Sometimes I wish my life would be a bollywood movie. This desire increases tenfold whenever I am in the chemistry lab.

The labs depicted in movies are so damn beautiful. The main character and her classmates wear spotlessly white lab coats along with fancy goggles and effortlessly mix random chemicals. All the while falling in love with their ridiculously good looking lab parteners.

Sadly, that does not happen in real life.

In the places where it was not damaged with acid burns, my supposedly new lab coat was covered in orange and pink stains from methyl orange and phenolphthalein respectively. And my lab partener was not beautiful, not even close.

Although I was thrilled when Naman was paired with me. He was one of those prodigy students who made me feel pathetic about myself, but at the same time was very sweet and helpful.

However, his fear of accidently drinking acids was getting really old now.

"For God's sake Naman pipette it out already! We need three more readings," I nearly shouted.

"Ash I need to be more careful. I can't afford to die at the ripe young age of sixteen." He was infuriatingly calm when he said that.

"It is a bloody one by twenty solution of oxalic acid. Oxalic acid. You won't die even if you drink the whole damn solution in the freaking titration flask. Constipation is a possibility but you won't die. But I promise to kill you if you take more than ten seconds to pipette the bloody thing out."

I think I was getting a little frustrated.

He blinked at me, "Okay Ash calm down_"

"I have started counting Naman."

He quickly bent over to suck ten ml of the standard solution and with shaking hands, added phenolphthalein after transferring it into a conical flask.

I snatched the flask from his hands and placed it under the nozzle of the burette.
Very slowly opening the knob, I started adding sodium hydroxide solution in the flask, dropwise.

We were intently staring at the swirling contents of the conical flask. The moment it started turning pale pink, Naman shouted, "Turn it off! Turn it off!"

But luck did not favour me and I was too late. The solution had already turned deep maganta by the time I managed to turn the knob off.

We both looked gloomily at the result of the failed titration for a few seconds. Sighing together, we got to work to repeat the whole process again.

This was going to be a long day.

Fifty minutes and another seven failed attempts later, we got four concurrent readings. We rushed out of the lab after quickly cleaning our station, trying hard to ignore our teacher's taunts about how we can find employment in a dye factory.

Since, you know, we had produced a lot of deep magenta solution in the past hour.

I entered my class only to find Vivaan in my seat.

"Get out," I snapped at him.

"Please Ash, just for this period. You can sit in my seat."

I looked at Radhika, who was determinantly avoiding my eyes. She was back to taking no sides, like she always did whenever me and her idiot boyfrient argued.

"You sit with Karan,"I deadpanned.

He mimmiked me expression, "So?"

I sighed, giving up. There was no point in trying to convince him and the bell was also about to ring. I settled on my seat and worked on the useless patterns that decorated the margin of my notebook.

Momemts later, Karan dropped his lab coat and auxillary on the desk and took out his physics notebook. Wordlessly, he walked away and dropped on the seat beside Kian.

The pair of them had grown really chummy in the past week, after being assigned as each other's lab parteners.

Oh the irony!

{[]}

It happened again. I zoned out completely in the physics period, blindly scribling whatever sir was writing on the board, without actually listening to him.

I didn't worry too much though, deciding to pay attention in coaching when we'd do the same topic over there.

Gathering my stuff, I got up, intending to swap places with Vivaan. But the idiot folded his hands and silently pleaded. I huffed out a breath and slumped on his seat again.

"Did you understand anything Ash? You were looking quite distracted."

Karan was standing above me, sporting a strange mix of expressions that was all understanding, concerned and a little bit annoyed.

"You're talking to me again."

"Yes but we're not friends. I figured that if we are to sit together, we might as well be civil. This is not the first time Vivaan is going to steal your seat." He took his place and stretched a bit before continuing, "Now did you understand anything about cross product of vectors?"

"Why aren't you sitting with Kian then?" I asked, ignoring his question.

"He is on the first bench and I haven't completed my English assignment."

"I'm sure nobody has. It was two whole pages back to back."

He sighed, exhasperated, "Look Ash seriously, you don't have maths, physics is going to be difficult for you. Tell me and I might be able to help you."

I didn't doubt that. He claimed full credit for my perfect ten GPA in math last year. Being a math genius, he was the official 'helper' of our class in tenth grade. Many students avoided a fail thanks to him.

But at that time we were 'dating' . He had every reason to help me. Well, no, that's not entirely true, he was just a sweet and kind and helpful person.

Seriously, I am not joking. He was always genuinely pleased when everyone got good marks.

But I nurtured a fatal feeling inside me. Some people called it pride.

"Look Karan," I immitated him,"you don't have to prove your goodness. Gandhigiri doesn't suit you."

His lip curled in a nasty sneer, "I can't remember why I ever liked you."

