~
"Gooooooooddddddd Moooorrrnnniiinngggg, Teeeeeacchheerrrrr!" The class sang in chorus.
"Good Morning! Settle yourselves fast." The teacher ordered.
"Before we start, how many of you have not done the homework?" She asked looking around the class to see the students without their homework.
"No one!" The teacher exclaimed, "Surprising. Naira, collect everyone's homework at the end of the class." Teacher said looking at Naira.
"Yes, ma'am!" Naira replied from the first bench adjusting her specs.
"So let's continue with the trigonometry that we left yesterday." The teacher took hold of R D Sharma's Maths book and started explaining various trigo numericals.
"Bro, I'm bored." Aakash muttered to his best friend, Kartik, on his left.
"So am I." Kartik agreed. He folded his arms, rested them on the bench and laid his head over them. He continued, "Why can't she just take leave one day? I hate Math."
"I don't understand how Naira tolerates her that too on the first bench." Aakash thought aloud gazing at their best friend, Naira sitting on the left row's first bench.
"Aakash, stop talking." The teacher chided. "Come ahead and solve the next sum."
Aakash looked wide-eyed at the teacher and nudged Kartik for chuckling at his state.
"Ma'am? Me?" Aakash looked scared at her.
"Yes, you, Aakash. Stop wasting my time and step forward." Ma'am glared at her.
Aakash walked ahead crossing the benches. "All the best!" Payal, Aakash's girl friend, whispered pressing his hand lightly as he crossed her.
"I badly need that, Payal." Aakash thought to himself.
The teacher scribbled on the board and turned towards Aakash, "Solve this."
Aakash could hear his own heart beating. Sweat formed on his forehead and he wipped it off with the back of his hand.
He looked to his left at Naira who was whispering something to him. Aakash strained to hear her. After getting a few steps, he smiled at her and solved the sum.
"Done, ma'am!" Aakash said proudly. The teacher looked at him a little surprised. She nodded her head at him and asked him to sit.
"Psst!"
"What?" Naira whispered furiously leaning back on her seat. She felt the girl's finger poking her. She grabbed her hand which passed her a piece of paper.
Thanks for helping, yaar.
Naira took a quick glance at the last bench and scribbled on the same paper.
Aakash or Kartik?
Naira passed the paper back from below her bench and waited for tye reply.
Who do you think I am?
Naira sighed looking at the response. Why can't this jerk ever answer her straight?
Well, I asked because I helped Aakash but the handwriting is yours, dumbo!
"Can't you just wait till the lecture is over?" The girl sitting behind Naira muttered irritated with the constant disturbance.
"Please." Naira whispered pleading her.
"Naira, there are a very few days left before the final exams start. Next year, you are leaving this school. Don't make me punish you in your last days here." The teacher said in a stern voice looking at her with the impassive eyes.
"Sorry, ma'am." Naira apologized smiling secretly.
'Oh, I am going to miss this. Will I be able to make such awesome friends in my new school? Why can't dad shift alone? Why can't I stay here?' Naira thought to herself.
"Shit man, we forgot Naira's changing the school." Kartik told to himself loud enough for Aakash to hear.
"Trust me, Kartik, you should tell it to Naira." Aakash said out of the blue.
"What the! No!" pat came the reply.
"C'mon, Kartik. Just think of it. You like Naira for a long time now. And she does too. I mean, yes, you both fight but you guys are best friends. And Naira won't be here next year. What if someone else proposes her? Just think of it, Kartik." Aakash said trying to make Kartik confess his feelings for Naira.
"I.. I don't know. What if she denies? I don't want to lose her friendship." Kartik admitted.
"Doesn't mean you'll sit quiet. Just do it, bro. C'mon, you can do it."
"Psst!" Aakash looked in the front. "For you!"
Aakash took the paper and opened it.
Kartik, c'mon do it.
Kartik and Aakash looked at Payal who was glaring at Kartik as if threatening him to confess.
"See, even Payal says the same. Go on! Write it down if you can't tell her." Aakash suggested.
"That sounds better." Kartik muttered and tore a piece of paper from the back of the book.
Naira felt her arm being poked again and she pushed back her hand to receive the paper.
Will you be my girlfriend?
I really like you.
Naira's eyes widened at the words and she turned around with a jerk to look at Kartik who had his head down. She looked towards Aakash to ask him if Kartik was serious but Aakash was determined to not look at Naira. Her eyes, then, turned to Payal who was continuously stealing glancing at her with a small smileon her lips.
"Naira, what's wrong?" The teacher asked sternly.
"Uh.. Nothing, ma'am. Sorry!" She settled herself back for the rest of the lecture. She gulped down the entire bottle of water and wiped off her sweat.
She scribbled something hurriedly on the paper and passed it back.
Kartik held the paper in between his fingers with his heart thudding in the cage. He was sure Naira would have rejected him. Why will she even accept him? She doesn't like distractions in her studies. And he doesn't like sitting with books the whole day.
Yet, he opened the paper.
The worst proposal ever.
I don't know why am I even replying to this bad proposal but..
P.T.O. ->
Kartik groaned and turned the paper and read,
Yes, I will be your girlfriend.
I like you, too, stupid.
But next time, better have a nice way to propose me.
Kartik looked at the first bench to see Naira looking back at him with a smile and a slight blush adorning her cheeks. Kartik smiled back at her and pushed the piece of paper in one of the compartments of the bag.
Kartik never knew a Math lecture could turn so memorable for him.
Naira never knew a nerd like her would accept her best friend's proposal in her favorite lecture.
~
HOW WAS IT?
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