Always a Match

Chapter: Two

|Chapter 02|

Flashback #1

Shrill voices of ceaseless quarrels pierces through the cool January air of Uttar Pradesh as little seven-year-old kids clash against one another in a silly little fight at early dawn. Reaching the periphery of the cricket field, little Kiran's ears perk up as he processes the voices. Dropping his bat and gloves at the border, he rushes off to the crowd of kids, swarming the on-going fight.

"Baba will be here anytime now!" Kiran says urgently, flailing his hands to grab some attention of his best friends who are fighting like a pair of roosters in a coop.

"I don't care," is all that comes as a response to his efforts as the duo continues with clawing at one another.

Sighing with resignation, Kiran only hopes that his father, whom he calls Baba, would show some mercy on these two rebellious students.

"What's happening now?!" the commanding, heavy voice of Umesh Raj booms through the air, causing everyone to scatter with panic, yet the duo is still pushing one another vehemently.

"Shiv and Arohi," the man bellows at the two kids who are glaring at one another. "Look at me, the both of you, now."

With much reluctance, both the little kids turn and face their coach who is eyeing them with disappointment while Kiran keeps glancing at his father's face, hoping that nobody gets punished today for ruining the decorum.

"What happened?" Umesh Raj asks them both.

The little boy, Shiv, with messy brown locks and a similar shade of fawn eyes, squeaks up first, "she hit me first, sir!"

The man then turns to look at the seven-year-old girl who is being accused. "Is it true, Arohi?" Umesh asks her tediously.

"Oh, yes," Arohi nods without a hint of hesitance as she looks the coach in the eye. "And he very much deserved it."

"Why?" Umesh asks, furrowing his brows at her confidence.

"Shiv says that girls can't play cricket," Arohi states, throwing a dirty glance at the boy. "And that I should not be given a chance to bowl."

Kiran furrows his brows at those words. Shiv was wrong in saying that Arohi can't play cricket, she very much owns the game when she's at the field, actually.

"But it's true!" Shiv cries, hanging onto his side of the argument stubbornly. "There is no girl who comes to practice here, at this stadium, apart from Arohi and no girl in my school likes the game either."

"And that means Arohi is a fellow player, just like you," Umesh Raj points, hoping that the kid gets his words, "that means everyone will be treated equally, no matter what their age or gender is."

"Okay, sir..." Shiv mumbles, crestfallen.

"Now shake hands like civil people and apologise," the man directs, making both the kids look at one another with vehemence.

Sighing, Arohi holds her hand out for Shiv to take with a small smile. After glancing at the small hand with contemplation, the boy gives in and shakes it with a sullen face.

"Back to the pitch now, everyone!" Umesh claps his hands, commanding the little group to the field to resume to practice.

________

9 Years Later:

"Baba is gonna kill us if he finds out about this," Kiran mumbles, his eyes scanning the cinema hall every now and then out of anxiety. What if someone finds out about them bunking the cricket session and informs his father, their coach, about it?

"Shush," Arohi says, waving a hand in front of his face, her eyes glued to the film unfolding ahead as Shah Rukh holds Kajol in his arms, the both of them singing a duet, as if everything in the world is perfectly fine.

"Stop fretting and focus on the movie, Kiran," Shiv adds, backing Arohi up with a smirk.

Sighing, the caramel-eyed boy decides to shut up and keep his thoughts to himself since his best friends aren't gonna value them at any rate. Why did he ever agree to bunk practice with these two? Oh, to stop them both from arguing every five minutes, right.

Once the movie ends, the trio strolls out of the hall, with Kiran at the lead. "Now we're gonna take a ride straight to the stadium," he tells the other two with determination, "I'm not hearing any excuses-"

"Is my face that pretty, you asshole?" Arohi's deadly calm voice penetrates the noon air, causing Kiran to turn on his heel and gape at a fuming Arohi who is glaring at a group of boys who were obviously eyeing her shamelessly from the gates of the movie theatre. Clearly, they messed with the wrong girl.

"What's the point denying that, jaan (darling)?" one of the four boys howls, smirking at her from over his flashy, obnoxiously stickered bike.

"Arohi, let go," Kiran reprimands the girl who has only been aggravated by the response. Shiv, meanwhile, is wondering whether to jump in and support her, or to take the sane side and walk away with Kiran, hoping that she follows up soon.

Before anything proceeds, a brick from the adjacent stack of cement and tools gets hurled at the pack of shameless boys, causing two of them to lose their balance and drop to the asphalt with their bikes, emanating a loud crash and yelps. "That's what you get, morons!" Arohi calls, dusting her hands proudly as she turns to look at her best friends who have fear and disbelief etched over their features now.

"What?" she asks the two boys in front of her.

"How about we make a race to my bike?" Kiran mumbles urgently.

Furrowing her brows, Arohi turns around, following their line of vision, and pauses when she spots a gang of nine bulky boys who are now glaring at the trio vehemently.

"Last time I checked, there were only four men," Arohi mutters, turning back to her friends.

"Oye!" one of the guys calls when she turns.

"Race it is," she tells Kiran and before either of the boys comprehends anything, Arohi dashes off, leaving them standing at their spot. A second later, both Kiran and Shiv are running for their lives in the direction of the parking space with a pack of nine angry guys chasing them, profanities filling the air.

Reaching his bike, Kiran jumps up on it and kicks it start while Arohi hops up and down, chanting over and over for him to hurry up. The Honda jumps into life on the second attempt and Arohi and Shiv quickly mount it. Accelerating at top speeds, Kiran pierces their way out of the complex, leaving a trail of smoke for the gang who stops following them now.

Laughing and cursing all the way, the trio reaches stadium about a few minutes later.

"Remember anger management, Arohi?" Kiran tells her when she gets off the bike with Shiv.

"What's that?" Arohi asks back with a grin. "We don't know her." 

__________

Author's Note

Heyy people!

I know it's been a long while since i updated (nearly 2 years)
I hope y'all enjoyed the chapter!

Stay happy and healthyyy
Love,
Arhana <3