Touching Boundaries

Chapter 2 - KEERTI

Keerti had a huge smile on her face as she caressed the brochure in her hands.

K.J, college of architecture, Pune.

The glossy brochure had pictures of the college; a tall, imposing building with countless dreams bubbling inside it. The classrooms were so spacious and an element of extreme creative vigor was making it beyond appealing to Keerti.

She could almost imagine herself siting at one of the desks with a tiny pencil behind ear, working diligently on maps in front of her and focused on bringing into existence her brainchild. Navigating her way around the room with her scales and wood models like a woman on a missionl.

How very proud would her father be at the site. A dream he couldn't live but his daughter would.

The smile only widened on her lips as her eyes sparkled with hope. One day she would actually live that dream if things went right.

"Ms. Keerti!" A voice thundered in the room.

Keerti snapped out of her bubble and looked up with alarmed eyes. The entire class had turned their head in her direction, all attention at her and a pin drop silence. Keerti gulped.

The physics teacher, with his hand pointing somewhere on a near perfect circle, observed her with eyes that were narrowed in slits.

"Care to tell us what you were dreaming about?" He seethed.

Keerti's friend, Mahi, who was sitting next to her, shook her head. Each and every one of the eighty students present in class had their eyes on their desk. Keerti ducked her head a bit before realizing she should get up. Wiping her sweaty hands on her newly purchased pants, she stood up.

"Sir, I..." she began but her voice lost its intensity.

"Were you even taking down notes?" The teacher asked placing his hands on his desk.

He looked extremely irritated today, Keerti noted and it was just her bad luck that she would have to face her wrath today.

"Of...ofcourse Sir!" Keerti said. She straightened her shoulders and looked up at the teacher with fearless eyes now.

"Great, mind showing me your book then?" The teacher said folding his arms across his chest and daring for Keerti to prove what she just said.

Keerti felt her heart drop to her stomach but everyone was waiting for her. She couldn't afford to make a fool of herself like this. So very discreetly, as if the plan was sown in her head, she fumbled for her notebook.

But instead of picking her blank notebook, she picked up Mahi's book with such confidence that it was her own. With confidence as her armor, she held the book in her arms and marched towards the front of the classroom.

Mahi could only gasp at her action. Did she actually take MY book?

Mahi's heart was pounding in her chest as she watched Keerti give the notebook to the teacher. The teacher surprised by Keerti's boldness, flipped through the notebook but came with nothing to question back. So snapping the book close, he turned to Keerti and said,

"And why was it that you had a smile on your face while taking these down?"

Keerti curled her lips once more.

"Sir, I was enjoying your class or do you find it hard to believe?" Keerti answered back.

The few students on the front bench who could hear this conversation gasped in disbelief.

The teacher baffled by the response simply dismissed Keerti and went back to the blackboard.

Keerti strolled back to her seat with a satisfying smile on her face. The moment she slipped beside Maya on the bench, Maya blew over.