"Ritu! Write down your mobile number here."
I internally groan as I hear the annoyingly screeching voice and the source of the voice places a paper that had some names—including mine, both the HD twins' and her—in front of me with a pen.
"Why do I have to write my number, bitch? And what are these names?" I shoot back, angry that she called me 'Ritu' and confused about the names and numbers.
"What did you just call me?" She asks me, her fake smile faltering.
Oh, how I know it is fake you ask? Well this Drama Queen had—and probably has—a crush on Nikhil and had befriended me, a year or half back when we were in ninth grade. But then I came to know that it was because she wanted to get close to him and...you can say that my crappy trusting skills proved themselves again.
Then again, Nikhil being...well...Nikhil, told her off with the mystery girl excuse again and ever since, she had hated me because he is close with me but not her.
I had trusted her enough then to let her call me Ritu, but she no longer holds that privilege.
"I just called you bitch." I shrugged nonchalantly, not missing the silent snicker coming from the HD twins sitting beside me.
"How dare you call me that, you wimp?" She snarls, her façade breaking.
"Well, how dare you call me Ritu? You lost the privilege long back. Even Nikhil hates your screeching voice and unnecessary dramatics." I state calmly, trying to put a nail in the coffin, not giving away how angry I was or how all about my past came back to me.
"I'm sure he just pities you. You're a pathetic little girl, roaming around with no one to really care about you." She advances towards me but was stopped by someone tapping on her shoulders.
And that did nothing in preventing her words from hitting me hard. Truth be told, they stung.
All those nights I cried, thinking I did something wrong for my then best friends—my two childhood girl best friends—to stop talking, the guilt I felt after realizing that I fought with one of my two best friends because the other one manipulated me to do so.
Hell, I even mulled over why even my recent girl best friend—Drama Queen, that is—never really cared about me.
All those days I screamed at myself pulling out my hair, not knowing why anyone I trust breaks me over and over and over again, the anger—when I felt used—whenever anyone talked to me to get academic help.
And the helplessness whenever my mom sided with the manipulative childhood best friend of mine, advising us to 'talk it out'. Even though it was before she knew the truth, it made me feel hopeless.
Yes, to sum it up, I was a wreck...until Nikhil helped me put myself back into one piece.
But now this fucking Drama Queen makes me doubt the motive behind Nikhil's actions.
"The Biology teacher is calling you." Says the voice and when Drama Queen moves, I see Mia, or that's what I think her name is, standing behind.
Turning to I-think-it-is-Mia with her 'smiley-face' cover, Drama Queen starts, "Oh. But, the list—"
"I'll take care of it." I-think-it-is-Mia dismisses.
"Thank you so much, I'll be back ASAP." Finally Drama Queen exits the stage.
"Oh please, don't bother coming back at all."
No, I didn't say those words.
A bit shocked, I look at I-think-it-is-Mia who's grumbling something about nails on board and stupid theatrics.
"Wow, you don't like her too..." I trail away unsure what to say.
"Duh." I-think-it-is-Mia deadpans and sits beside me...and I actually didn't feel violated.
"And to answer your questions, it's the list of students chosen by the biology teacher for the tenth grade Biology presentations in the upcoming exhibition in our school and she wants the digits so that she can create a chat group for queries regarding this." She elaborates for me.
"Oh...and we'll be working with her?" I ask, hoping the answer would be a no.
"Unfortunately, yes." I-think-it-is-Mia answers, "But we can probably allot her and her minions for Friday and we can take up the Saturday slot."
"Aye, aye cap'n, good thinkin'." I say with a tip of my imaginary hat.
Sharing a laugh, I write down my mobile number beside my name and pass it to HD twins and they do the same.
"Well, I haven't introduced myself properly. I'm Mia. And I hate DQ with passion."
"DQ...?"
"Oh! We can't keep saying Drama Queen in front of her now, can we?"
"Well DQ it is then. I'm Rithvika. And well, you know how similar our interests are." I say with a smile, feeling comfortable with Mia.
"I'd love to sit and talk about our interests but uh, I have to finish this list and come up with something because DQ wasn't really called by the teacher." Mia says deflated, getting up and starting to walk away.
"Thanks for the save!" I call out.
"Anytime." She replies, flashing a smile and continuing her work.
That was...the most comfortable I've ever gotten with a girl after what my ex-best-friend and some other girl friends including Dram— I mean, DQ did.
And all I can hope for is that Mia won't do the same.
But I still can't shake off the nagging within me about what DQ said...
Once the end-of-school bell rings, I pack my bag and walk towards Nikhil's class with a spring in my step.
I see him heading towards me and we meet halfway.
"What's got you so hap— OH! You're Pa's calling you today for the first time since he went to the ship this time right?"
"Yep. And he should have known how many months he'd be on the ship this time. He said that it was going to be only six months." I spoke with a wide grin.
"Well, tell him I said hi." Nikhil said hooking his arm around my shoulders.
