||CHAPTER 7||
《¤》
Contrary to what many people might assume, I didn't ever hate English, which was quite unusual to accept because it was really rare that something didn't qualify my hatred-list. But there were a few things I didn't hate, and English was one of them.
However, just because I didn't hate it, didn't mean that it was the love of my life either.
"How many of you don't have Snapshots today?" Ms. Negi scanned each bench with her hawk-like gaze, her specs drooping on her nose. She was in her mid-forties which explained her graying hair, but not her raging temper on the occasion of her dear students not bringing the English supplementary book.
Hence, I tried to cover the empty space on my desk with my hands, but alas, it wasn't my lucky day.
"Third row, fourth bench. Stand up!"
Ishita sighed worriedly, "I'll make sure she's cursed at your funeral."
"I see you don't have the book today as well," Ms. Negi put up an effort to visit me.
From my seat,I tried my best to skim around the classroom, in search of someone who had forgotten the Snapshots for the fifth time in a row. But no, everyone was just too obedient.
"I'm extremely sorry ma'am," I tried going the old school way. "I was studying the chapter last night and I forgot the book on the table."
Five snorts followed my response. We had all ended up attending another party and no books were involved in the process.
"Well, if that is so, I am sure you wouldn't mind telling the class about the author of the chapter?"
Uh-oh. I didn't even know what chapter we were doing except from the fact that it was definitely not the first.
She looked at me expectantly, as I diverted my eyes to the page Ishita was subtly pointing at. Ms Negi caught the hint quicker than I could.
"Out of the class, Ms. Arvika Deewan."
"I'm really sorry, I promise I will bring it tomorrow," I pleaded to no avail.
"Promises, that's what all of they make." I realized it was Raman Oberoi's ex-wife who was speaking. Glaring at me, she motioned me to get out of the classroom. "Just a fancy word for commitment issues. How difficult is it to keep a book in your bag? Out, right now!"
Slowly, I moved out of the desk and trudged out of the classroom. Once outside, I heard her continue the class, quite cheerfully in my absence. I leaned my back against the wall and looked at the ground, three floors down, from the other side of the corridors.
Primary kids are playing, some hide and seek, and some football. Carefree. Happy. Untangled. It was quite difficult to recall a time when I was like them. So absorbed into the meager scene, I didn't realize someone's presence until their shadow covered my left.
"Oberois are giving you a hard time, don't you think?"
My eyes darted to Vansh's dark brown ones when he moved around me, to stand to my right, against the wall.
"Everyone needs someone to vent out. I'm glad it's me for her," I mumbled, looking back at the kids playing under the sun.
"That's unusually strange."
"Our intentions are the same, but passions misaligned," I shrugged.
"I wonder why," I felt him looking at me.
"Negi ne tumhe bhi bahar feik diya?" I turned to him, diverting the topic.
"According to her, I'm in the washroom."
"That's highly insulting..."
"She probably can't care less."
"...to me."
"Oh," he grimaced. His cheeks were coloring quickly, his face blank. Only after watching me break into a grin did he shake his head, hints of an impending chuckle grazing his features.
From the window of the class that faced the corridors, the one on Vansh's further right, I spotted Ishita and Arnav raising their eyebrows at us. Following my gaze, Vansh smirked at the duo. "Wanna have some fun?"
"What are you gonna do?" I looked at him, perplexed.
"Watch me," he whispered, slowly making his way over to the window. I followed him, hiding myself behind the wall after seeing Ms. Negi teach them quite animatedly. Making sure I'm out of her sight, I turned back to Vansh.
He winked at me before rubbing his hands and looking back at Arnav, Ishita, Ritwik and Karan who were shaking their heads desperately, knowing what he was up to. With his index fingers pulling the corners of his eyes, he pulled out his tongue, making a clown face at all of them. He then proceeded to load his finger gun and shoot all four of them.
And unfortunately, Ritwik was so into the character that he actually dived head first into the desk, only realizing a second later that that was not supposed to happen.
My jaw dropped to the floor at his insanely petty act, which seemed to have caught more attention than Ms. Negi ever did. The whole column of the last two benches turned to him, trying to suppress their laughter, but unfortunately, it seemed as if Ms. Negi had caught on to the fact that her audience was no longer hers.
