it was never proven to be the cause, but my best friend in middle school - and all my other friends - loved the choke-out game. Like they would just hang out and do it for thirty minutes over and over, developing techniques and one of them even seemed a little hooked on it.

Anyway, he collapsed in the hallway at school getting a drink of water and had suffered an aneurysm that left him in a coma for nearly three weeks. His mom wouldn't let me (or any other white kids) visit in the hospital, but the first place he asked to go when he got out was my house, and he wheeled himself down the street 'cause his mom wouldn't walk him over. he had no memories of me or the things we did together daily for most of our lives, he just felt compelled to come over.

I didn't really see him around much but he's learned how to drive, has a steady job, pays his bills. but his left side is still essentially paralyzed at the joints; he walks but in an awkward way where he basically swings his left leg around the front of his body.

and me personally, as somebody that never participated in the choke-out game but let those guys do it in my parents' basement constantly? I blame it for fucking up my dude's life, for sure.

I did do the electric dog collar thing once or twice, though. I was willing to be that level of stupid.

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"This is the streets, and I am the trap." � Jay Bilas
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/archive/contributor/517
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