Chapter 2.1 - 7th-C

Innocent Days: Part - II

7th C is remembered by me for numerous reasons:
1) the awesome classroom - perhaps the best classroom the school had back then
2) one of my close pals went missing
3) my fall from grace
4) the slap
5) my mouthing of swear word for the first time
and finally..
6) the start of "M" factor!

I was grim that day, A had gone missing and I really was stunned! Strong possibilities of his death been so publicly discussed were driving me nuts. Then Mandy had suddenly changed from my best and only friend to a mere bastard! Now I was left searching for a friend! C was ever-ready to lend me his hand, but God I hated him! So while I was fighting this loneliness, teacher announced, "We have to do some shuffling of places. This year a new policy has been introduced - You will have the same partner alright, but so that back benchers don't stay backbenchers forever, there is going to be a rotation policy, everyday you will be moving one bench back and you would also be shifting row-wise! Therefore after one rotation is complete, you would be changing rows!"

I was placed with Hairy A (H-A from here on)! He revealed to me that he had always been inspired by me as I never left my 2nd rank and still did amazingly well in drawing and craft exams! This really left me confused and proud! Ah crap! People actually worked for drawing and craft exams! So he was my big fan, but he was a total pest!

I scanned and found this new face in my class! "She's M", Mandy2's chaavi!" H-A quickly told me! A quick look at Mandy2 and "How?????" I shot back at H-A! H-A started laughing. "No yaar, he's just crazy about her, woh usko bhav nahi deti!" I was relieved! It is somehow heartening to see all the fellows with you are suffering as much as you, even one satisfied goat kills the human in you and makes you wanna steal all that is his! Or so was I of the attitude back then!I looked at M, oh she was beautiful! Her hair seemed amazing! And her soft skin! She was really cute! She hardly talked to anyone in the class and her silence seemed to cry out so much! She wanted to scream, I could feel it, her eyes just gave it away, but she was gagged! She seemed to be fighting some internal war with the world! All this without a single exchange of word, all this without a single exchange of glance, but all this cause the beautiful her had just got stuck in my head! The moment I entered the class my eyes would go on hunting for M! The crush had gone overboard and I had become too damn crazy about a person I hadn't even talked to, and all this in just one week of seeing her!

Then the most awaited day came when our benches were placed in such a way that M was going to sit right ahead of me and this would go on till the exams! I finally had my chance! All day long I used to lie low on the desk smelling her beautiful hair that sweetly wiped the desk-dust! I let the hair lay undisturbed on my notebook and promptly stop writing the notes, H-A realised I am going crazy and he used to give those dirty "I-know-and-I-am-gonna-kick-your-ass" kinda smiles! Now this was frustrating, but H-A weirdly never opened his mouth! (By the end of the third week, I am sure even he had fallen for her) But I never had the courage to start a conversation with M, and now I wish I had; had I done so, my life would have been so different and even hers!

All was going smoothly, I was still seated behind M and M was still avoiding Mandy2 and Mandy2 was still planning to kill himself if she doesn't fall for him and I was still hoping that this would happen; and my future looked all so sweet as Ms. M seemed destined to become Mrs. MSN (although not a word was exchanged and just once or twice a glance was passed). But then came the exams and what followed post-exams was totally unforeseen!

Innocence no more...!

(to be continued...)