Fehmi

Mulaqaat

12-C is on the second floor because humanities and commerce sections have their classes on the second floor. My heart is beating extremely fast. I'm sure it's not because I'm running up the stairs.

I walked all the way to 12-C and stood outside the class. I peeked through the door to see if there were others from science.

I saw Vanshika hovering around Mr. Prefect. It's hard not to feel a twinge of jealousy, wondering if they're more appealing to him than I am.

"So what if they're pretty? I am the top student and the smartest in my stream" I told myself. It's a delicate balance between insecurity and confidence.

I walked inside the classroom and stood next to Mr. Prefect.

"um...I want to contend in the elections" I said with a ting of fright in my voice.

Vanshika who was standing right next to me glared at me as if I said something wrong. I never liked her and now I dislike her even more.

"Tum toh wahi ho na jisne last year elections mein part lene se mana kar diya tha" Vanshika said with a hint of taunt in her tone.

[You're the one who refused to take part in the elections last year]

"Hm..." I replied.

"Tell me your name" Mr. Prefect said.

"Samaira Malhotra" I replied.

"Done. Do you both have any questions?" He asked.

"By any chance do you have a girlfriend" Vanshika asked.

"I will only answer questions regarding the elections" he said.

I was constantly giving a sideye to Vanshika.

"Why are you glaring at me? such a weirdo" Vanshika said.

"I didn't even say a word! Why are you so triggered" I replied. She was clearly trying to provoke me.

"You both can leave if you don't have any queries" Mr. Prefect said.

"um... what's your name? I don't know who you are." I asked.
Knowing his name was extremely important for scientific purposes.

"Neev Khurana" he replied.

"Okay then! We have the polling tomorrow so make sure you reach the auditorium at 9 am" Neev said.

I left the classroom with a sense of accomplishment because he answered my question even though it wasn't related to the elections.

I ran back to tell the important information to Saisha and Gaurika.

"I GOT TO KNOW HIS NAME" I said.

"Don't tell me it's another Aryan or Aditya" Gaurika said.

"Neev Khurana" I said with a hint of red on my cheeks.

"Wah jiju ka name toh bada cute hai" Saisha said.

[Wow brother in law has a cute name]

NEXT DAY

It's 8:46 am and I have 14 minutes before the actual polling starts. Ms. Jain asks me to go and stand on the stage behind my name card.

We also have elections for House captains today. The auditorium, transformed into a makeshift debate stage, buzzes with energy as candidates take their places behind their placards.

Outside, volunteers hustle to set up voting booths, arranging tables and chairs in neat rows to accommodate the influx of eager voters. The atmosphere is charged with anticipation as students line up, eager to cast their ballots and have their voices heard. We use the ballot paper system for elections because that's easy to conduct.