Chapter 2
Just Cheesy Feelings

The last hour in school happened to be PT which was unfortunate for me because I was least interested in frolicking around in the school grounds. But the deal was a deal.Last class, Sanya stayed back to give me company, I would have to unleash my inner sportswoman now. I gave a grim poker nod to my companion who gave me specific advice on how to position my racket.

"I can't anymore, it's exhausting!" I gasped much later and my friend quirked up a brow. "You're joking."

"No, how do people play this sport, it's sucking off all our energy." I panted, whipping out my water bottle. "I don't know how Sania Mirza--" I shook my head pitifully.

"She's a tennis player. Not badminton."

"Oh, that's different?" I asked. "But the rackets look the same."

Sanya rolled her eyes. "Anyways, I'm going to return this to the sports room and meet Gangu.I'll be back."

'Gangu' Gangadhar was our Sanskrit teacher who had the style and charisma of Rajnikanth, with his floppy hair and his dazzling smile when he'd debut into school in the mornings in his wobbling Scooty that attempted to balance his weight without tumbling off.

"Why the hell?" I asked.

"I don't know, I think he's going to give me the assignments or something."

I nodded. It should be that. When teachers called me to the staff room, it was usually not good news, but my friend had a mind of a goblin and a smile of a cherub and nobody glanced at her twice.

I watched her walk away and plopped myself down on the cement platform where my other classmates had left their school bags. I whipped out my diary and chewed at my pen. Now, where was I...

She knew she was running out of time. She held her breath and went through the files until a particular name caught her eye.

She picked it up and inspected it. On closer scrutiny, it was whom she had always been looking for. The business tycoon had all the informants to his beck and call.
With a flick of her fingers, she dismissed her subordinates.

"Sujatha, look up his criminal records now."

"I'm on it."

"You can't simply go through our archives like that." The manager grumbled at the backdrop.

" Sorry?" Her head tilted and her eyes sparkled dangerously. "The public is in danger and all you seem to care about is your precious data. If you have any objection, do drop by at the station on your way home."

The manager was wise enough not to retort.

"I believe this is what you might be looking for." Sujatha held out a paper before her.

She clasped her hands around the file as her eyes devoured line by line.

"Something is not quite adding up." She mused, flipping through the pages.
She straightened her spine and drummed her fingers on the table.

"My gut instinct is telling me it could be him, but the wisecrack's got quite a spotless reputation."

"This case is taking us for a ride," The officer sighed, "this criminal has a knack of disappearing into the shadows."

" Not for long." She said.

~

"What's this?" Nishika asked peeping into my lap.
I snapped my diary shut as I noticed a familiar grey scooter roaring into the school gate. "Siya's here, bye Nish!"
Siya picked me up every Friday on my mother's instructions only to drop me to this music class to improve my personality or whatever.

"Take the smaller lane," I told, resting my chin on her shoulder and Siya gave the handle a friendly throttle and it flew on the road.

I joined the music academy in my locality two years ago mainly because my parents forced me into it.
Kabir and Saloni were among the victims.
But Kabir seemed to enjoy the ordeal. He would have his back facing me playing passionately on the instrument while combing back his hair occasionally.

Me?I was hopeless.I would tap a few strings when the master would glare at me. 

Our music teacher was a maestro in his late thirties. His spunky clothes was a constant source of amusement for me. He wasn't just stringent or anything. Just passive aggressive. But he withheld his disciplinary nature with students of the fairer gender for some chivalrous reason. We exploited that aspect to it's full extent.
We'd play Bingo until someone signals us that he was heading towards us.

Saloni would very often doze off on her Sunburst limited edition guitar and drool over it.

Most of the kids in guitar class were just the same and would stare at the music notes as if it were some archaic Chinese document. This was very convenient for me.

But when the music master announced that he was going to collaborate a band from all instruments it perked up my interest.

Kabir was the best in what he did.Sir never negated an opportunity to point out what a soulful player he was.
So he was undoubtedly going to be selected.

As lazy as I was, somehow found it in me to work on my scales and chores...I picked up within a few weeks before the selectionby practising through the evenings and training my fingers to jump smoothly from one chord to another.

My family was puzzled and my fingers looked like they had a swelling infection.

It wasn't hard at all to beat the other wonderful souls in the acoustic guitar section who didn't seem to mind much either and the music master gave me a look which said: "Are you alright?"

I entered every week into the war zone and pelted the music master with questions. But that day, I was like a deflated balloon.

Kabir knew I liked him. Or did he really?

Don't know. Doesn't matter.

I pulled out a chair and rested my guitar on my lap.
Kabir didn't come yet but the others did.
The lead guitarist Nia pulled her seat next to me.
I resorted to tuning my guitar.

Her hair was streaked a wicked shade of olive green and her shiny black tee had a skeleton symbol.

Starting from her lipstick to her toenails everything was black. Her complexion, however, was a little pale.

She can actually be considered cute if she wasn't so hellbent on dressing like a black magician.

I called her: goth girl. Inside my head of course.
Goth girl was crushing on Kabir.

I knew it by the way her eyes followed his every move. I was a fellow female organism with the same target after all.
I tried my best to divert their conversations by butting in most of the time but that day my hands were tied.
Thank God the others in the class were boys.

I pretended to read my music notes as Goth girl sprang up to help Kabir screw his keyboard.

I tried not to appear conscious as Kabir's eyes fell on me.

I was sporting a loose Caprese t-shirt with faded jeans and my bobbed hair was supported by a hairband.
And surprise when I looked up he was wearing the same t-shirt!
Four of us had bought the t-shirt in a fair last year.

It looked much better on him and his low waisted jean.What an ass I tell you!

Focus Shyla, focus!

"Are you both twinning today?"Goth girl asked as if it was a crime.

"Purely coincidental." Kabir shrugged, switching on his keyboard.

"Since we have already done quite a number of western songs, why don't we try a classic medley?"
The music master interrupted, adjusted his glasses on his nose.

"Like the Swara Baskar composition?"
David asked and I suppressed a smile.

The music master looked at him as if he were an insect to be crushed.
"It's Swara Swaminathan."

David shrugged in response.

Ajay sat down with his drums next to me.

I could feel his dark aura irk me.

He kept to himself most of the time which was fine by me, but there was a uncanny deadly hush around him. 

Distracted, I dropped my plectrum and it landed on his drum set.

"Sorrry--Um, can you give me that back please..."
His head was still lowered and his cap concealed his face from human view.

Hello!You alive!

"Ajay?"

Oh well, he wouldn't mind if I pick it up myself then.

Reaching out I tried to grab my plectrum.

A giggle broke out behind me.

"Are you tryna smooch?"David laughed.

"What--"

Kabir wasn't smiling. He just watched me passively.
Does he think I'm a regular flirt or something now?

Thanks a bunch, David

I waved the plectrum in front of his face."This fell. I was picking it up."

He laughed again."Yeah right."

"I don't have those old notes actually," Kabir told master while I was busy defending myself to David.

"You would have missed the class. Get it from someone here."He told.

Goth girl was already pulling out her notebook from her bag.
That desperate little--
But remembering that Walkman incident...
Okay, maybe she isn't that desperate as me.

"Shyla,"Kabir faced me and extended his hand towards me.

What is he doing?
This is it!
The magical moment.....

"Can I have your notes?"

Oh.

I pulled out my book and thrust it into his hands.

Oh well, magical moment postponed.