Friendships Last Forever

Ari

It was karate that night, and I enjoy doing it every Thursday. I met a new student that night, however. The moment we said our first "hello," to each other, we knew we would be friends. Possibly for life, and beyond. I feared my parents would never accept him, however, so we decided to keep our friendship a secret from my parents. We got along very well, and we hung out a few times at his place. I had a cover for it, though, so my parents never suspected a thing. We became the best of friends, and nothing could break our bond together.

But one day, me and my friend went out drinking with a few more of our buds. I was a smart kid, so I knew that I shouldn't drink too much, or I would get a really bad hangover the next day. It wasn't very tasty anyway. He became very drunk and decided to go get a random girl and do what a guy does best to girls. I stayed out of this, and called a taxi so I could get home. I didn't have a license, and even if I did, I could be in some trouble if I drove.

Not long after, I was at my home, and he started to text me. "hey dood, y did you not stay? Were partyin really hard over here!" He texted. "I have some things to do here. busy man, you know" I replied. "oh, i know you well. you are just gonna b at home playn them videogames, right? u need to get out more often!" "fine, you caught me. I would really like to level up my character more." "fine, i will leave you @ it. but you are missin out, the girls here are really hot!" he concluded. But I thought to myself that maybe I do need to get out more. I mean, my skin is really pale and all, so I guess it wouldn't hurt.

The next day, I called my friend and asked him if we could go out camping in the wood one time. He liked the idea, and we went to get our stuff ready. I told my mom that I was going out for a sleepover at a friends place, and was taking a taxi. She gave me some money for it, even though I was going to be picked up a block down the street. So when we got there, we set up our tents, built a fire-pit, and did the things we would do when camping. It was a very fun time.

It was tick season, however. And we didn't know.

So a day later, I had gotten a message from his mom saying that he is very ill and is in the hospital. I rushed to the hospital to see my friend. When I got to his room, he seemed to be very tired. I asked him how he was feeling, and he said he was very tired, and had chills going through his body. The doctor said he just had a bad case of the flu, and it would go away in a few days. I had a feeling it was something worse than that, and it was obvious it was not the flu. I asked him if I could check his upper body, and he said sure. I checked his torso, but it was fine. When I checked his arm, however, I saw a circle-ish rash with a ring of a rash around it. I felt it and it was really warm.

Those doctors were ametures. I told them he likely had something more than a flu, and they came up with every excuse possible that it was just the flu. As time went on, the symptoms became worse and worse. Eventually, he started to get severe headaches, loss of control of muscles on his face and dizziness. So I looked online for any diseases that could have caused these symptoms, and the first thing I found was Lyme Disease. I was scared, because I knew that Lyme Disease has the potential to be deadly. I told the doctors treating my friend that I think it could be Lyme Disease, and he needs help from someone who can handle it. They told me there was no possible way, and it was just the flu.

A month or two later, I came back to check on him. The symptoms were worse, and I was told that he had gotten arthritis. I told them that there is no possible way this could be the flu, because the flu doesn't last this long. They took my comment into consideration and called a specialized doctor. It would take a month before they would get there in time. But, at this point, my friend had an elevated heart rate, and it got harder and harder for him to breathe.

In the end, the doctor did not come fast enough, and my friend lost his life because he did not get enough air through his body, and the symptoms prevented his muscles from working well enough. All these years, and I have never told anyone that I thought it was my fault for challenging him and myself, and I also thought it was the doctors fault for not noticing the symptoms fast enough. I had blamed everyone about his death. I still remember the times we used to share, and I will never forget.

After his death, I attempted suicide by jumping off of a building, so I could be with him once more. But I was convinced not to. That was 5 years ago, and I have made up my mind now. My parents died from a car accident, and college has not worked out for me. I have a low paying job, and only enough money for food, a small apartment and basic furniture. I have checked many dating sites, and there has not been one woman who has loved me. You can't change my mind now, and I am through with my choice. I will finish what I have started 5 years ago, and I will jump. I will hit the ground and be gone from the world. I will see my friend, and we will be happy once more.

Our friendship will last forever.