"Chaand taare tod laun, Saari duniyan par me chhaoon....
Buss itna sa khwaab hai... Buss itna sa khwaab hai~
La la la la la laaaa~"
(I want to get the moon and stars, I want to rule the world...
This is my only small dream... This is my only small dream~)
I bounced while humming the melodious song as I walked towards my classroom. Yesterday's events kept flashing in front of my eyes, and my happiness was spilling over.
I landed my butt beside Arushi, who snapped her head at me and raised an eyebrow in question.
"Did the grief alter your brain functions?" Arushi asked.
I ignored her and kept singing. I took out her journal from her bag and gladly started writing down the assignment that was due last week.
"Akshay, should we call the mental hospital?" Arushi asked.
I sensed Akshay staring at me curiously. "Yeah, she has been like that since morning."
Arushi grabbed my chin and moved my face towards her. "Bhoomi, are you here? Why are you acting like this? I am worried."
"You want me to be sad then?" I asked.
I made an ugly crying face but soon went back to singing an energetic song. Arushi flicked me on the forehead.
"Stupid. I am not saying that you should be heartbroken, but seeing you so cheerful after you cried like hell yesterday is giving me goosebumps. You are the real Bhoomi, right?"
I pulled a teasing face at her. Akshay yanked me by me shoulder and stared deep into my eyes.
"Tell me what's going on inside that empty brain of yours. You are creeping me out with this bubbly behaviour," Akshay scolded.
Their words had no effect on me. Neither could I tell them the reason behind my smile nor could I hide my excitement. I let them think of me losing my sanity.
My upcoming days were filled with joy and laughter as I kept dreaming of dancing with my crush- Ahem, I mean dancing with my role model.
The imaginary scene went something like this.
I am tying my shoelaces and lost in my thoughts about the upcoming dance performance. Some loose strands cover my face and I don't notice the person coming towards me with slow steps.
Suddenly I feel a light touch of fingers tucking my hair behind my ear and I snap my head up to look at the person. My gaze zoom on the brown orbs that I admire a lot.
"Tejas?" I ask in a low voice.
Tejas, my crush, my idol, smiles at me and gives me his hand to hold. "Come on, we will be late for our duo."
I get shy but slip my hand into his, the warmth of his skin seeping into mine. We walk towards the stage, hand in hand, the audience cheering for us when we bow in front of them.
"Let's start, my partner," TJ says as he comes closer to me and wraps his left arm around my waist.
I nod and follow along. The song 'Aankhon mein teri ajab si ajab si adaayein hain' starts playing.
TJ swirls me around, and I giggle happily as he lifts me up. I stare into his eyes and feel my heart beating loudly. I whisper to him.
"Tejas, my dream came true. Now, only one thing is left that I want to confess. I lov-"
Crash!
"Ouch! Who disturbed our performance?" I yelled after falling down.
I opened my eyes and looked here and there frantically when I saw that TJ was gone.
"Where's Tejas?" I asked.
Vibhan pulled me up from the floor and smacked me behind the head. Soon, loud laughter erupted around me.
"Why the hell were you dancing with your eyes closed?" Vibhan asked.
"I was not!" I defended. "I was dancing with...."
I stopped myself as my brain got back into functioning mode, and I realised that I was daydreaming. The last moment of my imagination made me duck my head down in embarrassment.
What the heck was I thinking?
As expected, my crew-mates had a lot of fun teasing me and pulling my leg.
After winning the cash prize in underground dance battle, everyone had invested their equal share into something they thought would help their finances.
While Vibhan had given his share to his father for lending him the garage, Shlok, Yasir and Rehman had decided to attend some business classes to start their own shops. Meanwhile, Pratik had saved the money for his sister's wedding and Akshay had used his prize money for downpayment of new scooter.
In one lakh rupees, not everyone got much, but whatever they had, it was enough for the time being. Moreover, our crew was getting invites from some event holders and other big dancers for small/big projects. The exposure was working well for us.
Ritvik Bhaiyya, our mentor, was out to attend some family event, so we kids just chilled around.
I lied down on the floor and set up my mobile phone against an empty soda can for support. I went to Tejas' channel and started an old video. His sweet voice instantly lightened up my mood and I sang along to the song he was dancing.
I was enjoying my entertainment session, when Rehman sat behind me and clicked on the thumbnail of another video. Tejas' face disappeared and some foreign girls appeared on the screen.
I elbowed his thigh. "You jerk!"
