“So class,today we'll be having a new member joining us. I hope you would be nice to him”,said Mr. Michael as he introduced Alexander the newcomer to the class. We were in the second term of the academic year and no one was expecting a new classmate to join us.

I,whose family was currently in shambles had my mind elsewhere that I hadn't even noticed I had a new desk mate until he had tapped me on the shoulder to ask me to move my bag which was currently on his seat. Startled me,proceeded to question him as of why he had chosen to sit beside me and not anywhere else. “Were you even paying attention to the teacher?”,he asked sarcastically with a smirk on his face. “What has he got to do with my question? ”,I replied. “Well,since you aren't aware. Let me inform you. ”,he said as he sat down on the chair beside me. “I was asked to sit beside you since you're the smartest in the class and also the only one without a sitting partner”,he continued with a shrug. At this juncture, I was lost for words so I just nodded and looked away.

Throughout the remaining lesson,I could feel his eyes burning a hole through my face. I was quite uncomfortable and I had wanted to ask him why he kept staring at me. Soon enough, the bell rang for break and we all rushed out for break. I was the last to leave the class since I wasn't really feeling myself that week with all that was going on at home. It was either I wasn't paying attention or he had done it on purpose, Alex and I bumped into each other as I tried walking out the door,which ended up having me land right on my butt and hands as I fell. I who was burning up with anger, immediately stood up and gave him a big push which made him fall down in a similar posture, only this time around he had scraped parts of his left palm.

I was either unlucky or very unlucky, my teacher had seen what I had done and I was punished for supposedly “bullying” the newcomer. I tried to explain myself but the teacher wasn't hearing it,all he believed was what he saw and the fact that Alex had refused to confirm what I had said had happened made it even worse. And now,I was more than convinced that he had done it on purpose.

That day, I left school feeling more depressed than I had been when I had left the house in the morning. One reason for feeling more depressed than I was,was because I had unintentionally hurt my new classmate, the other was being punished for something I didn't do on purpose and the other was becoming something I didn't intend on becoming “A BULLY! ”.

As I walked out of the school gates with my younger brother after school,I thought to myself that; “Tomorrow will be a new day,I'll apologize tomorrow. Maybe he was just angry just like I was that's why he didn't say anything ”.

Back at home,I had a lot of homework to do to even notice that chaos that was continuing around me. All I had on my mind was, “I have to study hard so that I can be successful, I need to grow up quickly so that I can move out and be independent ”. That was 8 year old me who was in the 2nd grade at time's premature thoughts and coping mechanism to remain sane with all that was going on.

The next day,I ran into Alex at the school gate when I had arrived at school. I was just as I was about to apologize,he stepped on my newly worn white socks and polished shoes. We were about to have an inspection that morning at assembly and now I was going to be punished thanks to this devil's spawn who I had come to believe had been sent by the devil himself to make my life more difficult than it was already. I didn't want to let it but I had to since I didn't want to be late for the assembly since it was just going to get me punished more in the end.

During the inspection, I was lucky enough just to be scolded since the senior in charge of the inspection noticed it was a shoe print and not a deliberate stain. Phew,I had escaped the punishment but I wasn't happy about being reprimanded in public. I've always been an introvert and I find it hard to interact with others. That was one of the main reasons why I was almost always alone and school. And with what was happening in my family, I had become more socially withdrawn and I tried very hard not catch the attention of anyone around me. And here was a special case of someone who was trying to mess up the peaceful life I had built and wreck the walls I had painfully put up around that life.

When we returned yo class after the assembly I took the initiative to apologize so as to put everything behind us and return to my uneventful school life. As I blurted out the words “I'm sorry for yesterday ” to him,he stood up abruptly and started laughing in my face. “What a jerk”,I thought to myself as I sat down and placed my head facedown on the table to hide away from the stares of everyone in the class. I was too embarrassed to look up. He sat back down and he said to me,”Keep your sorry to yourself I really don't need it. Let's fight it out since you seemed to want a fight from the beginning".

