 You either stay the villain, or you grow up, to see yourself become the hero. You're at the best place, for your vengeful needs. There's something about childhood friends, that you just can't replace. As we grow older, this friendship stays fruitful for some. For others, it could lead you to places that taint your soul. In this episode, a rebellious boy likes to cause trouble with his friends. But as they keep pushing the borders, one of the friends comes up with an insidious and unthinkable plan, which will hurt an innocent girl. When spark of doubt enters his mind, it causes an inner conflict, forcing him to choose between two life-changing outcomes. A wise man once said, It takes a great deal of courage to stand up to your enemies, but a great deal more, to stand up to your friends. Before we start, hunt the like button down, and be sure, to avada his cadavera. Let's dive in. Naturally, viewer discretion is advised. This revenge story, might be disturbing to bad friends. So, to put it simply, I was a real bad kid. I used to steal from stores and family, swear and throw things at random people walking down the street. I was smoking from the age of 12 and didn't give a doodoo's fart about anyone but my friends. They were my real family, or so I thought, and the group of all five of us would cause trouble every single day. My parents, though in my later years have told me they should have been more effective in their discipline, really weren't to blame. I was just a mixed-up kid. I used to think that doing all this stuff made me cool. I can't really describe how superior I felt when I made grown adults afraid of me, but it made me feel powerful, and power was something I craved when I was younger. I could go on and on about my sins but the fact is, I was just messed up in the head. I've made amends where I can to who I could but you're not here for self-flagellation, you're here for the revenge. So long story short, let's get into it. When I was 16, my parents finally had enough, and despite all my tantrums, screaming and even some physical violence against my dad, they decided to put me in a school for troubled youth. I call it a school, but what it really was, was a military institution that taught discipline in the most brutally effective ways, while throwing in some literacy and numeracy classes along the way. Without going into too much detail I'll say that this school changed me. While aggressive, violent, cocky and near homicidal when I was first dumped on their doorstep, the men who ran this camp broke me down. I was there for just over a year. No phone calls, no visits home, no access to the outside world. For one whole year, I had this camp and these counselors, these real life hardass men teach me just how much of a stain I really was. By the end of my second summer, I was a changed kid. I had fought and screamed and gotten my ass kicked more times than I can count, but eventually, I was beaten down. These men taught me that real men simply don't act the way I did, and that the type of path I was headed down would lead me either in jail or dead. They were brutally honest about it, especially this one counselor J. By the end of my stay, I considered J a second father. Though I hated him at first for making me feel inferior, he really did me a favor teaching me how toxic my behavior was, and to this day, I still think of him as something of a hero. He was the main person who deemed me ready to return home. But the backstory is getting really long, so let's get to the real story. When I returned home, I had changed from an abusive little prick to a somewhat civilized young man, ready to take on my last year of high school. I was nervous to go back, since I had adapted to the disciplinary school lifestyle, but I was also excited. I missed my friends, and hoped they would just accept me back despite the fact that I hadn't spoken to any of them in over a year. And to my relief, I was accepted back with open arms. One of my closest friends had moved states since I'd been away, but the other three were ecstatic to see me. Over the next few weeks I settled down, I didn't spend a lot of time with them outside of school. My parents were kind of testing how much I'd matured since returning, and were setting boundaries on when I could go out, how long I could stay out and where I could go etc. I was determined to prove to them I wasn't the same screw up that had ruined their lives all those years, so I followed their rules, and therefore only talk to my friends during school. All of this is relevant, because of what happened next. I had joined the school football team all three friends were a part of, and one evening after practice, all my teammates were in the gym, sweaty and dirty but pleased with ourselves. I was laughing and chatting with my three best friends so much, I didn't really notice that we were the last left in the gym. But that's when the conversation started turning bad. One of my friends, I'll call him F1, friend one, for simplicity, started telling me about a college party they were all planning on going to, and how they'd been crashing college parties for a few months now, since it was easy access to girls and booze. I was hesitant about it because I didn't think my mom and dad would agree to let me go, but then F1 started talking about this girl he was planning on inviting. A girl who went to the same school as us, but not one I thought F1 had any real relationship with. I knew her, but I didn't know her. He started to tell both my other friends, and me, that