Endless Road (Wattys 2015)

Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

24th March, 2009

       Birthdays were over-rated, especially when they were your own. I couldn't imagine why everyone was so excited about birthdays. They made you get older—how could that possibly be cause for celebration? Besides, they weren't all that special, either. As I stood in front of the mirror, examining myself, I pursed my lips. I didn't look any different than I had yesterday, or the day before that, or the day before that. Turning sixteen was just like any other normal day... nothing special about it. And yet, I couldn't help feeling a little giddy about the party going on downstairs.

      I'd put on a light, gauzy blue dress that twirled out from my waist. It hugged the little curves that I had, but mostly, I just looked like a boy. A skinny boy. My shoulder length hair was left open, curving a little at the ends. I was already irritated by it; I gathered in a handful and tied it up into a tight pony tail. Then without wasting much time, scared that Milli would come up to go over my makeup if I didn't hurry, I pinched my cheeks to get some colour in them and smiled at the mirror. Okay, I thought, this is it.

       My friends had come over to give me a surprise. Instead of just Milli and Rishi, though, I had seen half the class showing up at my house to wish me. I hadn't known so many people would want to come to wish me on my birthday. There was a time when I'd had loads of friends, a big group, when I had been a part of the social butterflies. But ever since that episode with Balbir in eighth grade, I'd drawn into myself and dropped contacts with everyone. I couldn't bear the looks people used shoot me, or hear the rumours that were going around. Over time, I'd accepted the loneliness, but I'd never guessed there would be a day when I wouldn't need to feel that way.

      So after I'd been ambushed and slathered in cake, I was sent up to my room to clean up and get dressed while everyone set up things for the party: namely, speakers and a music system, and food. Loads of food. I shook my head, smiling, as I heard the noise downstairs. My parents had been as surprised as I was; but they were happier than me. They didn't know about Balbir or what had happened in eighth grade. All they knew was that I'd had a fallout with my friends. They'd think everything was normal. Now everything looked okay. I didn't need to worry. All I had to do was go down and be the star.

         Which wasn't all that tough to do, I realized, once I went downstairs.

        Music poured out of the speakers, not too loud, not too soft. Milli and Rishi came to hug me as soon as they saw me, and I grinned, returning their embrace.

       "I would thank you for all you did, but frankly, this looks like a waste of time to me," I announced.

       "Just shut up, Dia," Rishi said. "Don't be such a killjoy."

       "Alright, I won't."

       "And you look great, by the way," he added. I laughed, twirling in my new floaty dress. Milli smiled, her eyes twinkling, and I grinned back at her. We stood there, in the corner, just for a little while. Just until I could get used to this—used to seeing all these people in my house, here because they were celebrating my birthday. I still couldn't get my head around it. It was too good to be true. Among the crowd, I identified the familiar faces of Ajay's friends—Vicky, Nishant, Pranay, and some tall guy who I was seeing for the first time. I blinked.

       "Who are all these people, and why are they here?" I asked finally, unable to stop myself.

      "Well, they're our classmates."

      "Not all of them. I don't even know some of them."

        Milli gave me a pointed look. "They're all from our class, Dia. But I guess you don't know them because you've never really paid attention."