It’s the fall of 2011 and my third grade teacher is fearfully ducking for cover.
In the middle of the classroom, taking his battle stance, ready to take on the world, was an angry and unstable eight year old Bradley.
I don’t remember why I was so resentful to my teacher; actually I don’t remember any of my childhood. All I know is that in the third grade I threw a desk at my teacher.
I never had any friends growing up. No one wanted to be my friend, and I don’t blame them for it either. You’re less likely to have scissors thrown at you if you’re further away.
My first week of preschool my mom got a phone call from the school, asking her to come and pick me up ASAP. I was having uncontrollable temper tantrums and attacking the other kids.
As time went on these episodes became worse and more frequent. The next week they asked her to withdraw altogether.
This pattern continued through elementary school, I was mentally unable to keep up with peers, failing each assignment. As I failed I would grow frustrated and have outbursts, often attacking my teacher, principle, or other students.
Mom and Dad had to come pick me up from school at least once a week and I was the first ever kindergartner expelled from Bowie Elementary.
Around fourth grade I was diagnosed with ADHD, a ‘unspecified reading/writing disorder,’ and I checked almost every box on the Autism test. (The first test I ever passed.)
Every so often there would be a well meaning kid, or a concerned mom who’d instruct her child to go and play with me. Each time that a new sympathy friend would try to befriend me I would respond the same, by spitting on and shouting at them.
I knew, or believed at least, that no one really wanted to be friends with that kid. With me.
Going into my freshman year of highschool I felt completely alone. I had no friends, no community, and very little support. Then my English teacher assigned me a book. “Don’t Get Caught” by Kurt Dinan.
In this book Max, a highschool nobody, finds a wonderful group of friends by pulling off elaborate pranks across his school. This book inspired me.
I immediately started plotting. I organized eleabrate, over-the-top pranks. I filled my high school with thousands of rubber ducks, surprised teachers by turning their classroom halls into winter-wonderlands, and I reorganized entire classrooms early in the morning.
Each time I pulled off a prank I would involve more and more people, until by our fifth prank of the year I had a large group of friends who actually wanted to spend time with me, and not just out of sympathy.
My friends and I went on to pull off dozens more pranks, sparkling adventures leading to me serving as class president, all for a prank.
Pulling off these harmless and well meaning pranks in my school, lead to me learning hard work, important social skills, and making my first friends. My desk throwing days were behind me.