Hanging with older friends

By Simon Munive

“Growing up, I was surrounded by skaters,  smokers, and drinkers. That really impacted my life and how I view people,” says Jayden Flores-Manzo, a sophomore at Rialto High School.

Jayden in 2025 trying on his friend’s glasses. Photo taken by Simon Munive.

When Flores-Manzo was around the age of seven, he hung out with his older brother’s friends most of the time. The group would usually go skating and teach him the basics. As he got older, Flores-Manzo felt as if his brother’s friends really raised him to who he is today. Both for better and for worse.

“I would 'break' into places by hopping fences and such,” Flores-Manzo admits. Later in these friendships, he started getting influenced to trespass and steal purely for the thrill. “I remember we used to always get into that one school across Jehue, Morris Elementary School, I believe, but I don’t remember stealing anything in particular there.” 

He states that the only reason they would break into Georgia F. Morris Elementary School was that they had amazing spots for skating. They would never steal from a school, especially not an elementary school. The times Flores-Manzo would steal were when he would target small items like candy and snacks.

Although he isn’t the proudest of these moments, Flores-Manzo claims that it helped him see the points of view of people who consistently do cheap thrills that could get them in trouble. The excitement he felt with his older brother’s friends was something he was glad to experience.

The reason Flores-Manzo stopped hanging out with the group was simply that his brother took on more responsibilities as he got older, and he had more to worry about than hanging out with his friends to cure their boredom.

During Flores-Manzo's freshman year of high school, he decided to join the volleyball team to meet people with similar interests. He was able to make lots of friends thanks to the volleyball teams, which introduced him to others outside the sport. Now Flores-Manzo has many friends close to his age who help him fit in and relieve his boredom without risking getting into trouble.

Flores-Manzo does not regret his time with his brother’s friends since it helped him be a bit more cautious with what he tells people who do not know him. Not only does he thank the group for that, but he also likes understanding where people are coming from when they drink, smoke, and do stupid things. It makes him feel much less judgmental towards those kinds of people, which makes him happy since he isn’t the fondest of being judgmental.