ESCAPE IN YOUR ARMS

ACCIDENTLY MINE.

ABHIMANYU

I TRIED MY BEST THE WHOLE DAY TO REMAIN CALM AND NOT ACT OUT OF ORDER, BUT MR. ABHYUDAY'S ANNOUNCEMENT, MADE MY LAST STRAW TEAR APART. MS. CLUMSY HAD BEEN ABSENT FROM LAST TWO DAYS, SHE DID NOT EVEN COME FOR THE DEBATE PRACTICE AFTER SCHOOL. I HATED SUCH PUBLIC COMPETITIONS, ESPECIALLY TEAM ONES, BUT WHEN I HEARD SHE WOULD BE MY TEAM-MATE, I STRAIGHT AWAY TOLD MR.ABHYUDAY THAT I WAS IN. I KNEW SHE WOULD MAKE ALL THE OTHER COMPETITORS CHEW IRON NAILS WITH HER SMART COMEBACKS AND THEM BITING THEIR TEETH WHILE SHE SOOTHINGLY WOULD SMILE AND WIN THE TROPHY ALL ALONE,ALL THESE POSSIBLE SCENARIOS EXCITED ME. SHE IS MY LIONESS, SHE SURE IS. 

*OH, CALLING HER MY LIONESS, SO, YOU FINALLY LOST IT ARORA?*, MY SUBCONSCIOUS SMIRKED. YEAH JUST WHEN I WAS ABOUT TO SMILE AT HER WINNING THOUGHTS, MY BRAIN PULLED ME STRAIGHT OUT OF THOSE FEW SECONDS OF PLEASURE I HAD EXPERIENCED IN LAST 48 HOURS. 

NOT EVEN FOR A SECOND BRAIN, I BELIEVE YOU DRANK TOO MUCH EXPRESSO THIS MORNING, SO YOU ARE IMAGINING THINGS I NEVER SAID.I REPLIED TO MY OWN BRAIN.

"THE INTERSCHOOL DEBATE CHAMPIONSHIP IS IN 10 DAYS, AND APART FROM ABHIMANYU WE HAVE NO ONE ELSE IN THE TEAM THIS YEAR. DHRUVI CALLED ME YESTERDAY SAYING SHE WISHES TO WITHDRAW HER NAME. I'LL LIKE 3 PEOPLE TO JOIN THE TEAM AND AT LEAST 2 OF THEM TO BE FROM YOUR CLASS AS WE CAN NOT DISTURB THE 12TH  GRADERS BECAUSE OF THEIR BOARD EXAMS. HOPE WE MAKE IT WORK KIDS,  I WANT THE TEAM TO BE FINALISED SO I CAN SEND THE CONFIRMATION BY TOMORROW EVENING.", HE SAID.

MS.CLUMSY WAS IN AN ACCIDENT.

I DON'T CARE. 

TRULY, MY MIND AND MY ACTIONS ARE AT ODDS TODAY, I ZONED OUT AFTER THE WORD ACCIDENT, IMAGES OF HER BEING ON ROAD, BLEEDING, ALL ALONE, IN PAIN FLASHED THROUGH MY MIND. A TIGHT KNOT FORMED IN MY STOMACH PAINED EVERY CELL OF MY BODY.

I DON'T CARE.*LIAR*, SHUT THE HECK UP BRAIN, JUST FOR ONCE, SHUT UP. 

I AM GONNA REGRET EVERYTHING THAT I SAY AND DO AFTER THIS MOMENT, I KNEW THIS, BUT I STILL PROCEEDED.

"SIR, CAN I KNOW WHY DID MS. PANCHOLI BACK DOWN?", I ASKED, EARNING TENS OF HEAD TURNS AND HUNDREDS OF MUMBLING VOICES.

"SILENCE KIDS.", HE SHOUTED.

"I DO NOT KNOW MUCH EXCEPT HER BEING IN AN ACCIDENT, SHE WON'T BE ABLE TO COME SCHOOL FOR A MONTH TOO. POOR GIRL, THE FIRST INTERNALS BEGIN IN A MONTH AND SHE'LL BE MISSING THE LECTURES.", HE CONTINUED.

"THANKS SIR.", I REPLIED CALMLY, AS IF A TORNADO DID NOT JUST BUTCHER ALL MY NERVE CELLS AND I DID NOT MISS A HEARTBEAT HEARING MS.CLUMSY BEING IN AN ACCIDENT. HER BEING SEVERELY HURT AND COVERED IN BLOOD MADE MY BLOOD ICE-COLD, MY JAW TIGHTENED AND I COULD FEEL BLOOD RACING FAST THROUGH MY VEINS.