Helen ma'am was observing the whole class after she had put up the sum on the board. She smiled when she found Ragini's raised hand.
"Yes Ragini" she called out and Ragini walked to the board and solved the sum for the second time actually and that too before anyone else did it for the first time.
Now when Helen ma'am looked at Ragini she felt very proud. "How is she so quick? Is she some calculator or what?" Abir said horrified and Sanskar chuckled hearing him.
"She is just better than you. Agree and it won't hurt anymore" Sameer smirked speaking to Abir whose face contorted unpleasantly. Sanskar just enjoyed the look on his face.
It was hard to see Ragini giving no expression at all now a days. Not even annoyed expression to Arav. Sanskar missed the smile on her face. The flared up nose and the eye roll or the jaw clench.
Sanskar scolded himself for drifting away in his thoughts. "With this speed she is going to get the trophy next year also for the topper" Satya spoke so proudly it surprised Sanskar for a moment who gave a scoff to Satya who rolled his eyes at Sanskar.
"She is the favourite of everyone to win this time Abir. Just accept it already" Satya said looking at Abir who only fumed hearing it.
"I need your help" Abir said without being polite but actually a bit rude when he stood in front of Ragini during lunch break. She gave him a puzzled look.
"I am not understanding anything in this topic. It's so confusing please" he pleaded her finally giving up his attitude. That made Ragini chuckle first time in weeks. She looked at his cute baby face and nodded her head.
"With that attitude of yours I find it very difficult to believe that you'll need my help in anything" she said teasing him.
"Ragini..." He whined like a small kid. "I am not helping you. I am sorry to say that but I have no skill to help you. You better approach a topper" she said taking her water bottle and gulping down some water from it.
She wiped her face and Abir gave her a look of disbelief. "Please" he pleaded again this time almost begging.
"I have no time you moron. Just go away" she shooed him away. "I am not letting it slide. You are the best in this and you need to teach me this. Or you are refusing because you want to take the trophy next year also?" He faked shock and Ragini tried very hard to control her anger at the moment. She stopped herself from rolling her eyes but her jaw twisted a bit.
She met Sanskar's gaze who was looking at all this and pleaded him to get off Abir who was kind of pissing her off.
Sanskar assured her by blinking his eyes. Ragini actually trusted no one in the class at this point. After whatever happened weeks ago her equation with the boys had dramatically changed but Sanskar was the only one whom she trusted. Because it didn't go unnoticed from her that how Sanskar was the only one who was trying to avoid her getting hurt more.
"Abir. Come here I will teach you that" Ruhan called dragging their attention before Sanskar could act on it.
"No. You don't know half of her tricks. You are her friend right just tell her to teach me this one topic please" Abir pleaded Ruhan who only sighed.
"How about you get a punch instead for annoying my tortoise?" Jayant spoke interrupting them. Abir looked at Jayant a bit scared and walked to his seat and sat there silently.
It was still a mystery to Abir why there was sudden distance between the old friends from few weeks as he had missed school for almost a month due to dengue.
Abir was still pissed when he found a book being dropped on his desk and he looked up to find Ragini who nodded her head looking at him with her usual attitude like she was managing so many imbeciles around her. But it made Abir smile.
All this time he had misunderstood Ragini as a girl who was so proud of herself and who refused to help him always because she wanted to top the class.
But today when she was explaining Algebra the unknown demon according to Abir she looked not less than an angel to him.
"Why is she so good to everyone?"Satya spoke as he looked at Ragini who was patiently explaining to Abir the new concept called algebra which actually went over everyone's head but she was the only expert in the class.
She hit on Abir's head also when he wasn't paying attention. Sanskar just scoffed looking at Satya. "Only if you knew what goodness is" he said and found Satya reflecting on his past deeds. Sanskar could see the guilt in his eyes.
Ruhan looked at Ragini for a moment and felt like he was lost in that moment till Praniata came to him to clear some doubt. Sanskar turned his gaze from Ruhan to Jayant who rolled his eyes and moved to his place to sit beside Azhar his new bench mate. It hurt Sanskar how their friendship had a pause. They had never sat away from each other from the time Jayant joined the school.
To Sanskar who was a big introvert Jayant was that fresh air who brought him out of the introversion and helped him to mingle with everyone.
Sanskar didn't know how they had turned so distant. He just observed Jayant who acted like it didn't bother him being away from Sanskar.
But the fact was even though Jayant was a social butterfly who had many people around him who called him as their friend for Jayant Sanskar was the only friend whom he never wanted to lose.
But the fact that Sanskar didn't tell him about Ruhan liking his sister didn't sit well with him. He felt like a fool who didn't know what was happening in the class.
After the incident everyone tried to behave like nothing happened because they didn't wanted to make Ragini go through more pain. She anyways had stopped talking to everyone in the class. She looked like she didn't care what anyone thought about her.
Goodness always returns goodness.
The girl once was the dumbest kid of the class was also dear to everyone. So everyone really wanted her to behave normal. But their cheerful, cute, warm Ragini looked like she was lost somewhere and they knew they all were one or the other way responsible for it while they watched her and Ruhan in doubtful manner. Nothing could be done to repair the damage now.
Jayant had no emotions left towards Ruhan. Ruhan was never his friend in first place.. He used to talk to Ruhan only because of his sister. He didn't share the same kind of closeness with Ruhan as he shared with Sanskar. So more than Ruhan's feelings towards his sister Sanskar not telling him all this hurt Jayant and he didn't like the feel of it.
