Party And Prejudice

5. Ooty Drama Act One

During dinner too, Sulochana came to see Josh and took the seat next to me. I was getting really irritated with the girl.

"Hi", I said politely, unable to bring myself to smile.

"Hi babe!" she said cheerfully, "So do you think that friend of yours will want to go somewhere with me?"

Here we go!

Riya stopped eating and looked up sharply.

"Uh..what?" I asked.

"See", Sulochana said speaking matter-of-factly "I know you said he has a girlfriend from his school. But who knows if he'll even meet her again? Friends and girlfriends from school usually don't have much of a future".

This was a problem that I had not foreseen at all.

Riya cleared her throat loudly, "Excuse me Sulochana, but except for your cousin brother the rest of us were all in school together. And we will be together forever", she said in her pompous Riya way.

Sulochana gave her a sympathetic look. Riya frowned. She doesn't like such behaviour at all.

Meanwhile, I gulped trying to think of something suave to say.

"What's your favourite subject in school Sulochana?", I asked trying to sound like and adult.

"Nothing really", Sulochana shrugged. Riya's face softened. She totally likes this kind of answers.

"Physics?", I asked.

"Hate it"

"Maths?"

She shook her head.

"Chemistry?"

"Yuck".

I was liking the girl lesser every moment. She had just 'yuck'ed my favourite subject.

As if on cue to worsen the situation, Reyansh came with his dinner tray and sat down next to me. He smiled cursorily at Sulochana. I wanted to slam my salad bowl in his face.

"So Rey, are you free tomorrow evening?" Sulochana said.

Reyansh never points it out but he doesn't like it when people call him Rey. This stupid girl didn't know that.

The tiniest frown appeared on Reyansh's face (which Sulochana didn't notice, of course) before he said, "Um..no actually, I need to hang out with my friends".

I no longer wanted to slam the salad bowl on Reyansh's face. I wanted to pick the cucumbers in it one by one with my fork and feed it to him.

I also wondered what Sulochana would do when she went to college.

•••

Revathi squared her plump shoulders as the door opened and Mr Neel alias Sulochana's father and the owner of Bluepeaks resort walked in.

The man was nothing like his daughter. He reminded me of a strict no-nonsense headmaster with a commanding aura which made bystanders skulk back with intimidation.

Behind him, was a guy slightly older than us. Maybe Sanam's age. He walked in with a swagger unlike his father's strict gait. I knew he was Neel's son because the resemblance between them was uncanny.

Neel positioned himself near a huge black and white potrait that adorned the entrance of the staff building. I would find out later that it belonged to Neel's father who had founded Bluepeaks.

Neel looked around at all of us approvingly.

"Where is my nephew?", he asked in a tired voice that belied his crisp demeanor. Nobody answered.