the backbenchers

2 : THE DEBATING CLUB

The break time was a riot. Couples went missing. Basements were occupied. A few girls spent their breaks in the washroom - crying. Guys with no  girls spent their time in the basketball courts, sweating every drop of water from their bodies.

Natasha, the Head girl, always had other plans. She was a perfectionist. She was about to be chosen as the President of the Debating club, but the school had other plans. They made her the Head Girl!

'Hi Yuvraj,' Natasha said, as she met him. They were in different sections, even though both of them had taken up non- medical. It had been a few months that they had been dating.

'I am so fucked up,' he said, 'There is the test over the weekend and I just can't concentrate.'

Now, Yuvraj had extremely high standards. He was really
smart. He was one of the few guys who would crack IIT that year. But that wasn't what he was concerned about. Yuvraj wanted a top hundred rank and he was capable of doing so.

'Concentrate? Why?' She asked as she they headed towards the auditorium. They were preparing for the debating competition that afternoon. Since Natasha was made the Head Girl, she had recommended Yuvraj as the Debating Club president. They weren't dating then, but as soon as he became President, he asked Natasha out.

And she, of course, agreed quite conveniently.

'I have had trouble concentrating,' he said again.

'Why?'

'Because ever since you decided to reduce your skirt length to this short, that is all I see!' he said and they both smiled naughtily at each other.

In the last few months, they had become the most popular couple in school. Yuvraj was tall, a little dark, and extremely well built. He had the most charming smile any guy could have. He had a dimple on his left cheek that made his smile every girl's dream!

'Hi Radhica,' Natasha said to Radhica, Yuvraj's classmate, who was handling everything at the auditorium that day.

'Hi Natasha,' she said and got down from the stairs. She had just finished with naming the places where the interjectors would sit.

'Seems like you have already done most of it?' Natasha said as she looked around, impressed. 'But who's she?' Natasha  pointed to a girl at the corner of the auditorium, arranging chairs.

'Ohh, she is a new student from Raipur. Ms Juneja asked me to be her buddy. I told her that I was a part of the debating society and she wanted in,' Radhica said.

Next time you decide to get someone in the Debating Club, please ask me or Yuvraj before you say or do anything, right?"

Radhica nodded.

Natasha was a control freak, and that's probably the reason  why she was appointed as the Head Girl. Principal Baweja wanted someone with authority at the top and she was the right person. Yuvraj, on the other hand, was a real softie. He hardly ever raised his voice. He was a sweetheart.

Natasha stared at the new girl for a moment and made her way towards her.

'Hi, I am Natasha,' she said, 'Head Girl and a part of this society. This is Yuvraj, the club head."

Ananya looked at this strong voiced, tall, pretty girl and she could hardly mouth something.

'Hi,' she replied meekly and smiled at both of them.

'The Debating Society is an elite club and not everyone can be a part of this. There are auditions for it once a year.Even for the president of the club,' she said and pointed towards Yuvraj, who nodded dutifully.

Ananya didn't know how to react. She stared back at the both of them.

Natasha. she said, 'I was a part of the debating team at my previous school too. Can I-?

It doesn't matter what you were a part of... You have to audition for it and for this year, the entry to the club is closed,' Natasha said and turned to leave.

'Ananya? Did you come to City Montessori last year?Yuvraj asked. Since the first time he had seen her, he had

felt something familiar about her. Now, he got it. 'Yes, I was a part of the St. Mary's team. We came second,' she said proudly.

'Ohh yes! I thought I had seen you before!' he said and smiled at her, 'I think we can give you a chance. Maybe hold an audition? What do you say, Natasha?"

'Fine. But remember, they came second, we came first,' Natasha said and left.

Yuvraj waited for Natasha to walk further away from them and then said, 'Wednesday morning? Eight? And don't mind her. She can come across as a little rude."

'It's okay... You were good in the competition. You deserved it.'

Yuvraj smiled, turned and followed Natasha out of the auditorium. Ananya smiled stupidly. She liked the sweet guy who had just talked to her.

'Do you have to be this rude?' Yuvraj asked Natasha a he caught up with her.

"They need to know who runs the place here,' she said.

Umm...I run the Debating Club,' he said, trying to stand up to her, which he often tried, but never succeeded

'And you don't run it well, that's why I have to do this,Yuvraj. Look, if you don't show them who the boss here is they will not respect you!"

'Hmm,' he said, and let the matter go. There was no point arguing with her.

Natasha left for her meeting with the Vice Principal regarding the Annual Day, which was scheduled for a month later. Often Yuvraj felt that Natasha was too domineering and head strong for him, but he liked her too much to say anything about it. Plus, he was just another geck before Natasha and he became friends during a Debating Club meeting two years back. Now, he dated the girl with the longest legs in school!

'So, where were you?' Naman asked Yuvraj as he saw him walking towards him.

'In the auditorium. Was overseeing the work being done for the debating competition this afternoon,' Yuvraj said. 'Did Hitler say something again? You sound off'
Don't call her that. And no, it's just that Natasha was a lide pissed at the new girl entering the Debating Club," he said. 'New girl? The Raipur girl? Ananya?' Naman asked.

Naman defined geek. Unlike Yuvraj, he was just into his huge engineering books. And girls. He never talked to them, but he was always ready to talk about them. That's what engineers/potential engineers do. So be it integration formulae or names or boyfriend history of girls, he was the man to go to! Though he was less intelligent than Yuvraj was, he too was a major contender to get into IIT.

'Yes. How do you know her??' Yuvraj asked.

'Ohh, you weren't in the class this entire morning' he asked, "She is in our class, dude! Sat on the last bench. Alone.'

'Ohh, I didn't notice,' Yuvraj said.

'Can't blame you. She is no one to be noticed! And she is definitely not Debating Club material.'

'Don't be mean,' Yuvraj said.

'I am not being mean. It just feels good that my female loser counterpart exists in the same class!" he said. Now, Naman, despite being totally sexist, knew he was right at the bottom of the desirability scale when it came to guys. He knew he would never get a girl.

'C'mon, now you are underestimating yourself,' Yuvraj
said.
'No, I am not. I will wait till the time when desirability will just be a function of time and money! So, let's get to that? You're done with Stoichiometry?" he asked.

And yes, Naman was not underestimating. He was kind of not any girl's dream. But he never felt bad about it. Or he never let it show.

'Naman,' he said. 'Can you just tell me a few important questions?"

And then, they got down to study till the break ended.
     
                                ~~~~~~~~~~~~•~~~~~~~~~~~