"That's all for today, class. You may go for your recess," my Geography teacher said sadly. Surprisingly, she seemed to be dejected to leave our class. I turned around to face Shine but she was already staring at me with those brown eyes. She just laughed at my priceless expression and I scrunched up my nose. Damn...I hated it when she scares me like that. "Dharrshine! Can you stop doing that. It's creeping me out," I whined. "Sorry, no can do! It's in my genes to freak you out and that's what I plan to keep doing," she explained. I rolled my eyes at her childish attitude.
I couldn't get out of class fast enough. I said my goodbyes to Shine and went around school to do my "patrolling". Since I was a prefect, I had to do these duties to maintain the discipline of the school. I had to admit, I did consider being a librarian like Shine a few times before. She didn't have to wait till after recess to grab a bite, she didn't have to skip classes due to prefects' meetings or anything like that. All she had to do was stay back in the school library every Thursdays.
I carried on with my duties silently, as always. I brushed off the dust on my skirt and looked down at the floor. I had to keep myself busy. I had twenty minutes to myself every single day during recess and I couldn't even talk to anyone. I sighed at my amazing life. "Navina Ann!" a voice called out. "Huh?" was the brilliant answer I came up with. "Why do you always seem so lost Navina? Honestly, how many times did you expect me to shout your name?" a teacher asked.
My cheeks glowed red and I could feel the heat fluster on my face. I could just facepalm myself! At least there weren't any students nearby to laugh at me. "Sorry Miss Petunia, I didn't know you were here. Is there something I can help you with?" I asked calmly, trying to hide the embarrassment from my voice. "How did this book end up on my table?" she asked, totally ignoring my question. I sensed the tension in her voice and looked down at the book she was holding out to me.
The book was pretty worn out and I recognised it instantly. Well, not many people in my school were fans of "P.S. I Love You" by Cecelia Ahern. Come to think of it, I haven't met a single person who has ever read the book. I trembled for a moment and then realised that she was staring straight at me. I mustered the courage and asked her when she had found the book. "I asked you a question, Navina, and I believe you still haven't answered it yet," she replied. I apologised and told her I may have left it there the previous day.
"Well, make sure this doesn't happen again. I do not wish to take responsibility for student's lost belongings," she exclaimed and began to march away. "Umm....Miss Petunia?" I began, nervously clearing my throat. "What is it now, Navina?" she inquired, letting out a sigh as she did so. "Ma-may I know how y-you knew that this book was mine?" I stuttered. She gave me a warm smile and said "Open the book, Navina."
Confused, I did as I was told and I scrunched my nose disbelievingly. At the back of the cover, three alphabets were written neatly in purple ink. "N.A.W." I read out, finally understanding how she discovered the owner. "I may not be your class teacher Navina, but I sure know your initials," she said and walked swiftly away. I just smiled at her gratefully in return.
Navina Ann Walker. Yeap. That was my name. It wasn't the most common name but I liked it okay. It made me feel unique. Being a fourteen year old sure can be tough these days. I was still in Form 2 and fortunately, I managed to pass my exams last year exceeding everyone's expectations and hence, I was placed in the best class. You wouldn't have expected that either, would you? Not with my amazingly developed daydreaming abilities.
The school bell rang, sending waves of ear piercing sound throughout the school compound. Recess was over. I let out a sigh of relief and hurried back to class, clutching the novel in my tiny, little hands. I wasn't in a mood to go to the canteen to eat. Besides, even if I did, I'd have to eat alone. Most of my friends would have already made it back to class by now. "Hey! Wait up, will you?" a voice called. I turned around and searched where the voice was coming from. My lips curled into a grin at the sight of her. "Are you planning to become an athlete too? Why the rush, Missy?" Shine questioned, as she walked towards me. She entwined arms with me and we strolled happily back to class.
The rest of the day went by in a flash. We had already made plans yesterday, so Shine was coming over to my place to spend the night. We did these "sleepover sessions" all the time, but mostly at my house, since it was nearer to school. "Shute!" I cried. "What's the matter, hun?" Shine inquired. "Umm...I forgot to tell my mum that you were coming over tonight," I elucidated. She began giggling like a little girl. Pfft. Typical of her. "I'm serious Shine. I totally forgot about it. Mum's going to kill me now!" I continued. Well, not really kill me but you get the idea. "Oh, shut up you little baby! I'm practically the daughter she never had. She wouldn't mind me coming over," Shine protested. She did have a point there. They were both really close and Shine did come around very often. Maybe I was just being such a baby.
Soon enough, my aunt came and picked us up from school. "Having another sleepover, are we?" she questioned. "Oh, just another Friday night. Care to join us, Aunty?" Shine asked, jokingly. She giggled in amusement before replying hastily "No, I'm afraid that's not possible, Shine. Thanks for the invite though, you just made me feel a whole lot younger now." Shine sniggered and turned to look out of the window. My "Aunty" wasn't really related to me. She was more of a family friend and i grew up knowing her. So, my mum asked for a favour to pick me up after school. She was a very sweet woman and that just made it easier to bond with her. After what seemed like a mere minute, the car slowly decelerated and pulled over in front of my house.
"Thanks Aunty!" we chorused. She gave us a warm smile and the car glided away smoothly. I searched my bag for my house keys and then pulled them out slowly. My parents were still at work and my sister was at my Grandma's house. She was only 6 years old and went to my Grandma's after pre-school. I unlocked the padlock on the gate and walked in before gesturing at Shine to walk in. "Thank you, my humble servant" she said, gleefully. I rolled my eyes at her and she stuck out her tongue in reply. She walked into my house and I followed suit. "What do you wanna do?" she beckoned. "Ummm...I have some Nutella and bread in the fridge," I said simply. She grinned at me and said, "You know me too well!"
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Author's Note :
Well, that's the end of Chapter 2. Sorry if this chapter was a little too draggy. I wanted to introduce the character further and I thought Navina and Shine needed some time together as I didn't really give them much in Chapter 1...
Anyway, hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. More to come.
Cheers,
Thivaa :)
