The Chocolate Boy

Chapter 6 - Nougat Crunch

"Tuhin," my sister came towards our seat, smiling like a maniac.

"Hm?" I looked up from my Economics homework. I needed to finish this if I didn't want to get thrown out of the classroom.

She furrowed her eyebrows at the books and notes lying in front of me on the table.

"Since when did you become such a nerd?"

"Since you decided to stop playing the role," I deadpanned.

"I'm not a nerd," she snapped.

"Says the popular nerd with glasses."

"Tuhin, I'm going to - "

"I swear Tuhina, if whatever you called me for is not more important than this, I'll make sure I kick your a*s really hard this time."

"Such sibling love!" Ishan commented without even looking up from his storybook.

"Shut up!" I glared at Tuhina as she returned it with equal vengeance.

"It's creepy how you both speak together," now he looked up. "I'll never get used to twins," he added with a shake of his head.

I just bluntly went back to search for features of the market economic system in the Eco book.

"Hey Tuhin," I clenched my jaws.

"This better be important," my voice came out in a growl.

God, I needed to keep my temper in check.

"That was scary," Ishan let out a whisper.

"Sorry. What is it?"

"You're scary."

I tried to ignore him. Note the emphasis on tried fellas.

"What is it, Tuhina?"

Tuhina just stared at me from under her long eyelashes.

"You've changed so much."

Why was everybody being such an emotional prick?

"Good that you noticed I've finally hit puberty."

"Can't you stop being so sarcastic all the time?"

"Can't you just tell me whatever it is and leave, like right now?"

"Yeah sure. The Captain is calling you downstairs in the changing room. Hope he asks you to f**k off when he sees you in this attitude!"

Her shocked expression had transformed into an angry one.

A valuable piece of advice: Don't push Tuhina when she's angry. That nerd can wreak havoc when she's mad at someone or something, which was rare, but enough scary.

Hey, I wasn't scared of her! But yeah, I wasn't liking this squabble anymore.

It was evident that anyway I was going to submit an incomplete Eco paper. So without another word, I made my way to the changing room silently.

***

"What took you so long?"

I found several pairs of eyes glaring daggers at me as I pushed open the doors to the changing room.

"Economics homework," I replied to the owner of the voice. He was a strongly built senior, but shorter than me.

"Well, if you want to stay on the team for long, be sure to do your homework from home, that is, where it is to be done."

I knew it was bad to talk back in these situations but I couldn't help it.

"Had to study for Stats class test today."

"Who got a nerd for our team, Rakesh?" another boy asked the one who had been talking to me, presumably Rakesh.

You say nerd as if it's a bad word.

"No idea," Rakesh retorted. "So let's see if you can bowl as well as you can study."

"I'll need a ball for that," I simply shrugged.

"Yeah sure, anything for our young Kapil Dev here," the other boy spoke and threw a red deuce ball at me which I caught with enough ease.

His eyes glinted with something I was too well familiar with.

Jealousy.

Meanie.

"So should I do this in the changing room? Or do you guys actually play outside, on the field?"

"Watch your attitude, kid!"

I couldn't care less. All my excitement of being on the cricket team of this school had evaporated within seconds.

Rakesh lightly shoved me outside and gestured the others to follow him. I didn't object though, I had had this s**t every time I went for the Hits.

Everyone hated my guts. Like I cared, huh!

Go, drown yourselves, people.

Rakesh and Meanie stood at one end, near the wicket while the others positioned themselves around us. Meanie got hold of a bat while Rakesh stood behind the wickets and waved his hand at me to go over to him.

I focused on the ball in my hands while I made my way so that I could concentrate on bowling, rather than be sarcastic and piss them all. As a matter of fact, they were all from class 12 and had a better built than me. I'd always been tall and lean but not as buff as them.

"You get one over, kid. Show us if you know the 'C' of Cricket."

Like the hell I wouldn't know. Cricket is spelled as C.R.I.C.K.E.T., you i***t.

But on the outside, I nodded and made my way past Meanie who glared daggers at me and moved a finger across his throat. I knew what it meant.

You are so gonna be dead.

Press him with murder charges if I die, fellas.

But I forced my mind on the cricket ball in my hands.

As I turned around, I looked at how Meanie was standing with the bat and waiting for me.

His posture said it all.

He underestimated me.

And I must take advantage of it.

Foolish boy.

I settled upon spinning the ball lightly in high speed so that it fell a little away from Meanie's body and he'd have to sidestep to strike it and if he missed it (which I was 110per cent sure he would), the wicketkeeper could catch it and hit the stumps.

I like it when things happen exactly the way I plan them.

So I liked it..no, scratch that...I loved it when Meanie got a good scolding from Rakesh for not being enough attentive.

Now that Meanie's attention was on me, and he was burning with jealousy, I had to work some new tactics. I delivered another spin ball which Meanie hit with enough ease and flashed a victory smile when it hit the boundary line.

"Managed a four in the second ball itself, huh?" A boy, fielding beside me on this end, said.

"Nobody knows what's going to happen in the third ball," I snarled back.

Of course, I'd given the four runs quite deliberately. It was a little silly trick that the coach had taught me.

"You're underestimating Krrish, there."

"Maybe you are overestimating him?"

I took my position after much ado. Krrish, huh? Hrithik Roshan suited best in that name. Not some rude jealous and sarcastic mean old Meanie.

Running at my normal pace, I started to gain speed after half the way and swung my arms to gain momentum.

Soon the ball went out of my hand with all its force and

SMASH!

It hit the stumps and landed back into the cupped hands of Rakesh.

Krrish looked at me while his jaw dropped near his feet. Okay, I know that's not possible.

But I'd like to imagine that happening.

The same was the case with the other 12 or 13 guys around me. They looked at me in wonder.

Rakesh was the first one to revive. He walked towards me and said, "That was quite impressive," he patted my back.

I gave him a curt nod. From the corner of my eyes, I could see Krrish, leaving the bat behind and walking away towards the school building.

Got hurt in the guts, eh?