In School I Was Poor and Smart While He Was Rich and Strong, Today We Run Our Own Business Together - My Story

Reuben and Desmond hated each other. Rueben was rich, strong, and always troubled Desmond, who was poor, book-smart, and too weak to stand up for himself. But one day, they decided to join forces to take on the new school bully, Chuck. Would a new friendship flourish between Desmond and Reuben?

Look, Tom and Jerry were never enemies. I know we've all grown up watching Tom constantly bother Jerry, but do you know why Tom never stopped bothering him?

Tom cared about Jerry. He didn't want his owner to replace him with a new cat as he feared the new cat would make Jerry's life a living hell. That's precisely how Reuben and I were back in our school days.

Have you seen that kid helping his parents at work on weekends? That's who I was. Mom was a supermarket cashier, and Dad worked as a cleaner at a cafe. We didn't have much, but we were happy in our little world.

Mom and Dad always told me that education was the only way out of our poverty, so I studied hard. I even ignored the bad things I was facing at school to avoid getting into trouble. That was until Chuck came into the picture…

"You better leave that seat empty, Desmond, because I'm going to sit there!" Reuben yelled at me as I was going to take my seat. He always teased and mocked me, and I was too afraid to stand up to him because he was strong.

"But you… you never sit here, Reuben!" I said, scared.

Reuben and his friends pushed me aside. "Step back, loser!" Reuben said. "I can sit wherever I want!"

I had never thought Reuben would help me. Never. But one day, it all changed…

With tears in my eyes, I clutched my school bag and walked to an empty seat in the last row. I wiped my eyes and noticed Reuben and his friends looking at me and giggling.

"Don't be a crybaby, Desmond!" he shouted, and everyone began laughing at me. It was yet another day at school when Rueben had troubled me. He came from a rich family and had everything he wanted—expensive gadgets, cool outfits, and a lot of friends.

But I was just a poor boy who was trying to pull his parents out of their financial bottom. I could never stand up against him. In fact, I never complained about Reuben and his friends to anyone. I didn't want to be part of any trouble. His Dad was one of the school trustees, so you see, it was complicated.

What if he got me expelled from school? What if he got my scholarship canceled? I was always worried and scared. I didn't want my parents to suffer because of me.

Hello, I'm Desmond, and this is my, and well, a bit of, Rueben's story too. We hated each other back in school, and I had never thought Reuben would help me. Never. But one day, it all changed…

We had a new classmate, Chuck, and he was worse than Reuben. He was taller and stronger, and he didn't just tease kids… he bullied them. Rueben was always mean to me, but he was never a bully like Chuck.

One day, Chuck emptied his water bottle on my chair during lunch break and forced me to sit on it.

"You deserve it, loser! You're gonna walk around the whole school in those pants, alright?" he threatened me.

I had to sit on the wet chair, and all the kids laughed at me. But you know what was strange? Reuben wasn't laughing. He was staring at Chuck with angry eyes.

It was a wintry day. I felt cold as I sat on the chair, and after a while, I just got up and ran out of the class in tears. I disappeared into the playground, hugged my knees, and cried.

"I hate him! I hate him so much!" I sobbed.

Right then, I heard Reuben's voice. "Stop crying, Desmond!" he said. "Don't be a loser like Chuck!"

I looked up, my eyes wet. Reuben was standing there with a hankie. "Wipe your tears! We need to teach that loser a lesson!"

"Please leave me alone!" I had said, sniffing. "Why… why does everyone pick on me?"

Reuben gave me his hankie and said, "I'm not here to tease you, ok? I want to help you!"

"No, you're not going to help me!" I said. "You... you're going to prank me! You're all mean and bad!"

"Fine," he said, taking a step back. "You can keep crying if you want! I will handle Chuck alone! Is that what you want? I don't want him to bully you, me, or anyone else, Desmond! You need to help me out! Don't you see how everyone is siding with that loser?"

I didn't understand what Reuben was talking about until he told me how Chuck bothered him too. It was more like he needed my help to teach Chuck a lesson.

That's when Reuben and I teamed up for the first time.

We crafted a clever plan to show Chuck we weren't afraid of him and could outsmart him. Reuben recorded Chuck bullying other kids on his phone, and we complained to the principal about him.

Chuck was furious. He tried to take his revenge on me, but he failed because Reuben stepped in.

"You stay away from us, Chuck!" he said. "Desmond is my friend, and don't you dare touch my friends!"

Reuben and I did become friends. He taught me to be strong against people who tried to put me down, and I…helped him with math!

Reuben was all smart and brave, and unfortunately, math was the only thing that terrified him. No matter how bravely he had defeated Chuck and saved both of us, he couldn't defeat the numbers. So I helped him with it because I loved the subject!

Years passed. We grew up and got into the same college. The school hatred turned into an everlasting friendship, and Reuben and I started a business together. His math skills were still lacking, but his ideas were brilliant.

This was... I'm not sure how long ago that was, but Reuben and I are still running that business, and we recently closed a significant deal. Since high school, nothing much has changed in our lives except that we became good friends, I was able to help my parents financially, and we made it in life.

We forgot about Chuck. At least, I did. We had no idea where he was until we were invited to a school reunion.

"Chuck? The one who bullied everyone?" I asked when one of our classmates, Tod, mentioned him. "What happened to him? Is he here?"

"Well, all I know is that he hasn't contacted any of us..." Tod said. "I heard somewhere that he's having some problems. He didn't even show up for the reunion tonight..."

It turned out Chuck tried his hand at a few things, but nothing worked out, and he's struggling now.

Everyone was surprised at how close Reuben and I had become since we were in school. They had no idea we were co-founders of an auditing firm!

But you know what? While I don't know where Chuck is, I still wish him well. You're probably wondering why I don't despise him for what he did. Well, I believe I got my revenge by doing my best in life and becoming a better version of myself.

Reuben still despises him, but I've always wanted to live a dignified life and become a better human being. That's also one of the reasons I'd never wish anyone bad; not even Chuck, the bully.

What would you do if you were in my shoes? Would you wish Chuck well? Would you exact revenge on him by stooping to his level and employing cheap tricks as he did? Or do you believe that letting go of your anger and becoming a better version of yourself, a better human, is the best form of revenge?

Tell us what you think, and share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.

If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a boy who never forgot the kindness his classmates showed him by sharing their lunch with him in school and how he resolved to find them when he grew up.

This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone's life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.