Caroline Walls

Mrs. Compton
English 1 Honors
February 26, 2016
Narrative Essay:
We should always remember to do the right thing, even when everyone else is wrong.
Earlier in my life, I would give in easily to peer pressure from my friends. At that time I was
ignorant to how important it was to avoid peer pressure when it can get me and/or others into
dangerous situations.
Claire huffed and sat down on a tree stump nearby.
This is so boring, She mumbled.
I know, I replied, sitting next to her.
We were looking for Christmas trees in Boone with her family. We had been searching for the
perfect tree for what felt like an hour, and they were all either too tall, too wide, not fluffy
enough, or too skinny.
We should do something, Claire said.
Like what? I asked, There's nothing here but trees.
Well we could go exploring, like walk around for a little bit.
I dont think we should. What if we get lost or eaten by a bear or something?
She laughed and responded, Come on, well be fine.
I sighed and gave in, knowing Claire, she wouldn't stop pestering me until I said yes. Claire
grabbed my hand and hauled me off the tree stump I was sitting on. We pushed past the thick
green branches of the trees around us to go find somewhere to explore.

We finally reached an open clearing away from the trees. We started walking down a path
but once we got to the end there was a sign that said NO TRESPASSING. Claire gave me a
devious smile.
No way, I said immediately.
Youre so lame, lets go, she said.
Yet again, I decided to give in knowing her stubbornness. I would have thought more about my
decision if I knew what was going to happen next
The green forest branches slapped my face as we were walking into the thick forested
area. Thorns and leaves scraped against my legs and I prayed that there wasnt any poison ivy.
This is so dumb we should go back, I told Claire.
Nope! Lets keep going, she said, shoving a branch away from her face.
We finally reached an area where there wasnt branches and thorns all over the place. There was
a huge tree in front of us that stretched about 5 meters wide and seemed to be about 3 meters tall.
Lets climb it, I said, staring at the tree in awe.
Look at you! Doing something exciting for once, she said.
Oh shut up, I said walking past her to climb the tree. Once we climbed up the tree we settled in
a nook of one of the large branches. We sat and talked for what didnt seem to be that long, but
suddenly I realized that the sun was going down.
Shoot! Claire, how long have we been here? I asked frantically.
Uh I dont know half an hour? she responded.
The sun is going down, I said.
Crap. We gotta go, Claire said.

We jumped down from the tree and tried to figure out where we came from. We just
guessed that we came from a random direction and started running through the forest. We finally
got back to the sign that said no trespassing. We were relieved to finally see some recognizable
ground but it was getting darker out and we needed to hurry. Luckily, Claire remembered how to
get back to the entrance place for the Christmas Tree farm.
I followed Claire all the way back to the entrance of the farm. It was such a wave of relief
to see her parents standing there waiting for us, despite seeing the angry looks on their faces.
Youre lucky you two came back before it got too dark out, her mom snapped, Weve been
waiting forever for you to come back.
Were so sorry, me and Claire both responded.
You better be, said her dad.
We all got back into the crowded minivan and began to drive back home.
That was terrifying, I said after a while of silence.
Hey, were not bored anymore right? Claire said.
I learned that I should always do the responsible thing and
not listen to peer pressure. Like Bruce Lee once said, Im not in this world to live up to your
expectations and youre not in this world to live up to mine. I learned a lot about how to deal
with peer pressure when I was younger and this definitely helped me throughout my life. Nobody
should do exactly what another person wants them to do if it can harm themselves.