21st August 2017

P R E E T I

"God! Can you please stop blabbering about Abhishek...", Aisha trailed off and massaged her temples.

"You know I can't. I'm so nerv- "

"I'm so nervous he would shout at me or even worse, walk away when he sees me", Aisha muttered, completing my sentence.

Aisha and I had just entered the school, accompanied by Abhinav who had his nose buried in his Chemistry textbook as we had a small 20 marks assessment in the second period. Aisha really couldn't care less because she aced all science subjects. As for me, I had already finished Acids, Bases, and Salts a month ago, that's why my main focus was on what I would do when I bumped into Abhishek today. Abhinav was totally against the agenda of me apologising to Abhishek and Aisha wasn't helping either.

"Take a chill pill girl. If he doesn't respect your decisions and especially your private space, then it's his problem and not yours", Aisha said and winked at me. "Oh! Where's Soham? I need to take my chemistry notes from him!"

Aisha dragged Abhinav to help her find Soham despite his protests. I decided to go straight to my class since the assembly was cancelled as the Assembly Hall was closed for the Inter-School Junior Competition, our school was hosting. I walked up the stairs and took a turn into the hallway.

However, as soon as I turned around the corner, I fell down and hurt my knees. I rubbed my knee cap and lifted myself, slightly by my elbows. I turned my head around to see Aarushi trying to contain her laughter.

"Sorry, Preeti... I didn't see you there", she said and smirked at my knee, now bruised from the impact and everyone in the corridor was staring at me. Esha and the four boys surrounding her were all trying very hard not to laugh at my flustered face. Suddenly I felt a pair of hands help me up. I brushed the dust off my uniform and looked up to see Utkarsh, Aisha's boyfriend glaring at Aarushi and her 'gang' with his dark brown eyes, while Swastika, my shy friend held my bag for me. I took the bag which seemed to be heavier than a whale and slung it across my shoulders. Utkarsh wrapped his arm around my shoulder and steered me away from them and Swastika followed us, shooting daggers at the girl who called herself: "Queen". Even before I stepped into the classroom, laughter erupted across the hallway.

I sat down in my usual seat in the third row as Utkarsh examined the bruise. He asked Swastika to bring some ice from the pantry despite my protests that I should go to the nurse's office myself.

"Oh, shut up Preeti! You know that we know more about First-Aid then that old nurse who just tells you to apply 'Boroline' for every damn wound!", Utkarsh spoke and both of us giggled.

"Seriously though. The school needs to find a better nurse", I spoke and smiled at him.

Utkarsh had always been the most wonderful best friend I could ever ask for. He was my first friend when I had joined this school in kindergarten. Back in seventh grade, he had even admitted he had a crush on me but I had to reject him because I liked him only as a friend and didn't want to ruin our friendship. Utkarsh didn't mind and respected my decision, unlike someone I knew.

"Where's Aisha?", he asked with curiosity laced in his voice.

"She went to find Soham to get back her Chemistry notes. Why? Do you already miss her huh-? Loverboy?", I teased and poked his soft cheeks with my index finger.

"Oh, stop it. That's not the case. She called me this morning blabbering about what happened at the sleepover my Mom didn't let me attend."

"Wait a second... She told you?", I squeaked, the pitch of my voice a little higher than I intended.

"Yeah. Jeez, Preeti. Calm down. You know she keeps no secrets from me. By the way, how are you? Aisha said you weren't feeling good this morning."

"I'm fine Utkarsh. Thanks for asking." As soon as I finished speaking, Swastika entered the classroom with an ice pack in her hand and immediately pressed it to my knee making me shriek. The dark-haired girl started laughing and Utkarsh joined her as well with me following soon after.

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I fidgeted with the pen in my hands, as our History teacher continued to give a long lecture to a boy in our class, who failed to answer a question she asked from one of the chapters in our portions.

C'mon ma'am. Chill out. It was just ONE question.

Our History teacher expected us to be precise and to-the-point whenever we answered a question. She expected the answers to be at the tip of our tongues, whenever she felt like asking a question.

Suddenly my eyes flickered from that poor boy who was being scolded, to a neatly folded paper, lying on my desk. I picked it up and when I read it, I was trying hard to control my laughter.

" She looks like a Basilisk? >.< "

I wrote back: " Then don't look into her eyes lol " and handed it over to Swastika, who was sitting, right in front of me.

I glanced towards my left only to see Abhishek staring out the window. I sighed in defeat. No matter how hard I tried to grab his attention since the first class, he kept ignoring me. I wanted to talk to him and not just lose him as a friend over a silly matter.

