Let's Meet After School

CHAPTER 04: I WAS UPSET OVER SOMETHING ELSE

It takes guts to empty your heart out in front of someone, if that someone is your close one then it might be easier for you to do it. If that someone is a stranger then it would be a difficult task to come out and talk about your feelings... I mean you could be suffering from inside due to that pain, due to the circumstances in your life, due to the people that hurt you directly... or indirectly. Now you have a choice to let all that pain and suffering out of that body... either you can stay quiet and go on just like that... or... you will muster up some courage and free yourself from that pain. The choice is yours... in this context, the choice depends on Aarav's decision to explain himself in front of her... in front of Ankita.

So, will he explain himself, will he tell her that on that day... it wasn't her fault. The thing was... he was upset over something else.

25th July 2015

We see Aarav waiting for Ankita near the school gate. After a while, he sees her coming out of the canteen.

"Hey... I wanted to talk to you about something" Aarav says as he approaches her.

"Oh... what is it now, Mr. Shah?" says Ankita in a disinterested voice.

"Let me explain myself... that day---"

"Don't even make me remember about that day, I'm still angry over it."

"Well... I want to apologize for the mistake that I made that day. I was a fool to treat you in that way, you just wanted to thank me and I ruined it. You're a good person who's kind, light-hearted, humble, and helpful. That day I was a jerk and even today I'm... a jerk. I'm sorry Ankita... I hurt you... I shouldn't have just blabbered about you being the nosy one. I'm sorry---"

"Wait... why are you suddenly so nice to me?" she says in a confused state.

"I will explain everything... can we talk somewhere else?"

"Okay... uh... let's talk while we're walking."

"Sure."

After a light rainfall, the droplets are falling from the tree leaves. The trees can be seen on both sides of the road. Both the kids are walking together as there aren't many people on the streets today.

"Hey...uhm..." says Aarav while hesitating.

"Just say it already... what happened?"

"Fine... that day... our classroom teacher called me. She told me that I have got less marks in all the subjects in the unit test. She said that I was scoring well in my last school... so what happened here?"

"Then...?" says Ankita with a curious look on her face.

"Then... I told her that I was feeling sick during exams which caused this."

"So... this was the reason that you behaved like a jerk that day. I get fewer marks too yaa... but that day you were just too much... I mean I understand that you are a bright student and something like this happened to you when you're sick---"

"That's a lie... I lied to our classroom teacher."

"Why would you?"

"There was adifferent reason... uhm... my parents were fighting that day... the day before exams...they bicker every day. Of course, everyone's parents bicker one day or theother but mine are different. They don't love each other... they want a divorce... that day they were too close to having one. They got to a middle point and choose to stay calm for a while but they are still thinking about divorcing each other. Now you would ask me why are they like that... I don't know honestly... they can't just withstand each other. I mean they weren't like that in the beginning when they had me... they were just like everyone else's parents. They were happy, in love... in love with me and each other as well... and one day... my mom found out that my dad started playing poker after office hours, he made money from that... a lot of money. My mom told him that they both are earning together and there was no need to earn money that way. My father got angry and then he started belittling her by showing the difference in their incomes, day by day... issues started evolving. Now they fight because my mom wants to start a business in her hometown and my dad wants her to stay at the same company and earn income. Then they started fighting because Mom thinks his male ego would get hurt if she starts earning more than him. I don't know what to do at home... every other kid loves to get home and relax, maybe play some games, and spend time with family and friends. And... here I'm... no friends... and my family... let's just not talk about it... Talking about friends, I had friends in my last school but I had to shift because of my dad's transfer and now I'm not in contact with them. I have always been changing schools... do you know why? My dad has a job where he has to work in different branches... like he has to change his branch every other year... I also heard from my mom that my dad was kicked out of every branch because he was abusing his employees, there were rumors of him harassing a female employee in the office canteen. My dad has done a lot of bad things, I guess... I just... I want to relax now. Sometimes I feel like not going home at all... like staying somewhere else with relatives or friends. Maybe staying alone in a compartment room. I'm just feeling worthless... like crap. Yeah... that's who I'm. Other kids must be thinking that I have a good life but... I don't... wait... I'm just blabbering all this crap for a while... why aren't you saying anything?"

"I... I'm sorry for... I don't know why I'm sorry exactly---" says Ankita in a low tone.

"Hey... why are you sorry... I made a mistake and I'm sorry for it."

"I know... but I didn't know that your life was so hard and that day you were just minding your own business and... I came to you and made you upset."

"Ankita... I was upset over something else and you know now... what exactly it was."

"Yeah... (sighs)... let's just forget about that day... shall we?"

"So, you forgive me?" asks Aarav.

"Uhm... before that tell me one thing."

"What is it?"

"Why did you open yourself to me."

"Honestly... I thought about it for a day or two... whether I wanted to tell you about this or not. I realized something when I made the decision to tell you all this."

"What was the realization?"

"I realized that you are a good person... I mean I thought you wouldn't tell anyone about it and... see you saved that kitten that day, everyone in school knows you as a fun-going, humble, positive person who understands and helps everyone."

"Well... thanks for such a good introduction," says Ankita with a cocky smile.

"See... just tell me... will you accept my apology. I'm ready to do anything to be sorry for what I did"

"Uhm... Okay... meet me on Monday after school. I will tell you my condition to accept your apology."