Us │✔

28│Mother Knows Best

Jivika~

Jumping at the sound, I glared at Lavanya. There she stood, grinning shamelessly after bursting the balloon which she had picked up from the ground, making sure that the attention of the entire crowd gathered was on us. Eyeing the fancy decorations skeptically, I observed the hoarding announcing the event, Euphoria 2019.

Or simply said, the biggest annual college fest in Asia. A technology fest in the morning, and a cultural fest once the sun sets. The reason why our school was shut for four days since our playground was taken up by the campus for setting up exhibition tents.

And every year we used to sneak inside the campus, laughing at the faces of people who stood waiting outside, just for entering. While we the ones, having friends from inside the campus who could bring us in anytime they wanted to. But that's the only help even they could do. Cause once you set your foot inside the campus, from there on even we had to stand in the long lines to get through.

At the moment I was tired of standing in the sun, that too in another long queue, waiting for the gates of lazer tag to open. Bored out of her wits, Lavanya couldn't be kept still. Frustrated, she shouted.

"Koi hamme ghusao naaa!"
["Someone push us in please!"]

The crowd around us mainly consisted of college students from all over the country. No matter from where no one could stop laughing at that statement of hers, a thought put behind all kinds of meanings it could create.

Can this day be any more embarrassing?

*

Walking on the road staring at trees lined up and labeled with their names, I poked Kiara since I had nothing else to do. She the one who was walking with me, screamed out a 'No Jivika!', before grinning like a Cheshire cat. Wriggling her fingers, that simple action sent me to fits of laughter. I was ticklish to the extent that doing such things when you are miles away from me, could make me go insane.

I looked up, trying to spot the others. Lavanya, Maahi, and Rhea walking together, with Lavanya in between them, sharing her pearls of wisdom like always. Kiara and I were behind them, not far enough cause we could make out what she was saying. Amaya and Laysa on the other side of the road, talking among themselves. This was normal, this was our normal.

Kiara and I crossed the road to join them since the road was unusually crowded cause of the fest. "Oh, look there!" shrieked Laysa, pointing at the herd of cows heading over. At the sight of that army, Maahi and Rhea joined us. But Lavanya did not.

There has to be that one person who would love to take photos every moment. Let it be of the cow or the cow dung. And Lavanya was one such person.

Zooming her phone close to the calf's nose, she freaked out when the young one gave a sudden jump, calling out to its mother. Stuck between the herd, she was close to crying, feeling helpless. Gaining her senses, Kiara walked over, pulling her out with the help of another guy passing by.

Trying to calm down the panicked Lavanya, we entered the cafe nearby and settled down to celebrate with a feast. Eight cheese pizzas stacked up on our table within minutes. Its aroma spreading happiness all over. Having a straight view of the park, I spotted a few figures looming around, playing Badminton.