In His Custody ✎ (MaNan)

✰ 7 - senorita

The first day wasn't as miserable as I thought it would be. I am in 10A this year. Our class is boring, nothing like Bangalore schools, and speaking in English is like a crime here! My teachers are amiable, and they tried to help me gel with the rest of the class. It doesn't help, though because nobody cares about the teachers in this school. I feel so new, so clueless.

Everyone already has their groups, their solid friend circles and they don't like talking to anyone else, I think, but our class benches have three seats, you know? So, I didn't sit alone, thanks Aiyappa! I found a place beside Navya Naveli and Aryamann Khurana, my two new 'friends'–if I can call them that. I think they already know each other well, but whatever I like them too.

Navya is already 15, her father owns a mithai-ghar (sweet store), and her mother and aunt make fresh sweets on a wholesale level every day, can you imagine that much sugar daily on a daily basis? Chikkappa has diabetes even otherwise. She wears two braids to school, she's traditional, and the kind of girl Amma and Appa would want me to be. So if I ever tell you about the braided hair girl, it's her.

Aryamann is a boy, by the way, and he's okay. He's kind of cute, and tall, but not that much of either. He's round and chubby and has enough hair to tie a tiny bun, but I wouldn't call it super long. Hair is beautiful on anyone, as long as it's on their heads! He stays at boarding school on campus and says the food and the people suck. Understandable.

Also, tomorrow is SPACE's birthday night–it's turning 32 years old this year, which is kind of impressive if you ask me. I don't think I'll go, plus it's a late-night party so Chikkappa and Chikkamma would be sceptical too. I hardly know anyone anyways, which gives me a good enough reason to pass this time, but I also don't want to miss out. I'm already very behind on everything–which reminds me, tomorrow I have to catch up on so much! Tell me, what to do, Babbu? Also, 40 days to 15! AHHHH!

Okay, sorry for the neverending rants at 10 PM. Good night, Babbu. 

Nandu

⭒

Manik

Oh yes, I remembered Aryamann very distinctly–a douchebag he was, and Nandini's best friend, of course. I always had conflicted opinions about that 'friendship' of theirs or the boundaries of it, but I was sure I let her down in more ways to count than he ever did.

Rohit looked me in the eye, while meekly stating, "Manik, this is our schedule for tomorrow. I hope you'll co-operate." I believe I gave him a very negative vibe from the first minute he laid eyes on me. He heard that I was a tough nut to crack and didn't intend to pull the trigger. He handed me a copy of his planner sheet and then began unpacking.

Apparently, they needed a melody ready by six PM the next night, which wasn't a strict deadline for me since I had a considerable stash of unsung inspiration in my handwritten musical notes. At the back of my head, I knew it was basic courtesy to talk to my father; I shot him a small text: *Everything's fine here. Going to bed now. *

The last bit was to discourage any other conversations with him. I could do with some rehearsals later. I was stuck into getting to the better bits of her story, and that was all I wanted to immerse myself into.

⭒

20 August 2010

"Sometimes our light goes out, but is blown again into instant flame by an encounter with another human being."

—Albert Schweitzer