LIFE: Looks Interesting Feels Exciting

What's your Good Name???

Their friendship started way back. Best of friends. But not the kind of friendship usually boys and girls are associated with. You know what I mean, a nice kind of friendship.

"Hey Shylaja!", he exclaimed, "Which section are you in?" The gang had moved ahead. They knew their limits. "Same as yours.", she answered. They moved towards the class. Everyone had already taken their seats, with the ones they were the most comfortable with. Some had choices, others didn't. A realization seeping into everyone that 'there is advantage in large numbers' .

Shylaja took her seat in the front, while Ravi strolled towards the back to be with the LLBs (Lord of Last Benches). Ironically, the LLBs were smarter than the geeks both, in terms of academics and street smartness. How? Well, you know...there are perks.

He swept his eyes across the class, feeling comfortable in the all too familiar chatter all around him. Two months at home was like the superman taking a vacation and being stripped of his powers. There was the other gang in the adjacent corner. No gang wars, yes, small verbal confrontations were part and parcel of gang life. Some of the rival gang members were home-neighbors and man...were they the best friends in front of their parents.

The endless rounds of introduction by the new teachers was underway. More or less the same questions will be asked by every teacher who walks through the door. "Whats your 'good' name" (as if there was a bad one) and "How much did you score in the previous class"

Ravi did not understand, what difference it really made asking the scores from the previous class? Wouldn't it be nice, if life moved on, focus on things to come and not on things which passed away? Asking this question at the beginning of an academic year was sure to put down the morale on the first day itself (at least for those who wanted to make an impression in the current year). It was so evident, as soon as someone quoted a lesser or an average score, you could see the change in his body language. The confident, fresh look gone and now all you see is a deflated balloon, smirks, gossip and giggles accompanying it. He could even see, some people holding their heads or rather slapping their foreheads; an evident silent scream stating: "OMG! he/ she and I are in the same class?" Every time a girl spoke, the boys paid utmost attention as if they were watching an alien. The girls would just steal glances, fearing "What would people say?"; "What is the teacher notices and informs my parents?"

Then he heard a voice, "May I come in teacher?". Nonchalantly, he looked towards the door. His life was about to change.