High School: Dan - High School Buddy

My best friend during high school was Dan. We met during my sophomore year, in a class taught by Mr. Nicholas. He and Brian sat directly behind me. We began talking, and soon became best friends.

I sometimes wonder why Dan and I became such good friends. We were so very different. He liked to drink, I never even tasted alcohol. He liked to play hard rock ‘n roll, I liked a softer version of rock.

I think we both felt like we were outcasts. That is what first attracted us to each other. We both felt that we were just spinning our wheels in high school, that it was all a big waste of time.

Dan introduced me to "The Lord Of The Rings", which was the first (and best) fantasy novel that I read. He loved this book. He was always drawing pictures of the characters, and subscribed to a fan magazine called "Mythalore". I was introduced to the book the first time I went over to Dan’s house in Running Springs. A copy of Mythalore was in his room, and I flipped through it out of curiosity.

I was immediately hooked. A few months later, on my birthday, I asked my mother to get me a copy of the book for my birthday present. Dan, myself and my mom all drove down to Central City Mall, found the book and purchased it. I went whole hog, and got the deluxe leather bound edition. It was one of the best purchases that I ever made. I have read that book more often and with more pleasure than any other fantasy novel.

Dan and I also played games together. Games with titles like "War Of The Ring", "Wizards" and "Ogre" - just about anything with a fantasy flavor. We usually played these at his house, since my parents didn’t really seem to approve of Dan.

We spent many long nights talking about things that bothered us. We were both going through adolescence, and thus had much to discuss. Since my parents seemed distant, Dan was, during high school, my only confidant.

I remember Dan’s first girlfriend. Her name was Laurie. She had jet black hair, a perfect body, and a great smile. I had a crush on her, but it was Dan who asked her out. They had a brief relationship before she decided he wasn’t for her and broke it off. Dan came over to my place that night, and cried on my shoulder for hours.

After high school, Dan moved to Montana for a few years. We wrote each other occasionally, perhaps twice a year. I even sent him a few books as a Christmas present one year. I’ve included one of the letters that I received from him below.

Eventually he moved back to California, and our friendship continued. It was a little difficult, however, because he lived in various places in San Bernardino and I lived in Garden Grove. He moved around a lot, living in Running Springs, San Bernardino and Big Bear.

Dan dreamed of becoming a rock star, and even managed to get a gig or two in some of the local taverns.

The last time I heard from Dan was a couple of years ago. He had moved to Oxnard, and had set up a consulting business for personal computers. He was doing quite well at it, and seemed to enjoy life much more. He had become a born again Christian, and had even gotten married. I think married life is good for him - he seemed much more healthy and content.

I think we’ll continue to see each other every once in a while for the rest of our lives. I doubt we’ll ever have the same camaraderie that we had when we were in high school, however. I doubt our friendship will ever have that same kind of magic again.

I gained so much from Dan during our brief friendship. High school was rough and I had introverted almost totally, and my friendship with Dan proved to me that it was okay to have friends. He was non-judgmental and willing to accept me like I was. Of course, Dan introduced me to my absolute favorite book: Lord of the Rings.