June & July

Chapter 6

JULY

6.Difference:

"Not everybody treats you in the same way"

It's been five minutes since I have been waiting. Lastly, I decided to order my lunch when at last, I saw Harold along with John and Ron entering the packed cafeteria and searching for me in the crowd. John saw me when I waved at them and soon came rushing towards me like they have found something extremely precious that was lost for years, without whom they were incomplete. After sharing hugs like we were meeting each other after years, Ron and I decided to order lunch since Harold and John had already settled themselves. Waiting in the queue, I didn't realized that I was smiling since I was busy thanking God blessing me with such amazing and gracious friends. Harold is definitely and irrefutably some sort of archangel who introduced me to Ron and John – the twins.

Yeah! They both were twins but as much as they were alike and identical from outside they were totally different from the inside, exclusively and absolutely beyond compare. Incomparable.

I was still grinning when I heard the girl behind the counter presentably asking for order, and bringing me back to present actuality. After placing orders and paying the cashier we took our trays from which aroma of delicious pasta and heat of scrumptious plus luscious burgers and fries was rising, towards our table. Without any waste of time, we started eating when Harold begins the conversation.

"Boost up guys!!" he said hiding his archetypical smile and trying to sound serious and considerable. We all looked at him with confused faces when he said something which probably the twins almost or nearly forgot.

"Next is chemistry ..." he continued with after a pause, "which means project presentation" he said 'project presentation' more forcefully while looking at our bamboozled and mystified faces, and then started laughing with typical innocent glitter in his eyes. Ron hardly swallowed and gulps down the bite of the burger that was in his mouth and John, who was sitting right opposite to him showered all the orange juice on his brother's face that was in his mouth.

"Whoa!!" I knew what was going to happen now.

"What the f**k!!" Ron was still trying to absorb as to what actually happened with him but before that John ran away by taking extremely large strides and soon Ron was after him as well.

Harold and I fall down laughing by holding our stomachs for no less than fifteen minutes. 

Eventually, when everything got normal, I showed my assignment based on 'Thermo-chemistry' to him. Flipping the pages of my task a wide cherubic smile appeared on his face and he patted my shoulder, which calmed me.

"I am proud of you" he said looking at me proudly and passionately. "Thanks ... but I just hope I don't stutter while presenting it" I said with a puff and then a weak sad smile appeared on my face.

"Hey! There is no need to worry. Everything is going to be okay" he said putting his arms around my shoulder while we walked to the chemistry class together.

I was nervous like a cat on a hot tin roof but also partly confident and convinced since I worked hard and a lot for this project and there was a chance that I might secure good marks along with remarks. Finally, Professor Mathew entered the classroom with grave humorless look on his unattractive face. I gasped and revised my lines over and over again, frantically.

"Relax man!" Harold whispered while he noticed me getting horrendously anxious.

I also read my task repeatedly over and over again, searching for errors and inaccuracy. Lifting the final page of my assignment I realized that my hands were all sweaty and clammy. Sighing, I tried to control myself from being fretful and fussy when I heard professor scolding John for his lack of interests in studies.

"Get out of my class" he said so loudly and brashly that the girl sitting right in front of me almost tipped over from her seat. I was still unable to manage my tension when I heard him calling my name.

"Who is July??" he asked when I stood up from my seat, my legs terribly trembling and moved towards the front of the room facing the class. Handing my assignment to him, who was seated at the corner of the room at his desk, I released a sigh and began with my presentation, during which I saw Harold with thumbs up and smile on his angelic face. Everything was perfectly and smoothly going well when at the end of my presentation I started to stutter.

Repeating few lines over and over again, I released a sigh and silenced myself, impatiently waiting for remarks. I saw Harold glaring and frowning at some back benchers since they were probably making fun of me, specially the most famous guy of our school ... Bruce. He was the captain of the football team and a total freak who always tries to prove that he is some sort of tough oppressor through bully.

Nevertheless, I remained quiet and motionless when I saw professor walk towards me. I was looking at the tiled floor and was almost near crying when professor said something I couldn't believe.

"Good job kid" he hands backs my assignment and pats my shoulder earnestly and warmly.

I settled myself back on my seat when Harold, who was sitting beside me, snatched my assignment and hastily flipped the front page. It said A+ grade. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw him mouth whispering and showing my grade to Ron, who mouthed back with "Treat!", in addition with a smirk playing on his lips.

I stopped myself from expressing amusement since professor was still in the class room with enraged and indignant look on his face but I didn't stopped myself from accepting something that life showed me ... Difference.