Let's Meet After School

CHAPTER 01: WE MEET FOR THE FIRST TIME

It is important to leave a good first impression of yourself. Sometimes we fail to do that and sometimes we make sure that we have created a good image of ourselves in their hearts. It would be something that will make them smile whenever they think of you. Am I being too mushy-mushy while writing this introduction? I guess I should move forward with the story and tell you what happened when they met for the first time.

20th July 2015

The sky is clear after a light rainfall in the region of Mumbai. The streets here usually get flooded with rainfall water when the monsoon hits. As it is the very beginning of the season, we are experiencing rainfall drizzles. During this season, we will also see lots of school kids jumping in the potholes, enjoying the rainy season to the fullest. As some school kids are out there enjoying this atmosphere, there is one kid out there who is doing something else.

We see a 9th grader girl near a gutter lid trying to find something. It looks like she heard someone or something near that gutter lid. She looks closely down there and finds a kitten who looks wet. The girl tries opening the lid by herself but it's too heavy for a school kid to lift all by herself. She tries asking everybody who is passing by from the same street, she even asks her own classmates but no one seems to care because no one wants to get dirty by touching that muddy gutter lid. She still tries to open the lid but nothing seems working out for her until... a boy comes forward and stands beside her.

She asks him, "Are you just going to stand there, or help me out here."

The boy stares at her in confusion and asks, "What exactly should I do?"

"Do you think, I'm playing here in the mud?"

"It sure looks like you are."

While raising her voice at him "There's a kitten stuck under this gutter lid! And I need your help to lift this lid up so that I can save her"

They both work together to lift the gutter lid and they succeed in saving the kitten.

"Your clothes have got dirty because of me," the girl says while holding the kitten close to her.

"It's alright, I'll leave now"

"Sure. I will take the kitten to the nearest pet shop now."

The boy starts walking ahead as the girl looks at him and realizes that she didn't even get to know his name, so she can thank him.

"What's your name" the girl shouts.

"Aarav" the boy shouts back as he's moving forward.

"So, his name is Aarav... oh wait! Let me thank you properly---" she says while the boy has left already.

While she's holding the kitten and walking towards the pet shop, a girl shouts her name from behind "Ankita!"

"Shreya! You should have come sooner yaar" Ankita replies.

"What happened? And why are your clothes so dirty... wait... why are you holding a kitten in your hand?"

"One question at a time Shreya."

"Okay baba, tell me everything about it."

"First, let's go to the nearest pet shop, the kitten is already wheezing."

They both sprint to the pet shop and reach there while they are unable to catch their breath. The kitten is handed over to the owner and is taken to the medication room, the girls are waiting for the news to be positive. The owner comes back from the other room and thanks them for bringing the kitten over here in time. Both the girls sigh in relief after hearing these words.

Shreya is listening to Ankita as she explains what exactly happened a few moments ago.

"So, the new boy in school helped you save that kitten," says Shreya.

"He's new in our school?" questions Ankita.

"Yes, it seems that he has changed quite many schools before coming here"

"It would be lonely for him."

"Why so?"

"Every time he changes a school, he has to make new friends, he has to leave the old ones behind and it's tough to get used to it no matter how many times you have gone through that."

"You speak like you have gone through something like that," says Shreya.

"I haven't gone through something like this but I know someone who has"

"Who?"

"Karan... Karan Vora."

"Karan Who?" asks Shreya.

"He's the main lead of that new novel I'm reading and I feel so bad for him. He had a similar life, he had to change his home again and again due to his parents getting relocated for work. It is a sad story..." says Ankita while sighing in the end.

"Ah... I don't know what to say. You and your boring fiction stories, stop reading those... we are just 15 years old and you're reading something an adult should be reading."

"Aee... Who said it's for an adult audience, it's a story for kids"

"But it seems that you're looking at it through an adult perspective. It's good that you're so understanding and mature at times but it makes me feel worried because you feel a lot, you're an emotional fool. And sometimes being too emotional over your feelings can harm us."

"It's a good thing when you understand someone's emotions, his efforts, his feelings, his sacrifices---"

"Are you relating all this to Aarav?" asks Shreya with a mischievous smile.

Clears cough... "Who said anything about him, I'm saying in general yaar."

"I'm saying in general yaar" in a mocking way.

"Shreya, you!"

"What! Yaar... Tell me, have you thanked him at least."

"I was about to thank him, but he ran away in haste. I will thank him properly when we meet again."

"Oh... so, you wanna meet him again huh?"

"Shreya yaar!" shouts Ankita.

"Okay baba, sorry. Now let's get home faster, I think it's about to rain again."

"Let's run then..." says Ankita while they sprint ahead.