True Story Bro

It was 1993 in New England, a warm June night in a neighborhood where every house looked the same. I was throwing a house party and invited half the school. My parents left me and my older brother home alone for the week, and we decided to have some fun. The house was full, and the party was spilling outside onto the lawn and driveway. We had thrown these parties before; they always drew a good crowd. My brother’s fake ID came in handy for buying a keg of beer and renting a tap. We charged for cups at the door and always made a profit. The music blared, and the neighbors seemed to turn a blind eye until it got too late in the evening.

Tonight's party was the last one we would throw; it was my senior year, just before graduation. We invited some work friends to come hang out as well. I worked as a pizza delivery driver on nights and weekends. One of these work friends was a cocky kid named Jake. He always had something to prove and constantly tried to impress with whatever he had. He wasn’t that bright and always seemed to be getting into trouble. He came from a lower-income home where they had to work hard to get what they needed.

That night, I was barefoot in shorts, enjoying the warmth. I heard a motorcycle revving outside and went out to see who it was. To my surprise, it was Jake, at the end of the driveway, still in the street, riding a brand new lime green Kawasaki Ninja. Given what I knew about him, it seemed out of character for him to have such an expensive bike. I waved him over, but he refused and insisted we go for a quick ride first.

“I don’t know, man,” I said, glancing down at my bare feet and shorts. “It could be dangerous.”

“It’ll be fine,” Jake insisted, his grin widening. “We’ll just go around the block.”

Excited for the opportunity, I jumped on the back of the bike, and we took off. We didn’t just go around the block as Jake promised. He was determined to show off, testing the bike’s handling even with me on the back. We sped into the next town over, and he leaned into the curves, pushing the bike to its limits. My mind drifted back to the party I left unattended, but my heart pounded with adrenaline.

We came to a stop at a red light. A few other cars were on the road, and a cop pulled up in the lane to our right, just behind the car next to us. I felt a wave of anxiety. Shorts, no shoes, underage, and a bit buzzed from the party—this was not a good situation. The potential consequences of our actions were terrifying.

Jake looked back at me, his face pale. “Hold on,” he muttered.

The light turned green, and Jake gunned it, the front wheel lifting off the ground as we shot forward. “Great,” I thought. “Now the cop has a reason to pull us over.” We sped around several curves and quickly pulled into a parking lot. Jake killed the engine and yelled at me to jump off. He began pushing the bike into the woods behind the building.

“What the hell, Jake?” I whispered harshly, panic rising. “What’s going on?”

“The bike’s stolen!” he hissed, his eyes wide with fear.

My heart sank. As we entered the woods, I winced at every twig and pebble under my bare feet. Thoughts of getting caught and being a part of this situation made me panicky. Jake motioned for me to be quiet as we crouched down, watching the cop car enter the parking lot and drive slowly behind the building with his searchlight on. We pushed the bike into the next parking lot on the other side of the woods, and Jake told me to get back on. He started the bike, and we took off again, speeding away as the cop was still searching the back of the building. The fear and panic were palpable as we raced through the back roads, the uncertainty of our escape looming.

We must have been going well over 100 mph through the back roads, blowing through several red lights along the way. The only thing I could think about was getting off the bike and out of this situation. There was nothing I could do but hold on and try to convince him to let me off. “Jake, take me back to my house!” I shouted over the loud engine. “I’ve got a party to get back to, and my brothers there alone.”

“It’s too risky,” Jake replied, shaking his head. “We need to ditch the bike first.”

We eventually pulled into his backyard. Jake dumped the bike against a woodpile and covered it with a tarp. It seemed to hiss when he did so, as the motor and exhaust were still very hot. With my adrenaline still pumping, I stared at him, my anger and fear mixing into a volatile cocktail.

“You stole a bike? Seriously?” I snapped. “What the fuck were you thinking? I don’t want any part of this. Take me back home, now.”

Jake looked at me, his expression a mix of defiance and regret. “Alright, alright, I’ll take you home,” he muttered. We jumped into his beat-up old car, cringing as my bare feet navigated the trash on the floor. The engine sputtered to life, and we navigated the dark streets with much more caution this time. My mind was racing as we approached my neighborhood. I couldn't believe I had gotten involved in something so reckless.

When we finally pulled up to my house, the party was still in full swing. The lights were blazing, and music thumped through the open windows. I hopped out of the car and gave Jake one last look. “You need to sort this out, man,” I said. “And stay out of trouble.”

He nodded, but I wasn't sure if he was listening. As he drove off into the night, I turned and headed back inside. The atmosphere was electric, but I felt a strange disconnect from it all. I found my brother in the kitchen, surrounded by friends and holding court with a beer in hand.

“Where’ve you been?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Long story,” I replied, shaking my head. “Everything still under control here?”

“Yeah, we’re good. Just some minor chaos,” he laughed. “What about you?”

I sighed. “Just had an adventure I’d rather not repeat.” The weight of the evening's events settled on my shoulders, and I knew that this was a lesson I wouldn't soon forget.

As the night wound down and people started to leave, I couldn’t help but reflect on everything that had happened—the thrill of the ride, the terror of the chase, and the realization of how easily things could spiral out of control. It was a wake-up call, a reminder that graduation was just around the corner, and it was time to start thinking about the future.

By the time the last guest left and we started cleaning up, the sun was beginning to rise. My brother and I sat on the front steps, exhausted but content.

“Crazy night, huh?” he said, nudging me.

“Yeah, you could say that,” I replied. “But we’ve got a mess to clean up before Mom and Dad get home tomorrow.”

He nodded in agreement. “Yeah, we’d better get started. They’re going to freak if they see this place.”

As I looked out at the quiet, early morning street, I felt a strange sense of peace. The wild nights of high school were coming to an end, and a new chapter was about to begin. It was a bittersweet realization but also exciting. We had our whole lives ahead of us, and this night would be one of many stories to tell.

I stood up, stretching my arms. “Let’s get to it,” I said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do.”

And with that, we headed inside, leaving the remnants of our last great party behind us. The future was uncertain, but it was ours to shape. And that, I realized, was the greatest adventure of all.