CHAPTER 8

LARRY.

It's been two weeks since the gunshot incident happened, pleasing and displeasing myself has always been the bane of my existence, just to please the man I call my father.

Father has never made it easier for me, always comparing me with kids of the same age bracket. 

Since childhood I always wanted to be a chef, I love cooking and I still do, but Daddy has a way of doing things.

It's like he held me in a chokehold, always wanting to do his bidding

Even now as a grown adult, he compares me with his friends’ children who are doing well in various areas of the business world.

"Larry, look at Donald, look at what his father told me he did today" he always nags me every day when he comes to pick me up from school which he seldom does.

He wanted my life a different way the way that I wanted it, he sent me off to a boarding school even when I told him I wanted to be with my friends at Greenfields Junior High.

Leaving Greenfield Junior High dealt a huge blow to me psychologically.

 leaving my childhood friends and going off to an unknown school messed my brain up.

Right to this very day, I miss, Debby, Ryan, and Andy, those were my friends in middle school.

When he sent me off to all boys’ boarding school across the country, I transformed from this carefree lad into a loner, I was mad at Daddy for months.

I couldn't see my friends, I couldn't call them because the school has strict rules against the use of the telephone except during the weekend but it's only allocated to each student once a week.

The only time allocated to me to make contact with the outside world was used to call my dad because he strictly instructed me to contact him weekly. 

Being a secluded kid, it wasn't too long till the bad guys influenced me. For Christ's sake, I was only thirteen when I was raped by my seniors in my new school.

I know that these boys preyed on my innocence, secondly because I always keep to myself due to loneliness I fell for their sweet talk.

One afternoon after the close of school, while trekking towards my hostel, Paul, a student in his finals in company with some of his friends, crossed my path.

"Hi Paul, we are on our way to the football field, do you want to join us? He asked me, feeling quite uncomfortable not wanting to offend him I obliged. I thought it was just a friendly request, what could go wrong I thought?

I hurriedly joined the group of boys and journeyed down to the school football field.

On our way they start discussing things I don't know about, things that I don't understand, not to feel left out I will nod or answer in monosyllables each time my answer is needed in the group.

I'm in the company of my seniors, in Greenville High the senior student held a high position in the heart of the junior student.

The school was structured in such a way that the students believed the seniors were next in the hierarchy after the teacher, and no one dared talk back to the seniors.

So sitting, walking, and interacting with them was a great privilege and I never want to let it slip by by being a jerk.

So I played along, I just wanted to fit in, and I was tired of being called weird by my classmates.

As soon as we stepped onto the football field, I noticed another group staring at me, more or less like sizing me up.

I noticed, feeling quite uneasy I played along so as not to feel out of place, but their peering became so intense that one started walking towards me as the rest continued their staring game. I was fazed.

"Hello can see you are new here" We didn't mean to frighten you, you've seen alone, looks like the group you followed here is all in the game, Come over" he lured me in a friendly tune.

I'm John" he said cheerfully, "Here is Bob and Smith, my friends, we do come here every evening after class to watch the games, but we don't participate in the game"

"What is your name?" John asked with his usual gawking eyes. “Larry’, I answered trying to summon up a fake smile as quickly as possible.

"So Larry, what sort of name is that, well, you look cute, looks like your first time here, we come here every day and we have never seen you around"

"Yes," I said, "this is my first time coming here, I resumed a couple of weeks ago," I said, as I felt my courage building up as I gradually felt at ease with Paul, the other two I can't say. They keep staring at me.

" Since you are a new student, have you started seeing anyone"? Paul asked. “Do you have anyone that fancies your interest?” he asked, hysterically.

"I nodded my head" feeling a little bit shy because of the question he threw at me.

"Do you mean you don't like girls " Paul probed further, while Bob and Smith watched along uninterested in the conversation going on.

"I have never been with anyone in that manner"I tried to explain. At this point, this caught the other two attention abruptly.

"Don't tell us you haven't had sex" "No" I replied, and this made me feel uneasy and uncomfortable.

They made it sound like I was missing out on a whole lot of things or maybe I was too old not to have had any sexual encounter of any sort.

" Have you kissed a girl before?" Smith, the shortest of the three friends asked with his thin voice.

" Have you ever kissed a boy"? Paul asked,

"No, I haven't!" I answered feeling a bit offended at the odd question.

"So," he said, almost in a whisper he leaned close to me "have you ever made out with a guy before?" I felt unease, as my feet trembled uncomfortably.

I didn't know how to respond, because I have never thought of that ever in my life, really never know how it works, I knew it was a sexual relationship between a male and a male but I had never given it a thought in the real sense of things.

Soon enough I started to understand what was going on, as many thoughts crossed through my mind in just a split second.

"No, I haven't I answered" Okay there is always a first time for everyone, " he replied with a smile which made my skin crawl.

I can teach you kinds of stuff, stuff you will love, I watched on as he moved closer to me, holding my hands, as I felt his breath against my skin.

“ I'm sorry, I'm not interested," I replied hesitantly.

“No problem, we can always hang out,” he said, we are always here after school hours, if you need anything thing we should be your go-to friends, but deep down I knew this wasn't the end, this was just the beginning.

I spent the next few days trying to avoid Paul and his groups, I knew it wouldn't be long before they would find me, I have the guy feeling that deep down they won't rest unless they get to me.

On one particular evening, as I was walking down the usual route I always take, Paul and his friends appeared from the adjacent side of the road.

One of the boys walked up to me and said “Follow me” I froze on the spot, and in an instant, I started running towards the school gate.

The rest of the crew followed suit in pursuit, I ran as fast as my legs could take me, I tripped and fell and they managed to catch up with me

I opened my eyes as the three of them surrounded me, still on the ground, Paul matched my chest, and with the darkest eye I have ever seen, he looked me directly in the eyes and said “Come with us!”.