The Bucket List

Chapter-6

"May I come in?" I ask knocking on the history Professor's door twice. It is peer tutor's week and I am already running ahead of my syllabus. He must have set me up with someone.

"Come in."

I find Dhriti on one of the chairs in front of the professor's desk. She gives me a swift wave and Sir asks me to take the other seat.

"Mira, as you can see..." he begins crossing his arms on the desk. Dhriti stiffens beside me. Does she fear that he will insult her for her low academic progress?

He doesn't say anything like that.

Maybe she is thinking that I would be judgy.

Sir hands me her report card discussing the areas we need to work on the most. I understand it well.

"So when do we start?" I ask Dhriti after coming out of the counselor's room.

"When you think" she withdraws her gaze. I expected more as we have a subject in common.

Is something wrong?

"Okay so – I will give you the list for our club after –"

"Mira, I'll see you in last period in the library okay?" she cuts me off.

I nod."

"She is weird", I mumble as she disappears among students.

"What the hell are you writing?" I ask Naina.

For the last twenty minutes, I'm watching her scribble furiously on her notepad then tearing that page off, crumbling it, and then throwing it to the ground.

"Writing an article on saving animals", another paper joins the ground.

"You know you'll have to clean this if you don't want to get fined from the cafeteria", I say pulling out the magazine that I carefully snuck into my bag from the library. It is a college magazine with news and pictures from the investiture day. It has all of ours pictures.

"Shit!" She curses looking at the mess she created.

"Got it!" Abhisekh says.

"You're so adorable", Naina gives Abhisekh a long affectionate look as he picks up the papers and tosses them into the dustbin.

He sits beside her giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Anything for you, baby."

I cringe at their exchange of endearments and shift my attention to my magazine and cookies.

Yeah, they are officially together.

"Do you like the editing work?" Naina asks me and I reluctantly look towards her. She is asking me about the magazine in my hand.

"Yup. It's good...the pictures are really –"

"Everything you do is just amazing." Abhisekh cuts me off.

I glower at him but that goes unnoticed.

"You know the college newspaper", she begins. "They might hire me as an editor."

"Really! Baby, I'm so proud of you!" he exaggerates.

I cringe again.

"I have some work. I'll see you at home." I don't ask. It was a statement to excuse myself from the melodrama.

It wasn't a complete lie either; I had a list that needed submission.

"I'm here". I say and walk to Dhriti.

She hastily wipes her eyes.

Was she crying?

I remove my bag and sit on the chair beside her. Slowly I push the list towards her that she asked me to make for the meeting of our Events club.