In the end, he never could live up to their expectations. They wanted him to be perfect, to never mess up. He couldn't even slip up the tiniest bit, because it would be magnified a hundred times in their eyes.
The pressure was always on him. Sometimes he could deal with it, but most of the time it choked and suffocated him like a snake. Teachers expected him to score a one hundred on every test in every subject. Parents counted on him to make the right decision every time, and set a good example for their children. Even his closest friends were shocked if he didn't do something right on the first try. His parents, specifically his mother, were by far the worst. They screamed at him until their faces turned purple from anger, over the tiniest things.
So, he always did the best he could in everything. But, it was never good enough. They wanted him to do it over and over again, until it was worthy. And he always did.
But this time was different. There was no going back, you couldn't change what happened. You couldn't breathe life back into a person. He couldn't take back what he felt like he had done.
Stan was gone, and he accepted that. What he didn't accept, though, was that it was anyone else's fault but his own.