Tangled Strings

Chapter 1

Bryan

I was just about to keep my foot on the first step of the staircase, when I was interrupted by the sight of a beautiful, most charming and cute girl. She was the same - her eyes, sparkling with excitement, her smile, revealing her mischief, her blonde hair which she kept putting behind her ears showing her nervousness. She was a girl whom I had fallen for and was falling deeper every time I saw her. My beautiful and never ending thoughts were interrupted by Fred, Fred Knightley. He is my best buddy whom I share all kinds of secrets with.

"Hey bro, what's up?" he said, and realising that I had been in deep thought, he understood everything and once again said, "Oh no, no, no, bro! You shouldn't be thinking about her. It's the first day of school since vacations and I don't want you to walk like you're sleepwalking!!"

I looked at him and realising that he was right shrugged my shoulders with a smile.

"Hey everyone, good morning" said Ashley and Lucy almost together. Ashley, the girl whose thoughts were running in my mind and were interrupted by Fred, was my best friend. We shared a great deal of things in common, and nothing could break our knot. Lucy was Ashley's friend and Fred's girlfriend.

"Hey Ash!" I said and turning to Fred I said "I'm leaving Lucy for you bro! Now, don't say I always end up eating your fair share of things! OK?"

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever!" he said, and everyone just burst into laughter.

As we all were talking about our new classes and subjects we had opted for, the bell rang. We were all walking in the corridor, towards our lockers, when suddenly Ashley said, "I wish Harold isn't late today. He is always late. I don't know how, but he is somehow."

I looked at her with wonder and smiled. I couldn't understand how anyone can be so considerate about these small things.

"And I hope that Jenny too comes, after all its the first day of the new session. Anyway, if ever I was in her place I would never miss school for any reason. Except of course for any grave emergency, but not otherwise." she said, again.

The instant she said all this, two people came running towards us and guess who they were. Harold March and Jennifer Roberts.

"I guess, I'm not late this time?" Harold said, with a smile full of mischief on his face.

"And I guess, no one missed me because today I am present!!" said Jennifer, laying so much stress on the word 'present' that it seemed she was singing.

"Well, I guess your guess is right, dude!" I said hugging Harold.

Suddenly, we all remembered that we had our classes. Just before we were going to enter our separate class rooms (we had got shuffled) there was an announcement that we all will be yet again shuffled.

"Oh God!" we all said almost in unison. We were tired of being shuffled like dices from one class to another. But, it wasn't in our control, though. It was the management committee which had executed such an exercise. We all stood in the corridor waiting for our names to be called out, so that we could go to our respective classrooms.

Mrs. Jane Thompson, a management staff member, came, addressed us and started calling out our names.

"Maria, Jessie and Kathy to 'C' section."

"Ashley Brookes; 'A'."

"Ashton Tyrell; 'B'."

"Emma, Fred, Harold; 'A'."

"Charlotte Balfour; 'A'."

As she called out the name of Charlotte every eye lifted and went up in her direction. With her miniskirt, tank-tube top and face full of make-up, she went inside the room winking at the boys who stared at her with their jaws dropping loose. Charlotte, as you may by now have guessed, was the most popular and sought-after girl in our school.