Rehman grabbed my hands before I changed the video. "When will you stop obsessing over Tejas Jaiswal? Is he the only one you see?"
"Why? You jealous?" I asked.
Rehman snorted and banged his head against mine. "In your dreams, Boomer."
"Don't call me that! And this is my phone. I will watch Tejas all my life. What's your problem? Go and watch on your phone, you pervert!"
"Pervert?! You brainless nincompoop, I am not drooling over some person like you do. Open your eyes and watch properly whose video I have selected."
Rehman pushed my head towards my mobile screen, and I narrowed my eyes.
"I think I have seen this girl before.... but where?" I pondered.
"Don't stress so much. I know you don't have anything here," Rehman knocked my skull, "That girl in the green crop top is Ayzere Barat. Remember her?"
Ayzere Barat? As in the girl who was dancing with TJ in his recent video? The girl who had posted lovely photos of her and Tejas with captions having lots of hearts and cute emojis? The girl who Jiya suspected of being Tejas' girlfriend?
Rehman shook his head at me. "I know what you are thinking, Bhoomi."
I pouted. "Is she... I mean... Is she really Tejas' girlfriend...?"
"You really think you should be worried about that right now? I want you to see her dance, not her private life."
I ducked my head. Rehman forced me to watch the whole video, and I had nothing to say when the video ended.
"Noticed anything?" Rehman asked and answered his own question before my reply. "While you are daydreaming about a guy you can't even talk to, these girls are building themselves up day by day. You know who is the chief guest of this year's Dance festival in Goa? Ayzere Barat! That girl started just three years ago and look where she is now. What the hell are you doing?"
"I am also doing my best," I defended.
"Oh yeah? Dancing a duo by yourself, smiling like a goof and making mistakes in your own choreographies, not attending the crew meetings, making excuses so you could fan over your so called 'role model'; is that what you mean?"
I had nothing to say. He was right. After the auditions, I had started lacking off - a lot.
I didn't come to practices, refused to do hard choreos, let the boys and Jiya handle the dance studio, didn't spend time on polishing my techniques or work on my weaknesses. I knew I was selected for the trainee program by Sarthak Pawar himself but that didn't guarantee my spot in the final team.
While I was thinking about my shortcomings, Rehman tapped my arm.
"I am sure you can't even beat me now. I have surpassed you," he said with confidence.
"You sure about that?" I asked, feeling my anger on myself being directed at him.
He grinned proudly. "Vibhan himself said so."
I glanced at our captain and he averted his gaze. He started whistling to himself as he cleaned the speakers.
By his reaction, I knew Vibhan had really said that. It made me doubt if the guys were really thinking that I wasn't putting any effort for the team.
"To prove myself, I challenge you to a dance battle. Do you have the courage to defeat me?" Rehman boasted.
I huffed and got up from the floor. I dusted myself and glanced at everyone present. I could feel my anger turning into rage. I grabbed Rehman by his shirt and pulled him up.
"Let's see who has the courage or not. Don't cry when your ass eats the dirt," I said.
Rehman smirked and dusted his shirt. He signalled Jiya, and she winked at us. Skating towards her bag, she pulled out her laptop and set up the speakers.
I stretched my limbs and rolled up my sleeves. Tightening my loose pony, I glared at Rehman.
I will not lose to this moron. I will show him who's the boss.
Our crew-mates surrounded Rehman and me and gave us ample space to compete. Akshay arrived just in time after his part time job and joined the others.
"Yo, let's kill it, guys," Akshay hollered.
Vibhan stood between the competitors like a refree. "No matter how angry you get, don't throw hands at each other. You do that, I beat your ass. Got that?"
Rehman and I nodded, both of us staring each other down.
Vibhan gave the ready signal, and Jiya dropped the music. Rehman was the first one to perform. I wasn't scared of anything; I had myself taught him a lot of moves and stuff, so I knew his weak points. He went easy in the first round. Then, it was my turn.
(Rehman's routine 👆)
"Show us what you got, Boomer!" Rehman challenged.
"I hate that name!" I jumped and landed just a few inches away from Rehman.
Vibhan warned me. "No fighting."
I let out a low curse and moved away. My body was all heated up before I even began. Rehman was provoking me each chance he got. He knew I knew I would mess up if my mind wasn't clear. I had to channel my anger rightfully.
Ayzere Barat or whoever it is, I don't care. I have faith in myself. I will prove everyone wrong here.
"Jiya, drop the beat."
