PROLOGUE: THE END
A regular 17 year old boy was bleeding out on the road being held by his bullies.
He was an eleventh grader who wasn't even an adult yet before meeting his end; even worse, the regrets he carried in his heart were an unbearable weight.
This wasn’t the case a few hours ago; He was just heading for school during spring. Was it April? May? His mind was rapidly fading and couldn’t help but wonder where his life had gone, and how he’d gotten to this point. The memories of the past seemed so far away, and he couldn’t clearly recall what had led to this moment.
Suddenly his mind took him to when he was born. He had an older sister who was 2 around when he was born; and when he turned two, his little brother came along. That was when things started, he thought to himself.
Was it really that far back? When I was two?? That’s depressing.
Though it mattered little at this point anyway
Even then he lamented that he may have been too kind to others. Whenever his sister would push him out of her way he would never even cry or get all that upset. He never remembered what she did even an hour later.
I think I forgave her because family was important to me.
Looking back, however, it just encouraged her to do it even more.
Is that why she acted the way she did to me all this time?
His youngest brother was born when he turned 4. He was born with severe cerebral palsy. He barely functioned even as a baby, the boy could remember him always coming in and out of hospitals.
When he turned 6, his sister would sometimes make me do her homework. He was happy to do it, since he spent a lot of his time studying and reading. He was much better than the kids in my class at school since he was doing work above my level, but since he spent more time on his sister's work than his own, he could never accelerate and had little to show for it.
Thinking back on it, I really shouldn’t have been so willing to do it. After all my hard work, I didn’t have anything to show for it.
When he was 8 his youngest brother spent much more time at home, and his parents tried to have the rest of them take care of him. Unfortunately, his older sister refused to spend much time with him, and made him take over her duties so she could spend more time with her friends. His younger brother never kept to his responsibilities, either; no matter what his parents did, he never spent his fair share of time with his brother. As such, his parents left his care mostly to him; because of all of them, he barely got time to do anything he wanted to do. Even though the boy had protested everyone lumping him solely on him, he never could say “No” could he? All he wanted was to help his brother out. Even if he had become a second mother at 8 years old.
I always wanted to take care of him. Or at least that's what I thought to myself every time I had to miss my games or people's parties to take care of him alone.
In fact his other younger brother had the boy doing his homework. Normally he wouldn’t have done so; but he wanted to do sports and music and he wanted to support his dream, even if he put his own dream of being a doctor in jeopardy.
I think… if I wasn’t so timid, I might not have been forced to take care of them so much.
Now he was 10 years old and he remembered being bullied by most of his grade by then for being smart and being “too freaking nice”. But there were three boys in particular who were the worst to him back then. They’d do everything to him; forcing him to do their homework, beating him up…
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And I just took all of it too. … I should have told more people about my problems huh? If I did, these jerks might have left me alone. Dang it…
When he turned 12, he was starting to crumble over the stress of his schedule. It was endless to him. Schoolwork, extracurriculars, his brother and sisters homework, his bullies homework, and his youngest brother's care. Day in, Day out.
His older sister never helped him in any significant capacity, she was cold to the boy because she believed that his overly-kindness was a fake attempt at winning sympathy. Even when she would speak to him as an equal, it was never on his terms.
His parents by then forgot he was their son anymore. Now all they saw was him as a caretaker for everyone.
He had friends for a time; but when he spent so much time taking care of his family, they stopped actively hanging out with him until he helped with their homework.
The boy finally graduated from middle school when he was 14 years old. Of course, it was no great achievement when he barely passed; and even less so when he wasn’t able to come to the graduation ceremony because everyone else was out that night. Even though they all went for his sisters.
Damn it! It’s not fair! If I wasn’t so nice… If I wasn’t…
The boy managed to get his license at 16 in only one attempt; a stark contrast from his sister, who had failed her 4th attempt at 18 years old. Of course, the boy’s kind family forced him to drive constantly for their own needs. It was at this time where his family finally gave him something.
My own car!
But that wouldn’t last long. After his sister finally got her license, his parents pressured him to give her the car. Which he did reluctantly. In the end, he only used it for about 2 months.
No!.... I should've kept that car!
And now, the boys mind came to this morning. He woke up at 5 am in the morning, and woke up my sister so she would arrive at school on time. Next he woke up my brother on the couch. After the 8th grade, he stopped doing anything and spent his time playing video games. Of course, the boy helped him with school so he wouldn’t fail.
No!
Net he prepared his youngest brother. After helping him on the toilet, he washed him and brushed his teeth. Next the boy fed him and put on his education programs from his school.
No!!
The boy finally eats and prepares my homework for the day, praying the little he did is enough. Then his sister comes to get help for her chemistry homework for school. Nothing too difficult; at least for the boy. Next his brother comes to get help with his essay. Also not too hard, but it takes a while to finish.
No! No! NO!
The boy quickly rushed to school. He was late, but his teacher was kind. As for the other kids, they chuckle and snicker. In math class, the teacher reveals the homework the boy did for most of the class earned a zero for almost everyone, as the teacher learned he had done it for everyone, after he accidentally revealed it to him in class. For the rest of the day, the class was seriously upset at the boy. For the rest of the day, he got snide comments and things thrown at him for it.
NONONONONONONO! What did I do it all for?! WHY?! WHY?!
No… no… kindness makes more kindness. If I was the one kind one, others have to follow.
But at the end of the day, the three boys followed him outside and roughed the boy up in revenge. They left him beaten on the floor when they had their fun. They crossed the street and in the middle, they got into a heated conversation; but the boy noticed a school bus rushing toward them.
He yelled at them to move, but my vocal cords were too shot to make more than a squeaking noise. With all the power he could muster, he moved his body to them to shove them out of the way.
“MOOOOVEEE!!!” The boy shouted as loud as he could.
They crashed into the road ahead of him; but the boy was not as lucky.
“KRRKK!”
The boy lost all the wind in his lungs, and was flung like a ragdoll onto the floor…
It was odd that he saved the lives of people who made his own miserable, but he was content in his actions; slowly, they came up to him and one of them gently laid the boy’s head on his legs.
And they…they… laughed.
They’re laughing at me.
The boys consciousness was fading very quickly. He had little time left; but the wretched noise was unmistakable. He could also eke out one of them saying, “..too nice.”
I saved their lives, and all they wanted was to mock me. In the end he had one last thought.
Oh no… I was too nice to others. I lost myself by always putting others ahead of me. My parents, my sister, and my brothers…everything I did was useless. I tried to be kind, but I wasted my life. If I’d known it would end like this, I might have had friends, achieved my dreams… I just wish… if I had one more chance… I would… be…more… SELFISH….”
The boy's eyes closed for the final time.
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A boy lied deathly still on another's lap. All three girls were sobbing in horror.
“He was too nice! Too Nice!”
“Even after all he did for us! And everything we did to her! He still saved our lives!”
“I had no idea… he was such a good person…”