EXTOIN

Adweta Solace was the most popular girl of her section in school, praised by everyone, liked by teachers, who students wanted to be friends with. Adweta, a beautiful girl from a middle class family, this is her story.

This is just what the people used to say about her. I am just framing what others said about her. She was good in studies which made the teachers like her. She was good at drawing which her batchmates were fond of, they would line up for her one drawing. She was treated like some famous celebrity. When she completed her homework on time, there were students lining up to borrow her homework. The only thing she was bad at was sports. She never liked sports and she always said, why waste so much energy moving here and there just to make your body sweat?

Once during a games period in her sixth class Adweta was just sitting alone because she didn’t want to play kho kho, kho kho is a traditional Indian sport, one girl from her section Ekantika, who was the topper of the class sat next to Adweta and asked, it must be fun being popular?

“What makes you think that I am popular?” Adweta asked.

You don’t know or you’re pretending not to know that you are quite popular in our class.

No! No! I just have lots of friends.

Ekantika looked towards their classmates playing kho and smirked, you consider them friends?

Yes!

At that time Adweta didn’t understand what Ekantika was talking about. She narrated this incident to her friends Kavya and Aisha. They told her, Ekantika is just jealous because she is the topper and people line up to ask for homework from you.

A twelve year old Adweta wasn’t able to grasp the situation. But now when she looks back, she could feel jealousy from Ekantika because she could get along with people well but the topper failed to do so. Adweta once saw a boy who asked for Ekantika’s homework but she refused to share. After that incident nobody dared to talk to Ekantika. In short, she was just unfriendly. That day she might have come to manipulate Adweta which she failed but instead she cleared her misunderstandings that, “Happiness doesn’t last longer”.

Adweta came to learn this when she was in her ninth class. Everything was fine until her eighth class. She had the same old life with lots of friends but everything changed after her ninth class.

On the reopening day of their school, she was late to arrive at the school and found out that this time she would be alone in her section without Kavya and Aisha.

Yes, I know it isn’t always possible to have your best friends in the same section. But for the past few years I have been very lucky to have at least one of my best friends in my section, she said while scrolling down the list.

Don’t be sad we can meet during lunch, said Kavya.

You both are in the C section and I am in section A. There’s section B between us.

And cherry on the top your class is on ground floor with section B while our class is on first floor, Aisha said with a smile on her face.

“What are you smiling for?” Adweta glared at her.

We should get going, morning assembly will start soon, Kavya said changing the topic.

Little did Adweta know that class 9th A would be a nightmare for her. After the assembly their class teacher Mrs. Monika decided to change their seats and made Adweta sit with a boy called Vihaan. He was very quiet. Adweta tried to talk to him but he never responded, days passed like that and she gave up talking to him. She made some new friends and focused on them but she noticed that Vihaan used to always sit alone even during free period, games period, library period, eats lunch alone and goes home alone, it kept bothering her. Even nobody in class tried talking to him. She just felt bad for him but she couldn’t do anything. The only time they communicated was while sharing a book which was also rare because both of them bought their own books.

Vihaan used to wear full sleeves shirts which made him stand out in the crowd more. You could only wear a full sleeve shirt in India comfortably only in winter or when it’s raining, that’s just my personal opinion, I don’t know if others would agree with it or not.

“Is he immune to heat?” Adweta asked, pointing towards Vihaan during lunch.

“Who? Him? Vihaan?” asked Aisha.

“You know his name!” Adweta was surprised that people could know Vihaan.

Ohhooo! Somebody likes someone…Somebody likes someone…Somebody lik…..

“Aey! Shut up!” Adweta scolded Kavya. I am very serious right now. Why doesn’t he talk to anyone and why doesn’t anyone talk to him?

I don’t know, said Aisha, making eye contact nervously with Kavya.

Adweta could feel that she was lying but before she could question them the bell rang. Before going to class Kavya whispered in Adweta ears, stay away from him.

Why should I stay away from him? What do they know which I am not aware of? I need to find out. Anyways, they don’t even know that I cannot avoid him because we sit together!

During class after lunch Adweta could feel herself staring at Vihaan and she noticed that he was uncomfortable but she couldn’t stop herself.

Why am I staring at him?

You are making him uncomfortable, stop!

If I was him I would have at least glared.

I need to confront Kavya and Aisha after school.

After school three of them used to chit chat in the cycle stand before going home because outside school, they never had a chance to meet each other much. Kavya was rich. She came to school in a car with her driver but still met them after school in the cycle stand. Aisha on the other side was not so rich as compared to Kavya but she was still from a well off family. You can tell that by seeing her bicycle. Compared to them Adweta had the second hand cycle of her cousin who went to another school where they provide buses because his school was out of the city. Adweta always desired to go to the same school as her cousin where she wouldn’t have to commute through cycles.

Adweta was waiting for her friends in the cycle stand but her friends were nowhere to be found.

I think they are not coming. I should be going. Are they avoiding me?

She decided to go. While she was about to leave the cycle stand, she saw them coming.

You are late.

Sorry! Miss Rupa wasn’t shutting her mouth even after the bell rang, replied Aisha.

Kavya who was just behind Aisha made faces that said not to discuss anything about what she told me otherwise Aisha would kill Kavya. After that Adweta never asked them about Vihaan, it was like an untouchable topic. Adweta didn’t want to make the situation awkward between them so she decided not to mention him in any of their topics. Things were fine for some days but one day when she came to class she saw her bench empty. There was always Vihaan’s bag before she came to the class but that day, she was the first one to come. Even during assembly, she didn’t see him. After the assembly when Mrs. Monika was taking attendance when Vihaan came at that very moment and was scolded by her. He was punished to stand for the whole first period at the back of class. By looking at him you can tell he tried his best not to be late.

He looks tired.

How far is his home though?

For a change he’s wearing a short sleeve shirt. Good way of surprising people.

While thinking these things Adweta was scanning him. That’s when she saw it and what she saw, shocked her to eternity.