September 1967

Memphis, Tennessee

It took less than a week before rumors began to ruin the social lives of Charlene, Glen, and Bryan.

Bryan, the victimized, couldn’t-be-nicer, innocent, puppy-dog boyfriend.

Glen, the arrogant, egotistical, 6’7” grunt, girl-stealing best friend.

Charlene, the double-timing, friendship-killing, heartless floozy.

Bryan came to school only one day out of the last week before the Homecoming football game and dance, leaving Glen with nothing but remorse. He hadn’t spoken to Bryan at all since that night with Charlene, and he wasn’t sure exactly what he could say.

Glen spoke uncomfortably with Charlene a few times, and he had found out that Bryan and her decided to break off their relationship. But like a silver lining on a foreboding cloud, then she and Glen decided to go to Homecoming together.

Glen felt horrible; it was a mixture of remorse, pity, happiness, and anger.

Remorse that he had ripped out his best friend’s heart for his own bliss.

Pity because Bryan had never been anything of equal caliber to Glen. Whether it be girls, sports, grades, Bryan had always been second to him.

Happiness came to Glen from that fact that him and Charlene were starting something in the terms of a relationship. Glen was at the mercy of feelings for this high school sweetheart, and he couldn’t help but smile when he thought of them together.

Finally, he felt true anger to himself. What Bryan finally had with Charlene; Glen needed it too. He was angered by the fact that there was no other way for him to find companionship without sacrificing the best friendship of his life.

Through all the turmoil that had gone down within the last week, he had managed to survive until this night.

The Homecoming Dance.

Earlier that day, Glen had led his team to defeat their rival school in the football game, but it seemed like nothing in Glen’s head as he thought long and hard about the situation at hand. Glen knew for a fact that Bryan would be at the dance and Glen didn’t know how he would react to the sight of he and Charlene in each other’s arms.

The roar of the car engine came to halt when Glen turned the key and pulled it out of ignition, he and Charlene had arrived at the dance and the two of them were feeling more excited than anyone. Charlene was beautifully adorned in a baby blue dress, which contrasted nicely with Glen’s black tuxedo.

When they entered the dance, the music of The Beatles played loudly, and the young couple joined the rest of the teenagers dancing to the song. Several friends patted Glen on the back for his performance in the earlier day’s football game and others just said ‘hello’ because they wanted to be associated with him.

As this took place, someone was watching from afar at the punch bowl.

It was Bryan Griggsby.

He still hadn’t recovered from the shock of what happened and inside he desperately yearned to revenge. In his thoughts, he had sworn Glen an enemy for stealing away the one thing that was his, Charlene.

A desperado with no remorse, Bryan took a quick swig of alcohol from the flask he had snuck into the dance.

After the evening of dancing and romancing between Glen and Charlene, they departed to the parking lot so that he could take her home, like the gentlemen he tried to be. True to his part, when they excited the school, Glen slipped his tuxedo jacket over her to keep her warm while they walked to his car talking and giggling.

As they approached Glen’s car, they looked to see Bryan leaning against the side of it with a flask of liquor in his hand. Glen and Charlene stopped in their tracks as Bryan stood himself up in a sluggish manner.

Bryan pointed his finger and yelled at the top of his lungs, “Well, well, well! What do we have here?! Looks like the world’s cutest couple, folks!”

Bryan stumbled forward and came closer to the couple. Charlene felt fear and pleaded with her ex-boyfriend, “Bryan, you’re drunk. Please… let Glen take you home? I can get a ride back.”

“Go home? Hahahaha… hahahahahahaha… hahah…” maniacally laughed Bryan at her suggestion. “You want me to go home? No, no, no… NOOOOOOO! I’m not going home, I’m tired of going home for Glen. I’m not going home empty handed.”

Bryan pointed to Glen specifically, “Heh, you think that you can do anything, TAKE anything? I’m not the yellow coward you think I am, Glen.”

Glen kept silent. He was lost for words, and without any kind of response, Bryan charged. Charlene screamed when Bryan ran at Glen with fists in the air. Glen caught Bryan and quickly threw him into the side of another parked car. Bryan got up woozily, and attempted the same maneuver but was quickly thrown over the hood of another car.

“Let me take you home, Bryan,” stammered Glen while Bryan slumped down to the ground crying. “We can talk, Bryan, come on.”

Bryan moaned in self-pity at the situation and the embarrassment, and then got up and ran to his car. Glen realized that Bryan was going to try and drive home, but it was too late. Before Glen could lunge and open Bryan’s car, his best friend had sped away and out of the high school parking lot.

Glen quickly ushered Charlene into the passenger seat of his car, and both were worried sick about Bryan.

At drop-off, they barely said a word to each other expect to stay in touch of Bryan, and despite the circumstance, Charlene still gave Glen a quick kiss on the cheek goodnight. Charlene’s father opened the door and let her back in, but not before giving Glen a brief nod of respect for square chivalry.

Later, at 1 a.m., Glen was awoken in his bed by his mother who rubbed his shins as she had always done to wake him up. Glen yawned and looked at the clock, and then groaned and glanced at his mom sitting on the foot of his bed while only the light of the hallway peered into his room.

“What, mom?” Glen asked with his voice deeper than usual.

“Glenny, it’s about Bryan,” replied his mom with a somber, nearly depressed voice.

“What about Bryan?” Glen’s voice was panicked now.

“When he left the dance, he got into a car accident… I just got a call from his mom… the injuries were too severe… I’m so sorry, honey.”

Glen didn’t know what to do.

In the darkness of his bedroom, he sat up in his bed and leaned over to his mother’s shoulder. Bryan was gone.