SMELLING A RAT
I knew something was up with how he was being so nice, it was as though something switched in him, turning him from a mean and uncaring person to a loving friend. Anthony wasn’t a bad person, but everyone knew him to be uncaring and unserious, never bothered about anything unless it directly concerned him, and only looking out for himself. This was why I was surprised when he walked up to me very early in the morning to ask what I wanted to have for breakfast. The question sounded strange, because it was always me asking him. It took me more than 30 seconds to even process the words coming out of his mouth at all. In my head I knew something was up, and whatever was up, wasn’t something I would like. So I asked in turn, “this one you are asking what I want to eat, is everything okay”. His reply was instant, defensive maybe and if I remember clearly, even mechanical. “No, no, the kitchen was looking for you earlier, I told them you were sleeping, but when I entered and saw you were awake, I decided to ask since I am going there now”.
Anybody would believe Anthony's lie, but not me, this lie further confirmed my suspicion. Anthony is my roommate for crying out loud, we have been roommates for over two years, and in these two years, this was the first time he was showing care and it was just too much. Anthony would normally just tell me the kitchen wanted to know what I needed for breakfast, he would tell me to rush down before they finish cooking so they can take my order. Even though he has friends there, he would not bother helping me since they already have his order. Although senior students in my boarding school had a special privilege of telling the kitchen what we wanted from the list of breakfast menus available, we needed to let them know on time so they could prepare it alongside others else we would eat what everyone else was eating or wait for lunch. The senior students were usually few in number because our fees tripled in our senior year, so I guess the school taught the food choice was a way to make us feel special. But Tony (as I often call him) would never try to make me feel special, not at all, unless he would be getting something from it.
I did not want to push further, so I pretended to buy his lie. After breakfast I was going to the basketball court because it was the weekend when I noticed everyone I passed was staring at me. At first I did not think anything of it, but the more I walked closer to the basketball court where there were plenty of people, the more the stares became obvious. Some people did not even try to hide the fact that they were staring and smiling or whispering among themselves. The closer I got to the basketball court, the more uncomfortable I was feeling and out of shame, I pretended to forget something at the hostel, pretended I had a call and just turned back. That was when I realized even those at my back were staring intently and even gossiping about me. Before then I had always hated being the center of attraction, I had always tried to keep a low key, and that was the major reason I could not understand whyI was getting lots of it.
The more I tried to place my head around it, the more it became hard for me to understand. I knew I had not consciously done anything to draw attention to myself, so I could not understand exactly what was drawing attention to me. Immediately I entered my room, what I saw made my blood turn to ice. It was not something I would have ever expected in my widest imagination, it made everything suddenly click, Anthony’s sudden change in behaviour, the stares I was getting from everyone, then I remembered the G-wagon that looked familiar near my hostel. I had immediately left the seniors dining hall to the basketball court, so I did not pass the hostel again, and now seeing my dad in my room, everything finally fell into place. Anthony was busy showing him around making it look as though he had been watching over me just to get something from my dad. I met my dad giving him money and seeing him, knowing how dramatic he could be and how he would have been asking every student about my where about putting me in the spotlight. Anthony on the other hand knew he was around, and instead of telling me, would have been taking him round the school telling everyone my dad came from overseas to see me.
THIS IS MY ENTRY INTO THE INKWELL COMBINED WRITING PROMPT #38
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