Today in science class, our teacher told us to form groups for the project. Sounds easy, right? Wrong. We all know these “group project” announcements are basically an invitation for chaos.
The moment we got the green light, I huddled up with Kirti and Jagrati, my dream team (well, close enough).
But, just as we started to relax, Priyanka the “chipkali” waltzed over and practically forced herself in. I mean, did we ask? Nope. Did she care? Also nope.
And just when I thought things couldn’t get any more perfect, our teacher, Miss Prerna, added Arnika to the mix. Arnika, who we fondly call “Kachrika”. Let’s just say she’s not exactly on my BFF list.
So there I was, stuck with a squad I hadn’t totally signed up for, praying I’d survive this project without losing my mind.
Eventually, we settled on a working model of a windmill. After all, it sounded cool, kind of simple, and gave us a chance to look like we knew what we were doing. We planned to meet at my place in two days to start working on it, and honestly? I was bracing for both disaster and maybe a little fun.
Two days later…
Alright, 3 PM was the agreed time. But this group? Punctuality was clearly not our thing. Jagrati, who we call “Jagu,” showed up at 2 PM, a whole hour early. She was just as excited as I was....or maybe she just knew that with this crew, getting anything done might take a miracle.
So, Jagu and I hung out, sipping on cold drinks and trying not to eat all the chips before everyone else showed up. One hour and zero regrets later, Kirti finally arrived, a casual hour late, wearing her signature "I know I'm late, don't even start" grin. And, of course, Priyanka and Arnika didn’t show up at all.
To be honest? Good riddance.
At this point, our “project time” had become a hangout session. We were scrolling on our phones, laughing over memes, and talking about everything except the windmill model.
I think I was just trying to forget we had a deadline.
Just when we were really settling into our “serious work” routine (aka lying around doing nothing), my ashok Papa(Avishi’s dad) popped his head in. He raised an eyebrow,
“So, are you three working hard or hardly working?”
I looked up with my best innocent look. “We’re totally working, Chote Papa!” I mean, we had plans. Sort of.
Thank goodness for ashok Papa, though, because he took one look at our materials and knew we were doomed.
He offered to help, which meant we had an actual adult supervising and, let’s be honest, mostly doing the important stuff while we followed along pretending to know what was going on. We set up our “lab” in the basement, and the fun truly began.
With ashok Papa focused on the battery and wiring, we had free reign on the parts we were actually trusted with: the house, windmill blades, and other random decorations. Kirti, in her artsy glory, took over the blueprint.
Jagu and I teased her when her “house” started looking more like a box, but she rolled her eyes, “Hey, it’s not a mansion...it’s a windmill!”
While cutting out a slab, they asked me to stand on a thin sheet to steady it. Now, me being the clumsy one of the group, this was just asking for trouble.
One minute I was balancing like a pro, and the next I felt the sheet wobble. Yep, I was on the floor before I even knew what happened. My dramatic fall, complete with flailing arms, had everyone in stitches.
Kirti wiped tears from her eyes, barely able to speak. “Naira, you’re supposed to be helping, not performing stunts!” I groaned, but I couldn’t stop laughing either.
Jagu patted me on the back, “If this windmill thing doesn’t work out, we can always sign up for a comedy show.”
As the evening dragged on, we got… about halfway done (with tons of help from ashok Papa). Around 8 PM, Kirti and I decided a snack run was in order. We grabbed our jackets and headed out into the cool night air. I looked at her and laughed, “We’ve barely done anything. This is more of a snack club than a science project.”
She smirked, “Exactly why I joined this group.” We ended up getting the biggest bag of chips we could find, along with spicy bhel mix. Kirti dared me to eat a spoonful of the bhel without grabbing water. Obviously, I accepted. I lasted about three seconds before I started coughing and laughing, and she had to practically drag me out of the shop as I tried to recover.
Back at my place, we made the messiest, most delicious bhel and sat around munching and chatting. This project was coming together piece by piece, and though it might not end up looking professional, it was definitely ours. We were bonding over every crooked line, every spilled bit of glue, and every joke.
Around 9 PM, it was time to say goodbye. As Jagu and Kirti headed out, Jagu called over her shoulder, “Remember, Naira, no more stunts!” Kirti laughed, “Yeah, we need you alive for the science fair!”
I waved them off, smiling as I looked back at the half-finished windmill. It might not have been perfect, but this night would definitely go down as one of my favorites.
After all, who needs perfection when you’ve got friends, snacks, and memories that will last way longer than any grade on this project?
Heyyy readers! So sorry for ghosting you all—I promise I'll try to be more consistent... emphasis on try! Life’s a rollercoaster, you know?
Anyway, massive thanks for sticking around and reading till the end! You guys are the real MVPs. Hope you enjoyed the chaos, laughs, and questionable decision-making in this chapter! Can’t wait to see you in the next one, where we’ll probably make even more questionable choices (it’s a talent, really).
Catch you soon! (Hopefully... probably... kind of.)
Everyone here is the meme of the day
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