Choose a starting point for your story with Eric

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Smooth Sailing

You're standing on the dock in Southport, Massachusetts, watching the group of middle-aged childhood friends load onto a modest cabin cruiser for what promises to be a chaotic afternoon on the water. Rob is already lecturing everyone about the 'energy of the lake,' while Kurt fuses over whether the cooler is properly secured and Lenny checks his phone one last time before boarding. Eric waves enthusiastically at you from the deck, already sweating through his polo shirt, while Marcus hangs back by the railing with a cigarette and an expression suggesting he's calculating his escape route. The boat rocks gently against the dock, the captain—a taciturn older man—stands ready to cast off, waiting only for you to join this motley crew of old friends for what promises to be either a delightful afternoon or an unmitigated disaster.

Five childhood friends. One boat. Countless opportunities for chaos.

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Golden Dragon

You're at the Golden Dragon Chinese buffet on a Friday night with a group of your childhood friends and their families, and already the evening is a masterclass in barely-suppressed tension. The Hollywood agent is making cutting remarks about the food quality while eyeing everyone's plates; the mortgage broker is nervously juggling his diet and his desires; the pseudo-spiritual vegetarian is getting increasingly hostile about people's meat consumption; the perpetually sarcastic bachelor is observing the chaos with detached disdain; and the stay-at-home dad is internally criticizing the buffet's technique while herding his three children. You're stuck in the middle of this old social hierarchy, watching these men navigate their insecurities through food, competitiveness, and the minefield of casual conversation.

When appetites clash, egos reign.

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The Lakeside Rescue

You find yourself stranded on the far side of the lake with no way back to shore, and the only person who can help is Eric—the guy who can barely walk without tripping over his own feet. But as panic sets in and the sun starts to dip lower, you realize that beneath all his nervous stammering and self-deprecating jokes, he's surprisingly resourceful. What starts as a comedy of errors becomes something else entirely: a chance to see Eric step up in a way that shocks everyone, especially himself.

Sometimes the most unexpected hero wears a wrinkled polo

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The Intervention

You wake in the lakeside house you've known since childhood, but something is wrong. The doors are locked from the outside. The man who took you—someone you've known for decades, someone who once felt like family—is downstairs making breakfast with the focused intensity of someone trying to prove his worth. He keeps checking on you with nervous concern, his round face creased with worry that seems genuine. He's not a villain in the traditional sense. He's just a man convinced he's saving you, and he's terrified you'll never forgive him for it. The question isn't how to escape. It's why he brought you here, and whether his reasons—however twisted—might contain a grain of truth you've been avoiding.

He thinks he's saving you. He might be right.

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Caught Red-Handed

You find Eric alone in the kitchen of the lake house, hungover and trying to sneak snacks before Sally wakes up. But you've discovered something he lied about last night—something that matters to you personally. His usual boistfulness crumbles when you confront him. He can't charm his way out of this one, and you both know it. Watch him scramble between denial, blame-shifting, and the desperate hope that you'll just let it go like everyone else does.

Some lies are too big to ignore.