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!”

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...