(Bhoomi's routine 👆)
Rehman waved me off as the song transitioned into a Chris Brown song. My rival went into beast mode and showed off his Krumping skills. He ended his routine by sliding his fist through his right sleeve and stopping in front of my face in a mocking manner.
(Rehman's Krumping routine 👆)
"You ain't doing shit, Bhoomi." Rehman grinned.
I dusted off my shoulder in a mocking manner. I told Jiya to play the same song, and cracked my knuckles. It was time to gear up.
I had observed Rehman show off a lot of new moves, hard ones that I had seen him struggling with just a few days ago. I wouldn't lie, but the guy had improved a lot.
I entered the arena with full force and combined my old krumping techniques with the new ones along with some that Rehman had showed before me. I saw his face contorting in anger as I continued with throwing his own moves in his face - but with much more intensity and preciseness.
(Bhoomi's routine 👆)
"Woohoo, Bhoomi, you killing it!" Akshay hyped me up.
That triggered Rehman more. He stomped like a lion that was chained. He did not hold back at all when his turn came. He was breathing heavily but still he continued. He fell a few times but still got back on. There were no longer any signs of embarrassment that he earlier felt whenever he made a mistake.
"You doing good, boy," I said.
Rehman rolled his eyes. "Worry about yourself, Missy."
I laughed. While he was almost near the end of his song, I took off my shirt, leaving me in my sports bra. I wiped the sweat with that shirt and threw it aside.
"We can stop if you guys are tired," Vibhan advised.
Rehman and I exchanged glances with each other. None of us was going to back down so soon. It was a matter of pride now.
"If the kid wants to withdraw, I don't have any problem," I provoked.
Rehman let out a huge breath and motioned at me to stop babbling.
"Will they kill each other?" Yasir asked.
"Who knows? Just enjoy the show, man," Shlok said.
And that's how Rehman and I continued battling with each other. I felt myself reaching my limit but I couldn't stop. I almost fell backwards ater doing spins on my hands but Pratik and Yasir pushed me back into the dance arena.
"They are going to faint soon," Akshay commented.
"Let's see how far they will take it." Vibhan smiled.
Jiya was exhausted, but she continued doing remixes for us. Our audience kept cheering and massaging our shoulders whenever one of us would complete the individual round.
"Give up, moron, you will die at this rate," Rehman said.
I clutched my stomach as the pain kept increasing. "Talk about yourself."
Even when half of our bodies were touching the floor, we kept going. Our bodies were burning, but we still wanted to keep dancing.
Finally, Rehman dropped down and tapped the floor. I clenched my fists and kept doing a side step in slow motion. As soon as Vibhan blew the whistle, I crumbled like a sack of potatoes.
If I had admitted defeat just a second ago, I wouldn't have been able to forgive myself. I took deep breaths while our friends fanned us. I looked at Rehman and he had a huge smile on his face.
"You did great," I said.
"I don't want to admit, but you did good too," he replied. "Next time, I will defeat you for sure."
"Sure, man."
We gained the strength after twenty minutes, and as soon as we were back on our feet, Rehman bolted towards the washroom. I had to go too.
Jiya lent me a flowery top and a pair of shorts as she felt disgusted that I would be wearing my messy shirt again. Usually we kept some spare clothes in our dance studio, but since Vibhan had been repairing some parts of it, all of our stuff needed to be taken out.
Fortunately, Jiya always had a few pairs of really sparkly outfits in her bag since she always had a stint at various clubs.
I went to the washroom, and knocked the door loudly. Rehman took five more minutes to get out and his face was glowing like diamond.
"That was the best dump I ever had in my life," he said.
I kicked him off and bolted the door. Squinching my nose, I washed myself and changed my clothes.
Since Jiya was taller and skinnier than me, her clothes looked longer and tighter on me. Still, the change from our monotonous sweatshirts to trendy clothes felt refreshing.
I took a look at myself in the small mirror and giggled. Jiya's clothes looked nice on me, so I decided to buy the same type for my birthday.
Once I unlocked the washroom door, I took a breath of relief. No matter how many times Vibhan told the guys to use the air freshener, they never listened.
I decided to put some sense into them. I pulled air into my chest and roared.
"Rehman, you fucker! The toilet smelled like hell! Use air freshener when you take a shi......."
My powerful entry was broken short when I noticed some extra pair of eyes along with the familiar ones staring at me. The air freshener in my hand dropped down, and it took me some time to process the new faces in front of me.
Was it Tejas and his gang? No, right? Am I daydreaming again?
"That was pretty loud, wasn't it?" Hriaan's voice settled in my ears.