he'd been trying to get her into bed for a while and she kept making excuses, so he planned on taking her to the party and finally seal the deal. When I asked him, in a joking way, what makes you so sure she won't reject you again? He looked me dead in the eye and said as casually as you please, the most chilling sentence I have ever heard in my entire life. I'm just gonna slip something in her drink. It'll loosen her up, no problem. At first, I just kind of awkwardly laughed, thinking it was some twisted joke, but they weren't laughing with me. When I asked him if he was serious, he told me he was sick of her games and knew she was just stringing him along, and that the pills would just make things easier. I could not believe my ears. I excused myself from the conversation pretty quickly and practically bolted home, most likely driving through several stop signs but I really don't remember. I spent the whole night convincing myself my friends were just messing around. A few more days pass and the conversation in the locker room is all but forgotten, though they hadn't shut up about the party, and kept insisting that I just sneak out and join them. I got called a pussy repeatedly for telling them I wasn't going because of my parents, but again, I just brushed it off. Then the doodoo finally hits the fan. During yet another, after-school training session we all end up as the last ones in the lockers. And F1 does something I never would have expected in a thousand years. All three of them have been talking about the party this whole time, then F1 starts rummaging through his gym bag. He tells us all to look at what he has and tosses F2 a small bag of little pink pills. Immediately, I feel the blood drain from my face, and like a bomb is going off in my head, while a voice in my mind is screaming, holy shit, this is really happening, this is serious, holy shit. It's really hard to describe what I was feeling when F1 started going into detail about how he planned on inviting the girl to the party, slipping something into her drink and making use of one of the frat boys' bedrooms for a few hours. I felt sick. Literally could have hurled everything from my stomach all over the floor, as I listened to all three of them talk about how awesome the party was going to be, after just describing what they were planning to do with the girl. I couldn't take it, and again I ran off. I actually did end up puking later that night, going over and over in my head what I had just witnessed. I almost couldn't believe it. These three boys had been my friends for 15 years. I thought of them as my own family, thought I knew them better than anyone, but one year away in this? I'll tell you honestly, that I actually broke down crying that night. I'm not ashamed to admit it. What I am ashamed of, is how long I took to actually get a grip and handle it. I knew I should have told someone, but in some twisted way, my loyalties were still screwed. Don't crucify me for it, I know now what I should have done, but I was 17, and these were my best friends. I didn't want them to get into trouble, but at the same time, I knew I couldn't let this go down, so instead of reporting all I'd heard to an adult like a normal person, I decided I'd sort it out all on my own. So I went to F1, and told him not to do what he had planned. Told him it was stupid and dangerous and would ruin both his life and the life of the girl he was planning doing this to. He didn't even blink. He got right in my face and told me that the school I got sent to, had turned me into a weakling. That he hated how much I'd changed and had been trying to change me back with F2 and F3. Even told me how they'd been talking about me behind my back, and how they'd planned to surprise me, by letting me participate once F1 was done with her, just to show me what I was missing out on. Then he said something I'll never forget. He told me, word for word, I'm doing that skank a favor. She's a virgin. And after this party, your mom won't be the only one finally getting some. I punched him. We fought, and we both got sent home on suspension for fighting. I couldn't believe it. I was seething. My best friend had said that to me. My best friend had told me he was going to do this to an innocent girl at a party, and I was a weakling for not wanting to join in? I was disgusted. Sick into my core. And I was done with him. My parents were disappointed I had gotten suspended so shortly after coming home. That night at home, I just sat there quietly while my mom cried and my dad screamed at me. I know now that I should have told him, but after what F1 said to me, I had this insane notion in my head that I was going to get him back all on my own. And now, to the revenge. After a weekend of being grounded, I went back to school, and the first thing I did was seek out F1. He was about as bashed up as I was, but he was sporting a nice black eye from where I'd hit him in the face. F2 and F3 were standing with him, and they all glared at me as I approached them. Then I did something that made me feel sick. I apologized to him. I told him I was sorry I hit him, and that he was right, I had changed, and I hated what that school had done to me. I wanted to go back to being the old me again. Surprisingly, they all bought it. F1 and I even hugged it out, and I put the cherry on top when I told them I'd be coming to the party. Now, for my dumbass teenage plan. First, I started recording them whenever we were alone together. I wanted to get everything they said about the party and the