it would be a good idea to douse me with a coffee can of ice water.  The shock of it made me lose control of the bike and crash into a parked car.

Well, that’s about all I can remember of them.  I’m not sure WHY these events happened, maybe it was some sort of initiation rite into popularity at school.  Maybe my memory is sugar-coating it and I was a real a-hole.  I would not rule out that possibility.

I think that wraps up my earlier childhood.  I would soon leave Calumet City and move to Merrillville, Indiana, a town I still go to occasionally.  A place where I can muster up some fond memories and good people.