Soon, everyone started laughing. Even Tejas. Heat crept upto my neck as my legs started shaking.
What was he doing here?
Suddenly, I was yanked by Akshay, and within seconds, I found myself beside my crew.
When I noticed Tejas and his friends still laughing in a low voice, I hid myself behind Akshay. He held onto my wrist because he knew my knees would buckle any time.
Behind him, Jiya whispered to me to keep calm and not blurt out anything without thinking. I didn't need that advice actually - Tejas would never talk to me anyways.
"That's your girlfriend?" Hriaan asked Akshay while pointing towards me.
Akshay pursed his lips and my expression must have been the same because Hriaan raised his hands in surrender. "Guess not then."
The Emperors were here, but for what?
I decided to not interfere in their talks. Since no one from Tejas' crew was paying me any attention, I decided to move away and observe them from far. I wanted to stay there longer but that stuff about Ayzere Barat and Tejas stung me like a bee.
What if Tejas and Ayzere were actually in a relationship? It won't be good to eye someone else's guy, right? But... can't I admire him like a fan though?
With heavy heart, I sat down on one of the tyres and drank some energy juice. I placed my chin on my left palm and stared ahead aimlessly.
I was wearing a really nice outfit and some lipstick too, but still Tejas didn't bat an eye at me. He had even seen me dancing at the auditions but still no reaction.
How am I supposed to get him to notice me? How much more practice do I need to do for him to share a stage with me? How did Ayzere impress him?
"Bhoomi, come here!"
I snapped out of my reverence and went to my crew. My captain smacked my back proudly, and I averted my eyes when Tejas glanced at me.
"She is the only girl in our crew but we are working on getting more women power," Vibhan said.
My smile was touching my ears. I felt like a kid whose parents were proudly showing off in front of other parents.
"A short one, I see," Hriaan commented.
Seriously, this guy... He called me short before too. I wanted to punch him.
Act like a sophisticated lady, Bhoomi.
I was curious about why Tejas' crew was here but they finished their talk and started leaving. When everyone was shaking hands, I decided to take a chance. Since Vibhan had already introduced me to the other crew, it only felt right to shake hands with everyone.
Akshay and Jiya gave me an 'All the best' sign, and I tucked my hair behind my ears. I went ahead with light steps, adjusting my top on the way.
I shoved Yasir out of my way and stood in front of Tejas. He was busy receiving compliments from Pratik and Shlok. I shooed them off.
"Hi, Tejas, I am Bhoomi," I said, trying to keep my voice from cracking.
Tejas glanced at my extended hand and then at me. I was staring at him like a puppy.
I did it! I finally initiated conversation with my idol as myself and not some weirdo named 'Boomer'.
Tejas slowly moved his right hand towards me, and I squealed inside when he shook my hand. I was fangirling. Boomer would have never been able to achieve that.
The handshake lasted for merely a second but my heart was racing like a cheetah. I gathered all the courage in me and looked at Tejas with determination.
"I am a very big fan of yours, TJ. I always watch your videos. You are really great, and I love your dance. You are my role model."
I did it!
I knew Tejas must have heard the same stuff countless times; I wasn't expecting any rare reaction from him. And as expected, Tejas wasn't affected at all.
"Do you know when your missing friend will be back?" Tejas asked.
"Who....?"
"That short guy, you know. What was his name....? Oh right. Boomer."
Boomer? Oh no!
I bit my lips and quickly remembered the fake story Jiya had built.
"He is in Manipur... Yeah, Boomer is in Manipur." I forced a smile.
He was from Manipur, right? Or was he from Meghalaya? Fuck, I am not sure.
Tejas narrowed his eyes a bit, and I thought that my cover was blown, but his lips curled up a millimeter before he moved past me.
"Nice to meet you, Bhoomi. I will take my leave now."
I nodded. Hriaan moved past me, sliding his hand above my head by a few inches.
"So small," he commented.
Akshay held my hand before I threw a punch at Hriaan.
Hriaan grinned and jogged towards his friends. Once 'The Emperors' left, I sighed in relief. Unlike me, my friends were discussing the earlier meeting with enthusiasm.
Jiya told me that one of the members from Tejas' crew wanted to meet our team and see our studio after the underground dance battle. Thus, the unexpected visit.
"Tejas shook my hand." I smiled goofily.
Akshay and Jiya rolled their eyes. "Now she won't stop talking about it for months."
Hehe! I accomplished two major things today. Now, I will work extra hard to achieve my next dream. Bhoomi, fighting!