Only Me

1 year before

Localization : Peckham, London

A steady noise can be heard in the house, a ball being thrown and caught by someone. The person throwing and catching the ball is Ali, a young man of 16 who by now should be revising his presentation on the “French Revolution”. Footsteps from the staircase are heard and a woman enters with a smile on her face.

Farah ( Ali’s mom ) smiles : Say darling, I’m reading something but someone keeps making a noise and It’s distracting me...

Ali sits on his bed with the ball in his hand : Oh, if I find whoever’s doing this, I’ll tell them to stop...

Farah smiles and looks at her son : Perfect, I’m reassured, what would I do without my little man?

Ali looks at her mom : You said you’d call me “man”!

Farah smiles and turns to leave : Yes, but I prefer ” little man “...

Ali raises his voice so she can hear him from the corridor: Don’t say it in front of Bobby, that would be a real shame!

Farah laughs from the corridor and the door slams, Ali smiles and lies down to read his comic strip.

Localization : Peckham, London, the store “Rezzer Market”, time : 01:06 am

Bobby laughs : Stop it Ali, I know you’re lying through your teeth...

Ali smiles and drinks his soda : Dude, I’m telling you, my uncle doubles as Mario in the soda commercial, what’s her name again?

Bobby looks at Ali : Wasn’t it: “Ali-is-a-liar “?

Ali gives Bobby a gentle pat on the arm before continuing to walk down the street.

They walk together to the bench and sit down in front of a high school.

Bobby : To think that in a few months we’ll be transferred here...

Ali : Yeah, finally, our high school is sooooo bad next to this one...

Bobby smiles and looks at Ali : Don’t tell me you’re not stressed!

Ali looks at Bobby and smiles : I’m not...

Bobby : Okay, so how do you feel?

In the present - 1 year after

Localization : Peckham, London, Ali’s house, 7:00 am

Ali sighs : Bad...

Farah looks at her son : Ali...I understand but I really can’t do otherwise you’re going to have to go...

Ali looks at her mom and sighs : Mom, you can’t do that! I’m super sick, don’t send me over there, I can’t stand it...

Farah hesitates and looks at her watch: Ali you didn’t go for a week already, you’re going to have to take it easy...Now please go and get dressed I’m going to be late...

Ali sighs and rises : Why are you so stressed?

Farah looks at her phone : I’m going to join the army...

Ali looks at Farah : Wait what ? No ! You can’t leave me, Mom!

Farah smiles and turns at her son : I’m doing this for you, with the revolution going on right now, I have to protect the country and you...

Ali puts on his t-shirt : Who am I going to go with if my mother isn’t here?

Farah goes at him : I’ve enrolled you in boarding school at your high school, And oh...wait, your shirt’s on backwards...

Ali steps back and looks at his mother with the most dejected expression in the world. It’s as if his mother had told him he was going to die tomorrow.

Farah looks at her son : What’s the matter? You’ll be with Bobby...

Ali begins to stress: No, Mom, you can’t do this to me! You’ve already abandoned me, you can’t make me sleep at school! Please!

Farah and begins to run out of patience : Ali I’m not abandoning you, now please get dressed and go to school like a man.

Ali throws his phone and looks at her mom : It’s super selfish what you’re doing! Can’t you think of me for once? I thought that’s what a mother was supposed to do.

Farah looks at her son, who is standing with his hands flailing and his voice rising. She’s shocked, her son has never spoken to her like this before.

Ali puts on his shoes and heads for the door: But you know what? Just go for it! Go and join the army so I don’t have to deal with such a bad mother!

Farah rises and turns at Ali : Ali you can’t talk--

Ali slams the door behind him, leaving Farah unable to finish her sentence and leaving her shocked and alone in the room.

Localization : Laven Turb’s Highschool : 9:00 am

Ali is walking up the stairs, Bobby isn’t here. Several people are running back to their classrooms but Ali is lost in thought until he hears a familiar voice coming from behind his back.

Fernando : Say, Turtle, are you going to walk any faster?

Talia smiles : Fernando, I don’t think he understands English. You should try miming...

Fernando looks at her and grabs Ali’s bag : Hey trash bag! You know it’s rude not to answer when someone’s talking to you?

Ali turns and looks at both of them

Talia looks at Ali and backs up : Hey, stop looking at me, you pervert!

Fernando smiles : So you look at girls, huh? Big weirdo, I’m the one who grabbed your bag, not her ! So why are you looking at her ?

Ali sighs, knowing full well what’s going to happen, and doesn’t answer.

Fernando pushes Ali against a wall, Ali tries to catch himself but falls to the ground

Talia takes her phone and takes a picture: Ali you really are mentally retarded...

The headmistress, Mrs. Gloria, comes out of her office and sees Ali on the floor next to Fernando and Talia. She looks at them quite annoyed.

Mrs.Gloria : Bravo Ali you’ve done your circus act and made your friends laugh, now get to class before I tell your parents.

Fernando smiles at Mrs.Gloria : Okay ma’am, sorry for the inconvenience, Ali thought he was being funny...

Talia and Fernando run up the stairs. Ali struggles to his feet and the headmistress looks at him with a sigh.

Mrs.Gloria : You know, Ali, my father joined the army too when I was 13 years, and I know it’s hard, but that’s no excuse for you to behave like this...

Ali stares at her and rises : Stop acting like you know everything, you don’t know anything about what I’m feeling or going through.

Mrs.Gloria looks at him surprised but then annoyed: Ali Bakaoui I advise you to go back to class before you get a severe punishment.

Ali starts leaving : What could be worse than this school?

Mrs.Gloria pretends she didn’t hear him and heads for her office.

In the past, 5 years before

Localization : Peckham, London, Ali’s house

Ali is 11 years old and is playing the latest Play 3 game with Bobby. The only noise in the house is the laughter the 2 children make as they play.

Farah is stressing out in her room, having learned that she’s been fired from her job because of a new company coming in, the ” E.M.E.U.S”.

Farah sits on the ground and breathes heavily : Oh, please, please! What am I going to do? What am I going to do? My little boy, what’s going to become of him...

Footsteps are heard and they stops in front of Farah’s door: Hey Mom! The TV has crashed again...

Farah sighs, opens the door and smiles : Oh my little prince, I’ll fix that right away!

Ali smiles : And we could eat with Bobby? I know you want us to stick to the schedule, but could we just do it today?

Farah looks at Ali and bends down to look him in the eyes : Ali, you know that’s not possible...

Ali sighs : But why? Bobby says his mother lets him eat whenever he wants!

Farah looks towards the kitchen and sees the two plates of food for Ali and herself, then turns to her son and smiles : Well, if my little prince asks, then fine, go with Bobby and eat, I’ll fix the TV!

Ali smiles and hugs Farah : Thanks mom !

Ali runs off to look for Bobby and Farah sighs, knowing full well what’s going to happen tonight.

Hour : 23:09 pm

Ali is asleep and Farah heads for the kitchen, hoping to find some leftovers. In the kitchen she came across Bobby and Ali’s two plates, but unfortunately the two children had finished everything up to the point of licking the plate. She headed for the tap to drink some water and then sat down on the sofa, hungry and wondering how she was going to manage her future.

In the present

Localization : Peckham, London, Laven Turb’s boarding school

Ali prepares his bed, but just as he’s about to lie down, a lady arrives and speaks in a rather soft voice: Ali Bakaoui?

The other boys in the room hid under their sheets, surprised by the lady’s arrival, but Ali turned to her and replied in a surprised voice: Yes? Yes, it’s me...

The lady looks at him: I think you should come, it’s important...

End of this chapter