by Suzy Yawn
Sugar and caffeine are two powerful things. They were things my parents avoided in our diets ever since I was little. I grew up with this diet and mentality. Excess sugar found in common candy and all caffeine polluted the body. Therefore Pepsi was out of the question when it came to mealtime drinks. My friends grew up with the same ideals. Pepsi was almost seen as a sin. All Pepsi drinkers in out school were dirty, annoyingly hyper and at times incredibly irritable. The Pepsi drinkers all sat together. They were looked down upon; no one wanted to have anything to do with them. We had always heard the Pepsi horror stories of mistakes made at the processor and the effects of in on nylon and pennies. Despite all of this I became incredibly interested in them and their drink. One day on my way home, I jumped on the wrong bus and ended up in a strange part of town. I recognized a few faces in the area as people who went to my school but it wasn't until I had a look in their grocery store that I completely realized who they were... they were Pepsi kids! I was on the wrong side of the tracks yet I was not alarmed. My curiosity took me to the check- out counter of the grocery store with a Pepsi in my hand. It was amazing how friendly the people became with me when I bought it. They asked me for sips and I gladly shared. They didn't seem so bad to me anymore. I took my first sip of my Pepsi. It tasted strange- definitely unlike anything I had ever tasted before. The bubbles burned my tongue and tickled my nose but I kept on drinking. Shortly after finishing I felt so carefree. I ran, I jumped, I had more energy than ever before. I drank five more Pepsi's that night every time becoming more hyper and excited. This is what they were trying to keep away from me? The bastards! I grabbed a few Pepsi's, jumped on the bus and headed home. I arrived home exhausted with Pepsi on my breath at ten o'clock. My parents tried to stop me at the door to yell at my but I didn't care, I just wanted sleep. The next morning at school my friends started acting all weird with me. They kept whispering to each other and acting all snippy with me. At lunch I asked my best friend for a dollar and she burst out "Why? For more Pepsi?" She looked so hurt and embarrassed.