The unhealthy influence of a friend.

Write a story about the unhealthy influence of a friend.

1. Describe how you envied a seemingly admirable friend.
2. Describe how you found out what made him so care-free and happy.
3. Describe how he taught you to sniff glue and shoplift.
4. Describe what happened to him as a result of sniffing glue.
5. Describe how you learn to shake off his unhealthy influence.

Peter skillfully wove between the defenders and scored a goal. The spectators cheered wildly. He was easily the most prominent figure on the football field.

As I cheered, I envied once again, his fun-loving and carefree disposition. Later in the evening, as we were walking home, I asked him, “Peter, how is it that nothing ever perturbs you?”

Seeing my puzzled face, he took out a translucent plastic bag that contained some sticky mass. He put his face near it and drew in a deep breath. I gasped in horror.

“You sniff glue?”, I said in astonishment.

Peter said that the effects of glue-sniffing had been over-dramatized by the media and the government. He had been sniffing glue for months and he felt as healthy as ever. The only effect, he said, was that he was able to feel happy all the time. He had no more worries about examinations or anything else.

Then, he thrust the bag under my nose and asked me to try it for my self. Reluctantly, I inhaled a few deep breaths. To my surprise, I found that I liked it. After this, both Peter and I began to skip lessons together. I learnt to hang out in the streets with him, and even to enjoy the thrill of shoplifting. Once in the while, we sniffed blue.

Later, when our test results were released, we discovered that both of us had failed. We were called into the principal’s office. Peter looked awful that day. His eyes were bloodshot. He told that he had been drinking alcohol and sniffing glue the night before.

I was told to wait outside while the principal spoke to Peter. From where I stood, I could hear Peter swearing at the principal. Suddenly, the door flew open. Peter rushed out, looking flushed and angry. He ran towards the balcony and leapt over. When the ambulance arrived, he was pronounced dead.

It took a long time for me to recover from Peter’s death, and even longer to get over my bad habits. With careful guidance and counseling from my parents and teachers, I learnt to start life anew. I now realize that Peter’s influence over me was very unhealthy.