Two others sat stiffly on another couch with game controls in their hands, fixated on the TV screen in front of them. A cluster of teenagers formed around a pool table and nearby computers.
It was a typical afternoon at Parachutes, a 5-year-old hangout for teens in Dimond Center.
Parachutes -- which attracts between 15,000 and 25,000 visits from Anchorage teens every year -- began as an idea in the late '90s during a conversation among several youth pastors.
They noticed that teenagers wandered around the huge South Anchorage mall aimlessly, with no purchase in mind.
"We thought, wouldn't it be great if there was a 'Cheers' for teens, where everyone knows their name?" Joel Kiekintveld said.
"Cheers" minus the alcohol, of course. And limited to those 19 and under.
Parachutes would be the perfect name, they decided. It's where teens could just "drop in" -- a safe place where they could find trustworthy relationships.
In 2003, the now-dissolved Anchorage Youth for Christ transformed a 3,000-square-foot space across from Dimond Theatres from a miniature race car track into the teen center.
When Parachutes opened in April of that year, organizers had no idea what to expect. Would kids come?
By fall, the center was pulling 300 teens every Friday night, Kiekintveld said. "We knew there were kids in the mall, but it really surprised me," he said. "It was a real shocker."
In five years some of the faces have changed, but the stories are similar.
"Some are avoiding home situations or some have totally normal homes and are just rebelling, looking for acceptance in drugs, or a boyfriend or girlfriend," Kiekintveld said.
Some teens started coming at 13 or 14 and have grown up at the center.
Mike Lazenby showed up a few months after it opened. He was 13.
"It's just kind of a fun place to get away," said Lazenby, now 18. "Everyone needs to get away from their family every now and then."
Asked how the center affected his life, Lazenby said: "I probably would not be as happy as I am now. It's a lot more stress-free than being at home or school."
The threefold purpose of the center is to provide a safe haven for teens, strong relationships with adults and referral services for jobs or high school completion, Kiekintveld said.
Teenagers can get soda, cheese sticks or ice cream at the center cafe, play video games, surf the Internet, watch a film about spirituality or just "chillax" on the couches.
"If they want to enter a faith-based conversation, they can, but if they don't, it's okay too," Kiekintveld said. "We respect that."
"The bottom line is that we want to show (the love of Jesus Christ) more than we want to talk about it," he said.
Sixteen-year-old Kenna Smith said she's been coming to Parachutes almost daily since 2004.
"People here don't just pretend like they care -- they do care," she said.
The adult volunteers offer advice when you want it, but aren't too nosy or pushy, Smith said. "I don't always take the advice, but I always listen to it. We're teenagers."
Tim Vruggink left his construction job in Michigan in 2006 to come to Alaska and work at Parachutes.
"They're at that age where society is telling them, 'Choose this way, choose this way' -- It's helping them wade through that crud," said Vruggink, program director. "(A conversation) can happen while playing a video game or while ordering a soda."
More than a dozen people volunteer to work with the teenagers, including young adults who grew up themselves at Parachutes, or adults from Crosspoint Community Church, ChangePoint or Chapel by the Sea.
Over the years, Dimond Center has had trouble with teens. Has the center helped?
"I think it's been a good place, a place for the kids to go without getting in trouble," said Larry Williams, director of security for the mall.
Dimond Center owner Joe Ashlock called Parachutes an asset.
"I think they've been a very orderly bunch myself," Ashlock said. "I think it's very well done."
Tristan Moses stumbled on Parachutes while wandering through the mall three years ago. In no time, he was coming every day, staying from open until close.
The only reason he stops in less often now is because his job at Quiznos keeps him tied up.
The hardest part for staff members is knowing their efforts won't always work, Kiekintveld said.
"Sometimes, it's very hard to watch people that you care about that make decisions that's making it really hard for them to succeed," he said.
There are about 100 regulars who come at least once a week and about 30 to 40 who drop in every day they're open, Kiekintveld said.
"I'll be coming here until the day I'm 19," Smith said. "Until I can't get in -- expect that."
Hours of operation
Tuesday-Thursday: 3-9 p.m.
Friday: 3-10 p.m.
Saturday: 3-9 p.m.
Phone: 562-2932
Important warning about e-mails purporting to be from the adn.com staff.