The Right Kind Of Wrong

Chapter 2

It was a week after my college started and for the first time, I was the first to arrive. Or so I thought.

I headed to the first bench in the closest row to the door. That was where the rest of my "new gang" usually preferred to sit. You'd be proud to know they were all from State board with the exception of two who were from ICSE and CBSE respectively. I would have liked to sit way back but I needed these people to like me. I didn't want to be one of those snotty ICSE people. The few people from my school that got into this same college, were already seen bunking and roaming the grounds during class timings and I was determined to be not one of them. It might have to also do with the fact that my ex-boyfriend was a part of that crowd. You know those times when you suddenly wake up and decide he's not worth it and that you had to be blind to have considered dating him? Yeah, it was one of those phases for me.

Anyway, so I kept my stuff down and swiped my phone open and plugged in my earphones. I had one of the Tom and Jerry episodes on my phone and I just had to watch it. No one can separate my  Tom and Jerry from me. It was one of that amphitheater kind of classrooms where the benches were placed on the steps. I was hunched over the phone in silent laughter when I suddenly felt a swipe of something warm on my foot. Before I looked down I knew what it was, or rather who it was. My eyes met beautiful dark brown eyes of Ramu, our college dog, who had just taken an excited lick of my foot and was waiting for me to react, vigorously wagging his tail. One. Two. Three. That's all it took for me to jump from the bench I was on to the one next to it and then on.

I sprinted faster than Olympics runners towards the other and only human in the class who translated in my mind as "savior from Ramu". The other human shocked with all the sudden commotion looked up and started laughing. "Please just take him away", I told him on my way to him. By the time I reached him on the totally opposite side of the classroom, he had thankfully decided to take pity on me and with one whistle made the dog follow him.

My heart racing, I sat down on his bench to catch my breath and by chance, my eyes fell over the book open there. There was a beautiful drawing of what I assumed were angels sketched with the name "D.Arya"  in chicken scratch writing. As incredibly messy the signature was, the sketches were equally phenomenal. But before I could turn the page and see more, one of my gang members, Khyati, arrived and waved me over.

"What were you doing all the way over there?"

"You will not believe what just happened. That dumb dog licked me. Here, feel my heartbeat", I told her grabbing her hand and putting it on top of my still thumping heart.

She laughed as two of our other friends came in and Khyati started narrating my fear of all animals to them. I occasionally took part and in no time the class started filling up. I vaguely remember the "other human" returning through the door and I waited for him to look at me. Since I was standing almost next to the door, that happened pretty quick and I nodded at him quietly thanking him for his help. He smiled and joined his group. I averted my eyes when I saw who they were. Yes, I was trying to make new friends but I could never be more than acquaintances with people like him who were a part of the State crowd. I had standards.

That's how I first met him. That silly dog gave me the starting point to an amazing friendship that has been one of the best things in my life.

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