2.1 | Vishal and Layla

being friends with rivals 101

The photographs of Sports day are handed over to me to distribute it to the students. There is a picture of the moment when Vishal lifted the trophy. Layla is also in the shot, her eyes on him, a proud smile on her face. The way she is looking at him is definitely not how enemies look at each other. It seems personal, intimate. And it feels like I've stumbled on a secret.

Instead of giving the photograph to Vishal, I give it to Layla. "Why are you giving me--- oh!" Her cheeks dust pink and she quickly stuffs the picture into her bag. "Um, thank you. I owe you one," she told me.

"Your secret's safe with me," I assure her with a smile. Maybe because Vishal is a good friend of mine or because I've always been nice to Layla, I know she regards me as a friend in some way.

I glance at Vishal who is busy chatting to the girls at the back about the rangoli competition. He has to do an article about it for the school magazine. "Hey, Layla," I say and take Vishal's seat. "Are you coming for the tour?"

"I have to. My parents still think all my classmates are my best friends. It won't make sense if I don't go," she says, hiding the surprise when I sit next to her. "Um, is Vishal coming?"

"You didn't ask him?"

She presses her fingers together and shrugs. "We don't really talk like we used to."

I knew that. There was a shift in Vishal's and Layla's relationship and it wasn't for the better. They drifted farther after Sports Day. I couldn't figure out what had gone down between them because one day they were fine and the next they weren't. I tried to ask Vishal about it but he wouldn't even talk about it.

"Why?" I ask Layla.

I honestly don't expect her to answer the question. But I guess she desperately needed to talk to someone about it. She is a waterfall of words.

"You know that Vishal and I practiced together for Sports Day, right? We sorta became close during that time. And that was because we decided to put all the rivalry behind for that time because it wasn't letting us work together. I assumed we would go back to the way we were after Sports Day. And I thought Vishal assumed the same. After Sports Day, he comes up to me and thanks me for helping him out. I didn't know what else to say but I wanted to continue the conversation, you know? So, I brought up the topic of us.

"I told him not to expect me to go easy on him after this and that we were back to being the rivals we are. I thought that was what he wanted to hear, you know?"

"So, you don't want to keep fighting with him anymore?"

She purses her lips and shakes her head. "No, not really. He's the only person who understands me, you know. Even if we fight and sabotage each other all the time. It's weird, I know, but even though he is my competition, he is the only one I talk to in school. If anything happens in my life, I keep wanting to tell him about it."

"Then, why don't you be friends? It may not be the worst thing in the world," I say with a smile.

"But I am scared being friends will not work out. In case you haven't noticed, both of us have a very sensitive pride and are extremely competitive. I'm scared I'll let my ego come in between and spoil our friendship again like I did the first time. It's just too much of a risk. I've gotten comfortable with him being my rival, someone I can tease and bicker with. I think I'm too much of a wimp to change that."

I want to hug Layla. She puts on a brave front but underneath, she is human too. She is scared of screwing up relationships because she doesn't trust herself.

"Okay, so what did Vishal say to that?"

"He didn't like it. He told me he can't continue this tiring competitive relationship we have going on. He said he was done with it. Now that he knew that we could be friends just fine if we tried, he wants that. So, he told me he's not going to care about competing with me anymore. It'll never be the same."

"So, he won't talk to you unless you want to be friends with him?"

She bites her lip. "Yes."

"Then, why don't you? You obviously don't want to lose him. Why don't you take a leap, Layla?"

"I'm scared I'll mess it up. And instead of becoming rivals again, I'm scared we'll drift away from each other. That's even more terrifying."

I sigh. "You might think it absurd but I care about both of you. I am closer to Vishal, yes, but I always wanted to be friends with you. I look up to you."

Layla smiles a little. "Thanks but right now, I don't think anyone can look up to me. I'm a mess."

"Aren't we all?"

Layla chuckles lightly.

"For what it's worth, I think you should just fuck it and be friends with Vishal. You never know. It might even turn into something more," I say.

Layla blushes and smacks my shoulders. "Shut up. The idea of being friends with him is giving me enough anxiety as it is."

"Trust me, once you get a taste of it, you will be the luckiest girl in the world. Don't tell him I said this but he worships you."

Layla pushes me out of the seat, turning red. "Okay, that's enough. It's already weird that I'm discussing this with you. You're just making it weirder."

I raise my hands in surrender and move around her desk. Then I pause. "If you ever want to talk, I'm here, Layla. You have a friend in me."

Layla nods gratefully. "Thank you. It means a lot."

I glance at Vishal again. He stares at me suspiciously with an eyebrow cocked up and tips his head to ask what was that about. I walk up to him and slap the photograph of him running on his palm. "Don't worry, man. I'm not making a move on her. I know she's your girl."

His gaze moves to Layla. He watches her sharpening her pencil with complete loathing. She hates doing it but she also hates blunt pencils. Vishal smiles at her and then looks at me. "You better."