The Chocolate Boy

Chapter 1 - Vanilla Nights

Dreams were where my nightmares resided.

"Move it, Tuhin, we are getting late."

I swatted aimlessly at my sister's hands but she managed to go on poking my rear end. Frustrated, I sat up on the bed and tried to rub the sleep out of my eyes.

"That's my boy!" She ruffled my hair and thrust in my hands a toothbrush with the paste already applied. I looked at her in confusion. What was her deal? If my sister was being nice to me without any ulterior motive, then the end of the world must be just around the corner.

"Go to the bathroom, quick!"

I groaned and stretched before leaving my room with her following closely behind me.

"I'm just so excited about this new school!" she began to gush. 

Ah, that was it. Today was the day we start at the new high school. It was no wonder that she wanted her first impression to be immaculate and not be ruined by my tardiness.

But I did not particularly want to favor her today.

"The building holds only classes 11 and 12, so no annoying juniors. Also, it has the best school library in the whole of Kolkata! I just can't wait to check it out and finish - "

"My God! Just shut up Tuhina!"

Some days I really wished I could keep my temper under check but who was I kidding? My sister had it worse than me at times.

The smile fell from her face immediately. Not that I wanted to ruin her excitement but she needed to shut up anyway.

She looked at me with a concern etched on her face.

What? Don't I get an anger fueled lecture?

"Just... hurry up, okay?"

I nodded and without another word, entered the bathroom to get ready for school.

"Don't know what's up with him lately," her voice trailed off.

Yeah, go on having stupid nightmares all throughout the night only to be woken up by being poked on your butt and you'll know what's up.

I turned on the shower, stripped out of my boxer shorts and stepped into the stream of flowing water. Even that was uncomfortably warm on my already sweat-soaked body. I ran my hands all over myself, hoping to wash away the stresses of the night. Especially the nightmares. They just made the bad memories a hundred times worse.

With a towel wrapped around my waist, I went back to my room to fish out some clean underwear from my closet and slipped on the new uniform Tuhina had kept ready for me on my bed.

"Breakfast ready!" Ma called from the kitchen while I headed down to the dining with my bag slung over my shoulder. Tuhina was already seated at the table.

Ma shoved a glass in my hand. It was milk with Complan.

Yeah, the all-famous health drink allegedly stimulating the growth hormone of kids since forever.

"Really, Ma? I'm already six feet tall, I don't need to be taller than this," I gestured at myself with a frown.

"Just drink and be over with it," mother said as she hurriedly put some mixed fruit jam on the toasts for herself.

Seeing her state, I couldn't complain more and began to do the same to the ones in my plate. The help had suddenly decided not to show up today so Ma had to cook all the meals, do the household chores on top of preparing to present the project she'd been working on for a month on which weighed her promotion.

Maybe I should've tried waking up earlier to help her.

If I did, I would be a zombie by now, since the morning was the only time I got some sleep. My body already felt as heavy as a sack of potatoes. Even my mouth worked slower on the toasts than it should.

"Come on, Tuhin, hurry up! It's already 8:40!" Tuhina had started jumping up and down, ready to leave with her backpack.

Why did the school have to start today? I don't want to go.

"Tuhin! " I ignored the nerd.

"Oh God, please hurry up! I don't want to be late!"

I shrugged. "I want to be gloriously late."

***

We were gloriously late, just the way I liked it. We managed to make it into the school premises sharp at 9:10, as the gates shut behind us.

Tuhina shot me a death glare and trudged along past me with long strides.

What's the use?

I reached the classroom taking my own sweet time and found Tuhina waiting outside. I knew she would. She always does.

She looked disturbed.I followed her gaze inside and saw what was bugging her. The whole room was packed except two seats, one at each of the two corners of the room, one beside a girl and the other beside a boy. I had already started sweating nervously but I couldn't stop myself from smiling at what the seating arrangement meant in my life.

"Sweet. I don't have to spend another year beside you."

"I hate you for being my twin brother."

"I'm honoured," I paused, gladly taking in the sight before me. "This year better be a good one." But my increased pulse rate didn't help my optimism much. 

She pouted and started walking to my right but I stopped her when I realized which seat she was trying to take.

"What? That boy's cute!"

