First off, before I begin this passage I want to let you know that I don’t regret any of this. This all started off on a Friday afternoon with my “knucklehead” friends lying down on my basement couches. It seemed that, every other day we would spend time there, never having any excitement. During this time, approximately early September, I was full of ambition and wanted to seek a new adventure, and a social change. This involved a relationship with someone. My “friends” knew for the longest of time how I wanted a girlfriend, especially after the two I tried so hard for. The first girl was a total disaster. She was Kardashian-like in the sense of the way she acted and the constant annoyance she gave off. The other girl was something else entirely, but was actually nice until she left me for another guy. These two people though don’t matter to me anymore. Later that day, after lying down on these beat up white couches, everything was going to change.
              

That night was the start of our school’s football season against our rival, Wayne Hills. This was the game that everyone was waiting for. Like every other fun thing to do, the knuckleheads were stubborn on going. Finally after countless hours of convincing them, I got them off the couch, and on the way to Wayne. Once we reached the school, I got two of “my friends” to follow me into the stands. Before we knew it though, it started to rain. Then, in a matter of minutes, it began to pour, as if it were a hurricane.
              

This had not affected our overall attitude towards staying, until I realized my phone was about to break for the billionth time. While I was walking down the stands, i saw my friend Dan was there at the bottom of the stairs. He saw me and called my name, and from this moment everything changed.
              

I looked behind him and realized he wasn’t alone. At first, I was nervous about the fact of leaving the stooges I called my friends behind in the stands, but I saw that he was with two other girls. I knew one of them from last year, because I used to see her in the halls, but I saw another girl behind her that caught my eye. I met her around on Monday when school started in chemistry, and I recognized then, that I had interest in her.
              

In that moment at the bottom of the stands, i thought to myself, “screw it”. I ran with Dan, and the girls, until we reached a dug out aside the Hills baseball field. We were soaked.

Fast-forwarding to a month and a half later, those sorry couches downstairs were starting to lose one of its members. The member leaving, or rather branching out from immaturities was I. At this time the girl I that I met at the football game and I had been dating for about two weeks. She was, and still is smart, funny, and beautiful and the most loving person I had ever met. I never thought I could have someone as amazing as her, however, me being simply happy, angered my “friends.” Constant remarks about our relationship, and its worthlessness, was affecting both my girlfriend and I, despite there being no reason for this. The force that was pushing them was pure jealousy. My old group and I had been together for ages, going on vacations together, hanging out together, and practically doing everything together. Being friends with them I was extremely happy until I realized the actions they took towards me were completely ruthless, and wrong, because they knew I wanted this for so long.
              

It was “Halloweekend”, and the plan was to take my friends, my girlfriend’s friends, and I to a bunch of parties and have an overall great time. I had very little room in my car, and only could fit a few of my friends. In the attempt of bringing everyone, I was scolded and instead was told that they would meet me at the party. After the night was over, I was accused of ditching and leaving them out. The reality of the matter was that I never ditched anyone, and it was not my fault that they missed out on every opportunity that I gave them. I was unnecessarily berated, and looked down upon for the rest of the weekend, and for the rest of our friendship. The next Monday came, and then I made the best choice of my life.

Monday afternoon, I realized what it takes to be a man. It took a ton of heart, and the realization to do what really makes someone happy, in order to accomplish what I did that afternoon. I knew I would miss them and it would be difficult to live life without them, but I knew I needed a change. Maturing is not a bad thing and never has been. The wrong way to look at it is that being mature is not “fun” because although it could be stressful at times, it could also lead you to a path of happiness. When I spoke out and said how I really felt and thought of them, essentially leaving and breaking apart from the group for good, I was brought back into reality.
It’s been four months since I hung out with that group of people, and the way they live their lives is exactly the same. Where they used to reside however has drastically changed. My basement couches have started to replenish themselves and bring back their structure. They have become more happy with new, better people occupying them. A couch, in that sense, is like a person; the less weight on your shoulders leaves you more room to live and follow the pursuit of happiness.