Zakary Altenberg °2

The Responsibilities of a High School Student

Since I was a wee lad I have argued with my mom. The bigger arguments started to occur around my freshman years of high school. Never cussing at each other but mainly my mom just being irrational, and my dad pretending to be oblivious. It was my first opportunity to party, a little get-together at a friend’s house during the beginning of freshman year. I got home after school on a nice Friday and walked into the kitchen where my mom was making me a snack or washing a dish or something.

“Mom there’s this little thing at friends house later, can I get a ride over around 7 p.m.?” I was as composed as an angel.
“Which friends house?”

“John’s,” I said calmly.
“Who is John?” she inquired.

“He’s my good friend from math class, but anyways just can I get a ride around 7 to his house?”

“Good friend… Well you have to clean your room and you should really start on some homework and what do you mean by little thing?” She was already ranting.

“Well it’s like a kick it thing,” I replied.

“Are there going to be parents there?” asking another question and accidentally starting another game of 20 questions.

“Yeah I’m pretty sure they’re gunna be home.”

“Can I have a number to call them at? And don’t give me that look,” being even more annoying.

“Oh my god mom, can’t you just give me a ride instead of being Sherlock Holmes?”

“I’ve never met this John and I just want to make sure there are going to be parents,” she said.

“Mom, I don’t know if there are going to be parents or not but at most parties there aren –

“Oh so it’s a party now,” she jabbed at me.

“No but I’m just saying the reason kids usually have get-togethers is because there aren’t parents there to say no like they always do. I just don’t want to lie to you like all my other friends do to their parents. You want me do be dishonest? Should I just have said I was going to Joel’s and gotten you to drop me there and then walked over to the party?”

“No… I just don’t think it’s safe, and the rightful owners aren’t inviting you into the home, and it is quite a rude gesture, knowing the parents wouldn’t want there to be a party. I would love to tell you yeah just go and have fun but –

“Mom, everyone else’s parents don’t throw these over protective fits like you!” I interjected. She had to be difficult about the littlest things, “ It’s high school and I just want to have a little fun, do you want me to be a dork and just sit at home on Friday nights and do homework and never go out and have no social life?”

“That wouldn’t be so bad honey, no, but really I just want you to be respectful of another family’s house.”

“Mom, it really isn’t that serious if you don’t want me to go I won’t go, just say it, I am yours to order about, Master,” and of course the guilt trip worked.

A couple hours of later after I had made sure I looked cool I badgered my mom down to the car and she drove me over to John’s. I hopped out of the car and asked her if I could stay until 11:30, she said 10, but we compromised at 11. She told me to be out front at exactly 11 (I didn’t get a phone until sophomore year). I gave her a kiss and then I headed into the party/kick-it/get-together. It wasn’t completely segregated by sex. People were drinking alcoholic beverages. The future stoners spent 50 dollars on an 8^th of marijuana and smoked and then said they were high. There were awkward moments but I met some people and opened up future friendships. I decided that I had fun and I liked social gatherings with no parents around. At 11 sharp I went outside and there was my mom. I hopped into the car.

During the ride home my mom quizzed about the party. “How many people were there? Did you drink or smoke?”

“There were maybe 20 people and no I didn’t drink or smoke.” I had already pledged to her I would never smoke or drink at the beginning of the year. She had promised me one thousand dollars if when I turned 18 I had never drank or smoked.

She jumped into some other subject. “Well anyways me and Dad watched a documentary on… interesting… you... really informative… you…” I zoned off thinking back on the party. I was really curious about a few things; should I try smoking once? Will I get addicted? Everyone always says smoking is bad and makes you slow but I walked in on my brother smoking and found out he does it often but he doesn’t act like it. I remember that one time we were in the garage sorting recycle and he told me, “Never smoke. It’s a waste of time and money.” It made me wonder what it was like all the more; some of my friends spent so much money on it, it must have some appeal.

These were just some of the early questions I started having in high school. Fresh out of middle school, where I had pledged to never smoke weed or drink alcohol and now I was considering just trying it. My mom said once, “First you just think you are ‘just trying it’, and then maybe it has a little appeal and you think it is not addicting, but it is terrible for your body and before you know it you can’t control yourself and just need the drug.” I always thought “Yeah drugs are bad” but now I was in high school, high school where you have fun and party. I decided at the next party maybe I would party a little.

It was maybe a month after that first party at John’s when there was word of a new party. I didn’t really know the girl who was throwing it but my friend Ed said it would be fine if I just rolled with him. It was after school on a Friday and I had told my mom I was going to spend the night at Ed’s in advance. She had been pretty protective in that argument because she had only met Ed once, but after a little arguing I got her to get off my case.

