Red Card Writing Contest

Excerpt from the book "Red Card"

"As the exams drew nearer, even the teachers at Oswal's started feeling the pressure. They had to justify the criminal amount they charged in fees. The lectures became more focused, the breaks became shorter and the doubts were treated with greater scorn. Needless to say, the change in style didn't sit well with Rishabh. He hadn't exactly had a wild time there earlier, but now he despised Oswal's even more.

The only consolation, as ever, was the presence of Tamanna. He spent many a lecture staring at her attentive side profile, like a man holding on to a lifebuoy while drowning at sea. He had tried making contact with her many times since their movie outing, but none of their conversations had lasted longer than thirty-eight seconds. A strange gagging reflex kicked in every time he was near her, preventing him from speaking. But what he lacked in confidence he made up in perseverance. Now he always made it a point to say something, even if it was something inane, like 'Nice handwriting!'— in the hope that one day Tamanna would go, 'I love how Rishabh talks about things that don't matter whatsoever.'

It was about a week till the term exams when Rishabh had his longest conversation with Tamanna, at the end of which, he had a distinct impression that he had finally broken the proverbial ice. He walked into Oswal's that day and saw Tamanna sitting at the back with earphones plugged in.

Spotting an opportunity for some light banter, he walked up to her and said, 'Hi, what are you listening to?' Rishabh didn't have a booming voice to begin with, and his nervousness decreased his volume further. This ensured that he had the worst possible vocal equipment to get the attention of a girl who was sitting with her eyes closed and silently headbanging to really loud rock music. Hence proved: Tamanna completely missed his pithy conversation starter.

Now, Rishabh could have walked away and kicked himself for trying to talk to the love of his life, but he was the persevering kind. So he cleared his throat and said, only slightly more loudly, 'What are you listening to?' He managed to get the attention of every person within a three-row radius, but Tamanna herself remained oblivious. He noticed that all eyes were on him. He was in too deep. Earlier he could have slid into his seat with no one the wiser about his sad attempt, but now he had an audience. He had to commit himself to the cause; the show had to go on."

Go to the next chapter to participate in the "Red Card Writing Contest" and win exciting prizes!