Ninth Grade
"Very good boys! Now, tactics! Tactics!" Our PE Sir shouts.
The ball is passed to me and I look up. Noora is charging towards me. I see a winger making an incisive run behind her. I chip the ball towards him. The ball goes over Noora's head and bounces before him; his first touch is poor and the goalkeeper has the ball. The shrill piercing of the PE Sir's whistle signals a time out. All of us walk towards the PE Sir and form a row facing him.
"Sureshkumar, that was a very good pass." The PE Sir compliments me.
"Thank you Sir!" I reply.
"You gotta work on your first touch kid!" Sir advises the winger who lost the ball to the goalkeeper. "And you did a good job snatching the ball before he composed himself to shoot." Compliment to the goalkeeper.
This is how nearly all of our after-class football practice sessions go. Most of my teammates are slack-offs. Save for me... I'm the best player of my batch.
"Alright, so here's what I want you guys to do: play two-touch passing." Two-touch passing is a drill where a player is permitted a maximum of two touches of the ball before he has to pass it.
"Excuse me sir." The second forward of our team interrupts.
"Yes?" The PE Sir doesn't look very pleased with the interruption.
"I have to go for tuition classes now." The forward states.
"Me too." Another teammate adds.
"Argh! Today is the last practice session before the picnic! And then we have the tournament!" Grumbles the PE Sir. The boys prepare to apologize but are cut short "Fine, no problem. The two of you may leave."
The boys mumble an apology regardless and leave.
"Okay so now there are two players less in this team." With the two of them gone, our team is at a two player disadvantage. "Noora, you're on the other team."
My heart skips a beat. Noora is the most attractive sports girl in ninth grade. She is also my classmate. I have this huge thing for her... but never mustered up the courage to tell her.
The game begins. Noora fills in for the missing forward. Our team is attacking. I get the ball. I look up and see Noora make a run. I tap the ball past the defender and Noora reaches the through pass and blasts the ball into the goalkeeper. It's more of an amateur tactic to shoot at such close range, but Noora isn't exactly the best player on the girl's team. And the goalkeeper isn't exactly the best keeper in school for he fails to catch the ball and it ricochets off him. I run and tap the rebound home to score for our team.
"And that was the only goal of the game?" Asks Dalbir. The boy I called Hanuman in second grade turned out to be my best friend over the years.
"It was the winning goal of the match!" I reply.
"Oh yeah!" He holds out his palm and I high-five it.
We walk back to my house. I would freshen up before going late to my tuition class. I am allowed to arrive late for tuitions on account of my football practice. Dalbir has also claimed to be on the school football team so he also shows up late alongside me.
As we enter the tuition class we realize that our tuition teacher is not in the class. She's probably gone to the adjacent room to make a phone call. Dalbir and I head to our usual place in the second row from the last. Just as we take our places the tuition teacher arrives and glares at us.
"Why are you guys late today?" She demands.
"Football practice teacher." I answer. She already knows that, then why is she asking?
"Ok, so Sureshkumar had football practice. What about you Dalbir?" She looks at him.
"Same reason teacher, football." Dalbir replies.
"Oh football?" Her tone is one of challenge.
Dalbir nods, too afraid to answer.
"Are you on the football team Dalbir?"
Busted! She has somehow come to know that Dalbir is not on the school team.
"Come on, let's have a talk with your parents Dalbir." She pulls him out and towards the other room.
As the two of them leave the room I ask my neighbour "What happened?"
"Someone snitched on Dalbir. She now knows that he's not on the team." Replies Pari.
Pari is my classmate from school. Her name means 'Fairy' in Hindi. However, with buck teeth and a pair of glasses, her appearance completely contradicts her name.
"Looks like he's gonna get into trouble." I remark.
"Sure does." She agrees. Then she asks "By the way, did you do it?"
"No." I shake my head. I was supposed to confess my feelings to Noora today. But, like the past ninety nine times, I couldn't build up the courage to do it.
"Dude! Are you really gonna keep pushing it?" Her eyes burn with annoyance.
"Wow! You seem more interested in setting me up with Noora than I myself am." I mock.
"Whatever!" She dismisses.
Pari is my girl best friend and the only one who knows about my feelings for Noora. I haven't told Dalbir, my guy best friend. Not that I like Pari more than Dalbir, but just that I don't think he can really keep a secret.
Pari begins "You know if you wait too long..."
"Don't worry I'll tell her during the picnic." I cut her short.
Our school is taking us for a two day picnic starting tomorrow. I decide that I will tell her during the picnic. The one hundred and first attempt will succeed.
"Well Suresh, I was just saying," Pari takes her glasses off. She looks so much better without them "if you wait too long... she might find another person."
YOU ARE READING
Taken for Granted
Romance"By the way, did you do it?" "No." I shake my head. I was supposed to confess my feelings to Noora today. But, like the past nine hundred and ninety nine times, I couldn't build up the courage to do it. "Dude! Are you really gonna keep pushing it?"...
