When you’re cruising down life, theres always that one person who tries en to 1up you in everything you do. We call them, “ Arch Nemesis’s “ For me though, it wasn’t really a person I hated or envy’d, it was actually a friend, or frenemy. For my whole life, it’s always been a competition. Win or lose, this kept me motivated in life.

It was a quiet Sunday afternoon, doing the same old - same old and moving on with our young lives. The sunlight gleamed through the half-creeked window, most of the light made its way towards the tv, which left an irritating glare. Only five years old at the time, chillax was a perfect word to describe the atmosphere. The room reeked of unforgiving smells; though not knowing where it came from. I heard a ring, very faint sounding. It was from phonecall, the usual routine happened, mom would pick up the phone and after she was done I would ask who is it. This time mom had a really creepy grin while talking. She was setting me up for a playdate, cheesy at the time but as a kid I didn’t really know anyone beside my family.

After that we started getting along, quite well actually. We both had the same interests growing up. When we became teenagers, I became interested in sports, and he was already into sports so that made it easy. Who knew this would become a huge debate and competition..
Basketball, the thing that always sparked my love and my anger with this sport. And with him in the picture, we could play 1 on 1 at each others houses. On the way home we would swoop over into his house, and get it started.

“ You ready? “ he said, awkwardly rotating his arm. Ah the days before puberty.

“Yeah I got it..” I had victory already sparked into my eyes, this was going down.

Back and forth, win and lose, there was never a steady lead into our competition. But there were times, where honestly I almost had it enough. Day in and day out I would just think about the things we did, it almost bugged me not knowing what would happen next. This motivation was key to me staying happy and motivated during my middle school years. This drive to be better than him was what kept me thinking about the positives.

We’re both 15 now, in which we probably hit our max potential, which honestly sucks. We both hit the moment where little things can honestly piss us off in unconventional ways.. but we stuck with it, and basketball became even more of a nuisance than a entertainment.

It was a dark, gloomy afternoon with no signs that Spring has finally come. The roads were filled with dirt ridden puddles right by the basketball hoop. Each basket made was a splash of the muck water on our bodies. The air was cold, but with the snow melting away we needed to get our dose of the outdoors. Maybe not the wisest thing playing when we’re both feeling a little angry due to that “teenager” phase

Check it up. “ he said, which had a snarky feel to it, knowing that he just wanted to get this done,I tossed the ball to him pretty hard, the way he said it aggravated me. He caught it with reflex, he rolled his eyes almost with disgust. He too, was annoyed and sick of tired of this.
These competitions, are highlights of my day or even the parts which I even dread. I’m thankful though, without this I wouldn’t have created a bond with a friend that I will always remember. I’m lucky to say that my arch nemesis, is also my best friend.