The Popular Depression is a book I wrote in my first year of college.

It was inspired by a cigarette pack on a coffee table that I noticed at a house party.

My eyes were drawn to the Health Canada warning on the box of cigarettes.

I think the statistic about tobacco-related deaths was supposed to be the scary one. But, for some reason, I was more alarmed by the fact more people died by killing themselves than by getting into car accidents.

I never did anything with the book I wrote. Looking back, some of the amateurish writing makes me cringe. But, the concept behind The Popular Depression is an important theme for us to think about.

Here is the sixteenth chapter from The Popular Depression.

Chapter 16

“Aren’t you full yet?” Rachel asks.
She is truly amazed at how much food Ethan is eating.
“I’m sorry Rachel, some of us can’t curb our hunger with a side salad,” Ethan replies, mockingly.
“Shut-up, smart-ass,” says Rachel. “That is your second foot-long sub.”
“I’m sorry; I’m hungry.”
“Well hurry up… I have a Math test I can’t miss this afternoon.”
Ethan finishes the last bites of his Subway sandwich and wipes his mouth with one of the five napkins he was given.
“I still can’t believe that we’re in no classes together,” says Ethan.
“Meh, it’s probably just as well. I think I’d get sick of you pretty fast.”
“Hmm, that’s interesting. I was going to invite you over after school because my mom’s gone, but clearly you’re sick of me,” Ethan tests.
Rachel reaches under the table and puts her hand on Ethan’s leg, then, "I'm not sick of you yet."
Ethan leans over and kisses Rachel on the cheek, which seems like more of a formality than anything.
Ethan's relationship with Rachel is almost exactly opposite of what he had with Liberty. Ethan hasn’t met Rachel’s parents; Rachel hasn’t met Ethan’s mom. Ethan doesn't know what Rachel's aspirations or goals are... hell, he couldn't even name her favourite colour. And Ethan has seen Rachel naked more often than he's seen her with clothes on.
Once back at the school, Ethan and Rachel go their separate ways.
During English, Chomery explains the meaning behind Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman.
The class whizzes by and Ethan gets ready to go home and get laid. Surprisingly, to him, it’s not as exciting as it sounds.
On his way out of the school, Ethan runs into Jared. Jared raises his hand up for a high-five. Ethan slaps Jared’s hand, a nice alternative to the sometimes awkward handshake/hug.
“What’s going on E-money?” Jared asks.
“Hey Jared,” Ethan responds, after some consideration with how to respond to E-money.
“Word around the school is that you’ve been nailing Rachel.”
This takes Ethan by surprise.
“People know about us?” Ethan asks.
“Of course, man. I’m proud of you,” Jared says, grabbing onto Ethan’s right shoulder. “Now Carp isn’t the only one who can brag about sleeping with the cheerleaders' leader.”
“TJ has slept with Rachel?” Ethan asks.
“No, you misheard. Sleeping. Not slept,” Jared replies.
“TJ is sleeping with Rachel!?”
“Now you’ve got it.”
“I can’t believe he would do that.”
“Why dude? It’s not like you’re dating her… you two are just fooling around. I’m sure she wouldn’t cry about it if you went and slept with Taya.”
Ethan shakes his head. He feels like shit and none of his so-called friends can even understand why.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” are the words that come from Ethan’s mouth, though he doesn’t believe them.
“Damn rights I’m right,” Jared says. “Now are you coming out to party again on Saturday?”
“I don’t know,” Ethan says, stressed. “Today’s only Monday, we'll see how the week plays out.”
“OK, well you better come. This party is supposed to be a little more hardcore, but TJ has already agreed to come. Plus, we’ve got to let the student body know that we basketball players can party with the best of them.”
Ethan wonders how much time Jared spends worrying about his image.
“Yeah, I’m probably game.”
“That’s my boy,” says Jared as he pats Ethan’s back. “I’ve really got to get home though… I’ll probably see you tomorrow.”
Jared bolts off and then is out of sight.
Ethan goes to the parking lot and gets into his Tacoma. He drives home. The clock says 3:21. Once he gets home: he verifies that his mother is gone, makes sure that Cindy went to her dance lesson, makes his bed, and then gets ready for Rachel’s arrival.
Just as the clock changes to 4 p.m., Ethan hears a knock.
He walks over to the front door and opens it.
“Hey gorgeous,” Rachel says, batting her eyelashes. “Are you ready to fuck me?”
Ethan wonders how he went from virginity to this in a matter of months.
Rachel has changed into an outfit that definitely would not be appropriate for school. Her white tube-top shows a generous amount of cleavage. Her belly button piercing is exposed. Her tight jeans accentuate her slim figure.
Ethan considers sitting Rachel down and asking her about TJ, but his hormones take over and he decides that he will bring up the TJ issue after sex.
The two go into Ethan’s room, shut the door, and 27 minutes later come out fully clothed.
“Would you like some juice?” Ethan asks.
“No I need to get going. I told TJ I’d hang out with him.”
“Are you serious?” Ethan blurts out. “We just had sex… how could you possibly want to go to TJ’s for more?”
A pause.
“Umm. Do you really want me to answer that?” Rachel tries.
“Ouch,” says Ethan, stunned.
Rachel walks over to Ethan and tries to save what is left of his dignity.
“It’s not what you think. It’s just that—”
Rachel pauses, as she works something out in her head.
“Hey, wait a minute. How did you know TJ and I were sleeping together?”
Ethan stares at her.
“Jared told me.”
“OK, but why are you mad at me Ethan? It’s not like we were ever dating. I wouldn’t be putting you through this guilt trip if you would’ve slept with Taya.”
Ethan wonders why everything thinks that Taya would be next on his list.
“Still, Rachel… I’m not comfortable being with a girl who is just going to sleep with other guys at the same time. It doesn’t feel right.”
Rachel considers this. She seems surprised at the comment. Ethan realizes that this is the first time he has ever mentioned his feelings to Rachel.
“Are you asking me to choose?” Rachel asks, still surprised by Ethan’s comment.
Ethan sits there thinking. As quickly as possible he tries to compile a mental list of all the pros and cons. Once he realizes that it’s taking far too long, he goes with his gut.
“I guess that is what I’m asking.”
There is a pause, but in Ethan’s opinion, it isn’t long enough.
“I’m sorry, but in that case—I’m going with TJ.”
The response is cold and harsh… Ethan feels like he just got the wind knocked out of him.
“Wow. Well, I’m glad I meant so much to you,” Ethan says.
Rachel looks at Ethan and then puts her arm around him.
“Ethan… I had a lot of fun with you. It’s just that I have a really hard time being with just one guy. With you, I’d be forced to be solely committed to you, and I don’t know if I can make that promise and keep it. On the other hand, TJ knows I sleep around and it’s not that much of a problem for him. This way… I don’t have to worry about hurting anyone’s feelings. Do you understand?”
Ethan nods.

