Сан-Францисская история. Синтетик. Ваган Арутюнов

shoulders and kissing her and she didn’t resist. Jacob waited for them to part and when Barney went towards the place he was standing at, he quickly hid in the bushes between the houses.

      That night Jacob couldn’t fall asleep for a long time. This must be the way the adult life begins when you are quickly skinned of all your childhood and its illusions. And betrayal is one of the toughest experiences in a life and Jacob had to pass it.

      Out of all hobbies the boys from the street used to share was still left the «weight room» – that was how they called the gym that owned old bodybuilder Sylvester. Once he was famous all over the West Coast. He was well-known in the Hollywood as well and he even had parts in some episodes of popular films of those times. There were his photos with the «stars» on the walls of the gym. Jacob was flattered by the friendship of the old coach, and for everybody else he was someone like Master Edo, that was how they secretly called him.

      But the time passed and one by one the boys started leaving old coach. The commercial for Synthetic was rattling from everywhere and there were few of those who wanted to waste precious time in the «weight room», sweating in the dusty gym when one could simply take a course of Synthetic and get a body you will never get with physical exercise. One way or another everybody found money and soon the promotional advertisements and special offers were hanging in every gym like autumn leaves, and then came the notices about gyms closing and being sold.

      Synthetic stepped both onto the East Cost and across the ocean. The company expanded building a skyscraper in the City for itself. Barney’s family moved to a luxurious district of the city and now it was there where friends came partying. Barney could have also changed the lyceum but he didn’t want to mingle with the same children of the rich who managed to hit the big time. He enjoyed his superiority among his old friends with which the memory of Jacob was little by little fading away. Sometimes guys would remember about him on their own during holidays but no one spoke his name when Barney was around. Nicole became Barney’s girlfriend and those five that once attacked the arrogant newcomer now became his best friends. Jacob was still loved at school and on the street but now it was Barney who became a role-model for everyone.

      One evening Jacob was coming home from his part-time job and suddenly met Nicole. He was so astonished by the girl’s beauty that he couldn’t take his eyes from her.

      «Hi, how are you?» the guy smiled, «You look just like a Hollywood star.»

      Nicole smiled to him at first but then lowered her eyes. She felt herself a traitor and deep in her heart she understood that she had betrayed her childhood friend, her first love. She didn’t even have enough time to realise how that happened: Jacob suddenly disappeared from her life and Barney took his place. He was a generous one but Nicole felt that he was simply buying everything around just as he had bought his muscles. And wouldn’t she turn out to be for him just the same purchase as well? Jacob was different but he wasn’t nearby for such a long time…