Was That Love?

A lot has happened in life till now and maybe a lot is yet to come. But the truth is that I neither have the courage nor the ability to endure anything anymore. Maybe I have no hopes left in life. I am all alone with my broken heart and tarnished soul. 10 years have passed but I still remember the day when I saw him for the first time. I still remember that scorching summer afternoon of May 2010. The school bell just rang and the crowd came out with a relief of spending over one more hectic school day successfully. I was all set to leave for home when I noticed the puncture in my cycle. “s**t yar!why this happens to me always? Ab itni dhoop me khade hokar puncture banwana padega” I continued cursing my luck when a sudden voice from behind interrupted my thoughts. "Parthavi", screamed Kritika from behind. I turned back to see who was calling my name so loudly.“what happened? all okay?”.Kritika asked. She came and stood next to me, patting me on my back. Kritika and I were best friends since childhood. we have shared our school memories together right from class pre-nursery. She was my secret keeper and partner in crime and now that we were in class 8th, we have been together for almost 11 years. “haw! your tyre got punctured how are you going to get it done now?" she asked in worrying tone“Well I was expecting some suggestions from you but anyways thanks for your concern. I guess I will have to walk into some nearby cycle repair shop to get it done”. I replied. Kritika and I lived in a completely opposite route separated by a square. She used to take her private rickshaw for her way home while I, who just got this cycle as a birthday gift from my parents found cycling as my new obsession to home(just for few days). “ Alright then I got to go. I will see you tomorrow. bye!.” I said goodbye to Kritika and came out of the main gate of the school dragging my cycle along. I headed towards the cycle repairs shop which was just a few steps away from my school. I was just waiting for my cycle to get repaired when I noticed someone at a little distance ahead sitting on his cycle looking back and constantly staring at me. He was wearing our school uniform and his face was covered with a handkerchief. Maybe he was very much concerned about his skin and tone unlike me. I could not recognize him but all I could guess was that he was someone from a senior batch. Nobody of my batch had a physique and height like that. He was having a good height. I was still trying to identify him when I noticed one more boy standing next to him in a similar manner staring at me and smiling but his face was uncovered. I turned back to see if there was anybody else behind me whom they were staring at or was it only me. But to my surprise nobody was there except me, standing in the hot burning sun and tanning my skin like a dumb. They were staring at me. “But why? what wrong have I done to them? I don’t even know them.” I wondered. Busy solving my own questionnaire I got interrupted by the mechanic. “Ye lo bitiya ban gayi tumhari cykil(cycle).” I paid him the money and took my way back to home. Those two seniors were still standing at their place staring at me. Why the hell boys do like that man!. this is very annoying how can they constantly stare at a girl while knowing that the girl knows that they are staring at her. where these guts really come from?. They kept standing there till I passed them after which they followed me all the way to my home. now one thing was sure to me, they were clearly stalking me, but they're still remained some doubts. “why the hell are they after me? I am still so young. I am just an 8th standard little girl” and the biggest question,” Who among them was after me? the taller one or the other one?. This kept happening for months. Both of them used to follow me from my home to school in the morning and back home after school. By that time Kritika had helped me to recognize that mask boy’s facial identity and his name as well. He was Priyank Singh, a tall, fair and handsome looking guy with green eyes while the other guy was his best friend Daksh Yadav. Both of them were from 10th standard and were two batches senior to us. They also had a history of getting suspended from school for their nuisance in the past. What else could be expected out of such people? One more shocking turn to the story was Kritika also noticed both of them following her to her home on some occasional days. But who was after whom was still a mystery. Honestly speaking nobody cared. I and Kritika were too busy in our happening school life. We were one of the most favorite students of our teachers and were always busy getting involved in extra co-curricular activities of our school, be it dancing, singing debate, or anything else. We were also among the top rank holders of the class. Everything in our lives was so on track. But who knew that for me this all would change into a nightmare in just a blink of an eye. Some memories are meant to make your mind and heart restless at the same time and for me, he was that bitter memory.