The Tormenting Tyrant

Developing as a person requires openness. Being open about certain things will help people develop their habits throughout their life, developing character in the long run. But something that we need to take into account is that not all people are the same. Hiding certain beliefs or just keeping secrets from one another is known to be a common thing from any age. As humans we observe many characteristics in people. The way they greet you, look at you, help you and how they are involved in your daily life. Us, being humans keep secrets from one another thinking that it would solve the troubles we go through. I’m not saying that keep secrets from a loved one, a friend or someone important in your life is necessarily good, but it helps slow down the pain in the beginning.

From personal experience I can account for how keeping a certain secret made a significant impact on my life. It was my 5th grade year in middle school. Being 10 years old, I was ignorant about many things, but still willing to try and understand. I was a very social kid, in and outside of school. I was willing to make friends wherever I went and help others. But I hadn’t known the feeling of emotional damage. He was the new kid in town, named Justin. He was very quiet but still had that “I’m tough” look on his face whenever he sat down during class. At first, I was intimidated by him, I thought to myself “Should I say hi? He is a new student after all.” It was time to go to lunch, we had just been taught some mind boggling fractions in math class, I know right?! I went over to Justin, since he was two students away from me in the lunch line and I said, “Hey, nice to meet you my names Sean!” With a big smile on my face. Justin replied with a relaxed but yet insensitive tone, “Sup.” I thought to myself, “Well I guess he really doesn’t want to talk...I’ll just go get my lunch and talk to my other friends.” “Uh...I’m going to go get lunch.” I replied as I tried to make our quick conversation less awkward, walking away in embarrassment.  

Once I got my school pizza, something that all middle schoolers dream about getting, that fresh five star school lunch quality, I sat down next to my other friends in my class as we began to talk about what games to play after school. Time flew very fast and it was time for recess! We quickly lined up to go outside in the warm sunny weather, it was the start of the school year after all. I walked in a group of friends as we reached the light that was outside. I’m not kidding, when our vice principal opened the door, it was really bright! But it was probably because of how bad our school lighting was. We all rushed outside screaming in excitement, to have forty-five minutes of freedom. As I traveled in the group of my friends, that was when I saw Justin all by himself. I went over to him and I invited him to play dodgeball with us and he accepted. I thought to myself, “Cool! Now we can be friends.”

Once we began the game of dodgeball, my favorite sport next to swimming, Justin gave me an intense look. A look that to this date, I cannot forget. It screamed “You’re going down.” I was very intimidated but I didn’t think too much of it in that moment. We started throwing the “spherical orbs of death” as I liked to call it, at one another. Justin came out of nowhere and throw two dodgeballs at me, and not on the arm. One hit me directly on the face while the other one collided into my left ear. The pain was a sting, a burn, a bad feeling. I immediately stopped the game and screamed at him, “What’s wrong with you?!” Soon after my eruption, the vice principal came over and assed the situation. He took Justin out of the game, to the office. My group of friends came over to make sure I was okay, I said “Yeah...I’m fine.” I walked away from the group and sat in the corner of the playground waiting for class to start back up again. Class resumed and the school day was regular as always, except that I had a gloomy look on my face until the school day ended. One thing I noticed during class was that Justin wasn’t there anymore. “I know what happened to him...He probably got expelled!” I thought to myself, smiling…”That’s what he gets.” I continued thinking about the severe punishments he can get. The school day ended, my father came to pick me up and we went home.

Although the school day ended, the actual day didn’t end. My father asked me if anything interesting happened at school as he handed me my sandwich since school lunch really didn’t satisfy my lunch. I told him, “No, same old, same old.” But being my father he knew something was up, and I knew that he knew. So I tried to look away from him whenever he tried to see my face. He saw a bruise on my face and asked me “What the hell happened?!” As rage consumed his eyes. I told him that I feel during recess and tried to laugh it off as I covered my tears. My father replied with a reassuring “Alright. But be more careful next time.” I responded with a “You got it!” trying to make myself seem fine so my dad doesn’t find anything suspicious.

