Jack Cross is my best friend. We've been best friends since first grade and have been inseparable ever since. Our friendship began on the first day of school. I was the new kid and with the name Jack Thong, obviously I wasn't going to make a lot of friends. When the teacher called my name during attendance, the whole class started snickering. My ears turned bright red. Jack, on the other hand, stood up for me. With a tiny voice but big conviction, he told the other kids to “knock it off”. The teacher reprimanded the rest of the students. I was grateful for that small act of kindness from Jack. When it was time for recess, I sat under the big oak tree and watched the other kids play with each other. Jack was the only kid that approached me that day.

“Hey Jack, my name’s Jack.” He said.
“Hi Jack.” I mumbled.
“Hey buddy, we’re gonna be best friends okay?” He asked.
I didn't say anything. What was he talking about?
He looked at me and grinned. “Dude, any guy who has the same first name as me is gonna be my best friend cause we Jacksters are cool.” He pointed at himself and gave me a thumbs up.
“Umm... okay.” I said. I was pretty sure “Jacksters” was not a word.
“Plus we have the same shirt!” he exclaimed. “Now come on, let’s play kickball.” he held out his hand towards me. I smiled and took his hand.
Little did I know, that was the beginning of a great friendship.

14 years later- Jack Cross and Jack Thong enlist in the Army after graduate school.
I was going to kill him. I was going to kill Jack Cross. How could he do this to me? He ate my last chocolate bar! Do you know how hard it is to sneak a box of delicious Hershey chocolate bars past enemy lines, chocolate hungry hounds and security that was so uptight about the rules that you weren't even allowed to have chocolate perfume into a heavily guarded base manned by the all-powerful chocolate-hating Sergeant? Okay, maybe I was exaggerating but getting the box past Sergeant was a pain in the neck. The man could smell chocolate from a mile away. I had to bury the chocolate bars around the camp in secret hideouts to mask the scent with dirt. I even sprayed some of my cologne on it just in case.

Why was chocolate so important? Because it was forbidden. We weren't allowed sweets in the Army and after six months of intense training, I was seriously craving it. I also saw it as a means of currency. I could be a rich man if I had my hands on chocolate. I paid off some guys that were in charge of transporting materials (they ripped me off) and they sneaked in the package two weeks later. See how long this mission took? I waited for the chocolate to come for months. When it finally came, I quickly emptied the evidence into the hungry mouths of waiting soldiers who were quite desperate to do business with me. I saved just one chocolate bar for myself. After a long day of manning the perimeter in the hot sun, I was really looking forward to going back to my bunk and savoring the chocolate in the air conditioned room. I found Jack in the recreation room with the wrapper in his hand, guilty as charged.

“What the heck, man!” I said angrily. “That was my last chocolate bar!” I whacked him on the side of his head.
Jack smiled at me sheepishly. “Dude, I’m so sorry... I couldn't help it.”

“Whatever.” I said storming away to my room. I sank into my bed irritated and tired as I drifted into a restless sleep. I was still mad at Jack when I woke up. For the next three days, I didn't talk, look, or breathe in his direction. I know I was acting like a child, but I was really mad about the chocolate bar.

The next day, Sergeant woke us up in the middle of the night due to an urgent message sent by the reconnaissance team. They had critical Intel that our northwest base was going to be attacked at noontime. Everyone hurried to get their equipment on and weapons ready. My heart was bursting with adrenaline. I found myself looking for Jack in the midst of all the disorder. We made it to the northwest base just in time for a huge explosion to hit the main center. BOOM!

“We’re under attack!” yelled Sergeant. “Position yourselves!”

The whole team scattered to their spots. There was so much gunfire and smoke, I had a hard time seeing what was in front of me. People were running everywhere. It was complete chaos.

How was I going to find Jack now? I circled the trench area. I finally found Jack huddled behind a makeshift defense barrier made out of scraps of metal firing shot after shot towards the enemy.

“Hey man!” I said.
“Hey man!” he replied.
“Look dude,” I shouted over the gun shots. “I’m sorry.”
“Me too.” he cried. “I’m sorry too.”
We pounded each other’s fists. “Friends?” we asked at the same time. We grinned at each other. It was crazy. In the middle of all the commotion, Jack and I were reconciling. He pulled me into a headlock and knuckled my helmet. “Let’s get this show on the road!” he said.

We fought together side by side for what seemed like the longest time ever. It was uncertain whether or not we could win this battle.

Apparently we weren't because in the corner of my ear, I could hear Sergeant yelling, “Retreat!” he ordered. “Fall back!”

“Let’s go!” I told Jack. I took off without looking to see if he was following me and followed Sergeant’s lead. When I got to the retreatment center, I realized that Jack wasn't behind me. I threw down my ammunition and gun and prepared myself to run into the midst of battle.

“What are you doing?” yelled Sergeant. “You’re gonna get killed out there! It’s not worth it… he’s a dead man.”

I didn't listen to him. I was running back to where I last saw Jack so fast, my lungs were on fire. When I reached the destroyed trenches, I spotted Jack lying underneath the debris. It was clear that he was critically injured. I sat down next to him and held his hand.

“I knew you were going to come back,” he smiled weakly. “I just knew it.”

“You’re my best friend, man.” I said. “I always have your back.”

I put his arm over my shoulder and hoisted him out of the trench. It was a struggle and I didn't know how I did it but I carried both of us back to the retreatment center. I knew I was dying. As soon as I saw Sergeant’s burly figure, I dropped to my knees with Jack by my side.

Sergeant ran up to us and stopped when he got closer to see the damage. He closed his eyes and rubbed his face. “What a waste!” he cried.

“After all this, was it worth it?” he asked. “Was it worth both of you dying?”

I gave him a soft smile and mustered the last of my breath to reply. “It was well worth it.” I said.