The first notable event happened during the summer, at the celebration of a double birthday. They combined the party to save money, with the birthday boys being Daniel and Rubén.
Sandra and Lucas were invited, but only by Daniel's side.
This moment would mark a turning point because everyone present at that gathering would end up being connected for some time, albeit for different reasons.
Since it was a double birthday, there were double the gifts and double the surprises.
Marcos also began to stand out, showing off his humorous side, though it was all fairly moderate at the time.
The calm didn’t last long, relatively speaking. First came jealousy among the girls, then envy, followed by the passivity and inactivity of much of the group. All of it culminated in a complete breakup.
It all could have been resolved by talking things out, but that wasn’t the option they chose.
Everything started just before the summer ended, right after we had all returned from our family vacations.
One day, we finally managed to meet up—a feat in itself, given that everyone seemed busy doing nothing. But we met. I remember it as if it happened yesterday. We were all gathered in our square, waiting for someone to say something. Minutes passed, and no one said a word. Finally, Jorge spoke up—a rare event in itself, as I think it was the first and last time he openly expressed himself on any matter.
They had barely been talking for five minutes when a guy named Rubén suddenly slammed his hand against a lamppost for no apparent reason. It caught everyone, including the other people in the square, completely off guard. The sound was so loud that we all thought he had broken his arm, but Rubén didn’t flinch—not a single reaction.
There was a simple reason for this: Rubén was on a very strong medication that, according to him, made him nearly impervious to pain. It also made him very drowsy, and he was always seen carrying a two-liter bottle of Coca-Cola, which earned him the nickname "Rubocop" among the group.
The slap against the lamppost was also because Rubén was upset that his “super-friend” Jorge had betrayed him—or so he believed.
After the incident, everyone went their separate ways and back to their homes without resolving anything. This was just the prelude to everything else that was still to come.
