Sanskar stopped when he felt Ruhan standing still in front of him. He followed Ruhan's gaze and was so shocked to see the scene in front of him.
"Oh God why?" He asked nearing her and knelt down to adjust the height. Ragini's lips uncontrollably twisted into a pout while she tried hard to control her cry.
Sanskar felt so much pain that he couldn't say about it looking at her. Ragini was kneeling down with her hands up.
He was really worried for her. It was probably her first punishment. And he didn't like the painful look on her face.
"She didn't tell the multiplying table of 4" Jayant said as though happy looking at the misery of his twin sister. Her cry threatened more to leave her throat now. Sanskar tried to hit Jayant and stop him from further humiliating her.
"Shh... It's okay" Sanskar tried to calm her but she only got more and more sad as the kids watched her while passing. She wiped her face trying to control her cry now..
"Ragini" Sanskar called her name with concern. She didn't look up. Then he felt Ruhan kneel down beside him. He took out his hand kerchief and offered her and she looked up for a second and nodded her head negatively.
"You want me to get a hand kerchief for everyone?" Ruhan spoke first time from the time school had re opened. Ragini chuckled through her tears and Ruhan gently wiped her tears.
She then tried to stop crying. "Is it difficult?" Ruhan asked concerned. She nodded her head positively not looking up still. He sighed.
"It's easy actually. Take time and learn them. Only till 12. They will be useful for your whole life Ragini" Ruhan said softly.
"But I can't memorize things" she said sad. And it was true. Ragini had terrible memory. She couldn't keep anything in her memory if she didn't understand it. And it was kind of blessing and also a curse at such times.
"You can if you try. Do you understand alphabet or numbers? But still you remember them right? Do it continuously and you will learn. " Ruhan gave her a soft smile and she nodded her head slowly.
"Thanks" she said weakly looking up. Ruhan just smiled at her and walked to the class where as Sanskar was still trying to collect what just happened.
Sanskar was called by their home room teacher Latha ma'am so he walked to his class still looking at Ragini whom he didn't want to leave like this. But he couldn't stay there with her.
Sanskar was concerned. He couldn't concentrate in the class till the lunch break arrived. Then he quickly packed his bag and took his lunch box and walked to B section. He thought it will be better if he had lunch there today for his restlessness.
"Stop it dude. She is your sister" Abir was scolding Jayant who was laughing still looking at Ragini. Sanskar moved his eyes to look at Ragini. She was squeezing her knees painfully.
"Did you get bruises Ragini?" Aditi asked concerned. "I don't know" Ragini said unsure. Aditi felt bad looking at her friend's painful expression.
Abir sighed and walked to his place which was just in front of Ragini. She became alerted for some time and tried to avoid his presence. But Abir kept watching her concerned..
He took out an ointment from the class cupboard and held in front of Aditi. "Will you tell her to apply this?" He asked even though he knew Ragini herself could hear him.
Aditi gave him a puzzled look. "She can hear you clearly dude. Say her directly" she got up from there. Abir sat in his place again and placed the ointment in front of Ragini and turned the other side.
Ragini looked at the cream and took it. She turned to the other side and applied the ointment on her knees. She placed the cream back and uttered a soft thank you. Abir took the ointment and placed it back in the cup board.
Ragini placed her head on the desk and tried to relax closing her eyes and Abir watched her and softly smiled and then turned to his front.
Sanskar was called by Jayant and they shared the lunch that day. Sanskar with concern looked at Ragini's direction. "She won't have food?" He asked Jayant who was enjoying the food Sanskar had brought. He stopped and then looked at his twin sister who was sleeping with her head on the desk.
"Softy. She won't eat food when she is hurt. Now a days she has stopped eating sometimes. She would say she is not hungry" Jayant said turning to Sanskar again.
Abir bent his head to near Ragini's head now. He gently called her and she got up and looked at him as though she was about to cry. Ragini was a true baby. If anyone disturbed her while she slept she will surely start crying. It was her habit about which Sanskar already knew. Probably Abir wasn't aware of it.
He was shocked when she made a crying face and looked around helpless trying to calm her. "why is she crying now? Abir what did you do?" Sunita scolded him.
"I...I just wanted her to have food." He defended himself. "Shh... Ragini.... Sorry" he apologized to her. Sanskar got up from his place and walked to her. He forwarded the box of jackfruit he had brought. Ragini stopped crying and looked at it and then looked up.
"Maa told to give it to you. I thought of giving it in the evening but looks like you needed it now" he smiled down at her.
Ragini wiped her face and took the box and started to munch over the jackfruit. Abir bent a bit to make sure she wasn't crying anymore. He smiled at her cute baby like face.
"Thanks dude" Abir smiled looking up at Sanskar who just nodded his head and walked back to his place.
"Why is she not talking to Abir?" Sanskar asked Jayant while they were again eating together.
"I don't know. May be they fought over something. My sister has turned crazy this year. She would get upset over small small things and start crying and I don't even know why" Jayant shrugged his shoulders. All he cared about was the food in front of him. Sanskar's mother made excellent food and Jayant wouldn't care about anything while he ate the food his best friend's mother makes.
And all Sanskar cared was the way Ragini tried to calm herself. Abir looked at her again and again while he was eating his food. She could guess his gaze but tried to ignore it. And would turn more sad.
Abir then kept playing with her hair while she placed her head on the desk trying to relax. She looked up at Abir who smiled at her and offered her a chocolate but she nodded her head negatively. Abir felt bad but tried to smile.
Evening was the same repeatation of what happened in the class. Abir was now walking beside Ragini and trying to get her talking but she just looked at him annoyed. He felt sad and walked beside her.
Sanskar never knew why Abir started to walk with them where as his house was the closest to the school and all his years in school till now he would just run to reach home as soon as the school bell went off.
Ruhan was as usual silent. He would glance at Ragini some times and then stare at the ground. Jayant kept telling stories of the class. Ashwini and Sunita were talking and laughing.
Abir's house came. He smiled at Ragini and hit her a bit lightly to say bye and waved at others and ran to his house. Ragini rubbed the shoulder and looked at him annoyed and continued to walk.
This year seemed like never ending suddenly. Yet Sanskar didn't wanted to end it.
"You won't be able to see her that often anyways" Satya's voice rang in Sanskar's ears suddenly. And it pulled that string in his inside which experienced the same physical pain again.
