"He did that many a time to me. I stopped bothering about that at all." With casualness in his voice he said.

"Why did you have come out now?" she asked but she understood why he has come to her like that then.

"I want to thank you particularly."

"For what you want to thank me particularly?"

"Because of you...only because of you....I started studying hard. I scored good marks. For that I want to thank you." While a smile was decorating his lips he said.

"Why you have studied hard because of me I cannot understand." Irritation in Jasmine was mounting.

"You asked me to study hard on that day. You said to me if I study hard my parents and sister also feel very happy. So I have started studying hard and scored good marks in examinations." He said.

"But your parents and your sister also said the same thing to you many a time, why did not you hear them?"

"I don't know. They did not tell me that as you did tell me."

"I used the same language and I told that in the same way they told you."

"I cannot answer. But I felt to study only after you have said so to me. That is why I want to thank you particularly." He was still jovial. He not at all noticed her irritation.

"But you guys are not at all trying to understand how much embarrassing all this to me. My classmates and other students are talking in a different way." Jasmine burst out.

"I don't know any of that. I just want to thank you. Thank you... thank you very much for the change you got into me."

He suddenly took her hand into his. Before Jasmine understood what was happening, he squeezed it gently and took it upto his mouth as if to kiss, but dropped it.

"Thank you...thank you very much once again." He said so once more and disappeared from that place.

Jasmine felt as if she received a current shock. She did not feel anything until Ranjan took her hand into his. But when he did it so, it appeared as if everything was changed. Her whole body was on fire while he was squeezing it gently. When he took it upto his mouth as if to kiss, deep inside her she wanted him to kiss it. It was the very first time to her that a boy took such a liberty with her.

She hastily looked around. Luckily there was no one in the vicinity. If anyone saw that how embarrassing it would be? Suddenly she started feeling uncontrollable rage in her. How dare he touch her hand like that? Suddenly she started feeling insult also. It seemed that rascal took her as granted and thought she would not do anything in whichever way he behaved.

***

"Your brother has behaved in a very nasty way to me." Jasmine angrily said to Anupama.

"What he did?" Anupama asked her.

Then Jasmine explained to her what her brother did. Anupama's face also turned red while listening that from Jasmine.

"Idiot! What he is thinking in himself? I made my parents skin him alive. I shall see that he never does behave indecently with anyone at all." Anupama angrily said.

"Its alright. Don't take it to your parents. You yourself strongly said to him not to behave in such a way with me in future."

Jasmine felt surprise. Why suddenly this soft feeling in her towards him? How much of rage she felt towards him till the moment. Now her mind was thinking in soft and surprising way. Without her intention her mind was taking Ranjan's form onto the surface. Ranjan was tall, handsome and not a disappointing personality. Girls could like him instantly. Still she could remember, deep inside her she wanted him to kiss her hand. In fact....her heart missed a beat... she wanted him to do something more. She did not know why....but her body was suddenly started craving for his hug...for his kisses.... 'My god! What is happening to me?' she thought.

There was no teacher in the classroom then and all the students were talking something or other to one another.

She just could not concentrate on what she was hearing then.

***

"Dear, you are upset on this day also. What is gnawing your mind?" observing her daughter carefully, Malathi asked her. She could sense instantly if there has come a change in her daughter.

"Nothing mom...nothing important." Jasmine hastily said.

Malathi dragged her chair beside Jasmine and put her hand around her shoulders. "We are always friends and we share everything with each other. Just tell me dear for what you are worrying like this?"

Jasmine nodded her head and looked into the face of her mother. There was only love and affection in her mother's face.

"Mom...." Jasmine was still hesitating to say what happened in the school.

"Just fire away whatever it may be. You know me very well. I just help you in solving that."

"I know you very well mom." Jasmine nodded her head.

"Then why this hesitation darling? Go on with whatever you want to say." Malathi encouraged her daughter.

Then, slowly and hesitatingly, Jasmine told her mother what happened in the school.