I harshly replied back, “Whatever! You know what, I'm not so sorry,screw you!”. He burst out laughing again, “That's the spirit. You don't seem stuck up as I thought you were when I was you a few days ago when I first came for my admission ” he said casually. “You saw me? When was that?” I questioned. “Well,let's say,last week,I'm surprised you weren't paying attention. After all,I'm too cute to forget”,he replied with a chuckle.

It was like the boundaries between us had been broken, we surprisingly made up and by the end of the day,you could call us best friends.

School was over and it was time to go home. As my brother and I stepped out of the school gates, Alex followed us only to ask for my name. I burst out laughing because I found his request redundant since literally everyone in class calls my name every single time. He later explained he wanted a proper and formal introduction between us since we were could now be considered as friends. “I'm Angela,nice to meet you”,I said. “I'm Alexander, nice to meet you too”,he replied as we shook hands. My brother who was standing at the side,stared at us dumbfounded. “You both know you could've done this tomorrow in your own time right? Instead of encroaching on my going home time. Well if you're done let's move Angie”,my brother said as he grabbed my hand walking away from Alex. After giving him a safe gap,he turned around and said to Alex;“Anyway I'm Samuel, you may call me Sam. I'm a year younger than my sister. Nice to meet you and see you around ”.

We got on the cab and started our journey home.

The next day at school, the whole class seemed to have noticed the difference in the atmosphere between Alex and I. They started teasing us of being a couple which started out with bickering. Well they weren't exactly wrong except for the fact that we were a couple. “Alex and I are totally incompatible ”,at least that was what I thought before.

Lessons started as usual and the class finally settled down. When it was time for breakfast, I remained behind in class because I had brought food from home. Alex stayed behind as well to eat his food as well. It was unplanned although it seemed as though. As we ate,I noticed something unusual about his ears. On his left ear,he appeared to have two ear lobes. A different but an amazing sight which I made known to him that I had just noticed. He also went ahead to point out I had a beauty spot on my left ear as well as my right eyelid right beneath the brow. We both laughed at our discoveries since we seemed to have missed them before. Suddenly I realized his uneasy look as he stared at the scar on my nose between my eyes as if he wanted to ask how I got it and at the same time was afraid of offending me and reminding me of my past pain.

I usually didn't like talking about it but in order to put his curiosity to rest,I decided to just tell him when I got it but I wasn't ready to elaborate how I got it because I still wasn't ready to talk about it. “I got it when I was three”,I blurted out. “Got what?”,he questioned looking all embarrassed for being caught staring. “The scar”,I answered. “Oh that,sorry if I made you uncomfortable ”,he replied. “Never mind I'm used to it,you're not the first to stare at it though ”,I replied dryly. I think he noticed my unwillingness so he just changed the topic. “So food huh”,he blurted out. We both raised our heads to look up,then our eyes met. We both burst out laughing and we were back to our normal conversations again. The bell went for break over and the beginning of the fourth lesson,we put aside our lunch boxes and prepared for our class.

Throughout the lesson he kept trying to get my attention using petty tricks and making faces at me. I wasn't in the mood since I only learn while the teacher teaches so I had to tell him off. Well he stopped and we were back to studying. Time seemed to run by real fast,before I knew it school was over. Before I could reach for my bag to pack the books I had used during our last lesson, Alex picked it up,did the packing and then swung it over his shoulder. “Come on,let's go together ”,he said as he pulled me up and signalled me to follow him out. I was a bit confused but I just followed. It seemed everyone was to busy and happy to be going home to notice us,luckily. We met my brother at the gate and when he noticed my bag was with Alex,he started laughing then proceeded to teasing me. “I'm going tell Sis and mummy you've got yourself a boyfriend at school”,he said as he continued laughing. “You little dirty minded snitch,it's not what it looks like”,I said defensively. “Don't listen to her, it's true!”,Alex yelled interrupting my next speech then he continued to say,“Tell your mum her so in law will be visiting her soon”,Alex said as he winked at me. At that moment, his mom's car pulled over. He returned my bag and waved us good bye. His mom smiled and nodded her head in our direction so I just smiled back and waved as she drove away.

As my brother and I was on our way home,images of Alex mother's smile kept popping into my mind like she had a hidden meaning behind the smile she flashed me. Well it didn't matter anyway, whatever may come should come.