The bright sun displayed its radiance on vehicles and pedestrians scurrying on a highway, sparing neither from its scorching heat.
Different brands and types of vehicles fleeted by to and fro on the highway. Soon, a white colored bus with a distinct logo reading " GIG Motors " passed by.
Within the bus, seated beside one of its rear windows, was a boy. His gaze peered unshakably at the sun, as if oblivious to its blinding light. Hence, rays occasionally invaded his eyes, transforming them to a bloody red shade. Still, he was ignorant.
Even the passing of the outside world and the fleeting by of roads, pedestrians, and shops went on completely unnoticed by him.
" Hey bro, look! Look! It's James"
" Who? James! You mean the one with self-esteem issues. Frequently moved around with his head exchanging gazes with the floor. How Pathetic! "
" Yes, of course! Him! "
"Whoa! him! Seriously? Can't believe he still dares to walk around. If you are gonna go disgrace yourself every day, why not just stay at home. how shameless. ".
" Yeah, yeah, some people can be shameless. "
" You know what? I heard he's incredibly dull. "
" Bro, that's an understatement, I have heard worse. "
" Yeah, yeah. Keep quiet though, before he hears you. ".
" Hey, bro. Isn't that the nerd of a boy called James? "
" What? That weirdo! Where is he? "
" Look over there. I think he is the one walking haggardly. "
" Walking haggardly! Hahahahaha! You haven't changed, your mouth is still as toxic as ever. Better lower your voice so he doesn't hear you. "
" And if he does, what could he do? Beat me? "
" Come on bro, don't seek trouble. Aren't you afraid people will associate you in the same breath as him if you both are seen exchanging words? Let's just leave. "
" Looking at it that way, you're right. Let's leave quickly, the sight of him is nauseating. ".
Memories upon memories of James' past replayed in his thoughts.
" My name is James Gideon. A boy who, by a slice of luck managed to get squeezed into the list of students who got admission into a college this year. Alas, for me, it was never that simple.
Yes, I am a boy. And again, yes, I just got admission into a fairly good college. But for me, this event was more than just the entry into college. It was far more than that. It was an escape.
Truthfully, I had made a mess of my life back in Lagos. A mess that I couldn't place my hands onwhy it happened. All I know is that it did. And not only did it, it had left severe consequences which though never successfully brought me down, always left me on the brink of a fall.
The said consequences were the ire of the people around me, mostly at school. Until I had no choice but to avoid everyone like a plague, knowing I would only attract disdain from them.
I had typically become the object of a scapegoat at school, and a TV channel titled 'disgrace' at home. Numerous parents and guardians transformed my name into a warning example to their kids.
Conversations like;
*" Why did you do such a thing. Don't you know how foolish that is? Do you want to become a second James? "
" No mum! Never! "
" Then behave yourself and don't act without brains next time. If not, you will inevitably become like him. "*
became a frequent conversation had by parents and their kids whenever their kids erred.
With all this happening, I couldn't even start to imagine the shame and disgrace my parents faced daily. Yet they always welcomed me home with a smile, like such never happened. They refused to hate their seed just because of what outsiders thought. But, I of course felt bad for them. Alas, there was no way out.
Was I convinced? No way. Did I have my resolve? A lot of. I never for once believed that out of all my peers, I was the one who had messed up the most. The one who had farted the most.
Like Common! Everyone makes mistakes right? Though I am aware I do make them a little bit more than normal. But I am only a human, and it is normal to make mistakes.
Besides, they were definitely those who have made them far more than I have, with the only difference between us being that mine always seems to find its way to a highlight for everyone to see while theirs stays hidden in their bags.
But something they all seemed to have forgotten is that, it wasn't always like this you know? Once upon a time, I was actually a favored one, with a lot of other children taking me as their role model, a good example. But now; Numerous admires backslided, numerous friends backstabbed. The same kids who flocked me then and praised me without reserves now mock and disdain me now, also reserve. I used to be a mentor to them. Parents used my names as a comparison example to encourage their children to work hard.
But now; here I am. The object of discrimination and exploitation by a bunch of losers who are in search for a scape goat to satisfy their cravings of being better than someone. This, all because of one mistake. Or maybe it wasn't even a mistake as it was never volunteery. One I am yet to understand yet.
The mistake led to severe consequences that awakened another me I never thought existed. A me that was distinct to what I originally was. More like an opposite of what I used to be. Explicably, a shadow of my past self.
Having long grown tired of this way of life, I needed a restart. A retry. A second chance. That was what I needed. Hence, I waited patiently for this chance.
Knowing my country Nigeria is a vast one, with the city I previously lived in being only a single city in Lagos state out of its numerous cities. Then Lagos state itself being only a single state out of the thirty-six states of Nigeria. This gave me a chance for a start over, and all I needed was the right opportunity.
Now, that's the uniqueness of today, the awaited day. Today is that day, that day that I get to leave, to elope. To elope to a different city, in a different state, faraway from Lagos state.