I rolled my eyes. I was quite good at it.

"No way I'm sitting with another girl," I said and steered her to my left. "Plus I need to be near the window, you know. That side of the classroom doesn't have a window."

"Sexist!" She pouted again and went away.

I dropped my bag and slumped into the seat next to the "cute" boy.

Sure, I had noticed him smiling at me and trying hard to get my attention but I was too tired to strike up a conversation.

But he didn't get the message.

"Protective much?"

I looked at him with my jaw dropping slightly.

"What?"

"Can't trust your girlfriend enough to let her sit with a cute boy for a year?"

What is this jerk calling himself cute for?

"She's my twin sister," I scoffed. It was biologically impossible for us to be identical for us being of the opposite sexes, but surely there were some familial resemblances.

"Oh, sorry. But of course, that explains it," he stated in a matter-of-fact manner.

"What? " I was getting irritated by his odd behavior.

"Your protectiveness. Brothers are always overprotective of their sisters. And I already have a female fan club here. Ask her to join it. Membership is free!"

"Believe me, I wouldn't have sat beside you if this wasn't the only seat left."

"Now now, we can't change that, can we? Oh, we haven't performed the formal greetings! Ishan Sen here." He held out his hand.

"Tuhin." The light throbbing at the back of my head had intensified since I had entered the classroom. I turned my head to look at the other side, ignoring him, and immediately regretted it. The sight made me feel sick to my stomach.

So many people!

I rested my head in my hands, trying to focus on the desk in front of me instead.

"Hey!" I heard Ishan's voice. 

Couldn't that boy just shut up?

"Hey, Tuhin. What's wrong?"

"Just leave me alone," I managed to mumble.

"Oh but - hi, Tuhin's sister!"

"Hello."

I glanced upward to find Tuhina standing in front of me with arms crossed over her chest, a frown gracing her features.

"You could've just told him," she said.

I chose to remain silent. There was it, the temper that ran in the family.

"What is it?" Ishan asked.

"My brother is a bit claustrophobic. Can you please give him the window seat for some time?"

"Yeah, sure." I heard him shuffling beside me. 

I didn't want anyone to know my weakness. Yet here was my twin, shouting it out loud for everyone in the vicinity to hear.

"Here. Let me get out," Ishan said and pushed me a little.

I stood up and at once felt my head spinning lightly. Tuhina knew the symptoms too well to help me stay on my feet.

How weak must I look on the first day of school?

I looked out of the window as I sat inside. The sight outside was rather welcoming. A quaint little house stood in the midst of a well-curated lawn. A set of swings sat in the garden surrounded by potted bonsai trees. Several black sedans glimmering in the morning sun, waited in the portico.

This was the plot beside our school premises. 

It was beautiful. It stank of money and power.

"Thank you. I'm his twin sister, Tuhina," my twin was saying.

"Ooh, twins," Ishan cooed. "Ishan Sen at your service, madam. You know, none of you told me your surname. I guess that's a twin thing," he snickered.

I'd already started hating this guy.

Or maybe it was just my claustrophobia.

My sister laughed. "Mallick. Nice to meet you Ishan."

"Nice to meet you too, though I don't think your brother here feels the same."

"Just ignore him. He'll come around later," she waved dismissively.

How many more insults from my sister did I have to digest?

"Tuhina?"

She leant across the table. "Yes?"

"Do me a favor and just go away."

"b***h," she muttered and pulled a face.

"Call yourself," I said as she sauntered away to get to her seat.

Ishan's voice littered my ears. Again.

"I can just feel the sibling love here."

"You better get used to that if you are sitting beside me."

"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere. What's your combination of subjects?"

"Economics, Statistics, Maths and Nutrition."

"Your sister's?"

"Physics Chemistry Maths and Biology."

"Great! I have Psychology Chemistry Biology and guess what?" He looked at me with a mischievous smile.

"Physics?" I hoped he would have no classes with me but his smile told me otherwise.

"Nah. Nutrition! Then there are the language classes - English and Vernacular. Of course we both have Bengali for Vernacular. Wow, we have three classes together!"

I wanted to bang my head on the table.

"Hell yeah, can't wait!" I said, hoping that the sarcasm in my voice wouldn't go unnoticed.