Drugged Love (On Hold)

Chapter One

He watched as the black swan glided across the water. Other swans followed her, happily dulled in her dark glorious shadow.

Ishan sat in one of the backseats of the school auditorium, watching the annual day musical unfold before his eyes. This was a respite from the monotonous classes which had always bored him to death. Besides it was a delight to watch her dance. The otherwise disinterested Ishan would tilt and turn to make sure that he did not miss a single one of her intricate fluid moves.

Elena George was the lead dancer in almost all of the performances. She transfixed the crowds with her grace and beauty, her complete movements and smooth transitions. Besides this, she was also the class topper and the darling of all the teachers.

The crowd broke into a thunderous applause as the black swan spread her black wings wide. Dressed in a black top which left her thin waist bare and stuck to her bosom tightly, she was already making several boys swoon and other girls of the school roll their eyes in distate.

She had a way of making other things around her look irrelevant. She stole their part of attention but yet standing next to her people looked more glorious. She was commanding the stage making the other dancers shine in her glory.

But none of that was the reason why Ishan found her so alluring. She was the best in academics and Ishan was mediocre—the kind that barely studied and managed to pass with a decent grade. She was popular but Ishan had an aversion to popularity—he liked to run in discrete circles having only a few friends. Elena had enrolled into school two years ago after spending three years in the United States—this added to her charm for other boys—but not Ishan.

He could sense that something was oddly wrong with Elena. Her smile seemed tailored, like something which was forced after a great deal of practice. Ishan loved watching her. Watching her cheeks turn pinkish red, when someone praised her and her hazelnut coloured long hair swaying from side to side as she walked.

The performance came to an end with the black swan being cornered and killed by a hunter for her feathers while the white swans were spared.

She seemed adept at hiding her emotions and Ishan felt that despite being the popular girl whom almost everyone wanted to befriend she may in fact be lonely.

The crowd was wrapped up in an emotional trance and rose in unison to give the dancers a fitting standing ovation.

Ishan reached the school's main exit. He would have to walk home alone as his best friend Reuben was absent again today. Ishan was worried that Reuben had started missing school a lot lately.

He noticed a car parked in front of the main gate, a long sedan in shimmering silver. He couldn't understand what it was about the sight of a new car but it always made him stop in his tracks and admire it. He stood there open mouthed just as then the window of the car rolled down and a familiar face peeked out of it.

He was dumbfounded as Elena stared at him with her innocent brown eyes. He couldn't help but stare back. He felt conscious and a lump appeared in his throat. The moment passed as the car rolled away. He stood there open mouthed and thought, if there is one girl who could look that beautiful at the end of an hour long performance, it was Elena. He smiled, ruffled his wavy hair and started walking towards home.

Home, was just a two bedroom flat in a dingy congested colony of the city. The buildings in the street were so close together that one could jump from one building to another and the roads were so narrow that only one car could fit in it at a time. Ishan's flat was on the second floor of the building.

His father worked as a clerk in a government office and his mother was a housewife. The salary was just sufficient to sustain the household and pay Ishan's and his younger sister's school fees. This meant they had to cut down on a lot of expenses. Throughout the years Ishan had learned to save his pocket money unlike most of the kids in school.

The moment he was about to enter he felt a vibration in his pocket. The previous summer, Ishan's mother just as loving as she was, had saved money and bought him a phone after his constant bickering that every kid in school owned one.

He took the phone out of his pocket.

One new notification.

Message from unknown number: Hey. Is this Ishan?

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Thank you for reading the first chapter of this story. This is my first story, so I'm looking for as much encouragement I can get to write more. 

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The second chapter will be published soon.