Peace over drama? Yes. No. Maybe?

"Hey," Nivedya greeted Nimrit as they stepped into school at the same time.

Nimrit was suddenly nervous because she wanted to reply or smile but her father was there, observing them like a hawk.

"Hey you, come here," Amber called Nivedya.

"Good morning," Nivedya greeted Amber, politely.

"Listen up boy, Nimrit is a champion and you better put your attention and time into bracing up your skills rather than focusing on less important things. I don't want my daughter's performance to be spoiled because of someone who is not dedicated. Got it?" Amber warned/explained/suggested to Nivedya in his fake calm tone.

"I appreciate your concern but..." Nivedya stopped speaking when he saw Nimrit's scared face. "Got it." was all Nivedya said and left from there because he was raging within.
"Nimrit's father is so unreasonable, dude. He and his daughter think they are from some another universe. That girl has been trying my patience since the start. It's high the time she gets a piece of my mind." Nivedya was furious and shared the details of the incident with Collin. He somewhere held Nimrit responsible for her father misunderstanding him. He gave himself brownie points for not back answering Amber.

"Yeah! You should. You both get a lot of alone time after school use. Tell her she needs to shed that damned attitude of hers. We have so many pretty girls in the school. Just see." Collin turned Nivedya's face to the left where Janice and her friends were standing but Nivedya's eyes were set on a girl who was talking to a boy with a smile on her face.
An unexplained feeling crept inside him. He wanted the earth to split and the boy to fall into its crux. The bell rang and Collin pulled Nivedya to the class before his firey eyes burnt the ground.

Nimrit sat on the corner most last seat of the class. She was abashed by the words of her father. She understood his protective attitude and she had learned to live with it. But not everyone was expected to understand it.

"Nimrit, Nimrit..." The teacher called Nimrit and she got up in haste dropping her geometry case. "Just leave the class. Take a stroll in the garden and freshen up. Whatever is in your head just clear it out. You know the school also has a qualified counsellor who could..."

"Sorry, ma'am. I am fine. It won't happen again." Nimrit was embarrassed and avoided the questioning look of her friends. She took a deep breath and finished the work before the entire class.
While submitting her notebook she explained to the teacher, "Ma'am, I am sorry for not paying attention. It's just that I have studied this topic before so..."

"I know that you are a smart girl, Nimrit. But you need to be attentive even if you have done the topic before. You might learn something new." The teacher left giving Nimrit a soft smile.

Nimrit patted herself for coming up with a valid reason to give to her friends. She was right. Her friends bought her excuse easily.

"Nimrit, can we talk?" Janice asked Nimrit and she nodded. "Do have any idea how Nivi felt after your father threatened him? You now study in a co-ed school, not some old-fashioned covenant school. Nivi is the most genuine boy we know and he would never cross any line. He is focused and committed to the tasks he does. Explain that to your father." Janice explained in a not-so-polite tone to Nimrit in front of her girl gang.

"He was just concerned as a father..." Janice showed her hand to Nimrit refraining her from speaking further and gestured the girls to leave.

"That's not how things work here Nimrit. High time you realise that." Aarfa left with everyone giving a pitiful look to Nimrit.

The place where Nimrit stood was suddenly empty. Empty also was her life. She had just started to make friends and liked the new school but everything was falling apart. She opened her lunch box and was thankful for her favourite sandwiches made by her father. Surely he was overprotective but that was his love. His work was so hard, but still, he took out time for his family like picking up and dropping her up at school.

Nivedya saw Nimrit having her lunch alone and her gloomy face narrated the story.

"She must have bragged about how she knew the topic beforehand. The girls must have gotten bored of her attitude. She deserves to be lonely." Collin commented but Nivedya didn't reply. He couldn't decipher the reason for her behaviour.

No one spoke to Nimrit in class and she didn't bother to talk to them. She decided to study and spend her free period in the library while her class was playing in the garden. Nivedya's eyes were only searching for Nimrit but she was nowhere. So giving up he asked Aarfa, "Hey have you seen Nimrit? I need to discuss something about the performance."

"Umm... not sure. Library maybe." Aarfa guessed and resumed playing.

Nivedya's legs automatically moved towards the library and he saw Nimrit engrossed completely in the book, looking like the cute obscure nerd. Sitting opposite her was the same boy Nimrit was talking to in the morning with a smile on her face.
He was a senior, the head boy of the school. But the girl who avoided talking to boys in her class was friendly with a senior? "Is she seeing him?" The thought pained Nivedya's heart. Why? He had no clue. But he disliked what he saw.

Nimrit came five minutes late for the dance practice.

The teacher showed Nimrit his watch, "You are late."

"Sorry, sir. I had to return a book to a senior." Nimrit reasoned and put on her skates.

