After few minutes, Jasmine suddenly heard some thumping sound and snap opened her eyes. There was a girl stood beside her looking angrily into the face of Jasmine. She just threw the school bag of Jasmine and caused the thumping sound.

Jasmine was astounded and she just did not know what to say or do then.

"This is my place. How dare you to sit here?" looking into the face of Jasmine quite angrily she asked. She was tall like Jasmine and attractive. If she was not behaving like that with Jasmine, Jasmine sure would have thought that she was beautiful.

Jasmine was still out of words. She never has faced this type of rough treatment anytime before in her previous schools.

"You can say that smoothly also. You need not threw my bag in such a way and behave rudely like this to me." Jasmine angrily said while taking her lunch box into her hands.

"Just get out of this place and don't irritate me." Throwing roughly Jasmine from there that girl said again.

It was too much to bear anymore and Jasmine infuriated a lot and she turned angrily towards that girl to say something. Then another girly came there fast. "Hey , Mounika what is happening?" she went near to Mounika and asked her.

"This girl dared to sit in my place." Showing Jasmine angrily to the other girl, Mounika said. She was still angry.

"Then what happened? How can a new comer knows that it is your place and you do react in this way if she sits in it? Is this is the way to behave? Control yourself." Then the other girl looked into the eyes of Jasmine. Jasmine quickly noticed the pleading expression in the eyes of that another girl. She nodded her head, picked up her school bag which has fallen on the floor there and went away from that place.

Jasmine was feeling very much awkward till then after the incident. Now she was feeling fear also to sit anywhere in the class. She went quite back and sat on the last bench. She was seething in anger. She was never insulted in this way before. As she was struggling herself like that she heard the commotion as all the students stood up and said "Good morning, madam." Jasmine also hastily stood.

"Good morning to you all. Please sit." After slumping herself in the chair there, English teacher Manorama who entered into the classroom, permitted them to sit.

"I heard there is a new comer into our class. Who is she?" after few seconds of relaxation in the chair, Manorama asked.

"I am madam." Jasmine stood up and said.

"What is your name?" Manorama asked her again.

Suddenly all the heads in the class turned towards Jasmine and were looking at her curiously.

"Jasmine" Jasmine was feeling quite uncomfortable. She did not think that she would be exposed like that in the first period itself.

"Quite apt a name for you. You are just like a Jasmine." Jasmine's face blushed with shame. She just could not bear the glances around on her so.

"I want to see whether you also have the smell of Jasmine. Come to the front." Manorama said to Jasmine.

Jasmine did not know what to do. As all the others there were giggling, she felt more and more shame and her cheeks turned into crimson red.

"I said to you to come front. Jasmines and roses are banned from sitting in the last. Only those who are lazy, want to escape lessons are entitled to sit there. Those benches are reserved only for them. You come forward and sit before me."

Jasmine slowly moved from the place where she was and reached front three benches. Promptly some place was made in the middle bench opposite to the teacher's chair for her and she sat in that.

"I think you need a little introduction of me. My name is Manorama and I am the English teacher in this school. The first period on this day of this class is English so I am here in this way."

Jasmine involuntarily smiled on hearing that. For the first time after that incident with Mounika, Jasmine smiled.

"Oh, your smile is also beautiful. You are a pretty girl, I must say." Manorama said.

Jasmine's cheeks could become no more red.

"Its alright. Relax yourself. I know all the students in this class very well and everyone is exceptionally good. Everyone can be a good friend to you."

'If it is so why that Mounika behaved like that with me?' Jasmine wondered in herself.

As the English teacher started teaching something, Jasmine forced herself to hear that, shedding her thoughts aside.

***

There was a huge ground beside the school and everyone entered into that place in the interval. Jasmine also came there and bought an ice cream for herself. Now she was relaxed and thinking how to make friendship with other classmates there. She was enjoying the ice cream while looking at the nature around. Their school was indeed in a very peaceful atmosphere.

"Hello" she heard the voice and turned back. It was the girl who came in between that Mounika and Jasmine.

Seeing her there so, Jasmine narrowed her eyes and frowns gathered on her forehead. Remembering all that, she once again started feeling angry.

