High school sweethearts... (#Wattys2017)

JUST A PHOTOGRAPH

               

                   Chapter-20
            (  Just a Photograph  )

                            " soooo.... " ,I said slowly dragging my tone. while I was standing near her desk the next day and was trying to start a conversation.

" so what ? "  she said.

"like...."

" like what .." she asked in an annoying tone.

" Means..."

" what means , tell..."she asked with her raised eyebrows.

Now that I got to know that  she is trying in all ways to bombard on me. I kept my cool and just stood infront of her without uttering a single word. My girl never raises her voice on me but this time she did ,I was not angry with her attitude but feeling bad for how much I hurted her which is making her.

                       This continued fot next one week , I have been to her morning before school starts , interval before lunch, during the lunch time and interval before special hour  i.e at 3.30 pm, but her attitude was always the same. I indeed felt that my girl wants that extra care and  love so though she was convinced long back ,she was trying to hide her feelings and behave the same way.

                      I was now exhausted doing all this and with a heavy down heart  I stopped going to her. And the same day sweets are being distributed in class on the occasion of retirement of some school teacher and Mrs.Alice my class teacher asked my girl to distribute those sweets. My girl started to give everyone and eventually came to me.

" Which one do you want?" she asked.

" Sorry I don't like sweets" I said with a sharp voice.

"I am asking you one last time." she said

"My answer is same" I said.And she left.

she walked to me again during the interval before special hour . I was sitting in my place doing some work.

" Take this sweet" she said .

I dint reply .

"Ok , we will eat half each "

I still remained silent.

Now she took the bag beside me,sat down in my bench. I was indeed very happy of all the things she is doing , afterall its from past one week I was behind her but dint get a single response from her.

She started to just stare at me.

" So what now?" I asked my girl

" Nothing , you do your work." she replied.

" Ok tell, what? " I asked after 2 minutes.

" Nothing I said you to do your work na?" she said.

" No you tell." I said annoying her a bit now.

" Noooothinggg "she said and pushed the sweet inside my mouth .And ran away. As that sweet is already drenched in lots of ghee, my whole month upto chin is filled with ghee. I was quietly sitting in the bench as she walked again and gave her Hanky and said sorry ,with this I felt the fight between us is done and was really very happy. I was walking home as my home is very close to school and she just passed infront of my home riding her cute bicycle like a little angel.

           " So the winners of junior dace competition is...."SPL was announcing the next day in the assembly before National Anthem.

I was waiting to hear our group name with my eyes wide open as our junior girls gave a marvellous performance.

" And the winners are..... Sapphire Groupppp...." SPL announced

Assembly was at once filled with huge round of applause.

I felt really bad for my group and atlast satisfied with second place.Now comes the senior dance competition results . I know that we performed not in a group , we were just two but my girls sapphire group had 8 members and there performance was really good.

" And the winners of senior dace competition are......."

" Garnet Grouppppp......"

"Woooooooooooooo........  Clapss all around in assembly and all the Garnet students started to shout "GARNET...GARNET. ..GARNET... " , We are asked to get on to stage.

My girls capitan went but I refused to go on to stage as I have already seen the consequences till last day.

Everyone started to congratulate me all the way till class, but I know I dint deserve it. During the interval my girls capitan Suhitha  came to my class and asked me to come out while I was talking with my girl. I went out and she handed ovet a Photograph which was taken during our performance.  I spoke with her for a while and thanked for giving photograph. By the time I came inside its already 10.40 am and bell rang which meant that 3rd period is going to start. I gave a smile to my girl as she had a curious look on her face of what suhitha has given me. I took photograph and was walking to my bench.

                  As it is curiosity alone which made great scholars in world but in high school its always curiosity about others , their life, their relationships which will entertain class. And now its me who is going to be prey for  my class behaviour.  Pratyusha a tall gall, alomst of my height used to sit beside me in the last bench as the order of sitting is usually based on height in India.

" what is that ?" she asked me as I was adjusting to sit in my place.

I said nothing and was keeping it inside my Social studies text book.And she just pulled my book and was turning all pages to find the photograph and she got it. She was so excited to see the pic that by the end of third period she made everyone see that and eventually reached my girl.

                 During the afternoon lunch break I went to my girl and was talking with her. Suddenly with the intervision of other classmates I felt a bit embarrassing as they asked my girl to take out photograph which she kept with her and each one were discussing in there own style about Photograph . I sensed something really bad is going to happen as I could see a faded smile on my girls face , once the class girls are highlighting our pair in photograph. As all of them moved she just squeezed the photograph while I was watching with a open mouth and wide opened eyes.

" Is this what you want right?" she said with trembling voice.

" Go away AJ now, dont talk with me  " she said throwing the squeezed photograph  on me.

Photograph hit me and fell on her again. She was even more annoyed now and tore it into two halves so that me and my girls capitan suhitha are not on same piece. I was shocked at her behaviour and took the two pieces went back to my bench throwed the two pieces in my desk and went outside the classroom.

      I sat outside the classroom and was thinking about my girls over possessiveness and her new attitude towards me. I knew it .It is love but she never said that neither I dared as I felt that I could get a tight slap.

" She is crying ." John said coming out of class. I was now completely startled .I Went inside the class room and stood beside my girl as she was still crying with her head down on desk.

" I am really sorry , I am just making you always. Please forgive me this one time. I will definitely not repeat. Stop crying.

!!! Please...!!!"

" Please get the photograph AJ.,"  she said with her head on the desk.

                    chapter -21
              ( A life full of love....)