||CHAPTER 14||
《¤》

The grey hoodie guy from Karan's birthday night was standing outside the canteen, hidden behind the wall and trees. I wasn't searching for him, merely crossing the huge ground through its shortcut, but he thought otherwise.

"I told you, you'd be needing me."

He reeked of smoke and all things unearthly.

"Well, not yet buddy. Were you smoking here?"

"My daily adda," he points to the stomped cigarettes. "No cameras, no cleaning staff. Just me and meri tanhai."

Warning bells rang, not just in my mind, but in the campus too, signalling the end of the break.

"You'd be needing one shot, very soon."

"Why do you always keep saying that?"

"Because you don't have a very good reputation?" He flicked off his cigarette, blazer hanging off one hand.

"Not all bad reputed kids need to follow the things the bad poster child does. I like breaking the norms."

"And that's why you wouldn't survive in that shark tank without a daily dose. Everyone knows about your familial problems, Deewani."

"It's Deewan."

"I like Deewani more."

There was no point arguing with him. "I don't even know your name."

"People call my Mickey. That's how you can get your fix. Now you know where to find me too."

"I'm really not interested in drugs, Mickey."

He even had grey eyes that stared me down. Drowsy, but effective.

"Don't shit me with your good habits crap. I'm not forcing you, I'm simply offering. They'll be ready whenever you are."

He dismissed me, and the unsettling feeling set down my stomach. So, before the final bell could ring, I hurried inside the canteen before any one could suspect something wrong.

I was not the only one giving the retest. Ritwik and Karan were my allies in it too, just not in the literal sense.

They had studied, I hadn't.

They had completed the ten questions within half an hour, and I was again stuck after the third.

I guess three was a lucky number for me. Note the sarcasm.

Fifteen minutes later, when Mr. Gaur, Karan's favourite teacher and our invigilator, took our papers, I knew that the dooms day was very near.

"It's okay, we can give you false hopes that you'll pass," Ritwik assured me as we returned back to our classes for the last period.

I presented him with an eye roll, which made him double out in laughter.

"The last questions were easy, why didn't you try them?" Karan asked.

"I didn't apply the theory of randomness here. The only way around is through!"

"Try explaining that to your Daddy on Friday then," he said sliding into his desk in front of me. Somehow, it had become our permanent seating arrangement: Ishita and I between the boys.

"Explain what to Daddy? How was the test?" Arnav bombards his doubts on me.

"Fantastic, plain fanstastic," I smile.

"Dude, that smile screams danger to me," Ishita concludes in a stage whisper.

"Where's Vansh?" I ask, diverting the topic.

"Mrs. Dongra's office. Avni aur uska punishment tha na, article likhne ka, wahi submit karne gaye hai."

"Itne saalon baad?" Karan asks.

"Extension maangkar kar rahe hai. Chod na, English homework kiya?" She replies, and I wish I could have buried myself.

"Uh oh, homework kya tha?"

Ishita laughs, clearly enjoying my upcoming embarrassment, "Novel ka ek chapter read karna tha. Tu ye check kar ki tu woh layi bhi hai ya nahi!"

In hurried motions, I place my bag on the desk, trying to magically formulate an Oscar Wilde novel.

And miraculously, it does appear.

"Your welcome," Arnav smirks. All the color drains out of my face at the thought of him going through my bag and seeing the business studies book, which I was yet to return.

"Did you go through my bag?" I say, ungratefully.

"This is the part where you're supposed to thank me," he starts, but judging my scowl, he changes his words, "No, I didn't."

"Are you hiding something secretive in your bag?" Karan raises an eyebrow at me.

"Girly stuff, bro," Ritwik slams Karan's head. "Never ask a girl what's there inside her bag. She might kill you with a hidden lethal weapon before you know it."

Saved by his reply, I look at him confused, "Where did you learn all that stuff from?"

"Just some Kenny Sebastian videos," he smirked, "life's no more saddy sad sad."

"Let's just pretend you didn't say that," Arnav comments, before Mrs. Negi enters.

When we were in pre-primary, and our parents didn't have a cold war raging on, Arnav and I led a comparatively happy life. At least that's what the smiles on the photograph said to me.

Mrs. Mehra was overwhelmed to finally see me that afternoon; she hadn't seen me in the first month of my arrival since she was in her hometown, Indore. So, she skimmed through her phone gallery to the album which contained her son's childhood pictures until she landed on the one that captured Vansh and Arnav playing with my pigtails near the sandcastle.

