Tenth Grade was Fun!

6. STORMY SEA OF MOVING EMOTIONS

"Ritu! Write down your mobile number here."

I internally groan as I hear the annoyingly screeching voice and the source of the voice places a paper that had some names—including mine, both the HD twins' and her—in front of me with a pen.

"Why do I have to write my number, bitch? And what are these names?" I shoot back, angry that she called me 'Ritu' and confused about the names and numbers.

"What did you just call me?" She asks me, her fake smile faltering.

Oh, how I know it is fake you ask? Well this Drama Queen had—and probably has—a crush on Nikhil and had befriended me, a year or half back when we were in ninth grade. But then I came to know that it was because she wanted to get close to him and...you can say that my crappy trusting skills proved themselves again.

Then again, Nikhil being...well...Nikhil, told her off with the mystery girl excuse again and ever since, she had hated me because he is close with me but not her.

I had trusted her enough then to let her call me Ritu, but she no longer holds that privilege.

"I just called you bitch." I shrugged nonchalantly, not missing the silent snicker coming from the HD twins sitting beside me.

"How dare you call me that, you wimp?" She snarls, her façade breaking.

"Well, how dare you call me Ritu? You lost the privilege long back. Even Nikhil hates your screeching voice and unnecessary dramatics." I state calmly, trying to put a nail in the coffin, not giving away how angry I was or how all about my past came back to me.

"I'm sure he just pities you. You're a pathetic little girl, roaming around with no one to really care about you." She advances towards me but was stopped by someone tapping on her shoulders.

And that did nothing in preventing her words from hitting me hard. Truth be told, they stung.

All those nights I cried, thinking I did something wrong for my then best friends—my two childhood girl best friends—to stop talking, the guilt I felt after realizing that I fought with one of my two best friends because the other one manipulated me to do so.

Hell, I even mulled over why even my recent girl best friend—Drama Queen, that is—never really cared about me.

All those days I screamed at myself pulling out my hair, not knowing why anyone I trust breaks me over and over and over again, the anger—when I felt used—whenever anyone talked to me to get academic help.

And the helplessness whenever my mom sided with the manipulative childhood best friend of mine, advising us to 'talk it out'. Even though it was before she knew the truth, it made me feel hopeless.

Yes, to sum it up, I was a wreck...until Nikhil helped me put myself back into one piece.

But now this fucking Drama Queen makes me doubt the motive behind Nikhil's actions.

"The Biology teacher is calling you." Says the voice and when Drama Queen moves, I see Mia, or that's what I think her name is, standing behind.

Turning to I-think-it-is-Mia with her 'smiley-face' cover, Drama Queen starts, "Oh. But, the list—"

"I'll take care of it." I-think-it-is-Mia dismisses.

"Thank you so much, I'll be back ASAP." Finally Drama Queen exits the stage.

"Oh please, don't bother coming back at all."

No, I didn't say those words.

A bit shocked, I look at I-think-it-is-Mia who's grumbling something about nails on board and stupid theatrics.