"I am asking you apology on her behalf. Please excuse her. Forget that whole episode." with a small voice she said.

"Why should you ask me on her behalf? Is it is correct at all to behave in such a way?" Jasmine could not contain her anger.

"She should not have behaved in such a way at all. That is why I am asking apology on her behalf." With a small voice that another girl said again.

"I am wondering why you have to bother like this for her. How do a girl with such an impudent nature can be a friend to you?"

"She is indeed a very good girl. She too does not want to behave in such an unreasonable way. The circumstances at present prevailed in her home making her mentally upset and prompting her sometimes to behave in this way." With a small voice looking around, the other girl said.

"The circumstances at her home? If you don't mind may I know what they are?"

For that the other girl did not say anything but remained silent.

"Before we talk anything more, may I know your name?"

"Ragini" with a small smile that other girl said.

Ragini was a slender and tall girl. Even she was not glamorous, with small active eyes she was attractive.

"Ragini, beautiful name." Jasmine also smiled. "I wish to tell you one thing here Ragini. I want to be friendly with all of you. I don't want animosity with any of you. If that Mounika behaved like that because of any trying situations, its alright. I don't bother. I have no angry on that girl. Yes, I forget all about that. No problem."

"You are not just pretty, but exceptionally good also." Ragini said.

"I don't like vain praising." Jasmine cheeks were blushed.

"Who said I praised you? Ask anyone whether you are pretty or not. If anyone said I lied to you I bear any punishment that you give to me."

"Its okay." Jasmine smiled and said. "From now on we both are friends."

"Sure." Ragini nodded her head.

"I buy an ice cream for you also as a memento for the beginning of our friendship" Jasmine said.

"No please. Time is almost over. We have to go into our classroom." Ragini said.

Then the school bell rang. "Come. We have to move into our class room now." Ragini said again.

Jasmine started following her. Then Ragini suddenly stopped and looked into the eyes of Jasmine and said. "I am saying to you again. Mounika is indeed a very good girl. It is only because of the troubling circumstances at her home, she is sometimes behaving in such a way."

"Its alright. I have forgotten all about that. Don't worry about it anymore."

Then they both entered into their classroom.

***

"How is your first day in the school?" as soon as they both met, Jasmine's father Sundar asked her.

Jasmine immediately thought about the affair with Mounika and her mind became sour. But she did not intend to discuss about that incident with her father.

"Just wonderful!" Jasmine looked into her father's face and smiled.

"Have you made any friends so far?"

"Got acquaintance with some. How could I make friends on the very first day itself?" Jasmine frowned. She did not want to say about Ragini then.

"Your school is indeed in a very lovely environment. I liked it a lot." Sundar said again. "I really want to study ninth class again in that school."

"But you know it is just impossible. You know you cannot join in a high school now."

Sundar got off from the chair he sat and went near to his daughter. "So you have to understand how important is high school studies. You have to concentrate and study more now. Once this period is over you cannot have it again."

"Thank you dad for reminding me about that." Jasmine threw her charming smile again.

"What you both are talking now?" Malathi who just finished her work in the kitchen, came there.

"I am asking your daughter about the school and her mates there."

"You may have to wait some one week or so for a satisfactory account on the same." Malathi said.

"Alright then." Sundar went out of that room.

"I think you enjoyed your day in the school." Looking affectionately into the eyes of her daughter, Malathi said.

"Yes, I did." Jasmine said and nodded her head. Once again she remembered the incident with Mounika.

"Is there homework to you to do now?"

"Of course, a lot."

"Then carry on, I don't want to disturb you." Malathi also promptly went out of that room.

***

Jasmine reached the school exactly at the same time like the day before. Just like the day before no one has entered into the classroom by the time she entered into it. From scratch Jasmine has the habit to go to her school a little before. In her previous schools also, no one used to come into the class by the time she entered into it and Jasmine really liked to go through her homework, etc. of the day in that five minutes or so of the time before the teacher and other classmates entered into the class.

(..........to be continued)

(I hope you enjoyedit so far. Please don't forget to rate and review it. I update the next chapteras early as possible.)