Us │✔

01 | ~ds.

Jivika~

There they were! Those two.

Lunchtime obviously made the corridors crowded. With little cockroaches running here and there, all over the place, it was pretty evident how India's population problems would never come to an end. This one kid pushed me so hard, that I almost fell over the skinny girl next to me.

Breaking Maahi's bones was more of a worry to me than falling. That one had literally zero flesh on her skin to even get a cut, it would be a direct fracture—I could already predict that.

And standing in this bustling corridor were those two, Kiara and Pratik. Talking, laughing, holding hands—the usual deal. I don't think they were bothered with the fact that all this was happening in an open corridor in an Indian school anymore.

"So? Now what?"

Maahi spoke out, looking out for any idiot who would run into her. Yes, we were here for a purpose. A mission. However, she was not the agent I was going to send. Looking at the other girl who stood next to me, I saw Lavanya Sinha unsure for the first time.

"Lavanya, I dare you."

"We were not playing truth and dare in the first place, Jivika."

"Doesn't matter! Just do it! She's your friend, at least for her?"

Rolling her eyes out of nervousness, she took a deep breath in. Tugging onto the loose hair strands which stood out of her plait, she walked towards the couple in hushed footsteps. The couple, lost in their own world of cookies and cakes, failed to notice the intruder.

Pushing them apart, Lavanya Sinha stood in between.

"Ley Kabab mai Haddi!"
[Kabab mai haddi: Third-wheeler]

Parth snickered into Amaan's ears, audible enough for the whole corridor to hear. No, the corridor was still noisy. But silence was charmed on the lips of all the tenth-graders who stood there, wondering what we were up to.

Minutes passed, but the intruder offered no explanations to justify her deeds. Inspired, Parth and Amaan joined her side by side, distancing the couple further. Then it was Rhea, Laysa and Amaya who joined in. As Kiara tried to put some effort by leaving her spot and joining Pratik on the other side, Maahi and I entered into the scene, stopping her then and there. While Shreyansh and Pranav did the same on the other side.

Soon enough our whole class and our enemies as well, tenth D, contributed to the drama. The latter since they were Pratik's classmates.

"Guys, what did we even do to you?"

This was Kiara, voicing out her exasperation.

"Pratik, next time on wards, ask your girlfriend to complete her food before she joins you. We get it—you like her, she likes you—but that doesn't give both of you a reason to compromise your health."

"I did not know that she—"

"Obviously."

"Sor—"

"Guys! Any news about the leaked Sanskrit questions? Does anyone know what is coming in the papers?"

Off we set, both the classes, around sixty-seventy students, chattering on about exams, bitching about our Hindi and Sanskrit teachers. Laughing, arguing and fighting, those thirty minutes of lunch were bliss. As the first warning bell rung, we stood there, cracking jokes and creating new link-up couples.

Ladies and Gentlemen.

That is how we stood in a single line leaning against the ledge of the corridor, and had our first-of-the-few civil conversations with our enemies.