Growing Pains

Growing Pains

"Don't worry about it, chief. We're always going to be friends," said Brian. His right hand held Tom's left shoulder. Tom smiled and lowered his gaze at the road his best friend was about to take with his parents to Mombasa. It was going to be a five hour ride if they were fast enough and left on time. Brian was the kind of boy who had his back. When Tom first entered middle school, he was being bullied a lot. The day Brian defended him against Jeffrey, they immediately hit it off with Tom and the rest was history. From that day onward they were inseparable. They did everything together. There was nothing they didn't talk about, and they never kept any secrets from each other. Brian knew about Tom's crush on Salome from the same class. She was the most popular girl in school. Every boy wanted to be with her and every girl wanted to be her. She also happened to be Jeffrey's girlfriend, much to Tom's disappointment. There was also no chance of her being with Tom. But he and Brian couldn't help but fantasise. It was only natural for any teenage boy. Brian and Tom were no different.

The sun was starting to set in Runda. Brian's parents started rushing Brian along because they would become later than they already were. But at least he knew he always loved night journeys, so this was going to be a good one. He had his gadgets ready at the back seat. He learned to find comfort in technology as an only child. That's what the two best friends had in common. Tom's only sister died before he was born, though. Stillbirth. Bad luck maybe. Something no one would wish on their worst enemy because of the pain and trauma it brought.

Brian and Tom said their goodbyes. Brian entered the car as Tom waved at Brian's parents at the front of the car. They smiled and nodded back in acknowledgment. The car ignited, and they zoomed past the gate. Tom could still smell the Audi for a good few minutes. They were really gone. And school was on Monday. The results of the last term's test were also on Monday. Tom knew he didn't do well on that paper because his nerves got to him. He was usually a good test taker but the intensified bullying was affecting his academic performance. The fact that his bully was his crush's boyfriend, worsened the matter for him in school. Now that Brian was moving to Mombasa, he lost his last line of defence. He would only get to see his best mate over the summer and Christmas holidays. He had to figure out a way to cope until graduation. Attending the graduation party was completely out of the question. Not only would his parents decline, it wasn't in his best interests to attend. He wanted nothing more to do with that school after graduation.

It was Monday morning at six thirty and Tom had never been so depressed having to prepare for school. From the moment he turned off the alarm to the time he had to dress after showering, he was overwhelmed with dread. Flashbacks intruded his thoughts all morning. He didn't know whether he had the courage to leave the vehicle. The other students were shuffling out of the buses. Salome emerged from the bus along with two other girls. They were laughing and chattering as they made their way to the lockers down the halls. That was the moment Tom realised just how much he would miss Brian. In a moment like this, walking together with him would have given him confidence. Tom took a deep breath, glanced at his mother with a worried look on his face. His mother reassured him it wouldn't be so bad but he knew it would. He just had to be brave. He left the car and started walking. He kept his head down the whole time until he reached a desk by the window, just in time for his English class. Salome was sitting with her friend Carol. They were also by the window but seated at the back of the class. Salome was wearing braids that were light brown in colour. They looked small, as if they took forever to be braided. She always had a different look every month and she always had a great fashion sense. Her light brown eyes complemented the hair style. She was brown skinned with a small nose that suited her nose piercing. Her smile was enough to cause knots in Tom's stomach. He always tried to talk to her but was tongue tied every time. Jeffrey was always around her, making a possible interaction impossible. The English class was the only time Tom and Salome were in the same room in the absence of Jeffrey.

Mr. Irungu appeared for the class on time. He valued punctuality and expected the same from his students. Which meant the same for the assignments. They were meant to be turned in on time. He liked giving surprise tests from time to time, just to assess the performance of the students. This was especially the case because they were in their final year. Tom had already chosen his universities and they all gave him a conditional offer. If he passed, Birmingham university was his first choice. His parents took him to a British system school with the intention of educating him in the best way, with whatever money could offer.

Mr. Irungu greeted the class and asked them how their weekend was. He then expressed his disappointment with the performance of the majority, considering the fast approaching final exams. He handed the students their papers after calling names out. Some of the students were asking each other what grade the other got. Tom's small beady eyes scanned the room. He was trying to guess how badly he could have done if the majority never passed. That's when Mr. Irungu approached Tom's desk, gave him his paper and said, "See me after class."

Tom looked at his paper. He got a D. That was the worst he had ever done since he first enrolled in that school. And his predicted grade for the final exam was an A. He had one more term to pass. The final exam was supposed to be marked by an external examiner, so he had to be good.

He seemed dazed and confused for the rest of the day. He didn't eat much of his lunch because he lost his appetite. Brian's absence was upsetting him. The other teenagers were socialising over the lunch break, exchanging stories of what they were up to over the past weekend. Tom sat alone and he couldn't help but miss his best friend. He checked his phone to see whether Brian replied to his message. There was still no answer. Maybe he was still busy. Maybe he didn't have credit. Whatever the case, it was only increasing poor Tom's anxiety. As if it couldn't get any worse, Jeffrey showed up with two other big boys. They all played rugby, so they had the athletic stature of a pro. Jeffrey was dark skinned with smooth skin. Barely any acne because he was obsessed with self care. His dimples may have made him look harmless to the teachers, but students know there was nothing harmless about the young man. Every student that enrolled at kusoma high had to be bullied by Jeffrey. Call it an initiation.

Jeffrey stole Tom's burger and ate it all in his face while the other two boys laughed. Tom didn't bother fighting back. How defenceless he was. Jeffrey slapped the back of his head, and Tom kept his gaze to the ground.

"Next time, bring more, I'm still hungry," he said, to which his friends laughed. He walked away with them and left a hungry Tom staring at an empty lunch box. It was as if his mother made lunch for bullies and not for her own son.

The afternoon classes went by quickly. When Tom arrived home, he went straight to his room. His mother could tell it was a hard day he had, so she instructed the father to let him be until he had calmed down. Tom didn't return downstairs for dinner. He sat in his room and logged onto streams on his laptop. Stream was a social app which makes short videos. He turned on the live stream and looked at the camera. He started talking about how meaningless life was. People started joining the he stream. Some were from his school. Comments started streaming in.

"I know this guy! He's in my class!" Read one comment.

Tom started narrating his life in school. He didn't like the experience and he had no friends anymore. He confessed about his crush in Salome, and he said he knew they would never have a shot. Surprisingly, she commented, saying she never knew him. Maybe she never paid attention to her classmates that much. According to Tom, that hurt. The fact that his crush didn't even know who he was despite studying in the same class, hurt.

Tom had a gun which he stole from his father's drawer. He put the gun to his right temple and it was now visible to the viewers.

"No way! For real?" Wrote one comment.

"Is he going to kill himself?" Wrote Jeffrey.

"You don't have to do this," wrote Salome.

Tom started crying profusely until his nose was dripping mucus.

"You wanted this. You all wanted this," said Tom.

Tom was breathing heavily. He closed his eyes, and pulled the trigger. He dropped to the floor instantly from his chair. Just as he dropped his mother rushed to see what had happened. As soon as she saw her son's lifeless body on the floor full of blood, she screamed. Tom's father barged in and started screaming using all manner of profanity. The stream was still live. A call was coming in at the same time. It was Brian.