Tenth Girl

p r o l o g u e: i just . . .

This book is dedicated to our friends.

Saneo, Maya, JeeJee, 'Rami, Vi, Rushitaa, Harini. Thanks for being amazing and for agree-ing to help with the 'Crack The Crackpot' mission, though we never really did anything except form 'Beyond Repair'. We love you to bits and pieces, never forget that. x

Once upon a time-

I can't believe we're starting it this way. It's cliché.

I know, me too. I mean, I can't believe that's how it starts, I don't think it's cliché. Because that's how fairytales used to start, now nobody uses it.

You have a point.

I always have one.

Right...so:

Once upon a time, there were two girls who lived in India.

Maybe we shouldn't just mention two girls, it's unfair to the rest of the members of Beyond Repair.

You have a point.

I always have one.

Once upon a time, there were 9 girls-

Hold on, maybe it should be ten girls?

You know what? I don't care. I'm trying not to sing 'I Knew You Were Trouble', and writing Once upon a time over and over again is annoying me.

Fine then.

In March 2013, just before a new semester started, there were two girls who were moving, leaving all their friends behind.

Even the thought of that makes me wanna cry.

I know right.

While one of them was in a train from Mumbai to Chennai, the other one pelted people with water balloons as her favorite festival was less than a week later.

Now these girls, who weren't in any way related to each other, were destined to meet, and fight the Monstrosity known as―wait for it―boys.

You know what? The boys aren't monsters.

Yeah. Like you were the person who they threw a lunch box at.

I took a water bottle to the face, I know.

It was a Tupperware bottle, wasn't it?

Yeah.

Nobody likes moving, but it's a fresh start. You can change who you are, meet new people. Different people.

For them, it started on the first day of school...

▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