The Green Room

The Horizon

Rohan was sent to the Infirmary for another night in isolation. He was made to promise not to utter a word. Even the grounds-men were threatened to remain quiet. A special chapel service was called the next morning to pay eulogy to Kajal, though Mr. Lawrence astutely skipped the cause of her death. The students would know, eventually, but the truth would be tainted by then. Breaking the news suddenly would only lead to another uprising, involving the students and parents alike. But they would know - when the time was right. The matter would have cooled down by the time they returned from the three months holiday.

The play was called off and Mr. Lawrence personally apologized to Rohan. "I understand what you did was the demand of the time. It was very brave of you," he said to him in the Infirmary.

"So, can I come back next year?"

"Of course you can. We will be looking forward to seeing you again."

Mr. Lawrence had deliberately kept him in isolation so as to prevent him from disclosing the truth immediately. In the afternoon, he heard someone shout out his name. He rushed to the window and saw a bunch of his classmates gathered in the Infirmary precinct. Ayush and Manav were among them. He waved at them, ducking immediately as a chestnut went whirling over his head.

"Go away!" Sister barged towards them, creating further commotion. The boys rudely insisted on visiting their classmate, but she refused. Reluctantly, the crowd parted, shouting vulgar farewells, mainly to annoy her.

Rohan was expecting an assistant of his father to arrive by evening. As most of his classmates had left, he was allowed to go back to his dormitory to pack his trunk and bedding. Those who hadn't were playing cricket in the Basketball Court. He was in no mood for games and spent the leftover of the day behind the Library, watching boys and girls leave through the main gates. The air began to get cold. He decided to head back to his dormitory. He got up... and sat down again. He had just seen Chandni.

She was near the main gate with some senior girls. And somehow, she looked up at him. A smile spread over his face. But she didn't respond. She looked away and headed to the Girls' Hostel. Rohan watched her till she disappeared behind a thicket of trees.

She was gone!

He sat there. The fact that she had ignored him was torturous. She was certainly embarrassed about hugging him. He closed his eyes. The world was cold without her, charmless. He had already begun to miss her. The school already seemed empty. She would come back for Boards, but he wouldn't be here then. His session started late. He was so accustomed to seeing her around a random corner that he dreaded the moment he would come back and not find her. It would hurt to train his instincts not to look for her. Seven years, and every day he would get restless to catch a glimpse of her. Seven years... and it had finally come to an end. He closed his eyes, and lost track of time.

She was gone and all he did was watch her leave.

"Hi!"

He spun around and his jaw dropped open. There she stood, smiling at him. She had unhooked her badge and had drawn her hair loosely back into a chignon, revealing her prominent jaw line. "How did you find it?" Chandni asked.

He felt a pinch in his heart. All she wanted was the story. Of course, the story of how he discovered a dead body and its aftermath was interesting enough to bring any girl from the hostel to him. And he thought she had come for him.

Nevertheless, Rohan began to tell her the story while she sat beside him and listened. She did not speak when he had finished. He avoided any eye contact. They both stared blankly at the main gates, lost in their own thought. She seemed to have known a lot about the previous evening. Apparently, the principal could not keep prefects in the dark.