"I can't remember why I ever said 'yes' to you. Oh wait, it was because Radhika practically threatened me to. But of course she's still an angel and I am supposed to be the target of your childish grudge."

His expression turned sour.

I had to endure forty five minutes of uncomfortable silence before the bell rang. Hastily shoving everything in my bag, I practically ran out of the class to the multimedia lab.

Aditya had opted for science with computer science and hence was in a different section from mine.

I spotted him coming out of the lab and walking down the corridor. He was talking in serious tones with Sarubh the scholar with one arm casually resting around Disha's shoulders.

Disha and I were friends in fifth grade and currently were on the smile-sweetly-at-each-other-in-the-hallways basis. But I have to admit that one of the reasons why we still weren't close friends was because puberty had been really kind on her.

And she knew that.

When the trio finally reached the spot where I was standing, they turned and continued walking. I rolled my eyes and ran after them. Grabbing the arm which was not around Disha, I pulled Aditya (not so gently) away from them.

"You guys carry on," I said to his companions.

They shrugged and resumed walking.

"What's up?"

I took a deep breath, "Okay, so Karan would corner you and say some very unkind things about me. You have to take my side."

"What did you do this time Ash?" he asked tiredly.

"Hey don't turn this on me, we both said equally harsh things.

"I'm pretty sure you started it."

"I didn't," my voice was dripping with outrage.

Liar liar, pants on fire.

"Alright, I've got to go. Don't forget, you're my side," I said, quickly walking away before he could protest.

{[]}

There is a saying in English, "Great minds think alike."

The same language has another saying, "Fools seldom differ."

I'm pretty sure that somewhere at the back of my mind, I always knew that my latest idea belonged to the second group of thinkers.

But like all fools, I chose to ignore the nagging of the most perceptive part of my brain.

One might wonder that what this idea was? Well, it was me trying to be smart in an ignorant way. I figured that since I couldn't understand even the 'P' of physics, I should simply prepare other subjects. I'll get to physics after I'm done with those.

Genius right?

{[]}

A week before the dreaded half- yearlys, we got the datesheet. First exam- physics.

Now I really have to study the damn subject.

So the next week was spent by me memorising every theory, every law, every derivation, every formula, invented by any and every physicist in the world.

The night before the big day, I was trying to figure out the correct way of constructing a free body diagram, before giving up altogether.

I went to bed massaging my forehead, thinking that I'd atleast score thirty five.

Out of seventy.

I couldn't believe that I was settling for fifty percent.

Resolving to work harder next term, I closed my eyes, trying my best to hope for the best.

{[]}

September passed in a haze of last minute revisions and frantic scribbling on the answer sheet.

One of the best things about my parents was that they never asked about the exam after I was done with it.

They thought that there was no point in fretting over past actions and one should simply move forward.

On the day of the last paper, psychology, all my friends went for an outing in The Great India Place, after changing from their uniforms of course.

Despite their protests, I turned down the offer to join them.

Karan was looking at me weirdly when I said 'no'. There was a knowing glint in his eyes, but I ignored him.

I was getting really good at ignoring things.

Waving a goodbye, I climbed in an auto, trying to predict my result.

{[]}

I failed.

But that's not the worst part.

I failed only by one mark.

And our school had changed its policy that very year.

It went from, "yeah I'll give a couple of free marls to students when necessary."

To, "no grace marks in any condition."

I don't know what was worse, me failing a test since the first time I took a test, or witnessing my ungrateful classmates fighting with the teacher to increase their already amazing score.

And I just couldn't take the constant bitching of Vivaan. Before I knew it, I released my brunt of frustration on him.

"Shut up! Please shut up! I don't care about your stupid half mark. You got sixty nine point five. Be happy. You topped the freaking paper. It would make no difference to you if you donate me one mark. You would still be the topper. I , on the other hand, would avoid a fail. But of course you won't do that."

He looked stupefied.

"Correction, I can't do that."

"Same difference."

"No actually," he said, "if I could then I would donate marks to you. I am not that bad a friend."

I gave him a reluctant smile.

"C'mon cheer up! You beat me in English and chemistry," he said, bracingly.

"But you didn't fail either of the two, did you?"

"Doesn't matter Ash, just work harder next term.

After a moment he added.

"And I'll help you this time, as you won't allow Karan."

I gaped at him.

He smirked, "Oh yes, boys talk."

{[]}

Hello awesome people!!

I am really sleepy so I'll keep this short.

THANK YOU FOR READING :D

That's it ;)

Just two more things before I sigh off,

First of all, plant a tree guys coz tomorrow is EARTH DAY!!

and buy me a present the day after that coz its MY BIRTHDAY!!

Ok thats out of my system now.

Anyway, if you liked the chapter then please,

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Hava a nice day!!

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