The next day, I had school...Again! I know right? Five times a week for an entire year...Yeah tell me about it. My friends greeted me with big smiles as I waited outside the gate with my dad waiting for the school doors to open. “I really hope that kid Justin isn’t here…” I thought to myself, as my worried eyes spoke for me when my friends looked at my gloomy face. “Good morning!” The principle shouted. “Have a good day, Son.” my dad told me as he kissed my head and patted me on the back, “See you soon” I said as I tried to force a smile out of my resisting body. I walked up the mountainous steps for a 10 year old, to the auditorium. Just to be greeted by the vice principal and next to him, Justin. “Justin would like to say something to you, Sean.” The vice principal said to me in a firm manner as Justin looked at me, teary eyed. “I’m sorry about yesterday, Sean. I got too aggressive when we were playing.” “Oh, it’s okay! Let’s be friends, right?” I asked Justin as my day felt like it was beginning to shine once again. “Yeah! That would be cool.” Justin responded as we shook hands and walked to our classroom.

The day presume, regular classes, regular me. Once recess approached, I asked Justin if he wanted to play tag with my friends and me. He replied, “Yeah, I love tag dude!” “Ha! Me too.” I said smiling as I reached out for a high-five. He rose his left hand up high, to what I thought was a high-five coming back at me...But it wasn’t. He slapped me across my left cheek, causing a red mark to appear on my face. Once he had made contact with my face I immediately thought to myself, “This kids insane...I try to befriend him but he just wants to hurt me. No wonder he’s alone.” Tears quickly fell down my face, the pain was nostalgic. I looked at him, with rage and sorrow, uttering these words, “I hate you.” I’ve never actually said that to someone and meant it...But in that moment I knew I meant what I said. Justin looked back at me, cocky, grinning and heroic. He asked me “Oh, yeah? Well what are you going to do about it?” “Just wait…” I said, threatening him as I was hurt emotionally and physically.” I walked away, I walked to do the right thing. I tapped the vice principal on the shoulder as he patroles the playground. “Justin’s bullying me!” I said with anger, wiping my tears off my face, looking at the vice principal in the eye. Justin ran over to the principal nad I, exclaiming that he didn’t do anything “wrong.” The vice principal and I both knew he was in the wrong, due to his prior actions. The vice principal called my dad over to asses the issue for good.

Justin and I both walked to the office to resolve this issue. My dad walked in a couple minutes after, as our house was close to the school. “Sean? I knew something was going on!” My dad shouted in rage as he entered the office. I’ve never seen him this angry, but not at me...At Justin. “How could you do this to my son? I assumed that the vice principal had informed him of the bullying Justin had done to me. “All he wanted to was welcome you and be your friend!” He continued, Justin looked like he was going to cry, but he held back. “I-I’m sorry...I really am.” Justin muttered as a tear rolled down his face, onto the ground...Splashing like the ocean had dropped onto the dry ground of the Earth, expanding onto the cracks of the ground. “It’s okay, Justin.” I said quickly, before my father went off on a further rant. “I understand where you’re coming from.” I said when I really didn’t. “Just make sure to be kinder to others, because not everyone's tough as you!” I said laughing to bring some humor to the tension. “Dad, it’s okay, he’s learned his lesson.” I said to my dad to calm him down. “Alright Son.” “Thank you.” My dad said to the vice principal, as pulled me out of school early. We walked home, I didn’t want to look back at Justins face, but I did. I saw him crying, but I knew it was for the best, for him to learn his lesson and become a better person.

I’ve learned throughout the 16 years that I’ve been on this planet, that not everyone's the same but we all sometimes desire the same thing. That “desire is to seek help when we are on the needing end. Many people, like you and I, may go through strife once in awhile but the main question that rises is “How do we deal with it?”