Network Romeo Series

Chapter-4

The college bell rang at last! I somehow managed to befriend some of my class boys. Some girls tried to speak with me but I just gave them a dirty look. Why should I waste my time on them! Thank God that cheeky Vaishnavi sat in the first bench at the corner.

I was happy to sit with Yash at the last bench. The classes went on absolutely crazy and I was really glad that it finally got over. I dropped Yash at his college bus (by walking of course silly)

I somehow managed to reach the bus stop and sat on the tea kada (shop) bench as it was really crowded. I asked some people how to reach my place, and guess what? Everyone started telling their own routes.

Shit! Finding the way home is really difficult. As I was about to call my dad to ask for the bus number and route, I saw a girl standing very close to me! Yes it was that silly old creepy weird short…………

“Vaishnavi what do you want? Why are you standing and staring at me”

“See Mara I’m really sorry. I shouldn’t have spoken with you like that in the morning. I thought you were a senior that’s why?”

“What? Me? Senior? Poma poi velaiya paaru!”(Mind your business)

“Ok! I will mind my business but let’s be friends okay? After all we will be studying in the same class for four years so…..”

“Fine… you are a big mouth aren’t you?”

She gave a short smile and stretched her hands towards me. I just tried to give a smile and shook hands with her. As I was doing that, the thing called conscience or whatever started to hurt me.

“Hey Vaishnavi I’m also sorry for..”

“Huh you apologising? Well that’s ok! Where is your house?”

“It’s in Ramanathapuram. What about you?”

“My house is at Sowripalayam pirivu”

“So you know the bus route to reach home?”

“Yes obviously! My granny’s house is nearby so I have come here through bus a couple of times”

“Oh ok! My bus stop is next to yours right? So can you help me with that?”

“Yeah sure why not? I’m really happy to be your friend Mara”

“And Vaishnavi………I am not used to speaking with girls and I seriously don’t know how to behave because I had a bad experience in school!”

“Never mind! No offense taken. Are you in facebook Mara?”

“Yes but I accept friend requests from boys so…..”

“Oh that’s okay….. Hey that’s our bus to reach home climb in… I’ll get the tickets”

We both got inside the bus. After some minutes of travelling, Vaishnavi waved me bye and got down the stop.

Hell yeah I reached home without asking my dad. I made two friends in the first day! Which is almost impossible for a guy like me. I was glad that Yash became my friend and Vaishnavi…… well…I don’t know. I hate her toothy smile and the cheeky grin but…shit she is my friend!

The college days went pretty boring and I cursed myself daily on why I had joined engineering. The only thing good was Yash sitting next to me and Vaishnavi sharing her lunch in the break.

After a week when I had reached college, I saw Yash running towards me.

“Dude what happened? Got into any fight?”

“Mara! I saw her…. That girl……. Fiona”

“What are you blabbering?”

“Fiona is my girlfriend dude”

"Ha ha so you have found your girl so soon huh? So awesome. Fancy saying that you don't know how to behave with girls!"

"Stop it Mara. I know her because I have chatted with her in school"

"How come she studied in a boy's school?"

"You fool! How can you think weird like that? It's a big story"

“Then tell it as we reach our class idiot”

Yash started saying about a girl that he had met during his school culturals and that blah  blah … romance… blah blah..

“Yash why do you need a girl?”

“What?”

“I mean why are you wasting time on girls and that silly love stuff?”

“I don’t know Mara. I couldn’t resist it. It is a beautiful feeling which pierces the heart and…..”

“Ok loosu podhum. Enala mudila! Neeyum un romanceum”( Enough. I can’t take it anymore! You and your romance stuff)

One day a staff came to our class and told about the annual day competitions and culturals. Yash was asking me to join his music band. But shit I can’t sing!

I was thinking over what competition to join because I was told that I’ll get free OD hours (On-duty) for joining the competitions. During the interval, I saw Vaishnavi waving at me.

“Hey Mara which competition are you going to join?”

“Well I was thinking about joining the debate because everyone says I have a super cursed mouth but the thing is that I have to find a partner!”

“If you don’t mind can I ask you one thing?”

“Let’s both debate as a team”

“What? With you? No way….!! I will debate only with a male member and it will be mostly Yash”

“Dude he’ll be going for the music competition and most of the competitions are on the same timing. I don’t think he can spare time”

“Yeah you are right!”

“If we can team up, there are two advantages for you”

“And what are they?”

‘The first thing is that you can enter the competition because of me”

“What the fish! And the next thing is…”

“There will be only one winner in debate because the winning team members will be asked to debate with themselves and I will have the honour of winning you in the competition”

“Ha ha you think you can win? Don’t be sorry later!”

“I don’t worry loser….”

As I heard that, a sudden surge of anger entered inside making me slap her hard on the face. Shit! What am I doing? Some girls who were in the class saw that and rushed towards her. I saw that her face had turned red and yes she was crying.

Her friend Sree came and shouted at me. Yash came suddenly to my rescue and somehow managed to convince her. As the commotion was going on, The HOD came inside the class.

“What’s going on here? What is the problem? Why are you creating such a noise? Are you students or what?”

I hid behind Yash and tried to look at Vaishnavi. She was also trying to hide her face. Suddenly Sree stood up and told the HOD that I had had slapped Vaishnavi. He asked the both of us to come to his cabin immediately.

Yash tried to console me, but it was not use! I was angry over myself. I went to the cabin along with her.