I'll Weigh You Down

Chapter 1

Joe walked up to Pete and I with his goofy smile and messed up hair, his backpack draped on his shoulder. Knowing Joe, he most likely got back from 'seeing' another girl. Since Joe was gonna meet up with the rest of the group, he began to walk with us to the park.

"So who is it?" I asked with a smirk. Joe turned to me, a look of pride in his eyes.

"I've been nailing this college girl for about a week now. I met her at Ross's house party a while back." Joe answered.

"Ross?" I asked.

"Yeah, Ryan Ross. That guy who sounds like he hasn't gone through puberty yet. To be honest, that nerd sure can throw a good house party."

We kept on walking, reminiscing about the house party, when we finally reached the park. Grace, Morgan, Andy, Patrick, and Simon were already sitting down in the grass, waiting for us. I sat down in the grass next to Grace and placed my book bag beside me. Being almost the end of February, it was still chilly throughout the town. Grace leaned into my side and shivered, the thin jacket she was wearing, clearly not helping. Grace was a quiet, polite girl with light brown hair past her bottom and eyes to match. She didn't have any tattoos like everyone else. The only people in the group whose bodies are ink free is Patrick, Grace and I. Even though she had no tattoos, she did have an eyebrow piercing that we persuaded her to get after we got her drunk one time in tenth grade. We all admit, it was a stupid decision, but after a while, Grace grew fond of it and almost never took it out. The only other person who has a piercing is Morgan. At the beginning of the school year, she got a nose stud.

Joe snuck up behind Patrick and took off his glasses, putting them on himself and running off. Patrick groaned in frustration, standing up and chasing after him through the grass.

"Give them back Joe!"

"Nuh uh! You'll have to catch me first shorty!"

"Give me back my glasses Joe, or I'll tell everyone at school you got crabs!"

"Ooh threatening to spread rumors are we? Fine then." Joe gave up, handing the glasses back to Patrick.

Patrick usually doesn't threaten people, being the incredibly nice and polite guy he is. And even though he's small, if you get on his nerves, he could at least leave a few bruises. Patrick put his glasses back on, adjusting his trucker cap, tucking in a few loose strands of his amber orange hair. His whole life he's worn that trucker cap on his head and square black glasses over his green blue eyes, along with always having sideburns.

Andy also wears glasses, very similar to Patrick's. He's the only guy who has facial hair (well the only one who decides to keep it), being a goatee. Although Andy has light brown hair like Grace, he's been growing it out for years, it now was slightly past his shoulders like a girl's. You'd think that people would make fun of him for it, and in some cases you'd be right. But in some cases there are a lot of times when people have thought Andy was a badass. Ever since Andy was seventeen, he's been getting tattoos. He seemed fascinated with the idea to have permanent drawings on your skin. I guess he saw it as beautiful art that would last forever. He currently had almost both of his arms completely sleeved and a few tattoos on his chest. Knowing Andy, he's probably going to add a few more pictures to his collection of tattoos pretty soon.

The only girl in the group who has any ink is Morgan. But the only thing she has is a skull on fire, finely printed on her collarbone. She got it after she failed a math test last year. It was also the same day her boyfriend broke up with her. I recall that day very clearly. After she was furious about the test and her boyfriend, she was acting like a total bitch to anyone who even looked at her. I called her a hothead when I followed her down to the tattoo parlor, and that's where she got the inspiration for a skull on fire.

Simon wasn't very into the idea of having a drawing on your skin forever. But that mindset for him changed one night after he got drunk on a Saturday in tenth grade and got the Batman symbol, tattooed on the nape of his neck. Simon went to school the next morning complaining his neck hurt, when he found out he had it.

Joe only got into ink at the beginning of the school year. He only has one arm sleeved and ever since he's gotten his first tattoo, he's been trying to convince Grace, Patrick, and I to get one. Pete's not so different when it comes to tattoos. He's only got one arm sleeved and he's got one or two on the other arm. Pete also has round ivy like one, that goes around his neck and chest almost like a necklace. Those are the only ones I know of, although I feel like there are some he hasn't shown me before. Pete was lying down on his back in the grass under a tree in front of me.

When we all became friends, Patrick found this place and we decided to meet up here every day, and make this a hangout spot. All of us carved our initials into that tree at the start of freshman year with Andy's pocket knife. We all met in sixth grade, the beginning of middle school, not all being the same age. Grace is the youngest, seventeen, due to being put into school a year too early, but she's a cool chick. Patrick, Joe, and I are eighteen. Pete, Andy, Simon, and Morgan are all nineteen. Morgan should be out of high school, but she told all of us she was held back in fifth grade before we met her, because her teacher was a bitch.

Pete sighed, now slumped against the tree, arms behind his head. Patrick and Joe calmed down, sitting on opposite sides of Pete. Grace was still snuggled into my side, Morgan sitting by me. Andy was in between Patrick and Morgan, Simon between Grace and Joe, Pete exactly parallel from me. We were all now in a complete circle, in silence, still being dark outside in the dead of night.

"I can't believe we're all going to graduate in three months." Pete broke the silence.

Grace sat up, discontinuing leaning into me.

"It's kind of scary. All the routines we're used to is just gonna change. All the fun is just gonna disappear." Grace stated.

Joe looked over at her. "Hell no Grace! Being out of high school will mean that we'll actually be legal adults! At least we wouldn't have to use those fake IDs anymore to get booze." Andy rolled his eyes at Joe.

"You mean you wouldn't have to use that fake ID anymore. We haven't used any of those once." Pete cleared his throat, raising his hand in the air. "I've used one a couple times." I gave Pete the look that he should know too well, saying not to do it again. He gave me a playful smile, mentally telling me that he wouldn't, even though I already knew he wasn't going to keep that promise. I decided to speak up, and say my opinion.

"You know Grace does have a point. We need to have like.. I don't know.. One huge party when we graduate or something." I looked over at Morgan, wondering her opinion. She looked over at me and shrugged.

"I mean we could go to a frat house about twenty miles out."