Johnnathan, My Big Brother; Old Friends

         John's school let out several weeks before mine did. That's why I was still writing English papers while he had come home, a graduated senior. But that turned out not to be such a bad deal. John had learned a lot at that school and he helped me study for my finals. He was a lot of help.

         After my sophomore year ended, I took Jonny around. I showed him what had changed while he was gone and what was new. We even went to see some of his old friends. Most didn't recognize him, or didn't acknowledge him. That made me mad. They knew all the trouble he had gone through, all the hardships he'd endured, and still they didn't treat him like a human being, just an outcast. If I could have, I would have beaten them to a pulp. But they were seniors, mostly football players, and I didn't stand a chance.

         Some of the guys did recognize him, though. Jeff, a really smart guy who had been considered a nerd, acted really nice toward John. They actually talked for about three hours. Jonny apologized for all the things he'd done to Jeff, and Jeff forgave all. He told John that he knew that John and I had been in a real bad situation, and he gave John a lot of leeway, although there were a few hard feelings about a certain swirly given to Jeff before the science fair. But in the end, the just ended up laughing about it all and Jeff and John hugged before we left. I never thought I'd see something like that from anyone my brother had known. I was wrong.

         A few other kids were glad to see John too. Julie, a girl who had helped him with his math, told John she was hoping to see him again. Paul, a big guy from the Offensive line, gave John a bear hug and invited him over for some of his mom's cooking sometime. Also, there was Jenny, a close friend who had kept me going when John first left.

         Friday, though, we went to see James, John's former best friend. James treated John like dirt. He had become a complete asshole when John left. It seems that, when John went away, James took up with the "popular crowd." He had become one of those guys who thought he was better than anyone else was. I hated them. Though, as we drove off, I saw James start to cry. Strange.

         I guess old friendships die-hard.

Chapter 4:"Jonnathan, My Big Brother; Tough Times" 
Back to the First Chapter" Jonathan, My Big Brother; Anticipation"