Kiss Of Life

One

I need a smoke. A puff, maybe. Just a little.

I am tapping my foot in a I-need-a-smoke-right-this-second manner. Mrs. Chopra is the worst Maths teacher ever. But then, any Maths teacher is the worst. Who chooses Maths as a subject to teach? Maths is the worst subject.

'Excuse me, ma'am', I interrupt the world's most boring monologue that's apparently nobody's listening to.

She glares at me. One thing Mrs. Chopra despises, yes despises, is getting interrupted, especially by me. She hates me with a passion. Maybe because I don't respect her much but still score brilliant in her class. Just kidding, I suck at Maths. I'd say the full name but honestly, I'm not sure if I even know the spelling. See? That's how much I hate Maths.

'Yes, Mr. Kapoor', she demands in an icy tone. This is why I don't like her. She can't address me without reminding me of my family. I come from a wealthy, reputed background. Everyone wants me because of that. She wants me to excel not for who I am but 'cause she doesn't want any "dirt" on my family's name.

'Ma'am I need to pee', I make up an excuse.

'Me. Kapoor! You could say need the bathroom', she shrieks.

'Alright, may I go use the bathroom?', I ask as politely as I can.

'You may', she replies. I leave the classroom as quickly as I can.

My class is on the second floor. Every floor has a bathroom. But that's not where I smoke. On fifth floor, near the water-cooler there's a door, locked, to the eye. Janitor's lock is broken. You can click it open if you try. One day I did and that's when I discovered my to be secret hide out.

I rush towards the stairs and tip toe my way to the hideout. I don't want want anyone else using my hideout now, do I? The door lock is missing but the door is shut. Without pondering on "whys" and "hows", I make my way into the hideout.

The place is pretty much empty and dirty, devastatingly, dilapidated dirty. One of the glass windows is broken so the cold air comes in and keeps the place cool. In winters, obviously. My cigarette butts are scattered near the corner I smoke. What can I say, I like to mark my territory. So lame A, so lame.

Basically the corridor is U-shaped. I don't go to the other end. I stand at the bend right in front of the entrance. I like to keep an eye on things, plus the view is amazing from this side. Actually, it oversees the parking lot but the other end faces a red building, which is crap to look at. Also, sometimes you can witness people making out in the corners of parking space which is definitely more fun than a mundane, red-brick, building.

I am on my second cigarette right now. Just starting. Alright, alright, I'm midway, but that's not the point, point is that I hear a sound. A sniffle, maybe. I stiffen. I don't want to get caught. I'm in no mood of another lecture from my step mom.

A sob. I ignore it. Another. Smoke. Another one. Just smoke, A. And another. Don't bother. I hear a sharp intake of breath. I'm not a curious guy, but something compels me to go towards the origin of the sound. And like the hero of every scary movie, I start walking towards the other end of the U. It's not a scary story. No paranormal entities. But, surely, I'm the hero.

When I reach the other end, with on hand in my pocket and other holding my cigarette, I realise where the sound came from. Thank God, it's not a mouse or a whiny kid. It's a girl, curled up on the floor, her back towards me and she was shivering and gasping for air, I think.

On impulse, I run to her. I place my hands on her shoulders and turn her around. My cigarette falls on the ground when our eyes meet. Her eyes are green, with a few specks on gold in them. And they are terrified. I snap out of my reverie when I realise what's going on. She's struggling to breathe. Like really struggling.

'Umm, hey, you OK?', I ask and rub my right hand on her back.

'Look, you need to calm down', I begin but her eyes and her shivering tell me she is nowhere near calming.

'It's gonna' be OK, alright? Just take a deep breath', a tear drop falls from her left eye. She is clearly trying to get herself together, but is failing and that too miserably.

I don't know what to do. I'm freaking out here. I can tell a teacher but that'll require me explaining my reasons to how I ended up here and the cigarettes. No, that's not an option. I don't even know this chick. I think she's my classmate, but I'm not sure.

Believe me when I say this, I'm not an impulsive guy. I'm not. I take calculated risks. But today, this is my second impulse. I tilt her chin up and kiss her. Her lips, they are the softest I've ever kissed and I've kissed a fair share of lips. I move my lips against hers. She doesn't answer my kiss but she does calm down. Bingo! I give her lower lip a lick and an inaudible gasp escapes her lips. I smirk and pull away.

'Well, that was something', I note. She looks away and within seconds gets up to leave. Wait, what?

'Hey!', I shout.

'Who are you?', no answer.

'The least you could say is thank you', I comment. Her footsteps halt, she looks back at me. Her eyes are hypnotic but more than that, they're daring me to reach out to her.

To my utter surprise, she turns away and leaves! Without one word! So much for being a good guy.

The bell rings, reminding me that I skipped nearly half of my Maths class and Mrs. Chopra will fry me in her pan or worse eat me alive for that.

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Done be a silent reader.
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