girl that were planning on victimizing on tape. I knew I needed some kind of proof, or it would just be my word against theirs. And after a few days, I had gotten more than enough. But I wasn't done. No, my stupid self had a plan and I was going to fulfill it to the fullest. So the next thing I did was track down the girl, take her aside, and tell her everything. She was pissed and scared, but I begged her not to go to the police or tell anyone. I know now that was stupid as well, but for some reason, she listened to me. I had a plan. A crazy stupid plan, to teach them all a lesson. So I told her to tell F1, that she was going to meet him at the party, but to just stay home, so she could stay safe. Later that day, F1 started bragging about how the girl had accepted his invitation and everything was going according to plan. And I sat there, phone half out my pocket, recording the whole damn thing. Then the night of the party finally rolls around, and I sneak out because, you know, I was grounded. I think it's worth mentioning that I wasn't filled with vindication and self-righteousness throughout the whole night. I was second guessing myself, I had doubts, but in some strange way, I felt betrayed. These three boys had been my brothers since before I could throw a punch and I felt betrayed that they had gone down this road. What messed me up in the head even more, was the possibility that I might have been just like them, if my parents hadn't sent me away. It was a strange moment of realization to come to, in the middle of a crowded frat house surrounded by drunk idiots, but you take what life throws at you. So the night goes on, and F1 is getting steadily more frustrated that the girl he invited hadn't shown up. I've made sure to keep him in my sights for the whole night, not wanting him to decide that any old girl would do, if he couldn't take the one he wanted. I kept an eye on all of them, watching as they drank and drank while I stayed as level-headed as possible with some water and a beer can. When midnight came, all three of them were plastered, and I knew that all the girls at the party would be safe by then. By this time the crowd was dying down, and a few people who couldn't hold their liquor were already passed out around the house. The moment arrived, now was my time to shine. While all three of them were occupied with a drinking game, I hunted in F1's bag and found the bag of little pink pills. Here's where I did something I'm not particularly proud of, but I'll tell you anyway. I slipped one pill into three beers each and handed them to my friends, and then waited. It didn't take long before all three were passed out on the floor, along with quite a few other party guests. I then took out a black permanent marker from my bag. And one by one, I wrote the word rapist on all three of their foreheads. This couldn't be it, what they were planning was insidious and a next kind of evil. So I also took pictures and immediately uploaded them to our school's Facebook page. So everyone who attended our school would see. Admittedly, I didn't really think this part through, since I not only did this in full view of every other conscious person at the party, but also knew the photos wouldn't last long on the school site before they would be taken down. But since it was a small school, in a small town, I didn't doubt that a whole bunch of people would see it before a teacher removed the photos, and that's exactly what I wanted. Next came the recordings. When I got home, I got a verbal bludgeoning from my parents for sneaking out, but they stopped when I finally told them what had been happening. They were both shocked, and a little disbelieving, but when I played them both the recordings I'd saved on my phone, they were just as sickened as I was. I was silent in the car as my dad drove me to the police station, receiving a lecture about how I should have just come to him in the first place, and what I'd done at the party wasn't necessary. But I truly felt like it was at the time though. My phone had already blown up with other students commenting on the pictures of my three ex-friends, condemned and crucified with the word I wrote on their foreheads. And while a lot just laughed at them, many were questioning if there was any truth to it. This was exactly what I wanted. I wanted everyone to know who they really were, so they had nowhere to hide. The hours at the police station were admittedly very scary. I was still debating with myself whether or not I did the right thing, but my friends had chosen their own fate. I still felt hurt and betrayed that allowed themselves to become this way, and even though I felt a little guilt for potentially ruining their future, I did what I thought had to be done. Long story short, the recordings were enough to get them all on charges of planning to commit a crime. Since the girl had been named in the process, her parents were understandably furious, and demanded all three of my ex-friends be arrested. I would have been too, were it not for the girl telling her parents, and the courts, that I had warned her to stay away from F1 and the party. I was charged for my use of an illegal substance, since I admitted to using the pills on my three ex-friends, and also for battery, since the permanent marker was seen as a form of assault, but luckily I never got jail time. I did get a boatload of community service though. All three of them were tried as adults in a case of attempted rape, but only F1 got actual jail time, since he was the one who'd gotten the