Author: Asadullo Habibullayev
Student of Kattakurgan State Pedagogical Institute

From the Author:
Through this story, I wanted to show not Salohiddin’s disability, but the weakness of his friends. Never forget that not every blow comes from an enemy — sometimes it comes from those we call friends.

BETRAYAL

Betrayal never comes from the enemy’s side.

There were ten minutes left until the end of the lesson. For some reason, the students were restless, all waiting impatiently for the bell to ring.

“Salohiddin, why are you moving so much? Is everything okay?”
“Sabina, be quiet! Whether I talk to you or not, you never understand decency.”
“Sit quietly, the teacher is speaking. Why don’t you understand?”
“Fine, whatever. Not everyone cares about you the way I do…”

“Sabina, let’s talk during the break.”
“Sanobar, the teacher will scold us. Everyone is moving around. Aren’t you going to stand up?”
“Alright, I won’t say anything.”

The bell rang. Sanjar, Abbos, and Ravshan ran outside, and Salohiddin followed them. As usual, Sabina curiously went after them.

“Boys, stop! We still have one more lesson. Don’t skip it! We have Uzbek language class. Sharofiddinova will report you to the principal. Salohiddin, stop!” Sabina called out.

But the boys quickly went to the computer room and started playing games. The four of them were always together, inseparable day and night. After school, they even stayed overnight at each other’s houses. They never stopped skipping lessons to go to the computer room. What united them was not only school, but also that computer room.

Doston aka knew about them and every day at 12:30 he would leave four computers free for them. They would always sit in their usual places.

Life continued this way. They were now in the eighth grade — the most mischievous and restless time of their lives. Perhaps they needed understanding and proper guidance. They came to school together. They were neighbors, and their parents knew each other well, which made them even closer.

One Monday, after three lessons, before the fourth began, Sanjar, Abbos, Ravshan, and Salohiddin quietly slipped away. Sabina tried to stop them but couldn’t. She then called their homeroom teacher, Gulsanam opa, and told her what had happened and where the computer room was.

Gulsanam teacher quickly found them, scolded them in front of everyone, called their parents, and made them write letters of explanation. The boys promised it would not happen again. The teacher did not forgive them easily. They returned home with their parents and received even more scolding there. Eventually, the issue seemed to settle.

Time passed. It was March. During a break, the four boys once again went to the computer room. Doston aka welcomed them.

But strangely, their usual seats were occupied. Jahongir and Otabek were sitting there, and Faridbek was in Salohiddin’s place.

“Get up, Farid! I said get up! Why are you sitting in my seat?”
“Why are you acting superior? Why are you shouting? Stop it!”

Everyone laughed. Salohiddin became furious and started insulting Faridbek with harsh words. A fight broke out for no real reason.

Doston aka said, “Go on, fight! Let’s see who is stronger, who will win!” The other boys joined in, encouraging them.

Unable to endure the humiliation, Salohiddin attacked Faridbek. Faridbek raised his hand in response. Doston aka stopped them and said, “Don’t fight here. The computers might break. Go outside and fight there.”

They went outside. The ground was hard, covered with stone and cement. The boys grabbed each other. Faridbek fell to the ground, and then his friends joined in. Instead of helping Salohiddin, Sanjar, Abbos, and Ravshan turned against him and began beating him together.

Salohiddin fell headfirst onto the cement ground. Instead of helping, Doston aka sat there recording the fight on his phone. The poor boy’s mouth and nose were bleeding. Eventually, the boys ran away in all directions.

Sadly, Salohiddin lay there unconscious for quite some time.

Later, two of his classmates, Hasan and Sardor, happened to pass by. Seeing him, they rushed to help. They lifted him, brought him to some water, washed his face and hands, and carried him back to school. Even there, he sat for a long time, unable to walk properly or even speak.

Instead of calling an ambulance immediately, the teachers were busy scolding him. They called his parents, who also shouted at him in anger.

Only after he had been lying there in a helpless state for a long time did they finally call an ambulance. He was taken to the hospital and stayed there for a few days.

Tragically, one of his arms and one of his legs no longer functioned, and his mouth became twisted. His parents took him to many doctors, but nothing helped.

He stopped talking even to his closest friends. His neighbors avoided looking at his face.

This young boy, at the most vibrant time of his life, became disabled…

Betrayal does not always come from enemies. Sometimes, it comes from friends.