I’ve always stood by my friends, no matter their flaws, and I always tried to de-escalate situations, even if it meant putting myself in the middle of conflict. One day, after being sick and resting, I decided to go out for momos. I first went to a nearby spot but then thought of visiting my friend’s place, where the momos were also good. When I got there, he suggested that we go with our third friend to another store nearby, so the three of us headed out together.
On our way, we had a road rage encounter with a drunk driver speeding through a residential area, near where kids had just left school. I scolded him for his reckless driving, and he started abusing me in return. One of my friends took my side, and the driver eventually drove off. After a few minutes, while we were eating momos at the store, the same man returned, but this time, he brought 3-4 men, all in their late 20s to early 30s, and armed with knives and blades. We were all under 18, so we were at a huge disadvantage.
The attackers came at us from behind, and they stabbed my friend first. He immediately ran toward them to confront them. I followed him to try to help, but as soon as he was hit in the head with a silver bracelet (a “kadda”), he ran away, leaving me alone to face the attackers. I was surrounded by them and fought back, trying to push them away and calm the situation down, but I was outnumbered and outmatched. They hit me with knives and other weapons, but I somehow managed to avoid lethal hits. In the process, I even broke one of the attackers’ hands, and they ran away.
After the fight, my friend who ran away first made excuses, saying he was looking for a stick, but that didn’t make sense because it was a residential area, and sticks weren’t easily available. The friend who got stabbed showed up later with his father, and I also called my brothers and friends to take revenge on them.
Unfortunately, the police arrived, calmed the situation, and took us to the police station. However, when we went to the police station, the parents of the friend who had run away didn’t register an FIR, saying their son was not injured. I felt completely betrayed. He was the strongest among us and a weightlifter, while the friend who got stabbed was a professional wrestler, yet they both left me in my hardest time. They had been my childhood friends, but in that moment, they showed cowardice.
For the past two months, I’ve been struggling with high blood pressure, sleepless nights, and constant thoughts of revenge-both against the attackers and for the betrayal from my friends. Despite the attackers being arrested and jailed for a week, I can’t shake off the pain and anger.
I’m still traumatized by the whole experience. I don’t know what to do or how to heal from this. I’m asking for advice: should I seek professional help to recover from this trauma? And should I even think about revenge, or would that make everything worse? I hesitate because I come from a good family, and I am my parents’ only child, born after 20 years of their marriage. I’m just holding back for their sake.
Question: Should I get revenge, and can anyone help me recover from trauma?
Option 1: Yes
Option 2: No
Option 3: Please help