"Are pigs flying out of the window, Mr. Ritwik Roy?"
Before I could hear his reply, Vansh rushed back to his earlier spot, out of her sight.
"That was so stupid!" I informed him. "And so unexpected! You're gonna get into trouble for that."
"She's not gonna believe I caused that," he pushed himself off the wall. "Ms. Negi adores me and must be missing my presence. I shall get back in now. Join us in fifteen, okay? "
And despite the absurdity of the situation he managed to create, I turned back and continued gazing at the primary students with an almost-there smile.
My pen scrawled over the ruled pages of the notebook as I tried to complete the fifth sum of the homework in physics. Needless to say, that subject did come under my hatred list, because apparently, daydreaming and imagination weren't the same things.
I was mentally cursing the fan girls of our Physics teacher when the door to my bedroom opened and in walked Karan. Knocking manners be damned.
"Yeah, yeah, don't mind me," he said, slumping on my bed with a slight jump. "After all, that's what you do best."
"As you wish." Shrugging I turned back to my books which required more attention than him anyway. However, before I could even box my answer, he let out a groan of frustration.
"Won't you even ask me anything out of sympathy?" He frowned, sitting straight.
"I'm not a strong fan of weak emotions," I continued on to the next problem without looking up.
"That's subjective. You can't compartmentalize emotions as strong or weak. That's what Samarth Sir said to me today."
His wisdom was not entirely biased. He had surprised us all by choosing Psychology as an elective. All sorts of rumors floated around about the new Psych teacher too. Mr Kaushal had freshly qualified to become a teacher, and was closer in age to his students than his colleagues. That made him super popular among the student population, but he had his quirks too.
"Dude, he starts giving pravachans every moment he can," I said, turning to face him.
He didn't like the sound of it, but defending his new favourite teacher was his priority first. "Here's the thing, he's a bloody genius and everyone else fails to see that. He's really cool when you get to know him personally. We're good friends now."
"Pretty sure they have a word for it. Starts with Teacher's, ends with Pet."
He smacked a palm on his heart, grimacing, "That hurts my feelings. You're so mean."
"Go cry about it to your good friend."
"I will actually," he proceeded to stand up. "And guess what? He will listen because he is a good friend too."
"Because he is the only teacher who gives away all the birthday chocolates he receives to you?"
"How do you know that?" He narrowed his eyes.
I drew a zip on my lips, shrugging. Ishita was my secret agent, but he didn't need to know that.
He looked away, tracing the pattern of my bed sheet. "If that's what you think, I'll let you think that."
Perhaps there was more to it than he was letting on. But as much as I wanted to know what he wanted to say, I couldn't push him to say it. "Arnav ka kamra udhar hai." (Arnav's room is there.)
"Right, I didn't know that at all," he shot back sarcastically. "I got kicked out because they are not very subtle at planning a surprise party for me."
"On Friday?"
"See? Tumhe bhi pata hai!"
"Kya pata hai?"
"My birthday party, dude! They are planning my birthday party," he walked to my window seat, "...without me."
"What exactly are you upset about?" I asked. "That they kicked you out of the planning or they're not being subtle about the planning part?"
His teeth sunk in his lips, a slight smirk covering his face when he turned to look at me. "You have an interestingly manipulative attitude, you know."
Unabashed, I laughed. "What's your pitiful dilemma that got me to be manipulative?"
"I really can't decode your intentions, but I have a feeling you're not as bad as you let on."
"Psychology has made you quite the mind reader, huh?"
He grinned.
_____
Namoshtaii!!!
SO I HAVE A GREAAAAAT NEWS :D
Most of you might be knowing the official chick lit account of wattpad, and their Daily Dose of chick lit book featuring Prompt of the month AND DIL JAANTA HAI WOULD BE FEATURED IN THE WEEK 2 PROMPT: GROWING UP!!!!!!!!!
holy hell, i was hyperventilating so damn much. The links would be posted very soon in the next chapter and on my profile. So yeah, i want to screaaaaam.
Exams over, but apparently studies are not. Ugh, this eleventh-twelfth sucks.
Anyways, how are your year-end breaks going? Which side of you are you exploring?
Well, read, vote, comment and promote :D
~chaashnee.