High School Has Its Perks

They watched as the casket was gently and slowly being lowered into a deep hole in the ground.

Bryan was standing in between Ross and Leena. He took Leena's hand and squeezed it gently. She smiled weakly. She turned to Sean and took his hand, who then took Joe's hand. Bryan turned to Ross and held out his hand. Ross shook his head, he didn't let his gaze leave the caskett.

After the casket was placed in the ground. Friends and family started walking away. Each person there at a flower. They dropped the flowers into the hole. Ross couldn't do it, he couldn't step any closer to that hole, it made him feel sick. He ran off towards the parking lot.

Mike noticed him and chased after him. Ross leaned against a tree and tried to relax. His breathing was heavy and labored and he was starting to sweat.

"You ok?" Mike asked. Ross nodded. "Here" he pulled a flask out from his suit jacket. "It relieves the nerves" Ross unscrewed the cap and took a quick sip. "Keep it" Ross weakly smiled.

"That was a nice speech you gave during the service" Mike blushed.

"It's hard to write something so emotional in so little time" he admitted. "Last night me and Matt came up with something. We wrote for hours. In the end we had to start cutting stuff out" Ross smiled. "But it helped"

Ross saw the gang walking over. "I should go" Ross said. "I guess I'll see you around"

"Come to my grad party this weekend" Mike said. "It'll be fun" Ross nodded.

"I will" Ross walked over to the gang and they walked over to Bryan's car. They all got in.

"We're going to have an emergency bro's night at my place" Bryan said. Bryan stared at the steering wheel. They all sat in silence for a few seconds. Ross pulled out the flask Mike gave him and took another drink.

"Is that alcohol?" Joe asked.

"Yeah"

"You really shouldn't"

"It's just one time. I'll be fine" Bryan and Leena both knew that wasn't true.

"I say we hit up Mcdanks" Joe said. "That always makes me feel better"

"True dat!" Leena said. "Let's get fat and cry!" Ross smirked.

...

"I think Dakota would have loved it" Leena said. She and Bryan chowed down on their burgers as they sat in the parking lot of McDonalds at 10 P.m. They spent their entire afternoon in this parking lot eating from McDonalds, and even switched over to the Wendy's across the street. "Is it weird that I talked to him about death before?"

"No, I think about death all the time" Bryan said.

"Yeah, but we planned our funerals" Leena said. "Which is so twisted"

"Nah, I already planned my funeral" Joe said. "Naked chicks everywhere on stripper poles, and it's going to be a jersey shore theme" Bryan and Leena laughed. Sean was silent, they haven't been able to get a word out of him all afternoon.

"I want my funeral to be a giant party" Leena said. "Of course I want it to be sad..."

"I want everyone to share happy memories and I want my body to be cremated" Bryan said.

"Why?" Joe asked.

"I don't know. I want my ashes to be scattered somewhere memorable"

"Where?" Leena asked. "We're only 18 years old, we haven't been anywhere memorable"

"Scatter your ashes in the school parking lot" Joe joked. They laughed. Joe was sitting in between Ross and Sean. Ross was drinking every other second and Sean refused to speak.

"So, I want Ben and Jerrys" Leena said.

"I say we Jay-walk across the busy street to get to Price Choppers"

"I'm in!" Bryan and Leena got out of the car. Joe sighed.

"You okay?" Joe asked. He didn't direct it at any one person, he just said it.

"I'm fine" Ross said simply. There was no change in voice tone. He said it rather aggressively. Joe sighed again. Sean didn't even respond.

...

- Present day -

"No" Mac said simply.

"What do you mean no?" AJ asked.

"I don't want to go out with you" She said. She collected her things from the study table and prepared to leave.

"You didn't even think about it" AJ said. "You just said no on a whim...please? Just one date and then we'll never talk again" Mac shook her head. "Why not?"

"Because now I understand why you left Rory. I'm sorry but no" Mac left. AJ sighed. Once Mac left, Aiden scooted over to AJ's table.

"So I'm guessing she said no"

"Yup" AJ said. "She didn't even think about it, she straight up said no" AJ said. "But, I found out the reason why"

"And what's that reason Sir Idiot?"

"She found out about me breaking up with Rory" he said. "And she knows it's because of her"

"Well that sucks"
"Yeah it really fucking sucks" AJ said. "But I know she'll come around. She feels the same way...I hope."

...

The gang met up in the parking lot of McDonalds that night. "Why do are days always end like this?" Bryan asked. They gathered in Bryan's moms mini van. "I'm going to gain so much weight this year"

"Relax" Leena said. "The football season is over you don't have to be this muscle god" Bryan laughed.

"Yeah but we have ice hockey!"

"Just stand there and look pretty and you'll make the team" Ross says. "That's what I'm going to do" Leena smirked. "Leena is the only person on the team who has to prove herself"

"Thanks for the support, Ross"

"I'm just saying" Ross said. "Our coach is a sexist, but Saunders is the supervisor and she loves the guys and flirts with us. So we have a better shot"

"Can we change the subject I feel left out" Joe said.

"Sorry" Leena said. "Well good news for you Joe, Emma's back in town"

"Hot diggity!" Bryan exclaimed. "Emma is so fucking hot"

"Calm yourself" Ross said. "Is Emma single at the moment?"

"Yeah, her and Mike broke up while they were in Europe" Leena said. "According to Lauren she wanted more, like marriage and he got scared and they broke up" she explained. "Mike came back to the states and now he's banging a junior"

"Junior in college or junior at our school?" Joe asked.

"A junior at our school" Leena said. "And it's fucking awesome because she wants to get back at him by hooking up with one of his friends"

"I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE!" Joe exclaimed.

"Damn it!" Bryan said. "I want to volunteer..." he said sadly. "Can we trade? I'll give you a slutty junior and I'll have Emma?"

Joe rolled the window down, climbed out of the car and screamed: "NO!"

"That was dramatic" Sean said. Joe got back into the car.

"So should I ask her out?" he asked.

"Nah, it's against the bro-code" Ross lit up a cigarette. "Mike's our friend, remember"

"Well he's not a close friend" Bryan said. "Technically he's a friend of a friend"

"Yeah, what Bryan said" Joe said. "I'm friends with Matt who happens to be friends with Mike. But I don't talk to him on a regular basis"

"Here's my theory for the bro-code" Bryan said. "If you have their number, it's a violation against the code"

"Oh...well I have his phone number"

"God damn it!" Sean said. "I was really routing for you"

"That means I get Emma" Bryan said.

"Stop talking about Emma like she's an object" Leena said. "She's a human being. For all we know she'll fuck someone who's better" she said. "I sure as hell wouldn't sleep with a high school senior if I were as gorgeous as Emma fucking Hosk is"

"Good point" Joe said. "But I have my brain injury for sympathy fucks"

"I have my Umass scholarship"

Sean rolled his eyes. "Ok can we change the subject?"

"Fine" Joe said. "But I still called dibs first so I'm going to ask her out...if I get the balls" Bryan chuckled.

"So, Ericka asked me if she wanted to hang out with me again" Bryan started. "I told her no. You guys voted and I appreciate your concern" he said. "She seemed pretty devastated but I'm over it"

"Maybe that Meaghan girl you dated before is the girl Mike is hooking up with"

"Maybe. Everyone is hooking up with that girl"

"Slutty juniors rule the world"