Love isn't silly, Preeti. Aisha's rubbing off on you.

I groaned and glanced at Aisha sitting a few seats away from me, flirting with her boyfriend. They were sitting and chatting since god knows how long and the teacher hadn't noticed them yet, although they were sitting right under her sharp nose.

And I can never feel more single.

"Abhishek!", ma'am shrieked, which made me almost jump out of my skin.

"Yes ma'am", he spoke, meekly and stood up.

"Why were you looking out the window?"

"Ma'am nothing", Abhishek replied and looked down while the teacher continued to glare daggers at him.

"Now, tell me. What was the major reason for the beginning of the First World War? It's a very simple question, son. Just a one-word answer", ma'am asked and shifted in her seat slightly to rest back, against the chair.

More like a two-word answer...

When I saw the nervousness on Abhishek's face, I immediately knew he had forgotten it.

"Crisis", I whispered the hint carefully so that the teacher couldn't hear it.

"Sarajevo Crisis", he spoke confidently and the teacher allowed him to sit down.

After the class ended, and everyone started leaving for lunch, Abhishek muttered a quick 'thank you' and speed-walked out of the class.

May God help me...

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"Something's bothering you", Swastika repeated for the umpteenth time in the past five minutes and I heaved a sigh.

Both of us were standing near the basketball court, watching the Inter-House Basketball Match which would end in precisely, fifteen minutes. My so-called best friends had gone to buy some food from the canteen without any shame. I had to eat aloo-paratha, my mom had made for lunch because she won't let me eat food from the canteen, saying its "Not good for your HEALTH".

"Listen. Abhishek is mad at me because- "

"Because you rejected him", Swastika said plainly as if it had been published in a newspaper this morning and everyone knew about it.

"How did you know?"

"Abhishek told me this morning, right after the Chemistry test."

My head hung low and I didn't know what to say.

"Give him some time Preeti", she spoke in a gentle, soothing tone and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"I know but... I feel like, it's going to get worse since I'll soon be leaving for Paris."

"You're moving to Paris?", she asked and I nodded my head in the positive.

"Oh. Well, does he know?"

"Yup."

"Are you mad at him as well? I mean- About what he did?"

"A bit. I mean he did enter my personal space so...", I trailed off.

"His mother passed away two years ago", Swastika said and my head shot up.

"What?"

"Yes. He's been living with his father and his not-so-nice stepmother presently and Abhishek's forgotten what real love means. That's why he's always flirting around with girls not caring about what they think, especially after Sneha accused him of cheating. You, however, were an exception. He told me once that you reminded him of his mother because of your personality and the aura that radiated from you", the dark-eyed girl said in one go, leaving me speechless.

"H-how do y-you know so much? I mean, he never told me about any of this", I asked utterly perplexed at the new revelation.

"He wanted to tell you but he thought you might not like him anymore. Abhishek's still immature you see", she said and smiled at me. Swastika leaned towards my ear and whispered, "Go talk to him." I followed her gaze to see Abhishek, standing a few feet away from us, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. Swastika took the situation to her advantage and ran off to give us some to talk, alone.

And so, we did.

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I collapsed on the bed; my body already weary of the day's works. The teachers had given us assignments to finish but luckily, I didn't have to finish them because I would be gone by the end of this week.

Abhishek and I talked throughout the lunch break. Swas was right. He didn't know what love meant. I could only wish that someday, someone would show him what true love meant because it could never be me. I was just fifteen. A mere teenager who was still unaware of how the world works. I wanted to go to a kind of adventure. My brain was tired of the same old routine, the same old Preeti, trying to please everyone. I wanted to be... me.

Paris would be a great change but I wouldn't be able to crack jokes with Aisha, play pranks on Abhinav and Utkarsh, go to dance classes with Abhishek or spend time with Swastika. I still remember how Aisha said that our group won't be complete anymore. I know that technology has advanced and I can be in touch with my friends virtually, but there was no fun in that. Perhaps only once a year I would come back home to meet them, but... only once. Then again, I would have to focus on my studies when I graduate from middle school.

What about Akumas?

Another headache. If Hawkmoth could control people by their negative emotions then I would have to stay positive at all times. I won't be able to bring my guard down for I didn't want to cause mayhem in the city of love and hurt my family or my friends.

Being yourself would have to wait...

Dad thought that he took the right decision by taking me to Paris at this point in my life. Nobody ever asked my opinion, my ambitions. Nobody.

Besides...

Who said life is easy?

~~~~~~~~~~

Exactly...

Who said Life is Easy?  :')

Here I am, updating my book while my OFFLINE selection exams start from 1st March...

#Sed_Life

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