In making life-altering choices, his conscience may speak to him, but it is the voice of reason he ultimately adheres to, the basic math of what he has to gain versus what he stands to lose. The two close friends I made for myself as I entered into manhood – O’Neal Holden and R.J. Burrow – were no more inherently evil than I. We took little pleasure in the distress of others, and put no effort into feigning indifference to it. But we were all brash and foolish and drunk with the power of youth, and serious consequences for our actions was a concept we scoffed at like a ghost story. We saw ourselves as invulnerable, and could not imagine how we could bring any real harm to others when we could not possibly bring harm to ourselves. We first came together as a trio in our junior year at Manual Arts High School, where I essentially affixed myself to the pre-existing duo of O’ and R.J., who had been best friends since the third grade. O’ was a tall and beautiful ladies-magnet offhandedly involved in two sports, while R.J.