"Sure Nikki!" I lean into him as we walk to our buses.
I make it on time to my bus, but since I was early, I go with Nikhil to a shop that was nearby to get some snacks.
"The regular?" He asks me with raised eyebrows.
"Yes. But don't get the Doritos. Coke's enough." I confirm and I rummage inside my bag to find my wallet.
Once I've got the money I look up to see Nikhil heading to the cashier to pay for the both of us.
But I rush quickly and slam the money on the counter. Looking at this, Nikhil takes the money to put it into my bag. I quickly turn and run away from him before he could, a laugh bubbling up in my chest.
But it goes back inside when I found myself in the road, a car zooming towards me, honking rapidly. My eyes widen and my hands fly up to cover my ears bracing myself, but I was jerked forward by warm hands.
Engulfing me in a tight hug, Nikhil rocks me gently murmuring 'it's okay' and 'I've got you' repeatedly into my hair, kissing and running his hands through it gently.
Clinging to him, I bury my face into his chest, taking deep breaths and calming myself from the shock.
Once my heavy breathing calmed down, I simply laid my head against his chest.
Hooking two fingers under my chin and lifting my face up, he asks softly, "Are you okay?", concern evident in his eyes.
But I wasn't concentrating on that. My mind was noticing how close we were that our racing heartbeats could be felt, how mere inches were left between our faces, how his warm breath fanned my face and how his lips moved when he spoke.
My eyes flicked down to his lips for a second and thoughts about how they would feel against mine started running in my mind.
Must be the shock. Totally. Yep. Not my rational thought at all.
Nikhil gently cups my cheeks, eliciting a silent gasp from me as I felt tingles from his touch.
His face starts inching even closer to mine.
Just a teensy bit and we would be—
What the hell? Back it up!
"Hey Rithvika, coming or not?"
That snaps us out of our trance and we pull away from each other.
"Yeah. Just a sec." I shout back to the bus driver, my voice a bit hoarse.
Clearing my throat, I turn back to Nikhil.
"Bye...I um—"
"Yeah...yeah. You gotta go. Um, I'll see you later." Nikhil says with a half-smile.
Giving him one of my own, I go to the bus and seat myself.
Removing my bag, I hug it closely to my chest but feel a slight chill coming from its side.
Tilting my head to examine, I find out a tin of coke and the money I paid in the snack shop, in the small pouch in the side of my backpack.
Letting out a breathy chuckle, I place the money back in my wallet and start drinking the coke.
Mind numbing thirty minutes later, I head into my house and after a quick shower, I get dressed in casual attire and look at the time.
Pa might call anytime now.
I cheerfully go skipping into the living room with my mobile phone in my hand, my smile still stuck on my face despite stubbing my toe in the corner of the couch on my way.
Carry on my wayward son,
For there'll be peace when you are done,
Lay your weary head to re—
I pick the call quickly, as soon as I see the caller ID.
"HI PA!" I scream into the phone, not allowing my dad to speak first.
"Hey kid! How are you?" My dad asks cheerfully, but I can hear the exhaustion from workload in his voice.
"I'm fine! How are you?" I ask, my voice still louder than usual.
"I'm fine, I'm fine. How's school? How's Nikhil doing? He's still in your school right?"
The question about Nikhil brings back today's events and my face heats up as I think about it.
Clearing my throat and my haywire thoughts, I reply with my normal voice, "School's good. Nikhil is doing super fine and yes, he's still in my school. Oh! He told me to tell you that he said hi."
"That's good. Tell him I said hi too."
"Sure! So? How many months this time? You said it would be only six months this time."
"Yeah...about that...this time it's going to be eight or more." My dad said in a very careful tone.
What? Did I hear that right?
No no no no no. I heard it wrong. He should've said 'weight more' or something.
"Rithvika?" My dad calls out worriedly.
"What did you just say Pa? Your voice kept breaking."
"It's going to be eight or more months this time. Did you hear me properly this time?" He speaks a bit louder, buying my lie.
"Yeah...I heard it. Does Ma know about this?"
"I already called her earlier as soon as I got informed."
"Oh okay. What did she say?"
"I...I'm not sure, but I think she cried. Obviously she covered it up, but I know her too well."
I chuckle in response and swallow the lump in my throat.
You should be wondering why I haven't cried yet.
Well, I don't know why, but the only time I cry is the day my dad leaves, that too without my mom's knowledge, because I don't want her to break down even more.
Or the times when I got back-stabbed by a certain manipulative bitch.
More like two bitches.
After those incidents, it's as if my body ran out of tears to spill.
I get a lump in my throat, but I never really cry.
And I hate being so emotionless.
After conversing about everything in general with my dad, he tells me to 'take care of Ma' and hangs up the call.
Sighing, I rest my head on the back of the couch.
Why's this day going totally downhill?
Don't you cry no more...
A/N: Thoughts? Vote and comment, please and thank you!