• It had been so long since I have been in there. Everything thing was just as he had left it. As if it was meant for things to be left that way forever. His tiny apartment walls were covered with posters. You could see the brown paint poking out here and there.
    His room was even worse all there was poster sticking up all over the place but in such a way they collage of a much bigger picture of sorts. But if you averted your eyes quick enough you would find yourself staring at a new picture. I could see all the pictures that he placed on his dresser depicting all the memories that we had together frozen there in time to never move or breath again.
    I felt my way through all of his stuff slowly getting pushed into boxes never to be seen again. I looked for the knob sticking out of the collage were the closet was. Our memory was there one that we shared together and will never forget.
    Slowly opening the door never knowing what would come tumbling at me. There was all sorts of stuff that look like a giant pile of Jenga wait for somebody to pull the wrong piece and for it all to attack the person who move the wrong one. I took from the top lowering the pile of stuff till it was all out of the way.
    Then I grabbed a chair and headed further into the closet cause what I was after was back in the deepest darkest parts of the closet. I placed the chair carefully trying to keep my balance with one of the legs partially broken reaching for the very back on the shelf hidden nestled back in the closet. Our little secret of what never was.
    I reached till my hands wrapped themselves on that package I knew so familiar cause I was the one who wrapped it up so very tightly. The wrapping used was faded. But the effect of preserving what was inside was effectively done.
    *****
    “Hey Travis are we actually going to do this.”
    “Yeah why not we can finally become a man. It’s our time for the rite of passage.”
    That’s what he called it. The rite of passage. We weren’t men until it was performed in his eyes no matter how old we got how much facial hair. Nothing mattered until it had happened, then we could be called me.
    “Travis, it’s a part of life.” I said
    “I know” he replied
    “It’s part of your right of passage I figured it would be easy for you to do.”
    “But it’s still not easy to go and buy them”
    “If you can’t buy any how do you expect to use them” I sarcastically replied
    “Very carefully. That’s how.”
    We walked into the store together nervous about what we were going to do next. It was our first time to do something like this. Looking around trying to be completely oblivious of what we were about to do. We walked to the back of the store to find what we were looking for.
    “Okay rock paper scissors on who buys” Nervously Travis threw up his hands.
    “Travis, I will just buy them”
    “You’re not embarrassed?”
    “Why would I be, it’s part of life” I replied back
    Holding them in my sweaty hands I walked up to the counter. My chest felt like it was about to explode. Laying them down the cashier looked at me with a smirk and a chuckled a bit.
    “That will be 15.84 please”
    I handed him a twenty and he gave me back the change. I grabbed the sack and handed it to Travis.
    “Hey! What this for”
    “I bought them so you carry” I replied back
    He just looked at me and didn’t even try to argue the fact. We hopped in the car and headed back to my place.
    ****
    After securely having it gripped in my hand I got off the unsteady chair. I walked out of all the clutter and headed for the kitchen were the lighting was much better for me to see it better. The counter was cluttered to the highest extent almost possible except for a small patch were I sat down next to. I looked at the package for a bit thinking some more on that day.
    ****
    “Man we have to hurry” Travis said huredly
    “I know have to still change why you telling me to hurry up”
    I finished putting gel in my hair getting it to look just right for the occasion. Travis still in his boxer’s trying to find his dress pants was in a panicked hurry. I don’t know if it was for that fact that he was nervous or that he was worried we would be late to pick up our dates for our senior prom.
    “Hey tie my tie for me I can’t remember how” travis asked looking confused
    “Alright Travis but slow down a bit your way to nervous”
    “I know but it’s just our last prom and we have been dating the same girls since freshman year won’t they be expecting it.”
    “I don’t know we will have to wait and see for sure” I said quizzically
    I finished the last minute touches to my tux. Pulled on my shoes looked in the mirror and was surprised of how good I actually looked for a change. Travis was making sure some of his last minute changes to himself, were good as well. We were just about ready for our big day view.
    Grabbing our jackets and putting them on and looking one last time to make sure that everything looked as nice as it could for tonight. We hopped in the car and headed to go pick our dates.
