She is from Venus, He is from Mars!

Chapter 7

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Hazel~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Have you ever felt like that innocent victim in this whole wide world where it feels like the world around you is secretly conspiring against you, because no matter how much efforts you put in, how well planned, well organized you could be but still all your efforts and plans just give up at the last moment. I had exactly that feeling in my heart right now. I wanted to reach college an hour before the first lecture, to make up some notes in the library, but my alarm clock, my stupid sixteenth century alarm clock just decided to stop working exactly five minutes to my wake up time. I know, ridiculous right! Well now I have been running since last ten minutes to catch up to my genetics class. I think I'll give up in next two minutes because as I said earlier, the most efficient part of my body is my brain, not my legs, which are crying out loud, sending the signals to my brain to stop right now if I don't want to be crippled for the rest of my life.

Anyways, since I am not some heroine of a romantic novel, so good things don't always happen to me, and I was fifteen minutes late when I finally reached the class. Mr. Pullman glanced me from the space between his eyebrows and his glasses and signalled me to come inside. I entered the class scanning up the front two rows, and then rest all of the rows. All the seats were preoccupied except one. Can anyone guess which one? The one next to Mr. Rude. I was right, nature was indeed conspiring against me.

I had no other choice, so I started climbing up the stairs to that seat, but as if this much badluck was not enough, as I reached out to the fourth stair, my feet caught up into the belt of someone's handbag and the next moment I was lying on the floor, my face rubbing against the hard floor and my glasses flown under someone's table. Loud chorus of giggles filled up the room, adding feathers to the hat of my embarrassment.

"Silence", Mr. Pullman screamed from the back and the giggles stopped. Slowly I grabbed my bag and glasses, which were broken and got up and reached my seat. The last person I wanted to see right now was sitting next to me, a huge grin pasted on his face making me want to punch him in his face. To avoid breaking his nose, I decided to concentrate on Mr. Pullman. And then I realized that all this time he had been waiting for me to settle down so that he could continue his lecture.

"Miss Clark, I hope that you had a very good reason for being late".

Looking through my cracked glasses I spoke, "I am sorry Mr. Pullman, my alarm clock broke". And different forms of suppressed giggles and laughter filled up the room. But the loudest of them all was the person sitting to my next making me feel claustrophobic.

"You may sit down Miss Clark", said Mr. Pullman before turning over towards the board.

I sat back and pulled out my notebook and pen writing down the topic 'Genes and Mutations'. Toy dismay, my mishaps were yet not over. Before I could write anymore words I realised the tip of my ball point pen broke off. I checked in my bag again and again for another pen but I didn't have any. Finally I stopped and sat back crossing my arms over my chest. I was trying hard not to cry at the moment, folding my hands into tight fist. When I was just about to give up, the person next to me offered his pen to me. Mr. Rude, offered help to ME. Oh.My.God!!!

"No thanks, I'll manage", I said putting his pen back on his notebook which was as blank as a freshly looted bank locker. Why bother keeping a notebook then. I wondered.

"I don't like girls crying. It's the most irritating thing to watch. So, better take it and stop wailing", he said, putting the pen back on my notebook.

"Excuse me, how dare you!" I said glaring at him through my cracked glasses.

"Miss Clark and Mr. Martin is there something more interesting to discuss?", Shouted Mr. Pullman.

"Er... No sir. Sorry Sir", I said sitting back straight on my chair. Mr. Pullman moved his glance towards Mr. Rude, who seemed to be least bothered about anything.

"Actually Mr. Pullman, Miss Clark was asking, whether all your lectures are this boring or this one is a bit different".

I choked up on my own saliva hearing this and started coughing. I couldn't believe what he just said. This mean, ill mannered, cunning, evil monster for a person. "Mr. Pullman, I did not say that", I tried to clarify myself.

"Mr. Martin, if you are finding this lecture so boring you are free to leave", he said in a calm tone.

"You asked for it. But thanks anyways", he said and grabbed his notebook and backpack started moving out of the classroom. Before going out of the door,he glanced at me once again and winked and then disappeared behind the front door. He winked at me. He WINKED at ME. How dare he?

The lecture continued and I noticed that his pen was lying on my notebook, which I obviously forbid to use.

                           ******

"So, how was your day today?", Kim asked curling up her hair with hot iron.

"Don't ask, it was horrible. Worst day of my life", I said rubbing my forehead with my fingers.

"Why what happened?" She asked again.

"A lot. But currently I am not in the mood to discuss that", I replied.

"What are your plans for the evening?", She asked switching off the hot iron and placing it on the dressing table.

"I wanted to go through these books which I borrowed from the library, but now I don't think I'll do that".

"You can come with me to the party", she said.

"Which party?"

"Jacob told me that one of the senior guys, has arranged a party and everyone has been invited. He thought it'll be our best chance to socialize with the seniors so we decided to go. You can come with us too".

"Oh no no, you people carry on. I am not in a mood to attend any party", I said lying down on the bed.

"Please Hazel, come with us. It'll be fun. It'll be our first college party. Besides, Jacob will be there too", she insisted. I realised that she really wanted to go, as this would have given her a chance to spend sometime with Jacob out of the college, but she was feeling too shy to go alone and that is why she wanted me to accompany her. This was the least I could do for my two best friends here, so I agreed and this brought up a bright smile on Kim's face.

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