The Psycho, The Cake, And The Conclusion

So where was I? Oh yes, Ace and Cake had an enraged ex out to get them. That sounds about right. Not just that, but my paranoia was still going nuts. However, the weeks would pass and not a single incident would be reported. It probably remained calm for about a month, but as usual, it couldn't stay peaceful for much longer.

One day, upon returning from one of my classes, I find Ace walking around in frustration. As it turns out, the furious ex showed up at the university to confront them and nobody backed him up. But before I could get a glimpse of where he was, he had vanished.

I always miss the interesting parts when I'm in class, but when I'm free barely anything happens.

A few nights later, the enraged ex would strike again. And what a way to do so, especially since Ace woke me up in the middle of the night for it.

"Dude," he said. "Guess what?"

"It's the middle of the night, what can I possibly guess?"

"I'm surrounded by cops! Turns out, the crazy ex came following me as soon as we finished in court!"

This is how I imagined it as he narrated the events to me.

"So let me get this right. You call me late at night to tell me there's a crazy guy out to get you and you got cops all over the place? What kind of crazy person does that?"

"I know, right? He's going nuts."

"Not him, you idiot. You. You wake me up and then tell me all this stuff? I'm already freaking out over here!"

"Don't worry, I'm good."

Those weeks that followed were a roller coaster. I refused to leave Ace alone because he always seemed to get in trouble when I wasn't around. Not only that, Cake and Ace had begun to grow apart at this point. The whole thing was like some sort of mad circus. Enraged psychopaths, a couple who suddenly won't stop bickering, and the paranoid best friend who needed to keep his buddy from getting stabbed at the lunch table.

However, things would soon come back to normal. The psychopath would eventually stop chasing Ace (perhaps the cops finally got him?), so my relaxation levels were back to normal. However, Ace would soon show up at my house with a bag of chips. I knew it was that time again. A relationship was over.

Turns out, Cake just wanted to party like a rockstar while Ace just wanted to take things easy. So of course, the gentleman got dumped by the stripper. That's right. He got dumped for just being a nice guy and actually having values.

Now that the roller coaster was over, we can look back at it and think about all the things that went wrong there. Such a shame too, Cake was the only one of Ace's exes that actually liked me. All the other ones seemed to hate me for some reason.

And we could get back to our usual conversations.

Cake On A Pole

So where was I? Oh yes, Ace had just landed a date with a girl he just met (we just called her Cake, so I will do so here as well) and everything seemed to be going well. For once, it seemed a little too easy. And that's when I got the phone call.

"Dude, she has a boyfriend!"

"I knew it," I yelled. "I had a gut feeling."

"No, it's alright. She was about to dump him anyways, so I'm good to go!"

"You know this can't end well, right?"

But for some reason, everything was calm. That is, until a few weeks had passed. Ace and Cake were doing really well, so they decided to have me tag along on one of their dates (I was still a third wheel at this time, since it was a few months before meeting Amy). We stopped by her apartment to pick her up, when we started observing all the stuff she had around.

There was nothing to do, so what else were we gonna do?

Right away, I noticed a strange collection of colored wigs. So I had to ask Ace what was up with that.

"What are all those wigs for? Does she act or something?"

"Well, sort of."

I squinted my eyes, feeling there was more to this story. "What do you mean, sort of? What aren't you telling me?"

"Well," Ace hesitated, "she's a stripper."

She's a what?!?!?!?!?

"Of course. There had to be something off. There always is. Whether it's the good girl whose boyfriend beats you after church (true story), the crazy stalker who won't give up, or all those other crazy chicks, you can't seem to find a normal one again. I wouldn't be surprised if things got a bit strange just because she's a stripper. Heck, I wonder if her ex knew."

"He did. And he knows about us too," he said. "He's even come here a few times trying to break in and attack me."

"And you just bring that to a conversation just like that? So there's a lunatic who is out for revenge and he is after you? Even worse, he's out on the loose!"

"Don't worry about it. He has a restraining order. We are fine."

Just as we were about to finish the conversation, Cake entered the living room.

"So, what were you guys talking about?" she asked us.

We both smiled in silence, looking at each other at what to say. And that's when Ace brought out the cover, "just guy stuff."

That night, we all went out to the movies like a normal couple (and their third wheel) would. However, my paranoia was already planted. Then again, I'm a bit glad I kept my eyes open, because it would come in handy a few weeks later.

I kept my eyes open, in case he showed up.

But again, that's a story for another day.

Let There Be Cake

Ace and I were always up for random challenges we both issued, but during the fall of 2009, a challenge was issued that would change his life. One day, I had noticed Ace had gotten distracted during one of our morning breakfast runs. I had noticed that a girl on the other side of the cafeteria had caught his eye (when will it ever be literal?), prompting me to try and stop him from doing anything.

"No way," I said, "how do you know she isn't taken?"

"And what if she isn't?"

"Damnit, Ace! Let's not go there again!"

