No Longer The Same
1436 Words
After that incident, Punit and Ankita never saw each other for a couple of days.
Sitting at home, Ankita found her thoughts drifting off to that fateful day. She was still shaken. It all seemed like a nightmare that never happened.
She dwelt upon that moment where she came to know that Punit was assaulted by Sibal and his g**g, and the heartache that followed after finding him in a demolished state. Something in her blood boiled and she wanted to put Sibal back together and break all of his bones again. That’s when she remembered, her guitar was gone.
Though her father was cool about it, she found it extremely hard to explain how the guitar had ended up that way. I must have literally sledgehammered that scum to break a guitar into two, she thought frightfully. The noise of cracking wood still rung in her ears. It was traumatizing, but she couldn’t stop killing him. It was as if she was possessed with the Devil himself.
A dull ache took over her heart. She truly loved that guitar. It was a prized gift from her dad. She’d had it for years. Her interest in music started on a whim. She told her dad about it and the next moment he got her a guitar. It was that quick. He loves me so much, she realized while pondering over the events of the last few days, of how he’d fought for her, of how he’d quickly shifted her to an all-new school with Punit and her bandmates.
Punit...
The very thought of him made her heart flutter. She’d been having this odd feeling for the past few days. She simply couldn’t put a finger to it, as to what it was.
Every time she thought of him, her heart fluttered. Despite the terrible state he was in, he’d thrown himself in between to take all the hits, to protect her. He’d held her close when she was vulnerable. She’d seen the tears glistening in his eyes as she cried, she’d seen the pain it caused him.
He really cares about me, she thought fondly and smiled.
Do I like him, she wondered with a pounding heart, do I love him...?
She knew that she was falling for him. It was hard not to. He was the sweetest, kindest soul she’d ever met. He was too soft, funny, and adorable. And... she wasn’t sure if it was just her, but she also found him attractive.
On several occasions, whenever she was down, she has noticed how she always ended up laughing in his company. Could he have known that I was upset and made me laugh on purpose?
Something dropped to her guts when she quickly remembered the conversation, they had years back.
FLASHBACK -
“I want you to know that it’s all rubbish. We’re good friends and that’s it. I never had any wrong intentions. I only chose that song because... because it’s a great song, and not because I wanted to satisfy some of my wild fantasies like these people are saying. I love your voice. I mean, you’ve got a great voice. And as a musician, I can’t let that go to waste, you know what I mean? Did you know about all this, or...?”
“Yeah, I... did.”
“And?”
“And what? Like you said, tish-tosh. Rubbish. Hah!”
END OF FLASHBACK
Ankita swallowed the lump in her throat. The discomfort in her chest was maddening. She knew that things had changed. She no longer felt the same about him. A fluttering heart and hot flashes were the norms when she thought about him even by accident. But obviously, he never felt the same as he’d clarified that day. To him, they were just friends. And she was not ready to put their friendship on the line and ruin their equation.
***
After a week’s hiatus, Ankita trudged through the gates of her new school. She adjusted the weight of her bag on her shoulder, her cold, sweaty hand wringing its strap as she did. Her head and chest thumped alike as she ran her eyes around the strange surroundings. Though the school was pretty young, it was massive with a ground that could pass for a football stadium.
Unfamiliar places and situations always made her feel uncomfortable. The never-ending stretch of grounds with no proper direction didn’t help either. Small, comprehensible places were more her cup of tea.
She found herself going around in circles, hitting the wrong block at first (which was actually meant for kindergarten and primary students) then a boy’s room next. Great, just what I needed, embarrass myself on the very first day, she cursed herself as she shouldered past a bunch of goggling high school boys exiting the washroom. She wondered if the rest of her g**g (Edwin, Bruno, Jyotsana) would join today itself. They said they would. Then where the hell were they? She was dying for their company! This entire fiasco would be less harrowing if they were there.
Thankfully, a girl with white ribbons on her pigtails was passing by. “Hi, I was wondering if you could direct me to the staff room?” She stopped her politely.
“Sure. See that gate over there?” The girl pointed at an iron gate across the vast school ground. It was so far across that it looked small.
“Yeah?” Ankita swallowed, feeling even more nervous.
“Head straight to that gate, take the stairs down, you’ll hit the upper primary c*m high school block. The first room is what you’re looking for.”
“Thanks! Thank you so much! That was really helpful!”
“You’re welcome. Are you new here, by the way? I don’t think I’ve seen you before.”
“Yes, I am.”
“Cool. I’m Ritu. Class X-A" She put out her hand and Ankita took it.
“Ritu! Hi, I’m Ankita. I’m in X-A too!”
“Wow! That’s amazing! So, we’re classmates! Eh?”
“I guess we are. I’m glad we met.” She felt relieved to have made a new friend, someone who could show her around and put her at ease.
Though Ritu was headed in the opposite direction for some work, she offered to accompany Ankita to her new class. "There’s no need to show yourself in the staffroom,” she suggested, “just find your place in class and get ready for the assembly. It starts in another twenty minutes.”
“Sure,” she replied.
In a while, Ankita walked into class X-A with Ritu on her side. The room was almost empty. Many were yet to come. Some were loitering about. And some chose to stay inside. “Look, guys, we have a new mate!” she announced.
“Hi!”
“Hi!”
“Hello!”
They introduced themselves, putting Ankita at ease. They all seemed friendly, at least for now.
“Anki!” A familiar voice rang from the door, making her whip around. It was her old g**g: Edwin and Bruno.
“Hey! Where the hell were you guys?” she chirped happily.
“Next room. We’re in X-B,” said Edwin.
“Shit...” Ankita said, sounding very deflated.
“Jyotsana is in X-C,” said Edwin again, looking as deflated as her.
“Aw, don’t fret, look at the bright side. Punit is with you.” Bruno had a silly grin on his face as he said that, making her blush like hell. Though the duo never talked about their ‘relationship’ in another sense, it was pretty evident to their friends that something was going on between the two, even if they haven’t realized it yet.
“R-really...” she couldn’t find her voice. His very name made her heart skip a beat. Post the ruckus at her old school, she’d never felt the same about him.
“Uh-huh...” Bruno smirked.
Ritu and the others observed their new mates keenly, pretty much getting the picture about Punit and Ankita.
“Then where is he?” she managed to ask.
“From the looks of that bag, I’d say he’s already here.” Edwin eyed Punit’s familiar bag sitting on the last bench.
The first bell to the assembly sounded, freaking Ritu out. “Oh shit... I’m sorry, got to rush, I’ll catch up with you guys soon!” She bolted out of the classroom.
Ankita stepped out of the door with Edwin and Bruno, scanning the grounds, heart pounding, wondering where he could be.
_________
- Writer
