The class was chaotic, and so was my morning. My aunt had started by taunting me for sleeping in late and insisted I cook my own lunch—not unusual—but mixed with her constant taunts and those condescending eyes, it was a pain like no other. I knew why she hated me so much, and part of me felt I deserved it. After all, I had never been a good person myself. Honestly, I had no reason to stay another morning. God, I wanted to remove him from my life so badly.
On top of this, Mr. Shukla was teaching at the peak of his voice. I often wondered how someone could be so enthusiastic about history—and whether his passion for it surpassed his passion for food, because that belly seemed to bend space now. I looked at my bag and pulled out my companion for the day.
Today's read was My Brilliant Friends, a book I had bought recently by saving every small coin I could scrape together. It was supposed to be about how friendships form and how people shape each other—a wholesome theme, nonetheless. I hid it in my lap as usual, pretending to study while actually reading in peace, letting the wind from the window slowly willow my hair.
I was at peace. The class was loud, but it had become white noise to me. The vermillion-red curtains cast a soft, warm hue over my seat, the translucent light giving everything a surreal glow. The breeze cooled the single sweat drop trickling down my temple.
And in my mind was the mission for the day. I had decided not to go to the terrace again. I didn't want any external interference in my life, and I wasn't about to change my plans just because a way out had presented itself. I decided I would tell him my answer the next time I saw him—not on the terrace, but somewhere else. And if I didn't, that was even better.
The classes went by, the clamor of the school corridors growing louder as the lunch bell drew near. Lockers slammed and shoes scuffed against the polished tiles, a jumble of voices and laughter filling the hallways. And then, the bell rang—finally, I could take my leave.
I got up and looked over my desk, tidying up my books before leaving for the canteen. I wrapped up quickly; I had to catch him leaving his class, or else I was pretty sure he was the type to goof around and disappear easily.
I made my way to the hallway, dodging groups of students laughing and teasing each other, the smell of cafeteria food drifting faintly from below… only to find him standing outside the door.
I was startled. By his upfrontness and boldness. And moreover, the shamelessness he had behind those eyes, which looked at me as if I was some lost girl. But… he wasn't alone; he had Ayaan next to him. There was another guy and a girl as well, I remember she was from Section A. I was already planning to exit the door, and to turn back suddenly would just make me look like a coward.
I'll ignore them and walk past. I made a quick decision.
With an increased pace, I started to look away from his direction. But this absolutely nuts guy was staring at me as if I were coming to meet him directly. I made my choice of going in the opposite direction, the left, and I would do it instantly. I walked over and crossed the door and took a sharp left… only to be called by my name. In bold letters, it felt.
"Kriti, are you busy? I wanted to ask you something." The guy decided to double down.
"Umm… I need to go to the washroom, so I'll talk later, okay?" Oldest trick in the book. Perfect.
"Oh, okay. Go ahead," he responded. I'm a genius. The other three looked confused for a second there.
The washroom felt like my only escape today. I was finally safe from him, and I could actually look in the mirror and give myself a pat on the back for getting away. I just washed my hands and hung out for about five minutes before deciding to head out.
I made my way out… and there he was AGAIN. Seriously? Waiting outside the girls' washroom? And not just him, but three guys. The corridor smelled faintly of cleaning solution mixed with the distant scent of samosas from the canteen with students milling around with chips in their hands , and they were right there. How shameless can you get? What kind of persistent weirdo had I somehow attracted?
"Oh, there she is. Kriti!" His enthusiasm made it sound like we'd been best friends since kindergarten.
"Oh, you waited for me," I mumbled, trying to be polite.
"Of course, we did. I wanted to ask you something," he said.
"Sure, go ahead." What crazy thing was this guy going to hit me with now? I hadn't even processed his last question, and a new one was already brewing.
"This evening, if you're free, we're all going to see a friend's performance. She's doing classical dance at Nehru Stadium, and I thought you might want to come." Okay, that was a relief. I was totally bracing myself for some wild confession. But an invitation was supposed to be better? To a dance performance? Me? And he thought I'd want to come? Where did he even get these ideas from? I didn't even know his name, and here he was, asking me to hang out.
"Oh, by the way, these are my friends Ayaan and Garvit, and this is Shruti" he said, gesturing toward them as he introduced his gang to me while I was still processing his previous prompt.
"Hi," they said in unison. I recognized Ayaan from ninth grade—he was on the football team, if I remember right—though we'd never really talked, while Garvit and Shruti were complete strangers to me . But the real elephant in the room? I still didn't know his name. And so—finally—I decided to just ask. End this all at once.
"What's your name?" I asked, simply, just to know. Pure and true.
But… I had no idea all hell would break loose.
The loudest laughter I've ever heard erupted from Ayaan and Garvit. I'm not exaggerating—they were bent over, clutching the window railings to stop themselves from toppling. I just stood there, baffled, wondering what on earth I'd stumbled into. Shruti looked equally dumbfounded. Was I that humorous? It probably was an inside joke, and I didn't like that.
"AhhAhahhh. Haaa haa ha h…" Their laughter slowly died down as Aksh shot a glare at them. Why are they laughing? I thought.
"Yeah, yeah, that's enough," he said, trying to calm them down—but I could still see them giggling in the background, trying to hide their faces but still unable to hide their broken postures.
Finally, he turned to me. "Me? I'm Aksh. From Section B."
Aksh. Finally, I knew his name. Section B was in the science stream—I hadn't expected that. Now, I had to respond to his question. And I had my answer ready.
"I'm sorry, I have plans today," I said, politely declining his invitation. He had a small frown on his face for a moment, probably out of disappointment, but he regained his calm, maniacal smile at a moment's notice.
"That's sad. But okay. The show's at six. You can still come if you change your mind. We'll save you a seat." He offered another option, but I had already made up my mind. I didn't want to be dragged somewhere I didn't belong, even if these guys seemed nice.
"Thanks for asking… but, um, why did you guys laugh earlier?" I added, figuring a little curiosity wouldn't hurt.
That was it. Ayaan and Garvit completely lost it again—laughing even louder than before. Garvit grabbed Aksh, dragging him away while leaving behind a trail of laughter. Shruti with her hands behind her waist followed them like a stray kitten.
"It was nothing, we're sorry" said Ayaan as I just watched them go, shaking my head. What a mystery these guys were.
But finally, I knew his name. It was weird meeting you, Aksh. Although a bit pushy, he seemed nice nonetheless.
Was this the last time we were meeting?