Starting High School was tough for me. The few friends I made in 8th grade were now moving on to a different school. What was most difficult was that my brother and best friend, Richard, had moved away the summer before.

What bridged the gap of distance was a software that let us play Halo 1 together. Although this led to the most one-sided battles ever, since the host always won, we still got the feeling that we were both in the same room together. This meant the world to me and made all the difference in my life.

When his family moved 600 miles away on his 19th birthday, he knew that he had to come back for the love of his life. Three months later, he did just that: he moved back.

It was definitely a struggle living in a rented room, trying to get by with a part time job at Mervyn's, living off of dollar menus, top ramen, and hot pockets, and being away from his parents and his younger brother.

Then, along came XBox Live. I cannot possibly describe how he must have felt, but the joy on his face, the happiness of spending time with a brother that was now so far away . . . For some reason, life was no longer as hard as it seemed.