A 'SPECS'TACULAR SURPRISE | ONC 2021

8 ¦ School Bus

"Wow, are those new glasses?" Aalo's best buddy Samiksha squealed just as soon as she had settled herself into the seat.

"Yes," Aalo threw a dubious glance at her friend, wondering if she was making fun of her. But there was only excitement shining in Samiksha's eyes. That brought a smile on Aalo's face too, as she crinkled her eyes at her.

"You look lame in those, Grandma," someone chirped from the back seat of the bus. Aalo didn't have to glance behind her to know who it was.

Juhi and her gang were the ones that lounged on the back seat, so that they could conveniently notice everyone that comes in and comment on their appearance. Juhi puckered her painted pink lips. She used to steal lipstick from her mom's purse and share it around with her troop. They would all dab it on their lips and consider themselves cool. Aalo's Maa would never allow her anywhere near lipstick. Makeup was for the elders.

"Well, I like how I look and it's none of your business," Aalo replied coolly, turning towards Samiksha who had widened her eyes and was looking at her. Her expression was a mixture of rapture and admiration.

"That is something a loser would say," Juhi jeered again.

Aalo's temper threatened to flare, but Pompom's words rang in her mind suddenly.

'People bully because they are unsatisfied with their own life.'

"The one's that bring down others are the real losers," Aalo bit back. The other kids were now peering curiously from their seats. Some had even stood up to get a better view.

"You called me a loser? How dare you?" Juhi jumped up from her seat, balling her hands into fists. There was a red flush on her skin and her brows frowned in hatred.

"I don't want to fight. Please, let this be," Aalo held up her hands at chest level, palms outward, in a placating gesture.

"Well, you started it," Juhi screeched, taking a step forward. The bus jolted at a bump and both of them lost their balance for a moment. But they steadied themselves quickly and faced each other again. Aalo gripped the edge of her seat, her posture defensive. She didn't want to fight. She was a quiet girl who just liked to be left alone.

"I'm here if you need me to listen," Aalo whispered to Juhi, just out of earshot.

Anger flared in Juhi's eyes for the briefest second before surprise replaced it.

"What even..." she started to say, but Aalo's whisper cut her off.

"If you have any problems, I'm here and I..."

Aalo's words were lost in her mouth because the bus stopped at their class teacher's home. And suddenly all the kids were scampering back to their places, adjusting their uniforms and behaving like the perfect bunch of decent schoolers.

It was funny how quickly people flipped according to situations. It was almost as if everyone was just pretending to be something they are not. Everyone was sailing through school routines to become someone important. How many of them are living their dream? Aalo realised she wasn't living hers either. There were things she wanted to do, but her duties bound her to her mother, who wanted her to grow up and become a doctor. Would the children's dreams and their parents' dreams ever match?

The frantic rustling died down to pin-drop silence as Roshni Madam climbed in, her pink embroidered saree swishing in the wind. The conductor held her bag for her as she scanned the crowd through her long lashes. Her face always stayed in a neutral mask. Nobody could get any expression out of her. Finally, she settled on the front window seat, with the regality of a queen. She had put flowers in her open hair and Aalo wondered if it was some special occasion. However, she quickly made it into a messy knot, as per school protocols.

Aalo's hands moved unmindfully to her two little pigtails. Her mother didn't allow her to keep long hair. Every two months she would drag her to the parlour and mercilessly chop her hair. Aalo would cry and cry, but her mother could be very adamant. Her mother said that keeping long hair from a young age spoils hair and she would end up being bald one day. The shuffling of the kids stopped as the bus started moving again. Aalo touched her hair and tried to imagine herself without her hairs. The sight was so weird and so comical that she laughed to herself.

Aalo could feel someone's eyes boring into her back. She turned half and peered at Juhi. There was an unfathomable expression in her grey eyes. They were shining like liquid silver. For the first time in her life, Aalo realised that beneath all that show, Juhi was a uniquely beautiful girl because of those eyes. And those eyes suddenly looked so human and so vulnerable that Aalo just wanted to go up to her and squeeze the life out of her with a hug.

But she knew Juhi wouldn't appreciate that, so she kept her thoughts to herself.

"What is her problem?" Samiksha curled her lips in disdain. "Why does she pick up fights?"

"Maybe that's her way to cope up with things in her own life," Aalo whispered, unsure of her own words. Samiksha looked flummoxed for a while before she turned her face towards the window.

Aalo didn't bother to say anything more. Her eyes travelled all over the bus and settled on the big touchscreen phone in Roshni madam's hand. She caught a brief glimpse of the wallpaper where two people were smiling at the camera. It must have been Roshni madam and her husband. The screen darkened with a blink as Roshni madam slipped the phone into her bag. Aalo didn't want to pry, so she moved her eyes away, noticing every person and what they were doing. Aalo liked to observe the minute details of the world. Nature, people and animals were her things. She enjoyed analyzing every aspect of her surroundings in intriguing details.

Despite everything, she realised people were stealing glances at her occasionally. She had almost become a star for the wrong reasons. She just couldn't wait to go to school so that the stares and the gossips would lessen over class.

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