Bittersweet

"Live life while you still can" is a quote I abide by in my daily life. Just sitting here reminiscing about the good old days we had while growing up has me smiling.
Now let me take you on a ride concerning one such bitter sweet memory

Source

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"Everyone, get up from bed! Get up!!" Came the thundering voice of our hostel prefect together with the jingling of a bell held in his hand as he moved from bed to bed, waking those who were still sleeping amidst the noise in the large room. I got up groggily and sat on my bed trying to get the room in focus. Rows of bunk beds were lining both sides of the room, leaving a long aisle down the center. I climbed down from the top of the bunk bed I shared with my best friend, Lawal, and strode across the room towards the bathroom to prepare for school.

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"Kamal! Kamal!" A thick male voice called out my name just as I was about to enter the bathroom. That was the last voice I wanted to hear that morning. One part of me told me to pretend as though I didn't hear him, but I knew I'd be in another mess if I did so. I turned around with an annoyed expression to face a tall, muscular boy with a stern look on his face, which gave him away as someone violent, which was true.

"What's the problem again?" I said, putting all my annoyance into my tone.

"I think some punishments would reset your brain. It seems the last one wasn't effective," he said, his lips curling into a wicked smile. I didn't utter any words but just looked at him in a distasteful way.

"I don't have enough time for any of your stupid acts this morning. When you're done, take my bag to my class—or else!" He said threateningly, delivering a hard knock to my head as he walked away. I hissed when he was out of earshot and stepped into the bathroom, still rubbing my hands on the spot I received the knock.

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Yusuf, the tall, muscular boy, was the labor prefect of our school then. He was in his sixth and also the last year in secondary school. As a fourth-year student, I was vulnerable to his wrath, especially after becoming his target for reporting him to the headmaster some months back for beating up his junior, which earned him suspension. Ever since he returned from that suspension, he decided to make my life in school a living hell. From getting caught running in the corridor to playing during free time in the hostel, or even just making a slight mistake that isn't worthy of being punished, Yusuf would punish me relentlessly, no matter how insignificant the offense. He became a thorn in my side.

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Punishments sometimes harden rather than reform. As time went on, Yusuf's punishments seemed to delight me as much as they annoyed me. Instead of reporting to teachers, we grabbed hold of the popular saying among boys in my class: "Big boys handle their issues themselves." My best friend Lawal, who also got caught in his punishments as he was always around me, and I became partners in creating Yusuf's worst nightmares.

After preparing for school, Lawal and I walked outside the room and headed to Yusuf's class to drop off his bag. But as usual, we decided to create a little trouble. Instead of dropping his bag inside his classroom, we dropped it some few distances from it, leaning against a wall.

Feeling mischievous
Yusuf stormed into our class later that day, taking advantage of the teacher's absence. He dragged me to the front of the class, hurled insults at me, and punished me in front of everyone. I felt really embarrassed as some girls started giggling, and I also knew I had really gotten on his nerves. Even after feeling resentful, I still went ahead to steal some of his snacks together with Lawal as revenge.

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Little did we know that it'd be our final showdown before Yusuf graduated a few weeks later. As I saw him for the last time during his graduation, I felt a strange sense of loss. There was no one who'd trouble me or who I'd play pranks on. I found myself oddly missing him.