1st place || 2024
3rd through 4th grade
THE BROKEN FRIENDSHIP
by Daniel Nishimura
Jack was walking down the street when Billy, his best friend from school, ran up to meet him. Billy and Jack both loved to play video games.
“Jack, I just got the new Roboman 2.6 game. Do you want to come and play tonight?”
“Nah, I have a test tomorrow and should go study.”
“Aww, come on, you can play now and study later.”
“Well…OK, but my parents said that I need to improve my grades.”
When Jack arrived at Billy’s house, they were really excited and sure that they were going to have the time of their lives. They had a great time, but Jack eventually got tired and said, “Billy, it’s getting late, and I should go home.”
The test the next morning was really tough, and they both flunked.
A few days later, their parents said, “You flunked your tests, so you can’t play any more video games. If you get better grades, you can play more.”
At school the next day, Billy asked, “Jack, on the next test, can I look at your answer sheet? I’ll let you look at mine. We’ll both get better grades and be able to play more.”
Jack replied with, “No, I don’t think it’s right to be rewarded for not doing anything, and besides, if my parents found out I was cheating, they would take away all of my games forever.”
“Does that mean that you’re not going to help me? You’re my best friend. You’re supposed to do things like this. Besides, no one is going to know. Think about how much fun you would be missing.”
“Well, yes, but if I did get caught, which one would be worse, having a little play or no play at all?”
“Okay, Jack, do what you want, but I’m going to get all the play I can.”
Off Billy went to find someone else to cheat with, which, as a matter of fact, wasn’t very easy. After some heavy soul searching, Jack decided to do his homework for real and let Billy do what he wanted. He was going to earn his play and grades through hard work. That decision, which Jack found later, would give him lots of enjoyment. He hoped that Billy would eventually stop cheating.
The next time Jack saw Billy he said, “Billy, I can’t hang out with cheaters. I will only be friends with people who do things right. Sooner or later, you’re going to get caught and I don’t want any part of that.”
“I don’t consider just looking at other people’s papers cheating. They don’t even know I can see their answer sheet,” said Billy.
This didn’t sit well with Jack, and he took a seat on the other side of the room, far away from Billy.
Billy didn’t get caught on the next exam, which angered Jack until he found out that he always did better than Billy when he finished homework and studied for exams. Plus, Jack got the satisfaction of knowing that he did a good job.
Billy passed the class and earned more play, but he was always looking over his shoulder, fearing that he would be discovered and punished for cheating. On top of that, he had to sit in the back with all the other class cheaters instead of with the studious group that Jack was part of. Billy and Jack both had to make new friends.
Later that year, Billy paid a visit to Jack, saying, “Suzy doesn’t know what she’s doing. She got a D this week. Can’t you sit next to me for the next exam?”
“No, I don’t want to be part of that. If you want to study with me, that’s fine, but you are going to have to figure this out on your own. You’re six weeks behind me now.”
Billy frowned and said nothing and then walked away.
Because of that argument, Jack was always honest, and Billy was always deceitful. Eventually, as all cheaters do, Billy was caught by the teacher. He was grounded and only able to watch the other kids play. Jack always did his work and was able to play. That argument changed their lives. Jack was happy all the time, while Billy was often sad for lengthy periods of time. Every time Jack was asked to cheat, he remembered what cheating did to Billy. Most importantly, their friendship was destroyed. Billy lost his reputation and became a class idiot. Because birds of a feather flock together, Billy had to make new friends with the goofers in the back of the class.
Jack remembered how much fun he and Billy used to have. Billy was a great friend and lots of fun, but there comes a time when a choice needs to be made. Jack mused, “Is it better to cheat and take shortcuts, or find new friendships with people who believe in hard work?” Jack sighed and began writing.
Daniel loves writing and mathematics and enjoys camping and rock collecting.