"REBMEMER."

Those are the 8 black letters tatooed on his chest.

The eight letters that are actually "REMEMBER" backwards,

So that every morning, when he wakes up on base,

He'll look in the mirror and REMEMBER everyone he's left behind.

Sounds pretty sappy, doesn't it?

Yeah, well right now it's just 8 black letters spelling REBMEMER.

Letters keeping him from swimming at his own pool party.

Letters leaving me in a pool, alone, missing my best friend.

Bastard.

Why did he have to get it the day of his birthday?

Why couldn't he just wait one day?

One day so I could make one more memory,

One that I can wake up in the morning and REBMEMER.

Who told him he could get it?

Who told him he could join the Marines?

Who told him that he was allowed to take a gun,

And drag it halfway around the world and fucking die,

And leave me alone, with nothing to REBMEMER him by?

WHO FUCKING TOLD HIM?

Oh, wait.

Nobody told him.

Because, he's an adult now. An adult, Marine, shipping off to basic in 4 weeks.

I guess that means im an adult too, huh?

Fuck.