pills and was the only one who admitted to wanting to use them. The other two only got probation and community service for being accessories, but were completely shunned in our town. No one would ever let them forget. I was prepared for the backlash, ready to be jumped by them or something, but strangely enough, I think seeing F1 go to jail for what he did knock some sense into the two of them. They wised up enough to actually get into college without football scholarships, since they were both kicked off the team. They never came anywhere near me again, which surprised me, but I no longer cared. In my mind, my friends were dead to me long before all of this went down, and by the time I moved away to college, it was all behind me. I'm in my final year of college now and I still think about those three sometimes. I think about how, if my parents hadn't sent me to that special school, I may have ended up just like them. Oddly enough, I do miss them at times, but I know it's the memory of the kids I miss, not the men they turned into. I thanked my parents continuously for sending me to that place, and even got some approval from Jay when I felt man enough to tell him what happened. I don't know what will happen to F1 when he gets out of jail, but a part of me hopes he learns his lesson and moves on with his life, like I have. Jay called me a few days ago, just to check up, and I told him this whole story, which is kind of why I'm now telling the internet. I guess the moral is to stand up to your friends when you know they're doing wrong, but maybe not in the stupid way I did it. Always involve others more qualified to deal with situations you're not sure about. Even if you're a headstrong, stubborn teenager who thinks you know everything. I'll answer some questions that I've received. For everyone curious about Jay, well he's great. A great man who's gone through a lot in his life too. He lost his son to drugs, which is why I think he made it his job to look out for boys like me, just to make sure no other parent goes through what he did. His reaction to what happened, was to basically call me an idiot for all the crap I pulled, but he was proud I didn't forget everything I learned the moment I got home. He's also told me that he'd like for me to come and speak at the school next summer, just to tell some of the new boys coming and how bad things can get if you refuse to change the way you live. If I ever strike it rich, I'll be giving that school a massive donation. To all of you asking if the girl in the story and I became friends, well, sadly, no. We talked a lot during the court case and after, but we never really developed a friendship. I think we were both too embarrassed over everything, so we just won our separate ways and remained civil in school. For everyone questioning why I sound British, all I can say is wow. I'm used to people picking up on it in person, but not through writing. Some of you guys must be secret geniuses. My father is British. His whole family lives over there and we visit a lot. And his family is about as British as they come. And a little piece of side information, I was actually born in Britain, six weeks premature, but I was raised in America. For everyone asking where this happened, for the sake of everyone's privacy, including mine, I'm going to have to keep that a secret. All I can say is it was a small town, with a small population, which is probably why the whole thing wasn't plastered all over the news. But I'm paranoid, so that we'll just have to remain a mystery. For everyone suggesting I tracked down my friend that moved before I got back home, while I'm kind of on the fence about that. Call me a coward, but I think I'd prefer to remember him as my childhood friend, without all the memories being tainted the way they are with all the others. If I went looking, I might not like what I find, and even though it's possible he changed too after being removed from such a toxic environment, I just don't know for sure. I guess I'd rather live with the ambiguity. For those of you wondering what I would have done in the situation if I'd never gone to that school, well, for obvious reasons, I can't really answer you. I'd like to think I would have stood up to them all the same, but my mind was seriously twisted back then, so I'd prefer not to think about that. For everyone questioning what I'm doing now, I'm studying aerospace engineering. I love planes, and through my course, I've gotten to tour the underbelly of both planes and even some aircrafts that have been in space. I don't want to sound like a dork, but seeing all those components fit together, actually knowing how it all works, what everything's called and how to identify everything, is seriously epic. I just hope I pass the course with a good enough grade to make a career out of it. If there are any other questions I missed, feel free to ask me. I don't have a lot of free time so the responses might be late but, by all means, ask. Thank you to everyone for your kind words, and for the surprising lack of people calling me a dumbass. I appreciate that. You stay till the end, which means you're the one I make these episodes for. I want to take this moment, to thank you, I really appreciate you, because you bring me a great amount of joy. Subscribe for future uploads and show your vengeful devotion, by tickling the like button, without mercy. Do you have any experiences surrounding the topic of this episode? Share yours below, I'll join the conversation. And I'll be seeing you, in the next one.