7 Years & Waiting

Chapter - 13

Approx 5 years 9 months before D-day....

"Hey..Amara"I halted my run through the corridors of the school on hearing a female voice calling my name. I rolled my eyes and turned towards the twenty-fifth girl calling out to me this week. I found a tall and thin girl with too much liner around her eyes and too much lipstick on her lips sauntering towards me. Wait! Was so much makeup allowed in school!

"You are Amara, right? Sarthak's friend?" she waved her multi-colored nail paint clad hand around my face. "I was wondering..."

"Listen..." I cut her off, really not interested to hear the same thing for the twenty-fifth time. "I know you wanna go to the school's farewell party with Sarthak and want me to deliver your message to him. I am really late for class... so can you just give the message and get it done with?" I spoke hurriedly scared of getting late once again.

"Oh..." her makeup clad face distorted with confusion at first but then she regained with a smirk. "So I have competition I see...Well! Too bad for those bitches! Once he meets me, he won't ever look at another girl" she spoke with a flicker to her hair. Damn! This girl is confident!

"Message please!" I sighed and silently cursed my stupid, Casanova friend for whom, I have recently acquired the position of love messenger.

As I entered the classroom (five minutes late), Sarthak was already rooted at his usual spot beside me, scratching his head with the back of his pen, apparently stuck at yet another calculus sum.   

"What is it this time?" I settled down myself beside him, thankful that the teacher had not yet arrived. He lifted his head and after an over-dramatic sigh, pushed his notebook towards me.

"It's is a second order derivative sum, Sarthak. You have to once again differentiate the output of the first differentiation. See..like this" I explained the problem to him and he nodded his head.

"Once again! It was this simple and I...had been raking my brain since an hour" he put an arm around my shoulder and pulled me to him. "You...are a genius, Firebolt" I nudged and spatted away his hand and he grinned, very well aware of my awkwardness.

"So...are you planning to set a world record of coming late to classes?" he asked teasingly.

"Arrghh! Don't remind me...and usually it isn't even my fault. Either it's some of Aunt Leena's odd jobs or the betraying chain of my bike or some stupid girl..." I broke my rambling, suddenly remembering the morning debacle with Miss. Makeup. "In fact, today I was late because of you. Here.." I handed him the love message and he look vaguely amused.

"Aah! Another declaration of love! Although I am not interested in going out right now, it always pleases me to get so much attention" he smirked. Overconfident much! "So tell me..was she hot?"

"Seriously..Sarthak?" I huffed at his enthusiasm. "Jeez! You don't wanna date anyone yet you are interested if she is hot or not? Really...Guys are shameless".

"Woah! Firebolt! I didn't know you had a feminist side!" he teased further, clearly amused by my irritation that angered me more.

"Seriously Sarthak..why don't you just go out and tell everyone that you are not looking for a date for farewell party. At least those desperate girls will get a closure and I will be the released from this love messenger job" I raised an eyebrow sarcastically.

"Damn Girl...I smell jealously! Is that it? Do you want to go to farewell party with me? You should have told me sweetheart..I would have..." he smiled in all his arrogance but I cut him off.

"Shut up! Firstly, I am not your sweetheart and secondly...Jealous..over you!" I mock laughed at the ridiculousness of the thought. "In your dreams my friend. And anyways...it doesn't matter since I am not going to the party".