T1 W9 JOURNAL

Ben was infamous in the neighbourhood for being a cocky and mendacious person. Although he had lived in the same poor part of town as the rest of us, he developed a superior attitude ever since his father won the lottery and the family moved away. However, he still continued attending the same school and my friends and I were forced to put up with his presence.

Each day, he taunted us as he found much to 'pity' us about. From the worn-out shoes and clothes to the meagre lunches we had, he would never fail to find legion of new ways to mock how disadvantaged we all were compared to him. No one liked him, and this became even worse when we realized how selfish he could be.

If there was one thing megalomanic Ben could not beat us in, it was our studies. Within our group of friends, we shared notes that were made from each person's turn at researching materials in the library. This certainly cut down the time for us and ensured that we kept ahead in class. Ben saw this and sorely felt his own inadequacy in keeping up with our progress.

One time, when Jenah was at the library to do the research, she met Ben and saw him lounging insouciantly outside the library. He had a sinister smile on his face and leered triumphantly at her. When she brushed him aside in annoyance, he jeered at her saying, "I'm sure there is a lot of research to be done." With that he strolled off laughing loudly. Jenah was puzzled but walked in quickly and begin her work. She soon found out the reason why Ben was so triumphant. Every required section from the books on their list had been torn out!

When the rest of us found out what had happened, we were outraged. Obviously Ben was not thinking right if he though he would be exonerated. We spared no amnesty and reported Ben to the library authorities.

Finally, Ben got his just deserts when was caught by the librarian during one of his book-tearing sprees. Even then, he blamed us for him landing in such a lousy state. When his parents found out what happened, they were similarly enraged and even argued with our parents. In the end, both parties ended up unhappy, driven apart by one boy's jealousy and selfishness.