Those Bonafide Teens

1. Into Her World

The weather was way too sunny for October. But hot climate was nothing new to Mumbai. The scintillating sun shone straight down into class 11 B of St Xavier's High School. My best friend Zoya Fakhri cringed as the sun beams fell on her face. She hurriedly pulled open her bag, reached out for sunscreen and dabbed it on her face, like we were going to a beach or something. But we were going to no beach. We were only going to the Chemistry lab which was two floors below.

"Zoya, it's cool down in the Chemistry lab", I hissed at her.

"I know Riya. But we have gym in the afternoon. I don't want to get a tan. By the way where's Mishti?"

"She has gone down first as usual".

By the time we reached the lab, the queue outside was already very long. It suited me. It would be a long time before I went in. Hey I had no qualms for Chemistry. I really liked it. What I did have qualms for was Loukya Khanna. And the feeling was mutual. She was the class teacher of 11 B to which I belonged. She was our Chemistry teacher too.

Zoya was standing in front of me. She turned around and grinned. I grinned back and made a face in Loukya mam's direction. But just then she turned around too..

"Riya Dixit! Can't you control yourself for a few minutes? Behave properly for once. I don't know how I am going to handle you for the rest of the year! God!"

Great! The first lab session of the term had kick started with gaiety and grandeur!

My other best friend Mishti Kanwal, was standing right at the front of the line. She gave me a look that said "I warned you". As you can guess, Mishti was the good girl out of the three of us, I mean me, Zoya and Mishti. The three of us had been friends for six years now.

Mishti was the stereotypical topper, the quintessential nerd. She often reminded me irresistibly of Hermione Granger. She was as tall as I was but much fairer and her hair was tied into a short ponytail. Now she looked even more fairer than usual as she was standing next to the short and dark Loukya ma'am.

Zoya was fair too but shorter than me and Mishti, with long curly hair that came up to her back. With Loukya ma'am around, nobody could even turn their heads, so all I could do was stand and stare at Zoya's thick and curly double plaits. The lab was finally opened and our class trotted in.

All the labs in St Xavier's High School looked like they were straight out of a television commercial. But that didn't make our experiments any easier. I went inside and took my place.

Loukya ma'am immediately started ranting something about calcium hydroxide. After she had finished she asked, "Who can tell me why the solubility of calcium hydroxide at 70 °C is about half of its value at 25 °C?"

I looked at Zoya hopelessly.

To nobody's surprise Mishti's hand shot up, "The reason for this rather uncommon phenomenon is that the dissolution of calcium hydroxide in water is an exothermic process, and also adheres to Le Chatelier's principle."

Whatever that means..!!

"Brilliant Ms Kanwal".

Mishti tried not look too pleased with herself, "Now who can state Le Chatelier's principle for me?"

Nobody raised their hand. "Come on. We learnt this last week. Is anybody going to answer or should I call out somebody?"

I bent my head quickly hoping she wouldn't see me. It is difficult to hide when you're 5'7''.

But anybody who has not studied for an oral test in school would know that stupid technique just doesn't work!

I spotted Mishti who was at the end of my row and looked at her pleadingly. I was sure she knew the answer! She frowned and put up her hand again.

"Please ma'am. The Le Chatelier's principle states that when any system at equilibrium for a long period of time is subjected to change in concentration, temperature, volume or pressure, one the system changes to a new equilibrium and two this change partly counteracts the applied change."

"How does she do that every time?", Zoya muttered to me.

That's exactly what I'd wanted to know for the past six years!

I mean, puh-leese.

I tried to learn that chapter the previous night and I had lost half my sanity by the end.

Of the first page!

I thought of it and failed to stifle a giggle. Unfortunately I was spotted.

"What is so funny there? Riya are you a normal person or what?" Loukya mam snapped at me.

That was exactly the problem! I was not normal.

But who is?

Most of class behaves like they've lost their minds. But Loukya ma'am had this special hatred for me!

She was still going on, "I can't believe how insolent you people are these days. When I was a student we were all so disciplined. We listened to our teachers.." She rambled on and on about her so called model studenthood policy which probably existed during the age of Mahabarata.

This was too much!

Like who wastes their precious lab session to give a sermon on studenthood? Loukya Khanna! That's who!

By the end of that hour, I walked out of the lab, my hands on my temples. The lab drama had given me a headache.

The session hadn't gone well. I had mistaken calcium bicarbonate for calcium hydroxide and messed up the entire experiment and Loukya mam had exploded. Hey, in the end it's all calcium right? Why was Loukyaji overreacting?!

My BFF'S joined me and we made our way to the school cafeteria.

Mishti was not sympathetic about my situation, "If you had listened in class, last week you could have easily done that experiment", she said annoyingly.

The school cafeteria was one place, in St Xavier's that could cheer up anybody in a foul mood. St Xavier's School in Mumbai was where I had studied for the past twelve years.

But that was nothing to say that I led a peaceful life there. Let me be honest. I was not the trouble-avoiding subtle school girl in anyway. According to lot of people I was an obtrusive, judgemental and opinionistic girl.

Which could be slightly true.

Okay it's a lot true.

But still!

There was so much drama in my high school life all the time, that I wondered how people don't lose their sanity by the end of it!

Zoya and Mishti were much better than me in playing the 'good girl' which is mandatory in any high school.

Okay, Zoya played it, while Mishti was really a 'good girl'. And that meant, I was the one who got caught most of the time. Naturally, I was no favourite to most of the teachers and umm..some students too, and by some students I mean..well you'll know soon.