_"Katherine: The Hajera Within"_
"Meet Hajera, a young girl with a secret identity. To the world, she's Katherine, a nickname that hides her true self. As she navigates the complexities of adolescence, Hajera must confront the contradictions of her...
When our school term finally came to an end, I thought I was in for a well-deserved break. I had spent the entire year studying hard, attending classes, and participating in extracurricular activities. But little did I know, fate had other plans. I fell victim to a highly contagious and painfully debilitating viral eye infection. The infection was so severe that I couldn't even open my eyes, let alone attend school or hang out with my friends Kat, Dora, and Liz. I was bedridden for a whole week, missing out on valuable time with my friends and struggling to keep up with my schoolwork.
The infection was not only painful but also frustrating. I had to rely on my family members to take care of me, feed me, and even help me with my schoolwork. I felt like a burden to them, and it was hard to accept that I couldn't do things on my own.
During my absence, Kat's mother finally relented and allowed her to use a mobile phone, and we created an online group chat to stay connected and share updates about our lives. We would frequently change the group's name and chat about everything that was happening in our lives, from our favorite TV shows to our plans for the future. It was a way for us to stay close despite the physical distance.
One day, Dora sent a hilarious message to the group: 'Attention everyone! Viral fever is going around, bring your own water bottles!' She even added a baby feeding bottle emoji to drive the point home and make us laugh. I laughed so hard when I saw that message, and from then on, everyone made sure to bring their own water bottles to school to avoid sharing and spreading the infection. It was a small but effective way to prevent the spread of the virus.
When I finally returned to school after recovering from my illness, I realized I had missed out on a lot of important concepts in math and other subjects. I was struggling to keep up with my schoolwork and felt overwhelmed by the amount of material I needed to cover. Unfortunately, our math classes were frequently canceled due to a shortage of teachers in the department. We were all struggling to keep up with the syllabus, and it seemed like things were only getting worse.
Just when we thought things couldn't get any worse, we got a new math teacher, Mr. Syed Baseer Alam Quadri. He was a young man in his early 20s, and we were all surprised to have someone so young teaching us. While he was an excellent teacher and explained complex concepts in a simple way, many girls in my batch developed a crush on him. Liz, in particular, was smitten with him, but she denied it every time we teased her about it.
Kat, who is known for her roasting skills, would often tease Liz about her obvious crush. 'You're always talking about him, Liz; it's obvious you have feelings for him!' Kat would say, leaving Liz blushing and trying to defend herself. Despite Liz's denials, it was clear that she had a soft spot for our young math teacher. We would all joke about it and try to get Liz to admit her feelings, but she would never give in.
The situation was made even more awkward by the fact that Mr. Quadri was married with two kids. We would all joke about how Liz had a crush on a man who was old enough to be her father, but deep down, we knew she was just harmless. We were all just trying to have a little fun and make the best of a difficult situation.
When Mr. Quadri first walked into our classroom, I had a terrible first impression of him. I was already feeling anxious and embarrassed because I had missed so much school due to my illness and wasn't caught up on the material. I didn't know much about him except that he was our new math teacher, and I felt intimidated by his sudden presence. He seemed so confident and knowledgeable, and I felt like I was at a disadvantage. His teaching style was different from what I was used to, and I struggled to follow along.
As soon as he started teaching, he gave us a brief introduction and then began asking questions individually. This made me even more tense, as I was worried that I wouldn't know the answers. I had always been a good student, but I was struggling to keep up due to my absence. When he asked me about the zeros of polynomials, I was mortified. I had been planning to study that topic at home that day, but I hadn't gotten to it yet. I felt so embarrassed that I didn't know the answer. My mind went blank, and I couldn't even remember the basics of polynomials.
To make matters worse, Liz seemed to be drawn to him like a magnet. She would constantly talk about him and try to get his attention. She would giggle and blush whenever he spoke to her, and it was clear that she had a crush on him. We would all tell her to stop, saying, 'If you want to do this, then don't be our friend!' But she wouldn't listen. She even went so far as to stalk him online, searching for him on Instagram and the school website. She found out that he was married and even started talking to him on Instagram. I couldn't believe her behavior and wished that she didn't exist. But unfortunately, she was my friend, and her actions reflected poorly on me.
As the days went by, Liz's behavior only got worse. She would constantly text Mr. Quadri and try to get his attention in class. She even started dressing differently. It was like she was trying to transform herself into someone else, someone who could get Mr. Quadri's attention. I was disgusted by her behavior and didn't know how to stop her. I felt like I was losing my friend to her obsession with our teacher. It was not only me who felt like this there was kat as always.!
I couldn't understand why Liz was acting this way. Didn't she know that Mr. Quadri was our teacher and that he was married? Didn't she care that her behavior was inappropriate and embarrassing? I felt like I was stuck in a nightmare, and I didn't know how to wake up. I tried to talk to her about it, but she just brushed me off, saying that I was jealous. Jealous? Of what? Her embarrassing behavior? I didn't think so.
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Lost in thought, I absentmindedly doodled on my math practice book during Mr. Quadri's class, creating an unsightly ink hole. Meanwhile, our English viva was underway, and everyone was busy preparing for the big day.But little did we know, it was Mr. Quadri's last day at school - a shocking revelation that surfaced on the fourth day of English Festa.
The reason behind his sudden departure? Some girls from C Division had excessively admired him, which felt awkward and uncomfortable, especially considering we're just 14 years old.
It's unsettling to see students behave this way towards teachers, especially in India, where respect for educators is deeply ingrained in the culture.
