Talk of the Town

27 //

One thing that Miraya has always remembered about Shray is that he joined her in whatever trouble she got into. In school, Miraya was a nosy person, butting into problems and volunteering solutions for others just because she enjoyed the idea of 'saving' others. In some cases, she didn't get directly involved in the problems and stood as a reliable advisor or support but in some cases she was badly tangled in it.

On the other hand, Shray kept to himself. He only involved himself if something concerned him personally. Like for example, when Miraya got into trouble. At first, she argued against him hopping onto every problem of hers but a few years later, being scolded together became natural.

She remembers this one incident clearly. It happened during eleventh grade.

Miraya had this vicious English teacher who had a case of horrible mood swings. One moment, she would be nice and forgiving and the other, she would be the incarnation of the devil.

Most of the time, Mrs Kavitha had a soft spot for Miraya and Shray. She would often pick them to read out the dialogues in the play and give the class a free hour if Miraya and Shray requested her. English was the one subject Miraya scored well in and Shray did well in every subject so they assumed they were immune from her mood swings and the occasional show of wrath.

But they were wrong.

"Has everyone finished the homework I gave you last Thursday?" Mrs Kavitha asked.

Miraya looked around and then at Sona. "What assignment?" she hissed.

"Character sketch of Prospero and Alonso."

"What? When did she even give this? Was I absent?"

Sona looked unsure. "I think you were there..."

"Shit," Miraya cursed and went back to scanning the class. Everyone was nodding and taking out their sheets to submit. "Shray! You finished?"

Shray stopped flipping his book and stared at her. "Why, didn't you? I sent you a text the day before."

"You send more than twenty texts everyday. You should have sent it in capital letters so that I didn't miss it!" Miraya wanted to pull out her hair. Mrs Kavitha definitely did not look like she was in a good mood that day. There was no way she could shimmy her way out of this.

"Wow, this is what I get for going out of the way and reminding you. Next time, why don't you just ask me to do your assignment?" Shray bit back.

"You will do it?"

"God, Miraya." Shray shook his head at her. "Try talking to her. Maybe you'll get lucky."

Miraya wanted company. It always helped to be yelled at together than alone. Siddh was a perfectionist so there was no way he wouldn't have done it. Sona and Priya went to tuitions together so they would have done finished it. To her bad luck, even that idiot Suriya had a side of the paper written. Even though it was less than a page, at least he had written something. Miraya had nothing to submit.

Fisting her hands and propping them on the desk, she stood up guiltily.

"Why didn't you finish the homework, Miraya?" That 'why' scared the shit out of her. The teacher's eyes were rounding in on her, anger already rising slowly inside her. She definitely cannot afford to use the 'I left it at home' excuse. She would be directly sent to the Vice Principal.

"I didn't do it, Ma'am."

"You don't even have any excuses?"

The problem with this question was that it had no correct answer. If Miraya gave excuses, she would be yelled at for not taking responsibility for her actions and making false excuses. If she didn't give excuses and admitted the truth, it would lead to a derogatory remark thrown at her as well. Why bother answering?