High School Friends: Rad, Part 2

Yesterday, I wrote about my friend Rad in high school. The story didn't end there. In fact, I have to go back a little bit and let you know about an incident I missed in yesterday's post, but it had an incredible impact on our friendship and taught me how to be a better friend.

The Drama club's first production of our sophomore year was "Arsenic and Old Lace." We both played police officers in the play. Right before a dress rehearsal, Rod (who I will tell about in Thursday's post) had gotten the keys to the auditorium from the Drama teacher. When Rad went to the bathroom in the men's dressing room, Rod pulled out the keys and locked him in. (I have no idea why there was a lock on the bathroom that couldn't be opened from the inside.) Rad started panicking and pounding on the door. There were other guys in the dressing room and we were all laughing about it. Yes, I had joined in on this frivolity at the expense of Rad's feelings and I know he could hear me laughing outside the bathroom.

I guess the reason I had joined the gang against Rad was because I was glad it wasn't me locked in that bathroom. We eventually let him out. He stormed out of the dressing room and went outside. I went out after him. He was trying to leave before we started the dress rehearsal. He looked at me and had tears in his eyes. He said, "I expect that sort of thing from those guys, but I never expected it from you! Get away from me!" He then went home, still in the police costume.

Back in the auditorium, we were getting ready to start rehearsal. The teacher asked where Rad was. I told her that he got mad after we had locked him in the bathroom and left. She chastised us for doing that to Rad and told me to call him and get him back to rehearsal. I called his house. He was already home. (Because it only took ten minutes to get there. It's a really small town.) I apologized to him and asked him to come back. He said he would do it for me.

I'm not always the good guy in the blog. I've done some terrible stuff and I really want to avoid glossing over it. But when I'm not the good guy, I'd like to think I learn some hard lessons along the way. I had to learn to differentiate between the good friends and the disposable ones and stand up for those who need it the most.

So, tomorrow will be a Part 3 about Rad and what happened after high school.