Jane Story

My freshman year I was invited to a party thrown by a senior whose parents were out of town. It was my first high school party. A friend, who lived a few houses down my block, had also been invited to the party. I managed to find us a ride from an upperclassman. Jane had been my close friend for three years, but the events of that evening changed our friendship forever.

There was alcohol at the party, hard liquor and beer. Jane and I spent most of our time with a group of people who were not drinking. While I was talking to someone, Jane left the room and disappeared. For an hour I waited, expecting Jane to return. As time passed, I became concerned and began to ask around about her. A few people told me she drank eight shots of vodka and went upstairs with a guy. I knew that that amount of alcohol would have a tremendous effect on her 110 pound body.

When I found Jane, she was staggering with her face flushed and eyes dazed. I asked her what she had done. “Something I already regret,” she responded. I quickly found us a sober ride home. We were dropped off at a park near our homes, where we could wait until she was sober enough to walk.

As we waited, Jane began to cry. She admitted that it was not the first time drinking, that she often drank alone, for it made her troubles go away. I suddenly found myself between two daunting walls: the peer pressure to cover such habits from adults and the repercussions if she did not receive help She pleaded with me to not talk to her parents, asking me to let her solve her own problems. I ignored her pleading and helped her home. As we approached her house, Jane made a last attempt