This means that I am currently on my way to a place with no knowledge of myself. Meaning that I get to create a new knowledge and impression of me to them. How great that is.
Now that I have gotten the second chance I have long desired, I definitely don't plan on wast... "
" Excuse me sir ", a feminine voice sounded, snapping James out of his train of thoughts.
" Yes, what may I do for you? " replied James, who looked up, meeting the girl's gaze with his.
Taking a good look at the girl, he could tell she was somewhere around his age. And from her dressing, he understood was likely an attendant on the bus. The dress she was putting on was made of similar fabrics with that of the other staffs on the bus .
" Do you care for a glass of water? " She asked.
" A glass of water … . Ummm, please… I kind of don't have money with me right now. " James said, embarrassed.
A snort rang out from the mouth of the passenger on the seat horizontally aligned with his.
Turning his head and taking a look at the origin of the snort, James saw that it came from a young, extravagantly dressed boy whose eyes spilled a heavy sense of plain arrogance .
Shaking his head, he returned his gaze to the girl, knowing at first sight that he will rather not want anything to do with the arrogant boy. Whether positively or negatively.
" What are you feeling bad for? The water is free. The company provided it as refreshments for passengers, not me! " the female attendant said to James in a friendly tone.
' Free. Why didn't you say so earlier? ' thought James. He quickly stretched out his hands to grasp a cup without any qualms. Sincerely, he had been quite tasty for a while now but had to hold it back. Now, here was a glass of pure water. He naturally shedded all decorum.
" Thanks. " he said as he quickly took a glass cup filled with water from the tray of glass cups the girl held.
Just as he was about to dose it down quickly so he could return the glass to the girl, the girl spoke again.
" Take your time. I will come back for the glass cups later " she said.
" Thanks " James thanked her and took only a sip, trying to feign decorum.
While his drama with the girl went on, a gaze filled with disdain stared at him this entire time. One which he noticed but chose to ignore.
Usually..., gazes like that make him furious. But for some reason, coming from this boy, he felt nothing of such. Instead, he felt the arrogance of the boy seemed kind of fake, a feeling he was yet to understand.
Not surprisingly, the next in line for the female attendant to attend to was the boy, the arrogant boy as he was sitted next to Samuel, with only a span of a hundred centimeter or so separating them.
With an expressionless face, the female attendant stared at him and said, " Good afternoon sir, please do you care for a glass of water. " She asked emotionlessly. From her tone, it was pretty obvious that she didn't look at the boy in a good light.
Alas, the boy in question didn't seem to notice her indifferent attitude and instead took her actions as trying to please him.
He threw James a taunting look while dipping his hand into his pocket and slowly pulling out something.
While doing this, he seemed to have forgotten the female attendant standing before him, waiting for his reply. All that occupied his mind was to show off.
" Sir, I am still here " The attendant spoke sarcastically. " Please do you care for a glass of water? " She asked again, already losing her patience.
" Ohhh, sorry for the wait " he said awkwardly while throwing the girl a faint angry glare, only visible to he and the girl.
He quickened the pace of drawing his hand out of his pocket while stretching out his other hand to pick up a glass.
On the hand he pulled out of his pocket laid a one thousand naira note which he stretched out to pass to the female attendant.
" You could use this to get yourself a bottle of water " The boy spoke haughtily.
While saying this, he quickly threw James another taunting glance before returning his gaze to the girl, awaiting her thanks.
The girl's eyes flashed with disdain and she said " Sorry sir, I don't need your money. I don't accept things from strangers. Besides, supplying these glasses of water meant we have more than enough water on the bus. The water is even purer than most bottle of water sold out there. Thank you for your concern sir. I would be taking my leave now " She declined professionally, but with slight sarcasm, and, without waiting for approval, turned to leave, but then noticed she still hadn't attended to one last passenger. It was a boy seated beside the arrogant boy.
The person seated beside the arrogant boy was also a boy of about James age. His face looked expressionless and to some extent lifeless.
Without waiting for the girl's speech, he spoke " Pass it on ".
Seeing his nonchalance, the female attendant didn't know whether to laugh or to cry. Hence, with a smile, the girl stretched out her hand, moving the tray nearer to him. Without ado, he picked up a glass cup. Leaving, the female attendant threw him a smile one last time before walking away. Very quick and swift.
The arrogant boy who had been quiet for a while suddenly spoke " You..., aren't you afraid I will report you for bad service? " He actually threatened her.
His words immediately raised a commotion on the bus, with various passengers starting gossips at different seats.
" Who is this arrogant young man? "
" Like seriously, where does he think he is? His father's mansion "
" His father's mansion ... . Even if this was his father's mansion, that is if his father even has one! Is that how to behave ? "
" Chai!, I wonder how parents train their kids these days. "
" Who knows whether he is a fake portraying to be something he is not? "