Lost In The Memory

Chapter 3: Betty - Western's the Theme

Word of the day – sycophant

I flipped through the first few pages of the textbook for a last-minute revision. I glanced at my watch, the physics lecture was gonna start soon. 

I like having an extra edge over other students by reading a night before on the topics that are supposed to be covered. That way, I won't be clueless about what's going on in the lecture. 

The bell had already rung and our classroom was no different from the others – full of chaos and gossips. Some people chatted about a superhero movie while others blabbered about a huge upcoming party.

I couldn't concentrate, thanks to the two boys in the last row who sat on their desks and were crushing papers to hurl at others, disturbing the peaceful atmosphere of the classroom. One of them was David and the other one was called either 'Jay' or the letter 'J'.

A paper ball landed next to my feet. I wanted to pick it up and throw it at their faces.

Few boys ran around the classroom ducking now and then to dodge those paper balls.  Everyone was giggling and having fun. Ah! What a wonderful day. 

David on the last row was laughing hysterically until he was hit in the face. It was a paper ball. Jay started laughing. David threw the paper into Jay's mouth and said, "Who's laughing now?" 

Two paper balls came out of nowhere and hit both of them. It seemed as if the tabled had been turned.

What was fun leisure between friends in the beginning, turned into a full-fledged war.  Almost everyone ducked below their desks and started tearing pages from their notebooks turning them into paper balls.

Alliances formed within seconds, and it was all about holding strategic locations in the classroom. If you tried to be neutral, you have brought your own impalement as all the teams will keep targeting you until you get eliminated. 

Even the girls joined in after whining for a while about how their hair got messed up or yelling at a boy who hit her. 

Everyone was on their knees. Any head above the desk level was made a scapegoat. People crawled on all fours as they traversed from row to row, hiding, hitting, or escaping. 

I was hiding safely under my desk. My bag rested on the chair against the desk. It served the purpose of protecting my brilliant head from the chaos that engulfed the entire classroom. 

I sat on the floor with my back against the inside of the desk. I took out my phone and turned on the flashlight and hovered it on the textbook that I had placed on my knees. 

Across my row, Becky, not to be confused with my name, which is Betty, ducked under the desk like me. She wasn't uninterested in the chaos for a similar reason. She fished out a tiny plastic packet containing some sort of powder and tore a corner from her notebook. Then, she put some powder on that piece of paper, rolled it, and lit an end of it with a lighter.

She took a drag and exhaled slowly. A cloud of smoke diffused around Becky as she sighed. She just wanted an excuse to smoke, oblivious of whatever was happening around her. 

I covered my nose and mouth with my hand. Becky saw me and her face glistened. 

"Betty!! My twin!!" She exclaimed with a smile wider than the Golden Gate Bridge. She considers us as twins due to the similarity between names. Sometimes people confuse us with each other even though we don't look like each other. I have black hair and have a fairly average height, whereas she is five feet eleven inches tall blonde girl with curly hair.

"Do you want a drag?" She offered me. I kindly declined. She smiled again and continued to smoke. 

She may have a few bad habits, but she is the sweetest person I have ever known. Her smile can melt even the most stoic heart. Her free spirit and eternal optimism are inspiring.