    First stop Viktoria’s house. It was a small brown house at the end of the block all by itself with a little apple tree in the front yard. “Here we are Travis go get your girl so I can go get mine.”
    He got out and walked up the broken side walk up to her front door. He looked back I just waved him forward and then he knocked. It took him a while cause he went inside waiting for her to finish her last minute preparations and then they finally came out hand in hand together.
    I opened the door for her so that she could get in then Travis hopped in and we were off. To go get my date. We drove for about five minutes or so until we got to her nice yellow house with the windows that look like a pair of eyes staring at you. Walking up the sidewalk I began to think of what was about to happen were we actually going to go through with it or not. How were we going to put the moves on to make it work so many thoughts and I had just reached the door when she came out.
    She looked more magnificent than ever before. Everything about her just seemed to be so perfect right now. I carried her arm as we walked back to the car and seated and we were off to the prom.
    ****
    I took some of the wrapping off of the small package to reveal a photo of that day. All four of us were there all dressed. Travis with his slick hair which now kind a looked a bit goofy. There was Sarah just as beautiful then as she is now. We all looked a bit cheesy though. But ten years changes a lot of things.
    ****
    “Let us out here while you go park the car” Sarah said with a giggle.
    They all hopped out then Travis got back in.
    “Travis what are you doing aren’t we going to go in”
    “Yeah just a minute were going to go park the car real quick.” I replied back
    I pulled the car around to the side of school pulled it in where I always park. “So dude did you bring them cause I can feel it tonight”
    “Yeah there in the glove compartment”
    He opened it an looked just to be safe and opened the box. The fell out like string sausages attached individually one next to the other. “Here one for you the rest for me” he said jokingly.
    I grabbed one and stuffed it down in my wallet as quickly as I could so nobody could see. I looked in to see if I had enough money took a deep breath and then headed for the girls with Travis trailing a long beside me.
    ****
    The dance was the best we had ever been to. Somebody spiked the juice bowl and the principle was doing the cha-cha. So many fond memories that year I will never forget. Then there was the after party that we went to. Travis won a broom. Why they would have a broom as a prize I will never know for sure. Then I won a toaster I at least used it a bit.
    Then we had our own little party of sorts, back at travis’ apartment. We had two cases of buschlite waiting for us chilling there.
    ****
    “Can you guys get us another beer please we want to get smashed tonight it’s the greatest night of our lives.” The girls asked us.
    Travis whispered to me “Dude there getting smashed it will be easy for us.”
    By the time the movie ended, Travis and I Pretended to be interested in the movies the girls had picked out to watch. While they were almost chugging down there beers we just slowly sipped on ours. Giving glances at the other and giving a grin cause we knew that our plan was coming together perfectly. We had much better things on our mind than getting drunk.
    We buttered them up really good. They couldn’t barely stand so we walked them to our respective rooms were we would perform the rite of passage. Tonight we would become men forever more.
    When sarah and I walked to the spare bedroom, she nearly fell twice before she reaching the bedroom. Luckily, I was able to catch her before she fell the third time and I helped her across the room. As soon as we were next to the bed Sarah collapsed on the bed.
    She seemed so innocent just kind a lulling around on the bed. As if she was completely unaware of my intentions. I looked at her for a bit and wondered was it worth it all. Walking forward I got to the bed and we started kissing and my hand were working the back of her dress at the same time.
    Then she passed out on me. It would still be so easy for me. Plus she wouldn’t remember of what happened. I hope Travis isn’t having as much trouble as I am. s**t could I really do this to her she doesn’t deserve it this way. I wanted it to be special between me and her how could I do such a veil thing to her. I can’t do it like this becoming a man will have to wait a while longer.
    ****
    Travis couldn’t go through with it either. So we decided to mark it as the day that was never used. By taking our first ones and wrapping them up to remind us about the ones we never used. I’ll sure miss him and all the memories we shared together. Our little package that never was would remain wrapped forever next to him as I tossed it in. “Goodbye brother.”