But I Shall Tell

Chapter 5 - Love Birds.

2005

"I'm surrounded by idiots." Priyanka Desai murmured, waving a hand at her audience.

Lunch break ended a few minutes ago, though the new class had already started, Mr. Khurana wasn't among the heads present in the room. A few of the students were still standing just outside the door in blue uniforms. A regular school you could say.

"So," Kajol Kapoor among the audience said, leaning forward from her bench behind Priyanka, "that bitch Divya Laghari." She shook he head which made her blue ribbons go wild.

"I heard," cam a voice.

"Shut up, Alex." Kajol pushed her leg and hit the person sitting next to her. "I was the one who told you," she said annoyingly.

"One more, sis," said Pooja Tiwari. "He keeps poking me from behind."

He poked her at that, to prove that she was right. "My darling, Pooja, lets go out tomorrow," Alex said.

"Keep dreaming." Pooja said, hitting him with a book on his head. He made a sound "ouch."

Another hit on his head, this time it was Kajol. "You never ask me out," she said.

"That's because, sis, you are his neighbor." Pooja was smiling. "He can get in a lot of trouble if anyone in your neighborhood sees him with you."

It was time for the students from the backbenches to enter the class, a group of 4 entered at once. Came along them was the noise that the class needed. No one missed Mr. Khurana it seemed. Well except one boy, the one sitting in the front row, Maan.

"That's not fair." Kajol looked unhappy. She spent a lot of time with Alex studying, walking to and fro the school, in fact sitting just next to him. Yet she couldn't go out with him.

"So, tomorrow?" Alex pressed Kajol's shoe with his. "Baby?"

"Sure." Pooja said, with a smile. "But if you try anything fishy, like the last time you did in the theater hall, I'll scream."

"Yeeeeeeeeeee. I won't. You can bet Kajol's expensive bag on it." Alex looked more excited than the last time he was out with her.

"Love birds." said Priyanka.

"Stop it, sis." Pooja elbowed her who was next to her.

"And here comes our sketch artist," shouted Kajol.

Ram Kapoor, was born with a talent. He once won first prize in a drawing competition held by the province/state. When he touches a pencil, it comes to life. He approached the black board and picked up a white chalk piece from the desk beside.

"So, what is it going to be this time?" Kajol said, standing.

"I hear a rumor," facing the black board, "about a kiss," Ram said.

"Oooooooooo." Came a voice from behind.

An entire section had joined the ceremony. Paper planes and paper balls were flying in the air. Pens and pencils were being held high in honor.

Turning a page from the math note book, Maan looked up slightly at the boy in the front and right passing him was a beautiful girl with a pierced nose, and a thin golden ring in it. The boy had brought out a princess from a fairy world.

A knock on the door, and there was silence all of a sudden. Everyone, including the boy who now had stopped drawing, was staring at the person standing in a Brown uniform

"Due to some urgent matters," the person said. All eyes on him. He looked someone with some very important message.

"Matters," repeated Kajol, for which she was rewarded with a paper ball to her head.

The person continued, "Mr. Khurana will no longer be joining us today. You can wait in your class for the next teacher to teach, which will be in 45 minutes from now."

Pooja leaned and kissed Alex on his cheek. Luckily no one was in the mood to notice the love bird's game.

"Free cheers for our janitor," a boy from the back bench said. "Hip hip hurray."

Like a band who had practiced a particular song, they all cheered "hip hip hurray, hip hip hurray."

Ram threw the piece of chalk he was holding, that is after completing the drawing of two love birds, kissing. Well, a girl who had cornered a boy and was on her toes and kissing the boy. "Done."

The janitor was a 28 years young man, doing this job as a part time. He had know what would be reaction of the students on hearing the terrific news, so he hadn't moved from the door. Even he appreciated the art work done by the boy who was now pulling his shirt collar up and holding it with both hands. After a moment, "Isn't that Divya Laghari?" he said.

"Indeed," said Priyanka. The voice had come to a minimum.

"You know her?" It was Alex, a boy with a kiss mark on his cheek. Looked like Ms. Tiwari wan't good at her work, or was too good.

Covering for her friend, Kajol put her hand on Alex's face and wiped it in a gesture that look like she was pushing him. She looked at Pooja and winked. Pooja sighed.

"She is from the same area. Her family moved last year. Ya, I know." The janitor said.

Pointing a finger, "the boy on the board is Mansingh Patel," Priyanka said. Her shirt top two buttons were opened. She wasn't wearing a tie unlike others, "and that was his First Ever KISS, if I'm not wrong."

"First one," said Kajol Kapoor.
"First one," said Pooja Tiwari.
And Alex Sharma,
The train was too long, it had many compartments. Each with a name.
Ram Kapoor
Aakaash Varma
Srinash Bedi
Chanda Mahajan
Charvi Mishra
Deepti Mehra
Vrinda Tagore
Sheela Talwar
Kiyansh Chadha
Vivaan Chawla, the boy with most paper balls.
Deepali Nehru
Eshita Rajput
Pushti Rana
Daksh Saini
Ravi Shah
Rihaan Datta
Anika kakkar, the girl with the most boy fans, after Priyanka.
Alisha Kori
Tanaya Trivedi
"First one," Neel Yadav ended the train.

"I'll remember the name." The janitor saw a replica of the sketch. He searched for a face in the room, scanning rows after rows and then the column. To his disappointment he didn't find who he was looking for.

"You won't find her here. The kiss was the last thing she gave to this school," Priyanka declared the sad news.