The Chocolate Boy (Book One)

Chapter 7 : MI: Mission Impression - The Announcement

Nutrition. The subject I hated the most.

On the first day, when I got to the class after Economics, the Chemistry people were already there. By the time I had entered, all the other students had picked their partners for practicals and the only one left was You-Know-Who.

"Why do I always end up with you?" I had snapped quite angrily at him. It was the time when his mere presence used to annoy me.

"Because we were meant to be together. And yeah, I do love the way you lift your eyebrow."

"Gay much?"

He had had that ROFL moment the reason for which I had only realised once he had come out to me last week.

I still wonder how I could remain oblivious to the fact which the whole class had known by then.

That's one of the major drawbacks of being socially awkward I guess.

And from that day, I had been immensely grateful to Ishan for all the practical classes. Don't you guys breath a word of that to him!

But I'm damn sure if I'd been left on my own, none of the dishes that the teacher gave us to make, would have been edible. And the fact that we were the only ones to get 5 out of 5 stars in all the practicals made us a subject of jealousy among all the girls.

Believe me when I say that we were the only boys to take up Nutrition instead of Physics.

"Tuhin," Ishan said in a whisper.

"Hm?"

"Pay attention!" he gestured at the teacher.

"Hm. Do I look like I care to know about Carbohydrates and Proteins and what not?" Though I said that, I turned at the teacher after receiving a glare from my new found 'friend'.

"Now coming to your project for the Half Yearlies-"

"Nice timing," I grinned to myself.

"-You know you have 20 marks there and I've been thinking of giving you something interesting to do. Ishan, why don't you and Tuhin come and sit in the front? The counter is empty."

Ishan looked at me for confirmation. Our counter beside the window had been a strategic location for my claustrophobia. Though this room was spacious enough, Ishan did not want to take a chance.

I nodded after taking a look at my watch. Only 15 more minutes were left. I could surely manage that.

But what has a project got to do with me and Ishan being at the front of the class? Freaking weird!

As we moved up, the teacher, Mrs Ghosh, gushed in a low voice, "I never thought I'd get the chance to teach boys in my lifetime. Nobody takes Nutrition, except the girls. This year is so special for me!"

Being the teacher's pet, Ishan flashed her a brilliant smile while I huffed a sigh and the girls around us started laughing.

So much attention. I can't take this.

My heartbeat rate built up. Maybe shifting my place was a wrong decision.

"Okay, so class, coming back to what I was saying. Now the interesting part is young ladies, you have to prepare something to impress the two guys here. And you, my dear young men, have to impress the girls here with just one preparation."

How weirder could this class get? What's with impressing girls and boys?

She waved her hands in a dramatic way.

"Just one preparation and they have to be impressed. Take this as a challenge. Who knows, maybe the way to your love-of-your-life's heart is through his or her stomach?" she said with a wink. "I can't wait to see my students bonding over cooking!"