Sample+PN2

 **//Your friends are a reflection of you.//** I don’t remember having any trouble being me when I was in high school. I jumped from clique to clique, sharing jokes and secrets and never feeling indebted to anyone. “That Kate, she’s really something else, isn’t she?” And I really was. Surrounded by the recklessness that our elders’ dubbed //adolescence//, I held true to my identity and values. No alcohol, no drugs, no illicit behavior: I guess you could say I was almost angelic. Almost, aside from that one minor chip in the paint, something I thought was love. The only rules I broke were in the name of love—to be with him as much as I possibly could. Like Romeo and Juliet, we were from two totally different families in two totally different parts of the state. We sacrificed our livelihood to see each other in the wee hours of the night, only to struggle to stay awake through grueling classes followed by strenuous sports practices. Though in different grades and different circles, we were joined at the elbow, making each other mix-tapes and composing ridiculous love letters virtually on a daily basis. Ben was a goofball, a tall goofball, who was never afraid to lope around campus pretending to be an eighty-year-old woman who loves mint-chocolate chip soda. My stomach muscles where solid, perhaps you could even say I had washboard abs from the amount of laughing we did together. I loved to laugh, so I loved him. Soon, however, “friends” intervened and Ben didn’t make me laugh anymore. Saturday night before spring break of my Junior year. Everyone sighs deeply and thanks their various gods for some relief from the stressful semester. For most high school students, relief came in the form of the contents of an aluminum can. “You're coming with me to Nick’s right?” he asked, “I think I’ll just meet you there and ride with the girls.” “Alright, we’ll see you later then.” He closed the door to his red Beretta and careened out of the parking lot. When I did see him later, he was totally incoherent—silly drunk. The routine had become ingrained: meet up with “friends” drink excessively, and the rest of the night was forgotten, save the painful headache the next day. Ben had changed. I no longer laughed. Instead I spent nights crying myself to sleep, wracking my mind for possible solutions, but at this point in Ben’s life, his friends were stronger than me. I never fell into Ben’s routine, but I watched him struggle with his reflection during the last two years of our relationship. It was more than clear that his peers pushed him into a corner where he was no longer aware of what he was doing. I was and am ever grateful for the sound values instilled in me by the mentor-ship of adults in my life. Friends influence our behavior and if you want to be good, find good friends.
 * //“Tell Me Who You Walk With, and I’ll Tell You Who You Are”//**