Teenaged Boys

My brother is one of them.

I always felt so proud to have my younger brother because he was never like other boys. He skipped immaturity. He skipped the horn dog "fuck every girl I see" stage. He likes to learn. He's very smart. He's funny and cool to hang out with.

I'm not so sure anymore though. Because lately, he's done a lot of things that make me question who he is entirely. And it hurts me, because I feel like an asshole for thinking that he was different than other guys his age.

He's not.

He's just as selfish. He's just as conniving. He's just as ignorant and low.

He used to like things like reading and hanging out with friends and being a teenager.
But now he likes things like smoking weed and taking LSD and stealing money from our dad and lying to everyone about everything.

He used to like being around his family and spending time with us, but now he really only cares about his equally selfish and stupid friends.
He used to get good grades, and now it looks like he hardly even cares.

Most people would call that "senioritis", but I call it "drugs sort of change who you are most of the time."

I miss the little brother I knew before. I miss the little brother that liked to do things with me. And talk with me.

We still do those things, but now it has a sort of bitterness to it all. For instance, now I've come to realize that I don't trust him at all. I don't trust one syllable that comes out of his mouth.

I know we all make mistakes, and I'm not saying that I expected him to be perfect. I just never expected him to be a follower. I never expected him to like drugs. I never expected him to steal from the very person who has taught and given us everything.

My dad has bent over backwards to ensure that me and Kenny have had an amazing life. Everything my dad ever does is for our benefit. He works hard. He makes sure we always have what we need and more. He taught us what's important in life. He taught us manners and values. He taught us everything we need to know to survive in this world.

And my brother just pisses on it all. Like it should just be a given that he gets all of these things.

It's all just so exhausting. It's like we're not even related.