Timothy`s boarding school

Chapter 12 - It turns ugly

Supper today was pretty boring. It was traditional night and therefore we got served African traditional food. We had pap with cattle intestines, sounds gross but it was pretty nice except that the food was not that hot meaning we got so much solidified animal fact on our hands. It was pretty disgusting I must admit.

After supper we go for study. As my new norm I was now sitting between Valentine and Ryan as I was still tutoring him. Today I was not much in a reading mood as I was quite anxious about the game tomorrow. Even Valentine who had joined hockey only just recently seemed a bit elevated tonight. I decided to dedicate my entire study to teaching Ryan. I specifically designed some maths problems for him to try, but he got almost all of them wrong, I had to chip in and help him. He was definitely improving compared to last time when he got everything wrong.

Half way through the study he started telling me about this girl he liked. There were in the same class and her name was Adele. He talked about failing to talk her as he was shy and afraid of scaring her away. He said she was so beautiful. I don't know whether it was his statement about her beauty or something else but I just started feeling uneasy. I do not know what was happening to me but I just didn't want him talking about his crush with me. Was I envious of her or maybe it was jealous? But why would I be jealous, the girl I definitely didn't talk to her and she was not my type at all or maybe I didn't like the fact that Ryan liked a girl? But why wouldn't I, his missions with girls had totally nothing to do with me. Now I'm just nodding and not responding to any of his comments or statements about this angel he claimed had fallen from heaven just for him.

Out of the blue he asks me to help him get this girl of his. I'm both shocked and amazed, didn't he know I was a spineless chicken when it came to girls, I couldn't do anything, I was just like him but I was not going to tell him that, was I? I try to act as casual as possible about the whole thing, giving him advice I had been given by my fellow friends as way, you could say I was just recycling the information because I had thrown it in the trash as it had not worked for me.

I did tell him to approach the girl and tell her how he felt but I don't think this was going to work as he said he hardly spoke to the girl. Was I intentionally jeopardising his chances of getting this girl? I just don't know. It seemed I didn't want him to date, I just wanted him to stay here with me studying everyday and not be stuck texting her or something. I guess I just didn't want to be single alone I think or was it something more sinister.

Michael did send a junior during my discussions with Ryan, to tell me I should come to his room after study. I wonder what he wanted, can't he just leave me alone. I reluctantly told the youngster to pass the message that I will be there. How pathetic I'm, can't I just say no to this guy just for once.

The siren signalling the end of study goes but I stay for a while before going to the hostel. Ryan decided to stay with me although I had told him I was not going to be studying and had profusely begged him to go but he was such a hard egg. Today it was just him and I in the big hollow classrooms. I wanted to take this opportunity just to think, clear my head and it was also a tactic of trying to avoid going to Michael's room so early in case he wanted to send me on some mission impossible stuff. Ryan is sitting beside me quietly before he breaks the silence with a cough. He looks at me, I totally ignore his gaze and he clears his throat again, I think this is the third or fifth time wasn't really counting.

"Is something wrong" I say staring at the c***k on the ceiling.

"No, just wanted to know. What are you thinking about?" he says smiling and trying to make the question as casual as possible. As always I respond "Nothing", still scrutinizing the c***k on the ceiling. He moves his chair closer to mine, puts his book on my desk and I can see his badly shaped letters trying to come out of the page, I try to ignore the defect and read the message. It's in French, I didn't do French. Only he can tell me what it means. I ask him what it means. He says I had to find out by myself. I therefore memorized the short phrase and said after "its better be worth memorizing or else!" Now our legs are touching under the table, this really felt awkward. Therefore I cut it short, when I retire for the hostel. He goes with me telling me about the games to watch out in the premier league next week. I definitely gave a deaf ear; hearing about soccer irritated me as I was not a fan.

I pass by my room and drop my books before going to Michael's room. I knock on his door, he shouts "come in" and I let myself in. He was quite smart I have to admit. His school books were neatly packed on a cabinet close to the door, the desk clean with one book and the chair tucked in, everything else was in the closed wardrobe I assume. His roommate is already in his sheets fast asleep, breathing heavily with snores. Michael is sitting on his bed scrolling through something on his laptop. He lifts his head and gives me a smile.

"Well, Tim you came. I thought you had bailed on me." He says. I don't respond as I'm still occupied with my analysis of his room. He clicks his fingers and thus bringing me back to reality.

"Ooh sorry. You wanted something?" I ask as I didn't want to prolong my stay here. He taps the space beside him on his bed edging me to come and sit. I sigh and go over and sit beside him. Now I'm looking at his laptop screen where he is playing need for speed.

"Want to play?" he says not waiting for my response and placing the laptop on my laps. I start a new race and immediately start playing. I really liked racing games and I was fairly good at them but what was the meaning of all of this? What was he up to?

"I think we got off on the wrong foot" he says standing against the window sill "I just want to make amends. Kimberly told me, you like her." I immediately raise my head and turn my gaze his way and say "liked!!" a bit infuriated. She had no right to tell Michael that or be even talking about me in the first place.

"Well. Whether you like her or liked her, whatever dude. I'm breaking up with her anyway" he says acting casual and not a bit nerved or saddened by what he had just said. So all this time was he just using her? How could he do such a thing? Although I no longer loved Kimberly she was still my classmate and friend.

"So you can have her now, if you like?" he adds. And just like that, he was treating Kimberly like some sort of toy that can be passed around to others as long as the owner wills. He can't do this to her, she was a human being too and she had feelings. From anger, my feelings changed to sadness, I felt sorry for her. I so madly wanted to shout at Michael but at the same time I just wanted to sit and hug Kimberly just consoling her from this brutal act she had endured. Michael had probably slept with her already and didn't see any use for her anymore.

"Did you sleep with her?" I ask using the game I was playing to mask the fire that was raging in my eyes. He doesn't respond for a while and then slips in a silent "Maybe". So it was confirmed he had used her.

Trying to collect myself and stay come "Why did you do that to her? Didn't you like her?" I say now starting to sound loud. "Well I did for sometime but I latter saw that we had nothing in common and therefore our conversations just sucked."

"Was this before or after sleeping with her" I say standing up and now moving towards him with my fist clenched.

"Well I couldn't just leave the relationship, without any anything to show for it." And with that the little grip hold I had on my anger breaks loose. I punch him straight in the face, his forehead turning to hit window behind him and it breaks.

"What the f**k Tim!!!" he shouts in anger as he is now holding his forehead with blood sipping through his fingers. I just didn't care whether he was hurt or not, I definitely wanted to punch him again. I pull him by the collar whilst now stepping on broken glass "How dare you do that to Kimberly?" I say over clenched teeth. I can see he is in total shock to both the punch and the anger in my eyes. He tries to collect himself and pushes me away with so much force that I land on the ground and go out for a minute. My eyes are blurry, I'm not sure if it's from the fall or the tears, I hear a distant murmur of noise probably people speaking. I try to lift my head but gravity plays its trick and pulls me down. A hand is shaking me now, calling my name I think, it kind of looks like Ryan. I try to lift my hand towards the face but my hand falls back to me half way through and with that my world turns black.