Chapter 1

599 43 12
                                    

It all began on a Thursday morning.
"Good morning, class. This is Divya Bhaskar and she is going to be with us from now on", the teacher passed on a smile and the girl spoke, "I hope to get along with all of you. "
Too much enthusiasm on her part.
The teacher looked around and called out my name. "Darshan, let her sit beside you", she pointed. Considering that there was some space beside me enough for a human child to settle, I didn't object. Until and unless it is just sitting and not disturbing my peace of mind, it is fine on my part. I shifted to my side.
"Hi. I am Divya", she laid out her hand for a hand shake.
"I am fine with anything you call me", I said rolling my eyes back to my book. "Anything is fine? Then, I wouldn't mind calling you Sweetheart", she chided. "Anything except those flirtatious and cliché shit would do", I said jogging my eyes between the blackboard and my notebook. "You look like a studious and hardworking boy... Then... Aghh... I would prefer calling you by your name", she said giving up. "What's your name, again?", she asked.
"Knowing my name is not a priority", I said rolling my pen in between my fingers, uniterestedly.
"Dar... Shan", it seemed like she read it from the cover of my notebook.
She smiled at me and then offered, "Can we go for coffee after school?"
"No. I am fine", I denied.
"You prefer music, don't you?", she asked. My eyes shot at her. In a first meet, it should be impossible for her to know that. "Don't freak out. I just saw the stickers of different musical instruments on the cover of your notebook and pencil box", she said.
"That's freaky on another level", I said composing myself.
"If it's not too much to ask for, can you show me around? I am new here", she asked in a small voice. This is what every new student does. Plays a trick. "Sure", I can't deny things on a level as simple as this.
I let my eyes fall on her. Deep black-brown hair, graceful reddish-brown eyes and a really deep and sweet voice. I had nothing to do with her fairly fair skin or her long legs or even her skinny arms which seemed to have lost their muscles.
Xxx
I showed her around the school.
"You should get going to your friends", she said as soon as we finished.
"I don't have those types of relation with anyone", I said turning around.
"You don't have friends?", she asked.
"No. I don't", I replied.
"I can totally picturize what your life must be like", she said zoning out.
"What do you think it is like?", I asked her.
"I might be wrong... But it is totally as you expect it to be. You have the control to everything happening around you and no one is there to interfere. Your life is the perfect example of a peaceful life, is it? I know it might not be as perfect as I sound... But, it is comparatively better", she said. She was on point. My life was not as good as anyone would think.
"I might sound a bit hypocritical... But does your life revolve around music and studies?", she asked.
I looked at her. She had read nearly half of me in the first meet. "Maybe", I shrugged, pacing back to the class. "If that's it... Try something that can make the revolution more interesting", I heard her say. I turned around to see her. She looked at me and passed on a smile. I know what kind of smile it is. A smile that barely reaches your eyes. A smile that skeptically shows how happy you are. I didn't reply anything and went back. If anything, I would never prefer singing again.
I sat quietly in my bench while I heard quite a few hushed whispers along the class. Rumours spread like wildfire... And rumours are built in a second with assumptions which are not half as true as the reality.
Few children around me ran towards the door and I turned around to see who the centre of gravity was. It was her. Divya. New students make a lot of friends than the one fitting here for years. Do I feel jealous? No. She was struggling to smile amidst the crowd, sharing experiences. I, on the other hand looked out side the window. The clouds were floating peacefully in the sky. "Dreams are an one-time thing... Breaking them is like breaking yourself.. Breaking a destined future", I heard her voice. I looked at her. She was near my desk.
"Why are you saying this to me?", I asked not meeting her eyes. I was afraid of being exposed anymore.

"I just felt like saying it. Your eyes look like they have seen something break within themselves", she said.
"Who are you? A future reader?", I asked.
She laughed at this. "Well.. That's not a bad job scope. I might try it", she said. "It's just... No matter how many times I look into your eyes... They feel like covered with dusky thoughts. And, I understand those thoughts might be too difficult to be said to others... Or maybe too complicated for others to be heard", she continued.
"Leave me alone", I said.
"I will... But co-incidences won't", she winked at me.
My thoughts revolve around my mind. I don't fancy being mocked at or being embarrassed. It's better to shut down before anyone finds you under the layers and judges you. This is class 11B. It is filled with the typical feeling of teenagers swooning around. Some are so in love to confront the reality. Some are so in friendship to think about the real world. It won't work.
At this point, I spinned my head at her. She was talking to some other girls and guys. Keeping my head shut is the best thing to do. Keeping my eyes shut would compliment to it.
The ringing bell pierced my eardrums and I can do nothing but open my stingy eyes.
By the time, Divya was already by my side. The teacher had just entered. The class had quitened down. I decided to shut my thoughts too. She still had a smile on her face. "Even if she is not that beautiful, she is sure attractive", my inner brain shouted to me. Maybe... She was.

//thinking of taking down the diary of monsoon with this story☺☺love ya//

The life of a withering flower [COMPLETED ✔️]Where stories live. Discover now