Police officer's love story

Part 12

Past

Abhi used to be totally depressed and angry due to the comments faced from his peers regarding his mother and he got into fights daily. Punishments and insults became a daily routine for him. He did not know how to channel that anger, how to escape from this hellish atmosphere...he can't be happy- neither at home nor at school. He just wanted to run far away from there. This is getting unbearable for him. Today, was another such day when he was bullied by others and he had hit the boy, who teased him. The gang teamed upon him and beat him hard, leaving him on the floor. They were about to hit him more, when they heard the principal's voice and ran away. He lifted himself not even bothering to wipe the blood flowing from his knee. He was used to such fights and learned to get up himself. Nobody bothered about him. He lifted his head and saw a girl from his class looking at him. He lowered his eyes and started to tie his shoelaces. However, when she looked at him, she was still staring at him...there was no mockery or disgust in her eyes unlike others.He looked at her for a moment surprised.

Although he never talked to her, he knew her as she was in the same class. She appeared very quiet and was always in her own world. She did not gossip with others nor did she pay attention to other's comments. He knew that she was one of the toppers but she never appeared like a nerd. She did not have many friends and was very reserved. Some people even thought of her as arrogant but she never seemed to care. She looked as though she never needed anyone and it made him a bit jealous. In some corner of his heart, there was a reluctant admiration for her.

He heard the principal's footsteps nearing him, and he knew what was going to come."You are hopeless...this time, I am going to ask your mother to change your school. Come to my office in five minutes,' he ordered and left ,not even bothering to enquire about the reasons for his fight or show any concern for his wounds.

He was about to go when he saw a handkerchief in front of him. Neeta stretched it in front of him pointing to his wound. He was shocked as nobody came near him now-a-days or care about his pain. She never even looked at him properly, never spoke to him but cared for him. He did not take it, still afraid that it was an illusion or joke. She kept it in his hand and left from there quietly.

He looked at the cloth in his hand still surprised at the gesture-when he remembered that he had to go to principal's room...he was already immune to the scoldings which did not bother him much and he was still staring at the cloth in his hand. The principal got irritated, 'what are you looking at?' he tried to snatch the cloth in order to throw it away when he pushed his hand back.'No' he shouted, making the principal shocked as he had always quietly listened to the insults.'Don't touch it.It's mine,' he took it and ran away from the room.

He started observing her more from that day.She was as oblivious to him as before but he felt his heart sooth a bit whenever he looked at her, momentarily forgetting his anger and pain. One day, his science teacher announced a project and made three people work as a team for it. Everybody was paired up and only he was left. Nobody wanted him in their group. Some of them did not like him and some thought of him as trouble maker. He acted as though he did not care but still it hurt his heart, the feeling of rejection. She went and talked to the teacher about something and the teacher nodded her head. He was excited after so many months when her name was announced as his partner.

She came and sat beside him. He sat there not knowing what to speak.Truly speaking, he had no idea about the project as he was not able to concentrate on studies now-a-days. If she asked him anything, he did not know what to do...he feared that even she might think him as worthless...he lowered his head unable to do anything.

She forwarded a sheet to him...he opened it and was shocked to see that she had already done the project.

He could not stop himself from speaking. 'You have completed it already by yourself. Then, why did you ask mam to be my partner?'