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."
YOU ARE READING
Endless Road (Wattys 2015)
RomanceLike so many things in life, fear can be fixed. It can be overcome, can be defeated. All it needs is a catalyst-- and the will to see it through. When new boy in the class, Ajay Saxena, crosses paths with Dia Gandhi, he reminds her of everything she...