BEHIND THE MIRROR

Chapter 3

Our literature teacher was a very charming lady. She was young, beautiful and an extraordinary teacher. I loved the English classes, just because of her.
I was busy speaking to Avinash, about one of my experiences while I went for a trek, at Gangotri...
Miss Bose entered the class. I was so busy speaking and Avinash was so engrossed listening, that we just forgot to stand up.
"Aarini...!! Won't you wish me today...!", Miss Bose spoke to me very gently instead of scolding, as she loved me.
I was a bit embarrassed. I stood up at once, smiling awkwardly. "I'm sorry miss! This won't be repeated...!", I exclaimed.
My eyes fell on the 4th bench. Ashrit was looking back. Again, our eyes met, and I wanted to keep staring at him, I don't know why...
The whole class sat down, I was still standing, staring at a boy, I met, may be just some hours back.
"Aarini, sit down man...!", Avinash pulled my hands, whispering softly.
"Ohh, yes... yes...!", I looked at Avinash awkwardly.
Sitting down, I looked up, again. Ashrit smiled a smile of sarcasm and turned around. I cursed myself for staring at a boy like him. I hated him.

"We will start chapter 1 today...!", Miss Bose instructed us to open our books. Literature was my favourite subject. I had been trying my hands at writing from a very tender age...
I've even won a number of awards at different competitions, for some of my write ups...
Miss Bose started reading out the chapter, loud, explaining every part of the excerpt...
But I couldn't concentrate on it, at all... Her voice was blurred, and that "sarcastic" smile, crossed my mind, again and again...
I went on thinking about it... went on... and I was so irritated, I started scribbling on the page of my new book, with the pencil on my hand, unmindfully...
"Aarini...! What's wrong...!? Why are you behaving so awkward...!? You don't like a single unnecessary mark on your book, and you are scribbling on it...?", another shook from Avinash, brought me back.
"I am sorry... I don't know, whats wrong with me...!!", I replied fumbling, while rubbing the marks on my book, with my eraser...
"It's okay... happens sometimes...!", Avinash kept his hands on mine. I smiled at him, still disturbed about something which should not bother a girl like me, at all...

"So here the writer tells us, how the boy was convicted of a murder of his own love...!", Miss Bose's voice reached my ears...
Murder...
Love...
Convicted...
I took out my diary... Opened a new page and scribbled some lines on it... The lines did not satisfy the thoughts that clouded my mind... I tore the page, crumbled it and threw it on the ground... I
What I wrote on that paper was something like,

"Murder is born of love, and love attains the greatest intensity in murder !"

I later searched for that paper, in the tiffin break, but didn't find it in the place, I threw it in... May be the monitor had picked that up, and might have thrown it...

The literature class was over... The class was howling and shouting... There were different kinds of songs, mimicry of teachers, nasty adult jokes and what not...! You all must have had similar experiences, for sure...!
I tried my best not to look at the 4th bench, but your heart will make you do, everything that your minds asks you not to do...
I looked again. He was busy changing a refill of his pen... I could see a story book on his desk... I tried getting the name of the book...
"Is that The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson..?? Yes, I think so...! Well, he reads murder thrillers...! Interesting...!", I spoke to myself...
"I thought, with that monotonous look on his face, he is just a reader of his physics and chemistry books, but he reads stories also...! Readers, are most of the times, writers as well... Does he write even...!?", my inquisitive mind questioned sarcastically...

"Class, class, keep quite...! Principal Ma'am is on the corridor...!", the monitors suddenly appeared to take their positions... A hush fell upon the class...