THE GIRL IN CLASS 10TH

CHAPTER 1 - NARRATOR - PRESENT

20th  AUGUST 2019

"Why Blood is red in colour?"

A simple and quite an easy question for a class 10th student, and most of the time these types of questions are followed by uncomplicated straightforward answer. They are like basic appetizers before the main course, before the main classwork topic. There is no drama around it. That's what Mr. Satyam, our biology teacher, must have thought as he asks the question while writing 'TRANSPORTATION IN HUMAN BODY – BLOOD' with a white chalk in bold capital letters on the top of the greenboard.

But there is a term in science called 'EXCEPTION'. Theoretically, it means deviation from normal rules. Creatively, it means 'shit happens' even if you take extra precautions, protections or provisions. You could have ingested each and every word from the chapter but there is always one question which makes you wonder – 'where the hell has that come from!'.

You could have liked the green eyed girl in your class all this while but you end up evaluating the softness, silkiness and tenderness of the lips of her light-brown-eyed best friend with your lips just because instead of you proposing to the green eyed, brown eyed proposes you first.

You could have planned a perfect porn-day-out on a 65 inch LED TV and 7.1 surround home theatre system with your friends at your own flat when your parents are out of town, and you are pretty sure that nobody is going to find out your secret but you end up stepping on your uncle's secret and seeing him in the 'movie' as the lead 'ACTOR'.

Likewise, you might have asked a simple question, just like Mr. Satyam, and you are expecting a simple answer, but then – exception happens. He turns after writing the topic on the centrally positioned greenboard from the sidewalls, moves leisurely three steps towards teacher's shiny brown wooden desk and chair which are placed towards the right of greenboard, keeps the chalk on the desk, rests his one hand on the backrest of the chair not to take support but as a gesture of showing superiority that he is a teacher and he owns the class, and asks addressing everyone.

"Anybody?"

ALMOST every student of class 10 (B) – in green and white uniform (green trousers and skirts for boys and girls respectively; white shirts and a pair of black shoes and socks are common to both genders) – raise their hands including me. It's a typical classroom with light grey desks and benches (with backrests) arranged in rows and columns with ample amount of space to walk (or even run) in between columns. It has a total of 7 rows, and I am sitting in the fourth-row, extreme left.

There is one specific attraction in my class – the four walls of the classroom. They are not plain as they are made to be. A fully detailed and giant PERIODIC TABLE chart is fixed on the wall behind greenboard. The rear wall has a big poster of CHARLES DARWIN with handwritten important details of his theory of evolution below it.

The two side walls are fully ornamented with medium sized charts of CNS (Central Nervous System), FOOD WEB, HYDRO AND THERMAL POWER PLANT, and a big poster of HUMAN EYE with its details. Not only that, the two rear corners of the classroom (behind sitting arrangement) have 3-D model of the two forms of CARBON namely DIAMOND AND GRAPHITE (scientifically, they are termed as ALLOTROPES OF CARBON). These are not just charts/posters/models, they are pride of CLASS 10(B).

No other section of class 10 is so decorative, attractive, informative and most importantly educative. They represent the hardworking, sincere, studious students of 10(B) who love science the most. Thats what everyone thinks and that's what WE, the students of 10(B), want everyone to think.

Truth has been slightly, minutely and partially manipulated. Yes, we have worked hard sincerely and diligently for all them, but the love part is not completely true. We, especially the average and below average students, are actually aftraid of science and we are not good at it. That's why we have made all these (and possibly as much as we could without giving any sign of suspicions) beautiful, eye-catching, smart looking charts/posters/models to take a little help in class exams.

Sometimes, you have to do what you need to do and not what you ought to. We are not proud of it, but we are also not ashamed of it. We don't call it 'cheating', we call it 'referring'. Afterall we can't close our eyes if the answer is right in front of us. I can't say that Mr. Satyam doesn't have his doubt over the whole matter, but he simply ignores it. Boasting about "love" of 10(B) for "HIS" subject to his colleagues seems more "prideful" to him than describing and deciphering his suspicion.

He is an egoistic teacher who prefers praise than criticism and that's why he is silent about our miniature manipulation, and that's why he feels egoistically elated to see 39 hands being raised on his question, and that's why instead of giving attention to those 39 hands, he spots the only hand which is not raised and that one is Nysa's, sitting in the last row, alone, on the second desk from right. What is he, a detective or a 007 spy? How could he spot that?

I mean, a total of 39 hands have been acting as barrier in front of him, interfering his vision and on a subliminal level trying not to let it reach to the last row, still he notices Nysa, who has been definitely trying to hide herself behind those sea of hands with her head down, closed eyes, and both hands resting on the desk. I mean, what does he wear, an eyeglass or a telescope!

"You!"

He calls out. 39 pairs of eyes look at him and each pair is hoping that this "you" is for him or her. But gradually their hope starts to fade as they follow his gaze, which slowly but eventually leads them to turn behind as his gaze is focused on Nysa. Just like their hope, their hands drop down too. Like always, Nysa is busy praying in her mind.

You can't guess the exact words of her prayer, which are precisely two words repeating in a loop – NOT ME...NOT ME...NOT ME – but you can sense the intensity and the level of zeal she is putting into it by looking at her closed eyes which are twitching fiercely like a tubelight which has been just switched on.

Unfortunately, the odds and gods are not in her favor today and she has been spotted by our science teacher. She has no idea that, now, not only Mr. Satyam's but each and every eye in the class is looking at her, and sadly her 'unawareness' is going to cost her, because Mr. Satyam doesn't like to repeat himself. He starts with his sarcasmic tone.

"Could you please open your eyes and look up? THE GIRL ON THE LAST BENCH!"