Us │✔

25│Hakuna Matata

Jivika~

"Kajal, seventy one!"

"Joey, sixty nine!"

That sure did earn snickers from us, the immature teens. Sonika ma'am looked around, and I could only wonder if she knew why we were laughing or was she pretending to be clueless. Never mind, the next sheet was mine.

"Jivika, seventy nine on eighty, one of the highest in class!"

One of the highest? There were probably twenty people who must've got the same marks!

"Deknaa, ab yeh ek mark ke liye royegi!"
["Watch, now she'll cry for that one mark!"]

Lavanya snorted, and I knew that the comment was thrown just to lighten the tensed atmosphere. She was excited and nervous, I could see that. Or at least, that's what I judged, based on how she was gripping to Maahi's hands.

"Dude, she's not you!" Kiara replied, laughing away, acting as a shield for me.

Soon enough came her chance, as Sonika ma'am yelled out: "Kiara, seventy six! Krish, sixty eight! Lavanya, seventy nine! Laysa, seventy six! Maahi, seventy nine!"

Hah. The girl looked as if someone stole her Vada Pav. What was she saying like two seconds ago?

My paper was snatched away, and I could only stare. Realizing the scrutiny, I asked them what they were upto. Counting my marks on his fingers, Shreyansh replied.

"Comparing papers."

And before I could protest, someone else did. The problem was, it was not in my favor.

"Yaar Shreyansh! Look! This is what I was talking about! Look! Ma'am has given all of them marks, she has not cut anything for not writing the formula! Lets go get her marks reduced as well!"

And off they went, Shreyansh, Amaan, Parth and Pranav. To get my marks reduced. Knowing that she actually might take their point into consideration, I rushed behind them yelling at the top of my voice.

Too late, I was too late. But it did not matter. Sonika ma'am was truly a savior.

"Jivika knows the formulas. I know that."

"Ma'am! But we also kno—"

"Jivika does not cheat in exams. What can you say about that?"

Giddy with excitement, I snatched my paper back. Noticing Maahi standing in the queue of children who wanted to get their marks corrected, I was surprised. The girl lost one mark, one mark! And for that?

"Oye, what happened to you? It was just one mark, right?"

"Yes, one mark for not writing that the answer was an approximate one," she snorted, irritated at the correction. In our school it was difficult to convince the teacher how our answers were correct. But when it comes to her, it was a different deal all together. It was impossible for the teachers to convince her, how their correction was right.

"Guys, the plan is still on right?" asked Maahi, trying to move over her disappointment of losing one mark. And catching onto that, Amaya countered with her ears wide open.

"What plan?"

That plan which excluded the three of them, Amaya, Laysa and Rhea. Two best friends and their other friend. Our Social Science project required maximum five heads, the four of us fixed as always. But if we chose to bring even one of them with us, the other two would go berserk. Drama was enjoyable, just not when among us.