Did You Get Your Period?

CHAPTER TWENTY.

The next morning, Shweta wakes up with a smile on her face. She had been in a good mood since the date; even after Vaibhav had left. The fairy-lights that she'd thrown haphazardly into the cupboard peek out, the little yellow bulbs seemed to be smiling with the memory of the day before.

The bedroom was large; initially, it had been two rooms. But when Shweta and Shruti had refused to sleep alone in their rooms and had snuck into Seema's bed every night and overcrowding it; she'd had the walls between their bedrooms broken down. Now, there was only a small bit of the wall on either side; forming a dramatic edge something that looked rather architecturally pleasing. It was of course, accidentally architecturally pleasing. Shweta had made their little theatre on her side of the bedroom but had flung all the white bedsheet in haste when her mother was returning on Shruti's bed. The popcorn bowls sat unwashed under Shruti's bed and from her bed when she sat up, Shweta could see it.

This only brings a bigger smile on her face and a warm blush rises on her cheeks as she remembers what had happened when they'd sat down to watch the movie. Shweta's instinct had been right; the movie was half unwatched as his hands kept finding their way underneath her t-shirt; gently caressing the skin causing goosebumps to break out all over her body. She'd remove it, he'd laugh; his body shaking and shaking her as well; his voice resonating in her ear. She'd shake her head; they'd watch the movie for a bit and he'd start it all over again. The movie sat unwatched for most of it; their own conversations interested them far more. So entirely caught up in each other; watching something else on the screen just felt mind-numbingly boring.

"Shweta do you plan on waking up tomorrow?" Her mother's snarky remark cuts into her daydream but not even that is enough to ruin her mood.

"No, maa." She calls out, "I'm up already." She yells, quickly getting off the bed and setting about to clearing the room before her mother knocked.

The house always felt a little odd without Shruti; their already nuclear family shrinking even further. "Did Shruti reach safely?" Shweta asks about her sister, having gone to bed early.

"Yes, she did," Seema says absent-mindedly, one hand holding the newspaper while a piece of paratha waits in the other. Then after a while, she adds as an afterthought, "Do you have any plans today?"

Shweta swallows and she nods grimly, "I'm going over to Riddhi's."

"Well, don't be too long. You have to study as well." Seema says, not bothering to look at Shweta's face. Had she done so; she would've noticed her daughter paling in fear.

Shweta had decided to apologize to Riddhi and knew that she needed to do it now. The longer she stretched it, the more of a debacle it would become. Theirs had been over ten years of friendship and Shweta didn't want it sour right when they were about to leave school. It had always had its share of ups and downs but it had never had this silence that had already gone on for too long. She would have to apologize to Riddhi even if she didn't want to forgive her. That would be alright, Shweta thought, but I have to apologize.

The memory of the afternoon of the fight erupts in her memory, causing her to wince at some of the things that she'd said to Riddhi. Her words had been spiteful; spitting all of the venom on Riddhi with a rage that hadn't been entirely directed towards her. Shweta had been feeling too frustrated with every other aspect of her life and Riddhi had just been at the receiving end of all of it.

After breakfast, she heads up to her room dawdling about purposely in an attempt to delay the inevitable. But by late morning, she manages to garner enough strength and courage and convince her to walk the Galli between her house and Riddhi's.

Riddhi had been frazzled all morning. There was a Physics test to be held on Monday morning and so far, her brain simply refused to solve any of the sums. They were supposed to be tested on Resistance and no matter what she did her brain seemed to be resisting her attempts at making it work. She was distracted and she knew; there was no way she would get any studying done that day. Sometimes, her moods just catapulted around in unpredictable directions and she sighed in annoyance. She would just have to try her best to wing the test the following day.