After school we were walking up to the bus stop when he asked, “Hey fool you trying to drink tonight?”

“I don’t know dude… I’ve never drank before and actually gotten drunk.”

“What!?!? You are kidding, Okay I gotta drink with you tonight fool, it is hella fun.”

“Hm… how many times have you drank?” I wasn’t really thinking about drinking but suddenly the possibility was there.

He replied, “Like a few times… it’s the best though, so are you down?”

I realized suddenly how badly I wanted to drink, “Fasho.”

“Alright, this senior I know, Brad, has a fake and he said anytime I needed drank just hit him up and he could get me a bottle for 20 dollars, and said that it would get a few people pretty on, so lets just split it 10 and 10.” He got out his phone and started dialing.

I reasoned, “Why don’t we see if someone else like Jeff wants to get on it, so it will be cheaper for us.”

“Naw it doesn’t matter, plus your first time you will need a lot or you won’t feel anything,” he responded with his knowing voice.

I was really juiced for the night all of the sudden. It was pretty intriguing to be doing something I had always told myself I wasn’t going to do. I was about to get drunk for my first time. It was funny that I thought I would straight edge until 18. I got out 10 dollars and gave it to Ed. “How bad does it tastes, I heard the reason people yack is from the taste..” I asked slash stated.

“Well if you leave it in your mouth too long it will make you throw up because it really just burns,” and then he started to give me a little lesson/lecture on alcohol. “Okay basically there are different types of alcohol: vodka, tequila, rum, brandey, gin, whiskey, and beer. Wine isn’t really alcohol because only older people drink it with like meals just to feel upperclass. 1 shot of alcohol is worth like 1 beer, and 1 beer is 12 ounces and so like 3 and half beers is 40 ounces and a 40 will get you a nice drunk so like 3 and half shots of alcohol will get you a nice drunk. The problem is it is gunna be your first time so you have a harder threshold to cross into the drunk. Its like your immune system will be fighting harder to the foreign object its never seen. So the bottle we are getting has like 15 shots in it and you need about twice as much as normal so like 7 shots to get drunk, so we will just split the bottle and both get a good drunk. I’m a heavyweight so I can handle a lot but we don’t know what you are so we will find out. Parents always think its dangerous but actually drinking is quite harmless, I mean I’m still standing and active and strong and I’ve drank a lot.”

I was juiced, “Yee, what doesn’t kill you just makes you stronger.”

“I mean unless you get your arms cut off and still live, then you are going to be hella weak….

It was around 6 at night, and dark out when Ed got the phone call, “ Aight I’ll be waiting in front of my house.” Our delivery had arrived and I was feeling a nervous excited. Ed went outside and I stayed in his living room playing videogames so he could handle the transaction alone and make it seem non-chalant. I was absently mindedly killing noobs on Halo 2 on x-box live (an interactive online first person shooter) while I had a little talk with my conscience. My parents had always stressed, live above the influence and I had prided myself in being “straightedge” and had boasted less then a year ago about how I would never drink or smoke. I really was suddenly ignoring all that. I decided I was growing up, maturing, and I felt that I should try drinking to at least know why it was so bad. Yeah people become alcoholics and stoners but that’s from excessive use and I’m only trying it this one time. My mom always made me try every type of food saying, “How do you know you dislike it if you haven’t tried it, here just a little.” Then she would give me a little bit more then a little and watch me eat it. I convinced myself I was following my own mother’s advice. “Oh just try it Zak.”

Ed came back in and pulled a glass bottle out of a brown paper bag. His parents both worked and usually came home around 7/730. “Check it out fool, he hooked it up with some Smirnoff Triple Distilled, this is good quality vodka.” He handed the bottle to me.

“Good, I didn’t want some nasty shit,” I said checking out the bottle, it was a foreign object to me, “what does this 80 proof mean.”

“That tells you the percent of alcohol if you divide it by 2, so this is 40 percent alcohol.” He picked up his controller and resumed playing. “Fool you trying to walk over to Marikas a little early before my parents get here like around ten till 7, I’ll introduce you to her and it’ll be chill.” Fortunately she lived less then a 20 minute walk away according to Ed.

“Yea, but what are we gunna tell your parents?”

He smiled, “If they call I will just ignore it, and then text them that we are in a movie.”