"That's her?" Ishita's eyes widened as the group huddled around Mrs. Mehra.

"She still looks the same, doesn't she? An adorable coochie-cooe!" She pulled my cheeks, ignoring the hyena-scoffs Arnav, Vansh, Karan, Ritwik and Ishita gave.

Vansh caught my eye while his mother pulled my cheeks, he had the guts to smirk at me. Averting my gaze back to his mother, I did try to smile, but her cheek pulling had twisted my facial muscles.

"Anyways, saath saal ka vacation kaisa tha, Arvika beta?"

Her joke wasn't as interesting as the mantelpiece which I decided to stare at before replying, "Ajeeb tha."

"Mumbai's not her kind of crowd." I narrowed my eyes at Arnav when he refined my answer.

"Maanyata se mulaqat hi nahi ho paa rahi. Send you mother some regards and best wishes on her wedding," she smiles.

She didn't realise the change in atmosphere as Arnav stopped in mid-step, consuming his pudding, and mine remained untouched on the coffee table. The rest awkwardly looked around.

"Never mind," Vansh stepped in to save the day, "I think we should proceed to do our group study now."

As we agreed with him, and got up, his mother frowned, "Par Arvika-"

He quickly came to my side, pulling me alongside with the others, "Mom, woh abhi Delhi me hi rehne wali hai. Baad mein catch up kar lena!"

We didn't get to hear her reply as he closed his bedroom door behind him.

"Thanks bro," Arnav punched his arm.

As the others claimed their places on the desk, couch and bed, Vansh turned to me, "My Mom can be a bit over whelming, but she doesn't have any bad intentions-"

"Calm down Vansh, mujhe pata hai. This isn't our first meeting."

Even back when I used to be here, Mrs. Mehra showered me with love, because she always wanted a daughter. Vansh's best friend's sister is as close as she got to have one though. His whole lineage had male ancestry.

The smile he gave me literally blew my mind. He did have a pretty boii face.

"Guys? Are you done with your rona-dhona?" Ritwik broke the moment. "We kinda have to solve that wicked Physical Chemistry book, warna Joshi sir hamara khatma kar denge!"

"Exam kaisa tha?"

That was the first thing Daadi asked me when I swung into her room at night.

"Aapko kaise pata ki mera test tha?" My eyes widened at the possibilities of the news spreading further.

"Buddhi hu beta, buddhu nahi," she gave a devilous smirk. "Toh, kitne sawalon ke jawab diye?"

I sat down on her bed, hands on my lap and head held low, "Theen."

"Mere se tho do bhi nahi hote the," she was smiling when I looked up.

"Aap daatogi nahi?"

"Tumne wapas cheating ki hai kya?"

I pursed my lips, thinking. "Nahh, is baar nahi ki."

She jokingly narrowed her eyes at me. "Aur kabhi bhi mat karna. As long as you keep that in mind, you'll remain my platinum girl."

I couldn't help but feel giddy at that. Arnav wasn't her Platinum Boy, but I was her Platinum Girl.

"Bas, ab chaar din ki shaanti, fir tumhare pitashree ko bhi pata chal jayega," she muted her T.V.

"Kya bolti ho Daadi," I whispered, "apna bori-bistar bandh ke nikal jayun kya?"

"Idea sasta hai, achha nahi. Face karo problems ko."

Ugh, I hate doing that with burning passion.

"Chaar din achha-bachha banne ka natak karu?"

Her gaze flickered between her televion ads and me. "Tumse na ho payega."

I laughed, "Woh bhi hai."

The conversation drifted there on, and her bed was too comfortable to let go, so I decided that I wasn't getting up until the next morning from this hibernation-instigating environment.

Half an hour later, as I laid my head on her lap, and her fingers combed through my hair, I made a foolish request. "Daadi, lori sunao na. Ninni nai aa rahi."

And it wasn't surprising that she complied, singing to me one of the tunes that had made me fall asleep amidst the shouts and screams that had echoed in this house seven years ago.

_____

Namoshtaii!!

How many of you still listen to dadi/nani ke lori? My naani's coming next week, so I will be :D

So I have been meaning to ask, have you guys seen The Timeliners'  web series called 'Flames'? It was, by far, the most relatable teen series, and I'm sure eleventhies and twefthies like me would love it!

And also, I wasn't supposed to update rn. But here i am, giving u double updates. So yeah  Friday update could be a bit late.

Anyways, read vote comment and promote.

~chaashnee.