What about his side of the story?

Chapter 1

"Jack! Where're you going dude?"

I turned around and saw my best friend Robert running towards me through the crowd, school was over.

"Why," I replied. "did I forget anything ?" I was sure I hadn't forgotten anything back at the classroom, but maybe I forgot some plan I made with my friends. Sometimes I get distracted and forget about little things like that.

"No dude," he said. "I just wanted to tell you that we're planning to go to the cinema, maybe grab some pizza afterwards, me and the boys".  I liked nothing more than going out with my best friends and watch a film we all wanted to see, so everyone was happy and chatting freely. But that day I wanted to go home and rest.

"Dude," I told him. "I'm tired, it's been a stressful week and I just want to go home and rest, anyway, what are you watching?" I couldn't remember any good movie screening that week, the others we had seen already.

"Screw you man," he answered playfully. "We're all tired, let's just go have some fun, I can drive you home, if that's what it takes...." That was a good solution, part of the problem was how I'd go back home, I really didn't wanted to take the bus. "We want to watch a new scary movie, hmmm, Final Girl, I think. Just.... come on,  don't be an ass".

He was right, and I needed to have some fun and relax, an eighteen year-old shouldn't let his worries take over his life. I just had so much stress at school, we were going for college in two years and I had the horrible IB to worry about. IB Physics, IB Chemistry, IB History, IB Maths... I was considering dropping out of the IB diploma. And Debate! I was one of the three team captains and was exploited by our coach, I just loved the debates and the models of the UN's, not the so called theory classes, where we learned absolutely nothing. I've always thought we learn it all while debating, not before. Although I was considered very good at debating, I mean, I got to be Team Captain at my second year, I was still a novice. Anyway, the debate team was under stress because a debate tournament was close and we had to prepare each topic for hours. I was really excited, I loved those tournaments because you could meet a lot of people alike, which could make really good friends, and there was a lot to learn.

"Hey!," he inquired after he had waited for a minute or two. "somebody there? Earth calling Jack! Somebody home?" He said as he knocked on my head to see if I answered.

"Okay" I answered him after jerking his hand off my head. "I'll go with you guys, but what if you go to my house and stay for the night, we can play some Halo". There was nothing better to relax yourself than shooting other people online with your best friend, and we loved to play Halo, just do stupid things and laugh about how bad the other one is. "Maybe we can play some FIFA if we get bored after a while, I might just convince my mother to buy me this year's version, what do you say dude?"

"Fine, let me just call my mother" he replied anxiously, his mother rarely granted him permission if he didn't asked several days before, but we've been best friends for a long time, and she likes me, so if it is at my house, she would probably say yes. "I'll text mine, so she knows you're coming over and that we're going to the cinema and for some pizza. What time is the movie screening?" I asked distracted, awaiting no answer, as he was worried because his mother didn't answer her phone.

"Mum!," he said.

"Hi son, what's going on? Weren't you going to the cinema?" I heard her voice through the phone, what's wrong with old people?, they always scream through the phone, as if no one could hear them if they'd talk normally.

"Tell her I say hi" I told him, I was raised to be polite, and she had always been polite to me, so it always felt like the right thing to say that.

"Yeah," he said. "But I was talking to Jack here, who says hi, by the way; he's inviting me over to his house, can I? We'll go in the car to the cinema, then to eat some pizza and then straight to his house, I'll be back home tomorrow afternoon."

"Ok, just make sure you both get there safely. Do you have any homework for the weekend? Any exams?" She replied.

"No," he answered. "I mean, I have already done my homework and we've got no exams next week" His mother had always been so worried about his son's school life, he must've never fail a class or get a bad grade, or else... My parents are quite more flexible, I mean, they like me to have a good average and no troubles, but they'd never remind me of my work every 5 minutes, like Robert's mother.

"Fine, have fun. Ah, and say hello to Jack's mother, we'll be home if you need us" She replied.

"Thanks mum," he said. "See you tomorrow, tell father please". *click* he hung the phone.

"You heard her," he said now to me. "it's fine with her, if it wasn't your house, I'd probably never had received the permission. Let's go, the movie's at 4 and it's already 3. The others will meet us there. Now, where did I left my car?". That always made me laugh, he was so distracted that he never remembered where he parked.

"Idiot," I said. "you should leave right at the entrance, so you always see it right away. Try pointing the key to your chest or your head and click the lock button" I had read that on a book, the reason is fascinating. The head acts as great amplifier and the ribs made the signal bounce in every direction, so the signal might just reach your car if it's not too further away.

"Ah, shut up," he replied. "is that how you talk to your one and only ride?" he teased me.

"You know what?, I might just call a taxi, it'll be easier" I said.

We both laughed at that, we'd never leave the other like that. "Can you hear the locks?" he asked.

"No, sure you brought it?" I asked.

"If not, I'm in real trouble, it's not at home" he replied.

We found it after 5 minutes of searching the whole parking lot. It was at the far end of the lot, how could he not remember the long walk to the school entrance? We just entered the car and buckled up afterwards. "Hey man," I said. "I'm turning the radio on, any petitions?" I knew what he was going to say, we always heard some rock.

"You know what," he replied. "get some rock, I won't be able to bear with the traffic without it".

The streets were full and it took us 40 minutes to get to the cinema. We only spoke about some girls and boring teachers. We agreed Anna was great, she was cute, beautiful, sexy and smart, but out of our league. I'd never had any relationship before and Robert had only had a girlfriend some years back, she was kind of ugly, but a nice girl. I think we were both too shy and lived in a small school, where meeting new interesting girls was hard.