The Love That Could Have Been

8

When I was in kindergarten, there was this boy in class who would always approach me. He was such a jolly and playful kid. He would always make fun of me in a cute way. Even though he would constantly tease me, he never fails to make me laugh. One time, he even gave me chocolate candies. Ever since that day, we became friends. After school, we would often hang out and play with each other. We would ride our bikes together. Sometimes, he'd invite me to their house to play with his toys.

Days, months, and years have passed and we have become even good friends. We even went to the same elementary school. We would often chat with each other and talk about random stuff. Although there are some times that his views and opinions stand in contrast with mine, I'd still try to understand him.

Until there's this one time that he made fun of a girl in our school for wearing braces and having acne on her face, saying that she was so ugly and she shouldn't ever show her face to the world. At first, I was able to let it pass until he poked fun at another boy for having no father. That was the time that I began questioning whether he was really a good friend and hence, lessened my interactions with him. Luckily, he was able to find a new group of friends who would accompany him during lunch. I'd sometimes come with them whenever they would invite me and I was available but oftentimes, I just ended up listening to their endless banters.

As time passed, I began to notice even more things about his behavior. He would often agree with his friends' jokes about women, implicitly objectifying them. He would often make comments about women, judging the size of their chests and the shape of their bodies. Sometimes, he would joke about wanting to get laid and drill a specific girl in school, sexualizing them. That was when I became full of him and I finally decided to cut all ties with him.

His name was Omer Rochester.

—     —     —

"You fag!" I heard a guy shout as he pulled me to a dark room.

My body stiffened. That voice. That freaking voice.

It was his. It was Omer Rochester.

When we graduated from elementary school, I finally decided to fully cut ties with him. Fortunately, he went to a different high school. Ever since then, we stopped hanging out. We barely meet and encounter each other. We even stopped chatting with each other. But to be honest, I felt much safer and peaceful after cutting him off. Not until I reached college and got into the debate club of Pleiades.

When I joined my first tournament, I just found out that he was studying at Almeida University. And like me, he's also a member of the debate club at his university. That's why we'd often faced each other during debate tournaments and public speaking competitions.

Sometimes, we would cross paths with each other. There was this one time that I met him in a hallway during a tournament and he tried to make fun of me. Gladly, Caelum came to my aid, pulling me away from him. Like Caelum, Avery, and me, he also often managed to win major speaker awards. Earlier, he just ranked as the 2nd Best Speaker.

A stench of alcohol filled my nostrils, along with the smell of matured cigars and sweat. I felt Omer push me against the wall and press his cold and unyielding fingers into my flesh. He held me by my neck, trying to choke me.

Darkness edged my vision as my throat tightened, and panic clawed at my chest. I gasped for air, my lungs burning with the desperate need for oxygen. It was suffocating, and his tight grip around my neck was constricting my breathing.

"Can't speak now, huh, Finnegan?" he said.

His voice sent a shudder down my spine. I can feel his breathing near my neck. Signifying how close his face was to me.