Liberty sits at her desk doing Physics homework. Tomorrow's test, which she is not prepared for, is the only thing on her mind. She is just about to throw her Physics textbook out the window when the phone rings.
“Hello.”
“Hey Lib, how’s it going?”
“Hey Denise. It’s going terrible. I can not figure out any of this new Physics stuff and we have our unit test tomorrow.”
“Yeah I’ve been working on the review assignment ever since I got home from school.”
“Me too.”
“Anyway, believe it or not, I didn’t phone you about Physics,” Denise says, sarcastically.
“What’s up?”
“Well, I hate to gossip, but have you heard anything about Ethan recently?”
“No. The last time I heard from Ethan was the time he slid that mysterious-looking note into my locker.”
“Yeah I remember that. The reason I am calling is because I heard something about him today.”
“Oh?”
“I was in the hallway when I overheard Brittany and Ashlee talking about Ethan and Rachel Turner.”
“Ethan is dating Rachel Turner?”
“No, that’s the thing. Apparently they are just sleeping together… they have been ever since some Halloween party at Skyler’s parents' mansion.”
“Yeah but I don’t know whether to believe that or not Denise… those girls spread so many rumors, it’s impossible to know whether or not they are true. And that really doesn't sound like Ethan.”
“Yeah but I heard lots of people talking about how Ethan went to that party. Most of them say that they saw him sitting with the cheerleader girls too.”
“Still. It’s all gossip. Ethan hasn't been to a party since this past summer.”
“But… doesn’t it all make perfect sense? I mean, Ethan writes a note telling you that he needs a relationship with sex. Then, after a couple weeks of you not responding, he goes out and gets himself into one.”
“I don’t know, Denise. I’m not even sure if all of this is true. And even if it is, Ethan’s relationships are none of my business. What he chooses to do with his life is his concern, not mine.”
“I know… I just thought I should let you know.”
“I appreciate you calling, but I don’t care what Ethan does or doesn’t do. He is no longer my boyfriend. I don’t even know if we are friends.”
Liberty says “good-bye” and hangs up the phone. She turns to her Physics textbook and tries to get back into her assignment.
She can’t.
What she said to Denise was an outright lie. She does care about Ethan; she cares very much. She wants to believe that Ethan isn’t be sleeping around. But she also knows that Ethan has been spending a lot of time with Jared and TJ; therefore, it's possible that he's acting like them as well. She thinks about the note. At first she thought Ethan must have written it. How could he have not? Who else knew what happened the night of her break-up. But the more Liberty thought about it, she realized how unlikely it was that he actually wrote it. Ethan understands her like nobody else. He would never write the words that were on that letter.
But if Ethan didn't write the note, who did? And why would they want to frame Ethan?
Liberty shivers. She gets up and closes her window, then grabs a blanket and wraps it around herself.
Nothing makes sense right now.

Previous Chapters:

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15