It was a busy Thursday in the week preceding the exams, which meant that even students who were usually not punctual were attending school just to make sure they didn’t miss any last minute important lessons the teachers give. The school bell rang, signalling the start of the 30-minute recess.

All the students got up from their seats and made their way to the school canteen. The canteen offered a variety of food items. The stallholders were friendly and the food was inexpensive.

I quickly walked to the school canteen and bought my favourite sandwich and a glass of mixed fruit juice. I then started scanning the cafeteria for an empty seat. Finding none, I decided to wait, hoping that someone would soon finish their meal and vacate a chair. However, after standing there for more than five minutes, it became clear that no one was getting up. This was the moment I started to worry because recess was only for 30 minutes, and I had already spent the first 15 getting food and the next five waiting.

With only ten minutes remaining, I panicked with the food in my hands. We were not allowed to take food back into the classroom. What made it worse was that I had an extra class after school that day, meaning I would have to stay hungry until 4 pm, having had just a boiled egg for breakfast because I was running late that morning.

As these thoughts raced through my mind, I noticed Ahmed sitting at a table right in the centre of the cafeteria. Although I did not know him personally, he was the most popular kid in the school. I walked towards him, thinking he would help me find a seat since he knew everyone. However, I was deeply disappointed when Ahmed simply laughed my request off with his friends.

Shocked by his response, I decided to eat my lunch standing. Just as I was trying to tear open the wrapper of my sandwich with one hand while holding my drink in the other, I heard a voice behind me.

When I turned around, I saw Ahsan sitting at the table right beside Ahmed’s, calling out my name. Ahsan was rumoured to be the school bully, even though I had never personally seen him do anything to justify such a reputation.

I felt a little nervous, thinking he might be calling me over to snatch my lunch or something similar. Instead, he silently pointed towards his seat, nodded at me and walked away as his friends called out to him. They told me that Ahsan had injured his leg the night before while helping a kitten that had been hit by a car. The doctor had advised him not to stand for long due to the swelling. They were worried that since he had given up his seat, he would now have to stand for the rest of recess, as we were not allowed to return to our classrooms during that time.

Hearing this, I immediately stood up to find Ahsan and ask him to take his seat back. However, his friends stopped me, saying that once Ahsan had given up his seat, he would not sit down again. They urged me to sit and finish my lunch instead, and they got up to look for him. Reluctantly, I sat down, finished my meal in a few minutes, and gulped down the refreshing juice while silently comparing the behaviour of Ahmed and Ahsan.

Soon, the school bell rang again, signalling the end of recess. All the students returned to their classrooms to continue the day’s lessons. As I walked back, I realised that we should not pay heed to rumours, but instead interact with people ourselves before forming opinions about them.

Published in Dawn, Young World, January 31st, 2026