They followed the same routine. But today Nivedya was doing it in the opposite direction. Nimrit justified Nivedya's anger, but she did not like his act of sending Janice as his minion. If he had a problem he could come directly to her. Nimrit paused and held the railing. She was losing her focus. Boys and their issues. She remembered the warning her friends gave her when she told them her new school was co-ed.

"Nimrit, don't stop. Two extra rounds at a fast pace." The teacher told her and she started. The rounds were exhausting and Nivedya felt bad for the extra two rounds Nimrit had to do.

"Take a break for five minutes then start with laps." The teacher instructed and went on the pretext of discussing something important.

Nivedya refilled his water today. He didn't want any interaction with Nimrit and not get used to the 'sweet water'. Without exchanging a single word they did laps alternately. Nivedya was a talkative boy and so was Nimrit. The silence was killing them.

"Niv..." Nimrit decided to break the silence, but the teacher returned and asked them to show their technique. Cursing the teacher's timing Nivedya started with the laps.

The practice was over and Nimrit was dead tired. Physically and emotionally she was too drained. She didn't want any more encounters so as soon as the teacher dismissed the class she ran to the changing room and left for her home. Nivedya did the same. He decided for once in his life he will keep an ego or in better words self-respect and not be the first to talk.

Nimrit skipped talking to Barkha that night. She told her mother about what her father said to Nivedya.

"I am so sorry sweetheart. You know I try hard to explain to your father, but he is so protective of us. You know the reason well. I'll talk to him don't worry." Reet assured her.

"No mummy. It's okay. I will figure out something. You know your daughter and her magic." Nimrit cheered her mother hiding her sadness.

Reet understood her daughter's fear, and said, "I know why you don't want me to talk to your father. I think a lot of time has passed and he cannot use the past as an excuse now."

"No mummy. I am happy and these are just some petty issues. Huh! What is teenage without drama?" Nimrit flipped her hair and the mother-daughter laughed, a fake one but they buried the matter.

The next day at school Nivedya did not greet Nimrit and passed as if she didn't exist. But the day at school was a little better than yesterday. Girls were not talking to Nimrit like before but were not ignoring her either. Skating was a way Nimrit shed the pent-up frustration in her. Nivedya found it difficult to match her speed. Even after the teacher asked Nimrit to reduce her speed she didn't.

"Nimrit, what are you doing? I asked you five times to reduce your speed but if don't want to follow my instructions then you can leave." The teacher scolded Nimrit and much to her dismay her father was there.

"Sorry, sir." Nimrit apologised.

"Don't repeat it next time. We are done for today. Leave." The teacher dismissed the class and greeted Amber.

Nimrit said a prayer to the almighty. She didn't want her father to be disappointed in her. Nimrit quickly went to change and returned on jet speed.

"Don't worry. The teacher didn't complain about you." Nivedya told her while their paths crossed.

Nimrit was surprised and happy. After one full day, Nivedya spoke to her. No! She was happy because the teacher did not complain. She explained to herself.

A week passed with no drama. Girls were gradually getting friendly with Nimrit again. The skating practice was mundane. Nimrit and Nivedya were not fighting but not talking too. The teacher sensed their cold war and asked the reason. None gave. They decided to stay quiet.

It was a bright Monday morning and Nimrit was happy because she secured the highest marks in the Science test. Her happiness did not stay for long because the school management decided to renovate the skating rink for the main day.

The skating teacher questioned the principal about the future practice sessions.

The principal shrugged off the matter saying, "We have a huge compound with so many courts. Choose any."

The teacher felt irritated but explained calmly, that there was a difference between other courts and a skating rink.

"Well, I don't have much of a choice Vibhor. It was the management's decision. When I told them about this performance they suggested we renovate the rink." The principal expressed her helplessness.

"Ma'am, sir, I have a skating rink at my home. Not as big as the school but I think we can manage there for a few days." Nivedya offered and Nimrit's face lost its colour.

"Great idea Nivi. Nandini told me about it but I forgot. It's settled then. From tomorrow the practice will be at Nivi's house. The school will arrange the conveyance. And I promise we will try to do the renovations as quickly as possible. Also, call your parents tomorrow. We need to discuss the option with them." The principal's acceptance fell like a bomb on Nimrit.

She told about her grades making her parents proud before dropping the bomb of the shift in the venue of skating practice.

"I will not send my daughter to any random boy's house for practice."

_______________________________________________________________________________________
Dear Readers,
I understand the chapter was a fast-paced one but it was essential for building up the plot.
Will Nimrit get permission to practice at Nivedya's house?
If yes, what turn will their story take?
If not, who will be the new partners for the performance?

Find out
Happy Reading