Miss Shetty and Mr Gupta

~Chapter 11~

~Spark part 1 ~

Isha's POV

A frisson of excitement crackled through the school as preparations for SPARK, our annual school day, kicked into high gear. Gone was the controlled chaos of the sports meet, replaced by a vibrant bustle as students from different classes buzzed with activity. This year, the student council took a backseat, the teachers taking the reins for most of the organizational tasks.

Ms. Kalyani, the ever-enthusiastic class teacher, waltzed into the classroom, her smile as bright as the announcement she carried. "Partner time!" she declared, and the room erupted in a flurry of excited chatter. Students huddled together, whispering and speculating about who their dance partners would be.

Ms. Kalyani began her roll call: "Aditya with Bhavani..." Names were called out, some met with cheers, others with groans. Finally, our names echoed through the room: "Trisha with Viraj, Isha with Dikshith, Maitri with Daksh, Rishi with Rashmi."

My blood ran cold. Dikshith? There was no way I was dancing with that arrogant creep. As Ms. Kalyani completed the pairings and swept out of the room, I sprang into action. Rishi, trailing behind her for some unknown reason, stopped at my urgent call.

"Kalyani ma'am !" I called out, catching her attention. "Ma'am, can you please change my partner? Dikshith is...well, not exactly the most pleasant person to be stuck with."

Ms. Kalyani gave me a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry, Isha," she apologized. "Reshuffling everyone now would take forever. Besides," she added, eyeing Rishi with a knowing look, "it seems someone else has a similar request."

Rishi, a bewildered expression on his face, finally spoke up. "Ma'am, I was hoping..."

Ms Kalyani cut him off with a playful wink. "Seems you both got your answers then." With that, she disappeared down the hallway, leaving Rishi and me staring at each other.

"Good luck with Rashmi," I said, unable to keep the smirk out of my voice. "She must be on cloud nine." Rishi had a question mark etched on his face "You see, she has a crush on you" I explained

Rishi's face contorted in disgust. "Great," he muttered. "Just what I needed ." His expression softened slightly. "But hey, if you have any trouble with Dikshith, just let me know. I've heard rumours..." He trailed off, leaving the unspoken implication hanging in the air.

I nodded in appreciation. Rishi might be a handful at times, but he always had my back. With a sigh, we both headed back to class, the weight of our not-so-ideal dance partners settling on our shoulders. The dance practices promised to be interesting, to say the least. 

The air thrummed with nervous energy as we entered the dance room, a week before the grand SPARK showcase. Gone were the starched uniforms of the school day, replaced by a riot of colourful casual wear. Today's agenda: mastering the electrifying beats of "Arabic Kuthu".

As the music pulsed through the room, Ms. Shriya, our dance instructor, guided us through the steps. There was a particularly awkward dip sequence – an unnecessary addition to the choreography, in my opinion. But hey, who was I to question artistic license?

We moved on to "Bullet", a high-energy song. The hook step called for me to face away from Dikshith, trusting him to hold me steady. Big mistake. The moment Ms Shriya's attention shifted, I felt Dikshith's hand snake lower than it should have been. The touch sent a jolt of revulsion through me. Just as his hand grazed the hem of my shirt and brushed my skin, I reacted instinctively, shoving him away. A stinging slap followed the sound echoing in the silent room.

Dikshith recoiled, hand flying to his cheek, a mixture of shock and anger contorting his face. "Learn to give some respect, Dikshith!" I spat my voice tight with fury.

Before another word could be exchanged, Ms Shriya came beside me, concern etched on her face. "Isha? What happened?"

Taking a deep breath, I explained the entire incident, the humiliation, the violation. Ms. Shriya listened intently, her jaw clenched in silent anger.

Together, we marched to Ms. Kalyani's office, determined to get a switch in partners. As Ms. Kalyani heard my story, her face mirrored Ms. Shriya's – a storm cloud of disapproval gathering. It turned out Ms Kalyani had noticed Rishi's discomfort with Rashmi's overly touchy behaviour as well. Apparently Rishi had confided in her, but Ms Kalyani, strapped for options, had let it slide.

"This is unacceptable," Ms. Kalyani declared, her voice firm. We entered the practice room. Ms Kalyani called out for Rishi, his relieved expression mirroring my own.

"Thank you so for calling me out ma'am!" he exclaimed. "Who knows what that crazy Rashmi might do if I had stayed there one more moment " He stopped short, noticing Ms. Kalyani's pointed look.

"Rishi," Ms. Kalyani interrupted gently, "I've decided to switch things up a bit. You and Isha will be partners, and Rashmi can be paired with Dikshith."

 A/N:

Did you guys really think I would let Rashmi and Dikshith dance with our Isha and Rishi?

)

A collective gasp rippled through the room. Rashmi and Dikshith's faces contorted in a mixture of fury and jealousy. "Is anyone opposed to this?" Ms. Kalyani asked, her gaze sweeping over the class.

Ms. Kalyani smiled knowingly. "Excellent. Now, let's get back to practicing, shall we? This time, with a little more respect for your partners."

With a newfound sense of confidence, I took my place beside Rishi. The prospect of dancing with him, rather than enduring Dikshith's unwelcome advances, filled me with nervous excitement. As the music started again,this time, the steps felt lighter, the energy more positive. We may have had a bumpy road to get here, but with the right partner by my side, I was ready to shine on the day of SPARK. 

Author's note:

hey guys ....i know that I was supposed to update yesterday but I did not get any time yesterday so today I have uploaded.....sorry for the delay😞. anyways whats your opinion about the chapter...do let me know in the comments and don't forget to vote on the chapter.

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