"I bet I can get a date from her today."

"There's just no way."

"Watch me."

And with that, we went our separate ways. I continued on with some delicious oatmeal, while he tried to get acquainted with the mystery woman. I went through the rest of the day assuming he had blown it at some point, perhaps because he found out she was taken or something. But then I got a text from him at around lunch time.

"Got cake!"

I quickly looked into the distance and saw both of them getting pretty chatty. He had done it, despite all my doubts. Ace had gotten the date. However, we had no idea what would soon follow as consequence. It was about to get crazy. 

Chips and Heartbreak

Sometime during 2009 (or late 2008, I can't recall), an event happened that set the foundation for an epic "bromance" with Ace. The night this happened, we were just getting to be good friends. However, it was all about to change. That night he called me, really sad, stating that he had to come over to my house for something. Keeping in mind that it was late at night, I had begun to worry it was an emergency.

But then again, it was Ace. It could be anything.

He came up to my house really depressed. As it turns out, he had just gone through a break up. And so, I stepped it up and just started talking. Before this night, I had known Ace as a smooth talking ladies man with the skills to woo anybody. However, it was during this night that I discovered the true Ace. We had much more in common than expected. Not only that, but his persona had made him quite misunderstood (but he's still messed up in the head).

For the first time in ages, I had found someone who could relate with me on so many levels. We stayed talking for hours, watching as he slowly cheered up due to our naturally geeky conversations. However, there was one matter that still annoyed me.

"Next time you get your heart broken, you better bring some snacks or something. This recovery process is making me hungry!" I told him jokingly.

However, it wasn't until the next year that I once again had the same call late at night. That time, he wouldn't say why, but I could tell. Once he stepped out of his car, he tossed me a bag of chips and we sat down to talk.

So to this day, every time Ace came over with a bag of chips, I knew what had just happened. Heartbreak never tasted so crunchy, but perhaps he should have brought dip (you know, for recovery's sake).

My Bed Is Alive!

During this entire week, I had tried to get up and write a bit. However, after the allergies I got at work (opening a new store for 3 days, so I gathered a ton of dust) were pulling me more and more towards my bed. I tried to fight it, but my bed just seemed to make itself a lot more comfortable.

It's like it knows! And when I'm sick, it knows even more. It just didn't let me go.

It's days like this that I'm glad to be feeling a lot better. But somehow, this bed has become a hard habit to break.

Recovery

Still recovering from a bad throat and some strong allergies caused by all the dust found during this week's shifts at work. I've been mostly sleeping or just trying to recover in time.

And yes, I have been thinking of new (yet old) stories to tell as I'm getting better.

Too Old For This Playground

While I was back home visiting my friends, we took it upon ourselves to take a break from filming and mess around in the playground. We didn't see anything wrong with the image of a bunch of college (or recent grads) guys in a playground. Then again, we soon realized why we don't do these things anymore

Some of us got hurt while doing those crazy slides. And that was the moment some of us felt older, just because we realized we are simply too old for the playground.

But that's not gonna stop us from doing it all over again someday. Sometimes, it's good to keep in touch with your inner child.

Times Have Changed

One of the most curious things about this year has somehow been the huge turn in my life. Just 9 months ago, I was living a completely different life. Yet, I knew it was all going to change once I finished college. Somehow, it feels like I'm a completely different person since then. It's amazing how much one can change in 9 months.

Change doesn't bring all the perks of regeneration, but oh well...

And I didn't see all that change until a few days ago, when it all truly hit me. First off, I noticed all the changes around me during my first trip back home for graduation. People were different somehow, but I just couldn't put my finger on it. And it wasn't until my second trip back home (just 2 short months after) that I truly noticed. Somehow, it's as if the world around me changed. And why wouldn't it? I moved away, and those around me have moved on. You wouldn't stick around once a party ends, right? No. People go elsewhere, probably to cure their hangover from the party.

But then a few days ago, it really sunk with me how much I've changed. I went back to Jersey to visit some old friends, and to see two of them before they left for England. It wasn't until I was there that I saw how much I have changed. First thing in my mind was, "holy crap, I was a real super nerd back in the day!"

This was pretty much us back in the day.

Now, this isn't a bad thing. However, it just shows how much a person can change. A few years back, I was still one of the nerdiest guys around (and a big dork), kind of shy and mostly clueless. And now I think I'm almost the opposite in a way. I'm somehow feeling less nerdy (can that be possible?) than before, but at least I managed to lose the shy guy thing. Yet, I'm still relatively clueless in many things, but I'm not as lost as before. It feels a bit strange to sort of come full circle.

Just a few months ago, I was so different. All these months of adapting to a new lifestyle has ironically made me a little skeptical, overly cautious, and very analytical now. Still don't know what the final result will be like, but it's pretty much the same old blend with a few different flavors.

I'm starting to feel like Pepsi, going through so many different versions (yes, even Crystal Pepsi at one point) to a point where it feels never ending.