In His Custody ✎ (MaNan)

✰ 51 - scary? my god, you're divine

Please keep your love coming! <3

5143 words without author notes :")

⭒

8 November 2010

"If you want to shine like a sun, first burn like a sun" — APJ Abdul Kalam.

That was the 'Thought for the Day' our boys' class monitor was filling out on our classroom board, courtesy his height. Our first period that Monday morning was Chemistry. To my misfortune, our teacher informed us that it was going to be a lab period. Don't get me wrong Babbu, lab periods were usually fun and an opportunity to perform experiments on concepts that were harder to grasp.

What was troubling me was the idea that we had to walk past the twelfth standard classrooms on the top floor to get to the lab, so I would have to face Manik.

Perhaps this was the reason a lot of our classmates had crushes and partners from different classes. Several girls, especially the more popular ones from our class: 10B, pined for boys from 10C who were across the corridor, but not 10A who were right beside us. The only two couples within our class were one who were going strong from 7th standard and hence did not seem to have any nearsighted ideas of ending things, while the other had just gotten together after an extroverted boy performed a dramatic proposal in the school canteen!

I shook, the shiver transmitting down my spine at the thought. A bunch of juniors and seniors, who were nowhere related to neither the boy nor the girl, were in on a moment that was supposed to be private between two individuals. It did not sit right with me. At that rate, who could even tell if the girl accepted it because she really liked him, or if she found the gesture rather daring and fun, or if she merely felt compelled to... in order to save face.

The classroom bustled as people disengaged from their seats.

"Children, can I have your attention please?!" she sternly commanded, and a resounding clap cut through our chatter. "As Principal Ma'am announced in the morning assembly, pre-boards will start from December 6th onwards." I stared out of the window, and into the distance.

The overall dullness in my life since Friday had me completely zoned out in the morning assembly. Then, I had been reprimanded by the school pupil leader during uniform inspections for not clipping my bangs. As I had touched my temples, I realised I had indeed forgotten my clips in the morning.

As I remained lost through the classroom window, the boy sitting in our bench softly passed me a look. Blinking but still gazing.

"I want each and every one of you to score well in them. Tenth standard is one of the most important milestones in your life," she emphasised, which was when I returned to class mentally and Aryamann looked away so as to not get caught.

Navya leaned in closer, barely whispering. "Suno na, are you still sad about the Diwali party? What happened with..." She stopped herself, noticing our other bench partner who had not known of anything. "...after I left?"

I shook my head and didn't respond, but gestured a thumb at her to focus on the teacher instead. Defeatedly, she interlocked her hands on the bench.

The teacher continued rather candidly, aware that the students were least interested in lectures about their upcoming lives and how invested one must be in studies to become successful. "Your whole life will be decided by this one year, one set of exams. Bas ab ek mahine ki baat hai, baaki distractions hata do aur dhyaan lagaake padhlo. Think of these as the real deal, real Board examinations, and give it everything you have, because you will still have one chance after this to rectify your mistakes."