“Good call, this night is bout to be hella fun fool, just get me a good drunk, I’m trying to actually party.” I really was looking forward to the night. I wanted to be that little angel my mom loved but convinced myself sometimes you have to experience life and go against some huge claims you made, I had realized my claims were unnecessary. I mean never drinking or smoking seemed a little extreme. My parents have always stressed what is bad and good. It was almost too easy to go against all my previous values that I had grew up into. This was the first time I was doing something completely behind my parents back. I was about to turn my claims into lies, and break my 1000-dollar promise/bet. All my words in the past suddenly seemed meaningless.

“Yea fool, sometimes you just got to live a little, and by sometimes I mean every weekend.”

“Hahah, yessir, you bout to get on some girls tonight?” Ed was pretty good at getting at girls.

He responded, “That’s a given, unless I pass out. Parties are everything is high school fool,” he hit off the x-box console and got up, “That’s where all the girls are and where there is chances to get action. It’s the core of our social lives. Girls are all secret freaks who want to have fun fool, you just need to be at the party and good things happen, lets get ready to do this!!”

We headed up-stairs chitchatting about Halo-2 and arguing over who was better. When we got to his room he smiled, “Let’s pre-fade.”

I assumed it meant drink before we left and felt his eyes pressuring me, “Okay fasho,” I said feigning ease. He had a collection of shot glasses from different states on his desk and grabbed one.

“Aight first shots on you.” He popped the top, poured a shot, and handed it to me. I thought back on his advice, drink it fast. I tried to drink it fast but it tasted really bad and I almost had to spit it out. After a second it finally went down but the taste lingered and made me shiver. It tasted awful. I didn’t really want to have another shot, but with Ed there cheering me on I felt the obligation to. The next shot was worse. I almost threw up right after it went down.

“Fool, lets get some juice to wash away that terrible taste,” I thought I had reached the perfect conclusion.

“A chaser? That’s for girls, man up and just be a beast fool, its pretty good tasting,” he said like I hadn’t seen him wincing both shots he had matched me with. By my 4^th shot I had decided I hated vodka. He was making me take the shots right after another saying, “You don’t get drunk if you wait to long.” After the 6^th shot I was feeling a little swervy, and decided I was drunk.

“I’m feelin it, yee!” Drinking wasn’t so bad at all. The taste was basically gone.

“Aight one more shot to last us the walk,” he said filling up another shot with a shaky hand and spilling. He passed it to me but I spilled it on my shirt. His face was really flushed red. He filled me another one. I drank it and it didn’t taste bad at all. I sat on the ground. “Get up, lets roll, lets party yee!” I got up and we were suddenly outside his house. He had the empty bottle in his hand and chucked it. It shattered and we started running laughing. Then we realized we were going the wrong way and started running the other way.

“Ed, lets party!”

“Yee!” he slowed down, and we started walking. He started telling me about girls, “It’s a rap tonight, I’m bout to be on all the dimes. Girls are always down if they are a little drunk, before they drink they are always in little circles with each other. Then they drink and feel comfortable to talk to the guys and try and hook-up; its hell of funny. I mean I could hook up sober but it is more fun drunk but they need –

I threw up in front of me on the street.

“You good?”

“I just had to get that out my system I’m good.”

He laughed, “Yea anyways it’s a rap.”

“Ed lets post right here,” I sat on a curb.

“Naw lets get to the party and post,” He helped me up and we started walking again, “Just breath calmly.” I was stumbling and he was somehow helping me along even though he was drunk too. I was not in control of anything. For a second I was thinking if my parents caught – I brushed that thought off with an o’ well.

“Yee. Lets party you only live once.”

“Fasho, lets get there first,” Ed agreed with me. I stumbled to the ground. The gravel street was pretty comfy. It was cool. My face felt hot. I lied on my back.

“Lets just post here for a second.”

“Zak get up.” I rolled to my side and threw up for the second time of the night. I got up, stumbled. The night was nice and cool. I stumbled a little more. Ed was helping me stay up. We got to the party. I was moving wobbly. I sat on a couch at the party … Ed left me … Somebody told me they were going to get Ed. There was music and I couldn’t think straight. “Hey Zak we are going back to my house, can you walk.” I stumbled into Ed’s arms. He dragged me, almost carried me back to his house. I threw up a few more times. I wanted to sleep. I went to sleep in his bed.

I woke up in the morning and I looked at the digital clock next to Ed’s bed. It read 6:15 AM. I had to go pee. I got up and stumbled; I felt like shit. I made a pact in my head that I would never drink again. I had found out all I wanted too know about alcohol. Unfortunately I was a freshman and didn’t really remember my pact about drinking a week after this incident. I wish I could have learned my lesson the first time. My parents hope I’m just in a high school phase. History doesn’t repeat itself, it rhymes.