An Unwelcomed Guest

Eric, Adam, Kimberly, and Jennifer stroll through the forest in silence. It has been a couple of weeks since they had hung out at their favorite childhood spot, a large tree house on a hill behind an abandoned home they discovered years ago. A place filled with many cherished memories. Deep down they all knew that these two weeks break symbolized something greater: they have grown up. And with high school now over, soon the four of them will be going their separate ways. They do not want to face the fact that this could be the last time the four of them are all together.

As they make their way to the hill Eric shouts, “The last one to the top is a rotten egg!” His brunette hair flops in the wind as he runs. 

“Ugh! You always do that,” Adam cries from behind. He hangs on to his glasses to keep them from falling as he tries to catch up to Eric. Jennifer and Kimberly look at each other before laughing.

“Boys.” Kimberly jokes. 

“They’ll never grow up,” Jennifer agrees. Both girls, not wanting to lose against Adam, find themselves speeding up behind him to make it to the top. With fastened breaths, all four make it to the treehouse . They take turns climbing up the ladder and collapse on the wooden floor in laughter, until silence fills the small wooden room.

“I can’t believe this is it,” Jennifer says, still trying to catch her breath.There moment of happiness departs as quickly as it came. 

“You just had to say it,” Kimberly groans. “I just wanted to enjoy these last hours!” Jennifer did not take offense to her comment. After knowing Kimberly for ten years she was used to her dramatic remarks. Kimberly has always been the drama queen or as Jennifer likes to say, the diva of the group. 

“She's right though Kimberly. This is it. So can we please just enjoy what little time we still have together,” Eric says as he touches Jennifer's hand, letting it linger for a moment too long, before moving it away. It is no secret that Eric is in love with Jennifer, and has been since eighth grade. He could never muster up the courage to ask her out alone, without the other two. 

Eric’s and Jennifer's eyes connect for a second before she turns away, leaving a cloud of awkwardness to hover through the room.“You know what, I’m kinda hungry,” Eric says, feeling his cheeks get red from embarrassment. “Why don’t Adam and I go get us all a pizza from Louie’s? You know that one shop that just opened? I heard they are supposed to have the best pizza in the Bay Area.” 

“Yeah, great idea… pizza is a great idea,” Jennifer stammers. She tucks her hair behind her ears trying not to make eye contact with Eric, she knew doing so will only prolong the awkwardness. 

“Okay sure thing. We’ll be back! Don’t talk about us too much while we’re gone,” Adam jokes making his way down the ladder.”

“You wish,” Kimberly laughs, throwing a stick down at them but misses. 

“Ha, missed,” Eric says, trying to egg her on. She replies back, but they are unable to hear her sassy response. Eric and Adam make their way back up the trail towards town leaving the girls alone in the tree house.

Kimberly looks out the window, making sure the boys are no longer in sight before slapping Jennifer on the arm, “You idiot!” 

“Ouch! What did I do?” Jennifer says rubbing the spot where Kimberly had hit her.

Kimberly mimics her, “What did I do? Don’t act stupid, Jen. We all saw Eric try and hold your hand, and you rejected him. 

“Ohh you saw that? Do you think Adam recognized it too?” Jennifer flusters. 

“I don’t think so. Adam is smart on paper but, he really has nothing in that brain of his.” They both laugh. “Why won’t you go for it?”

“Because… it’s stupid,” she says figeting with the strings on her oversized sweatshirt. 

“How?”

“I mean, Eric is on his way to New York with a scholarship to play football. Who am I to ruin that?” Jennifer explains. 

“Then why not go with him to New York?” 

“You know I want to focus on my music career.”

“But can’t you do it in New York, too?”

“I have dreams here in California, plus LA's the place for music right now.”

Kimberly and Jennifer continue to talk about the possibility of Jennifer and Eric being a couple for almost off an hour, but Jennifer still rejects the idea.

“Fine, but you two will-” Kimberly stops talking as she hears someone coming up the ladder. “I think they’re back,” she whispers. 

“Hey that was quick,” Jennifer shouts down as she makes her way over the top of the ladder to help them up. However, she is not greeted by the faces of Eric or Adam, but instead Shawn, a boy they know from school. Shawn Peters is the most arrogant, big-headed, egocentric, patronizing, pompous person to ever walk the earth, and if not the earth, then at least San Francisco. His father is a home developer and is a big-time investor at the New York stock exchange. And that where they get all their money from.  Although they know of Shawn, they would not necessarily see him as part of the group or would even call him a friend. So when Jennifer sees him climbing up to the treehouse, she is taken back. “Incoming,” she says softly, just loud enough for Kimberly to hear.  

