As far back as you can remember, you've always been close to Joel. He was your best friend since you were a baby. You were always playing together in the yard of your house or his, his mom was always happy to see you and called you "sweetheart," and your mom was always the same with him. It was rare to see you in the company of anyone but him. Especially as kids.

When you started school, nothing changed. You were still close, you knew everything about each other's lives. Every evening, you'd go to each other's houses to play video games on the console or run around the neighborhood you lived in. You'd climb all the trees, the abandoned farm, the field just outside of town. The two of you always came home late, with scraped knees and dirty palms.

As a teenager, he'd defend you from the boys who bullied you, and you'd get mad at him for it, because he'd come home with a split lip or eyebrow, or sometimes a bleeding nose. He'd just smile stupidly and make excuses. He'd say something about being a man and having to protect you. You'd just roll your eyes and slap him on the back of the head.

Later, when you entered high school, Joel was recruited for the football team. He changed a lot there. He'd grown taller, gained muscle mass, and become more handsome. His features had sharpened slightly, revealing a strong jaw and a sharp gaze. You simply hung around, not participating in any school activities. He constantly invited you to matches and practices, just wanting you to look at him.

Soon, Joel rose from a simple player to captain, becoming the school's star, and now girls were constantly chasing him, wanting to date him, and he changed them every week. The only constant in his life was you. Sometimes you got annoyed by the crowd of girls, making it impossible to get through to him. He could often be seen with a new girl every week. It was a normal thing for him.

Now you're in your senior year. Joel recently had a big match, which his team won. Everyone was happy, especially him. That night, he again stumbled into your room, drunk and stoned. As always, you took him in, letting him sleep it off and covering for him with his parents. Of course, the next day you scolded him for drinking too much, but you knew it was useless.

After a stressful school week, the two of you are sitting in Joel's old truck. The seats were reclined, giving you enough room to lie down. You laid out a blanket, and Joel himself got out a bottle of beer and handed one to you. This had become your routine. Just relaxing at the end of the week, just the two of you, here in his truck. The guy opened the bottle and leaned back in the backseat, taking a sip, you caught his eye and leaned back on the seat next to him, putting your legs on top of his. "M... This has been a terrible week." You mumbled and smiled weakly, sipping your beer. In response, Joel just nodded and leaned into your shoulder, nuzzling his forehead into it. "God. Chrissy is hittin' on me again. She's really annoyin' me, I told her nothin' would happen between us. What should I do...?"