"Scoundrel! How could he behave like that? How dare he touch your hand so?" Malathi also became very much angrier on hearing that.

"May I complain this to the principal mom?" looking into the face of her mother, Jasmine asked her.

Malathi thought sometime furiously and then said. "Not now. Give him a warning not to behave so again. Despite your warning if he behaves like that in future, don't hesitate to report the same to the principal. He skins him alive."

"Principal skins him quite often. It does not matter that much to him."

"May I talk with him then? Give him one or two strong slaps left and right?"

"Shall we spare him for this time mom? I don't know why he behaved like that then but he is not that much of a bad guy either."

"Alright dear. As you said." Malathi laughed. But whatever her daughter said, disturbed her also.

"I already complained to his sister. She said to me that she will give her brother a strong warning."

"Then the problem is solved. Don't think about this much."

"Okay mom." Saying so Jasmine tried to put herself into her studies but she could not. Against her will, her body wanted his hugs, wanted his kisses. Why it was so?

"Still you are worrying for something." Once again observing her daughter carefully, Malathi said.

"Nothing mom" Jasmine nodded her head in negation.

"We are like friends from beginning. We share everything with each other." Malathi cautiously reminded her.

Then slowly Jasmine said "I am feeling a sort of uneasiness from the moment he touched me. He took my hand upto his mouth as if to kiss but he did not kiss. But I want to share my genuine feeling then with you. I wanted him to kiss. Now I desperately wanted his touch, hug and kisses...."looking fearfully into the eyes of her mother Jasmine said.

Malathi's heart missed a beat. Then he remembered what Niranjan has said. It was very important to let her know the natural feelings of mind and heart.

"Thank you very much that you confided in me and poured your feelings like this with me, dear." Hugging her daughter Malathi said. "You have to know all about the feelings, urges and bodily changes that take place in you. You must not be flabbergasted, bewildered or shocked. We have a discussion before about this. But I think you need some more narration."

"Mom I just cannot understand what you are talking." Looking confusingly into the face of her mother Jasmine said.

"You can understand everything when I finished talking with you." She paused for a moment and then said "I think you entered into your womanhood two years back, were not you?"

"I entered into my womanhood?" there were instant frowns on the forehead of Jasmine as she indulged in remembering past. "Yes, now I remembered. There is lot of blood. You said it is okay and there is no necessity to worry about and the function etc...Yes, I remember everything. It was just like a festival. We enjoyed a lot." Jasmine said.

"From that moment changes do start taking place in a girl's body. Entering into womanhood means a girl became ready to become pregnant." Malathi said.

"What?" the confusion in the face of Jasmine became even more. "What became pregnant? Yes, a little knowledge I have." Jasmine's cheeks were blushed. "Once a girl became a woman or a girl entered into her womanhood, with sexual intercourse a boy can make her pregnant."

"What?" Malathi shocked on hearing that. She did not remember that she knew this much by the time she was studying her ninth class.

"Yes, we friends discuss these types of matters in between ourselves." Jasmine cheeks were still crimson red.

'So, present generation children are not as innocent as they appear' Malathi thought. 'Anyhow if she knew that much, she saved me from lot of trouble.'

"What you are thinking mom?"

"Then you must be known about the feelings and urges that took place in girls and boys at this age." looking inquiringly into the face of her daughter, Malathi asked her.

"I don't know much about those things." Looking innocently into her mother's face again, Jasmine said.

"Then it is the time you know about them." Malathi hissed out heavily and said. "At this age, it is quite natural to feel as you felt when a girl touched by a boy. A boy also feels in the same way when a girl touches him. They most terribly want to hug, kiss and do more. Even no one touched, the bodies desperately want the touch of opposite sex and for sexual intercourse."

"No, mom. Please don't talk like that." Jasmine hurriedly said. "I never do in such a way."

"You never do in such a way. I never did any wrong even I felt so strongly like that in my teenage. But forewarned is fore-protected. I am thinking if you know all about this you will be more careful in your life."

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

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