The Snarky Indian

Part 12: One-upping Aryan

It was the middle of the week, wednesday, I think. All this work just makes you forget what day it is. Heck, I'd written 2014 on all my assignments, and I realized it only when Krishi pointed it out. The worst part about being ex-Miss.Goody-two-shoes is that you write the date on every single sheet. It was drilled into you at school, and so I had to spend around half an hour correcting the date. Yes, I realize that I didn't really need to do it, but submitting it with wrong dates just irked me. I was a proud Virgo, both by the English calender and the Hindu calender. Yes, Indians have their own calenders. We're awesome like that. We've even got stuff like birth names, temperament, planet influence, and so on. It's like our entire lives have been mapped and predicted just after we're born. For example, if you're born when XYZ (bad) planet is above your head, it means you'll kill your husband five years after you marry him. And the solution to that is to marry you off to a peepal tree. No, really. I'm serious. That happens.

After I finished correcting the dates on each sheet of my assignment, I found it fit to hand in. Right after, when I just entertained the notion of today being a day filled with YouTube and loafing around, Abhi came bouncing upto me to inform that I've got to audition in front of the entire band in the evening. Huh. So much for YouTube and loafing around.

I trudged to the huge music room along with Viha, who enthusiastically accompanied me when she was sure she wouldn't find Ayan hanging around. She'd been avoiding Ayan like the plague. On Monday, she'd worn a black hoodie and walked around in it. People looked at her in alarm and gave her a wide berth the entire day. In their defense, she looked extremely creepy. She gave up on it after Jer mistook her for a basketball mate of his and whacked her upside the head. I managed to convince her to act normally, but her idea of 'normal' was slightly different from mine. It included making holes in magazines and staring at Ayan, eavesdropping on his conversations, and incessantly fretting about whether Ayan knew that she like-liked him. It all ended today morning, when I threatened to break her nose again. Needless to say, she shut up.

I was a little nervous when we stopped in front of the music room door. What if they don't like what I play, what if I make a mistake, what if they end up being perverted guys who would only take me into the band if I performed sexual favors!? I snapped out of my thoughts when Viha hit my arm, "Are you sure Ayan's not in there?" I gave her the Ana-special Seriously? look. "Dude, I'm about to go in there and audition, and all you're worried about is if a guy you have a crush on is there?" I asked, with a mock-heartbroken expression. She rolled her eyes at me and said, "Chill. You'll do well. Now, are you really really really sure that he isn't going to be there?" I huffed and pushed the door open. I was about to entire when Viha's hand gripped mine, "Just check if he's there." I pulled my hand out of her grasp and vented my frustration Indian-style. By hitting my hand against my head repeatedly. I took a deep breath and poked my head in, only to come face-to-face with a very familiar, very amused face.

"Ayan isn't here." Said the infuriatingly good-looking face, in a low voice. My eyebrows scrunched together as I realized that he'd listened to Viha's indirect confession. There was only one way to keep his mouth shut. It was clearly dictated by the unofficial Girl Code. I must murder him. It was the only way to save my best friend. I began plotting Aryan's murder with total enthusiasm. Maybe I should smother him in his sleep, or maybe I could slit his throat and say he fell on a knife. The possibilities were endless, but before I could give him my best I-will-murder-you-soon-and-enjoy-it-immensely look, Viha ran in, held him by the shoulder and started shaking him. Not that it actually worked. "Please don't tell him. Please. Please. Please." She whispered hurriedly. Aryan seemed a bit shaken up, I suppose Viha's frantic Beware-I-am-a-psychopath look could freak people out. He simply moved back, with his hands raised, and said, "Calm down already. I won't tell him. Jesus." Viha calmed down and gave him a sheepish look. When she turned her back on us, I gave him the I-am-watching-you two-finger sign. He merely rolled his eyes and motioned that I shut up and audition. I couldn't help but imagine myself sitting with a murderous glint in my eyes, hands steepled, awaiting the perfect time to bludgeon him to death.

I controlled my psychopathic tendencies as I strutted past him, only to stumble and fall forward. Yep, I am never going to catch a break. Suddenly there was an arm pulling me up from behind, I pulled away immediately and turned around to give Aryan a glare. I just embarrassed myself in front of him again *sigh* and thus I have the right to be pissed at everything and everyone. I ended up glaring at some random person. A pretty hot random person, if I may say so myself. The said random person nervously scratched the back of his neck, "Um... Sorry?" He said uncertainly. I blinked. Before I could reply, Aryan, who was standing behind the random but hot guy, said "This is Ana. The girl auditioning for the band." Was it my imagination or was Aryan a little pissed? Aryan walked up to stand next to the hot guy and put his arm around the guy in that 'cool' I-don't-know-what-to-do-so-I'm-gonna-awkwardly-put-my-hand-on-your-shoulder way, giving a huge grin. Okay, it was my imagination.

"Hey. I'm Ken. I play the bass." You know how sometimes your mind just randomly starts singing songs? Generally it's a song you've recently heard. Sometimes a word is enough to trigger your mind. Yeah, my mind started 'All about that bass', complete with guitar riffs. I had to slightly shake my head to give a clear reply, "Hey."

Ugh. Sometimes I hate myself. It's like when I NEED to say something impressive, my brain goes 'ching, chong, tomato.' When I don't, I'm all awesome and cool.

I spent the rest of the time bashing myself for seeming like an idiot. Shit. I should've said something like 'I look forward to working with you' or 'Cool. I prefer electric myself' or-"Hey Ana. We're ready. You can start with any song you want."

I took a deep breath. This was my thing. It was my forte. Nothing will come in my way, if it does, I will hit it with my guitar. I gave the back of Aryan's head a withering glare, for good luck. I started off with a Daughtry song, 'Drown in you'.

'There's a place where you can light the fire and watch it burn
Lay it down and lose it all
It's taking me so far beyond the point and no return
Gave all that I had when hope was gone, hope was gone
Is this real or is it just another crazy dream
That someday soon will fade away
Feels just like I'm under water and can barely breathe
Dying in the bed that I have made

I don't wanna drown in you
I'm sinking and I'm torn in two
So when you see me come up for air
Don't try to hold me down
Just save me now
Don't let me drown in you

This city pulls me in closer than I've ever been
There aint' no way I can escape
Without a doubt you know that I would tread the deepest end
A thousand years forever and a day.

But I don't wanna drown in you
I'm sinking and I'm torn in two
So when you see me come up for air
Don't try to hold me down
Just save me now
Don't let me drown in you

Did I bring this on myself
Can I get out alive
Yeah, I've given you the best of me
Now you want the rest of me
What's it gonna take to survive yeah

There's a place where you can light the fire and watch it burn

I don't wanna drown in you
I'm sinking and I'm torn in two
So when you see me come up for air
Don't try to hold me down
Just save me now
Don't let me drown in you

Don't let me drown in you
Drown in you
Just save me now
Don't let me drown in you
Drown in you.'

I had a lot of confidence in the song, considering I'd played it at least twice on stage, back in India. It wasn't a big audience, it wasn't even an audience with music fanatics, but I was sure I could pull off the guitar parts. I was just going to ignore the fact that I sound like a dying goat. Yes, I was.

I finished the song with a bar chord, only to be treated with silence. Then sudden applause. Huh. Took them long enough. I basked in the applause, only to hear, "Are you sure about her singing? 'cause she might've sounded okay with this song, but the previous, yikes!"

The guitar was too precious to throw. So I chucked my pick at him. It hit him square in the head and elicited a loud "OW!"

He glared at me and I gave him a triumphant grin as everyone erupted with laughter.

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Phew! Long chapter!

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- QuirkyKatana :-P