“What?” she questions.

“Hey, Shawn!” Jennifer waves questionably.

“Shawn? Shawn Peter is here?” Kimberly says rolling her eyes. “Shawn, what do you want?” she yells down.

“I heard you guys were doing your last little hurrah, and I thought I would stop by," he says as he adjusts his suit, that makes him look ten years his age. 

“Well, bye.” Jennifer says pointing to the entrance of the tree house. Shawn rolls his eyes at her snarky remark. And does the exact opposite of Jennifer's request, and takes a seat on the old beanbag in the corner of the room.

"Where's Eric and…the other one?” Shawn asks, crossing his legs as if he just won a debate of some sort.

"Adam,” Kimberly corrects him.

"Yes, that one. Where are they?”

"It's none of your-” she says before getting interrupted.

----------------

After their trip to Louie’s, The boys slowly walk through the forest as they make their way back to the tree house. Eric looks down at his watch, reading 2:15 PM, trying to find anything to get his mind off Jennifer. "I feel stupid.” Eric says as he holds two large pizza boxes.

"Why?” Adam says carelessly just trying to survive the heat of the sun.

"Did you not see what happened, in the treehouse?” Eric flips out nearly dropping the pizza. 

“No, and calm down. I am sure whatever it is couldn't be that major.”

“Well, yeah it is. She rejected me,” he replies, kicking the dirt.

“Again, and?”

“And?” Eric snaps. Adam remarks only fumes his frustration over the events that had transpired earlier. As he goes to further express himself, he can hear a familiar voice coming from the treehouse where they had left Jennifer and Kimberly. A guy's voice. “Wait do you hear that? I think I hear Shawn Peters!” Eric tosses the pizza to Adam and runs up to the treehouse. Adam, barely catching it, follows behind. "What are you doing here?” Eric commands as he enters the treehouse. Shawn backs up with fear as his back hits the wall, and the tree house trembles with tension. 

This is not the first time Shawn and Eric have had a run in. There has always been animosity between the two, even dating back to their days in little league. The hatred between the two used to be so thick in the air that the entire dugout could smell it’s fumes. Honestly, neither of them know how this rivalry really started. Eric always felt that Shawn never accepted him because of his poorer upbringing. Shawn grew up privileged. His parents are wealthy, and he reaps from it. However, Eric did not have that luck. He grew up in a household with a single mother due to a car accident that left his father dead. His mother had to find a way to make ends meet as a waitress at a small diner. Eric does not live on the best side of town nor has the latest or greatest clothes, but he never lets that define him. Nevertheless Shawn does, and he always tries to find a way to hold it over his head. Eric has had enough of Shawn, and will not let him take the one thing he actually cares about, his friends. 

“Nothing… Nothing. I just want to hang out with you guys.” Shawn replies, trying to remain calm, but obviously he cannot hide that fact that he is startled.

“That’s Crap. You made my life suck for the past 11 years, and now you want to be friends. I don’t think so.” Eric nearly has his hands wrapped around Shawn's neck, which he knows he can easily break when comparing their sizes.

Adam finally makes it upstairs to witness what is going on. He leaves the pizza boxes at the entrance of the tree house, and becomes an audience like Jennifer and Kimberly. All three of them know they should do something, but do not know how to react. Yes, they all know that Eric has a temper, but they have never seen him perform like this.

Jennifer finally comes to her senses and walks up to the fued. “Get off of him,” but her words means nothing because Eric refuses to release the pressure of his finger around Shawn’s neck. “He is not worth it. He is not worth throwing away your whole football career over,” she reasons, placing her hand on Eric’s shoulder. His temper cools down just as quickly as it had risen. Eric removes his grip and takes a few steps back. With the space Shawn is given he gets out of Eric's grasp and makes his way to the safer corner where Adam is.

“Get out! Nobody wants you here,” Kimberly chimes in.

“Nobody wants you and your judgmental personality in general, ” Jennifer adds on, crossing her arm leaning on a heated Eric. His fists are at his side, trying his best to control himself.

“Whatever, I’ll always be better than you…. You hear that I will always be better than you, Eric,” making his best effort to get another rile out of Eric.

The three friends’ eyes shoot to Eric. He pushes past Jennifer attempting to reach Shawn, but Shawn runs backward in fear. His feet trip over the boxes of pizza that make him fall. His body stumbles, and he attempts to reach for the side of the door frame, but his arms fail him. In only a matter of seconds he is gone, leaving the four living friends alone in the tree house to ponder on the damage that has been done.