Ishika entered the classroom looking more confident from yesterday. She sat down at the front desk again.
The warm sunlight fell directly on the desk she sat-her hair glowed golden brown. Her hazel eyes twinkled as she glanced all around the class.
The girls who she played with yesterday were sitting on the middle benches. Ishika got up from her seat and walked towards them.
"Hi!" She said smiling at the girls who also smiled back at her.
"Hello!" Ipshita greeted while making space for her to sit.
Ishika sat down, "What are you guys talking about?" she asked with a little pause. The awkwardness of talking to new people was clear on her face.
"We are discussing tea!" The other girl, Meenakshi, said mischievously.
"Tea?" Ishika asked, confused.
"Yes! You remember the girl who kept giving weird looks and threw that ball at you?" Ipshita added.
Ishika nodded but she still didn't understand how it matters. She forgot about that girl after the game until she was reminded again.
"So...she is from 11-D , the humanities section and she has this huge crush on Kabir from grade 5th. The whole school knows about this." Ipshita continued, whispering the details so that no one could hear.
"Does Kabir know?" Ishika questioned, her brows furrowed slightly.
"No! He is oblivious." Meenakshi replied as if it's common knowledge.
"How? I mean she has had a crush on him since 5th grade, right?" Ishika questioned again. "And what does it have to do with me?" She added further.
"Men. They don't understand the other person's feelings!" Ipshita sighed answering the first question.
"And yesterday when Kabir asked us to take you in our group, she got jealous." Meenakshi quipped. "Be careful she might be planning something."
"How do you know that?" Ishika asked, raising her one eyebrow.
"Last year, she threatened a girl just because she talked to Kabir for a minute." Ipshita told her vaguely. "Later she got suspended for it."
"What was her name again?" Ishika asked.
"Akshita Singh" Both of them replied at the same time.
Ishika nodded , making a self note to stay away from her when suddenly, a question occurred in her mind. "Why hasn't she pro-"
The classroom door flung open, Kabir stood at the threshold ,his hands on his hips. He took a few steps back before sliding in dramatically.
"Mere ishare pe tak dhina din nacha...
toh twitter pe trend hogyaaa..." Kabir sang while dancing as if he was possessed.
"What is he doing?" Ishika asked looking at the boy in front who was still dancing with all his energy.
"That's his unofficial official ritual. He always enters dancing to a new song everyday!" Meenakshi laughed looking at Kabir now.
"I'm surprised he didn't do it yesterday," Ipshita commented , folding her arms against her chest. "Considering it was the first day."
Kabir jumped in front of Ishika , she flinched back in surprise. He shoved an imaginary mic towards, "Did you like my performance? Yes or Yes?" He questioned with sly grin.
Ishika glanced at the mic he has made with his hand and then at the girls for help-who just shrugged knowing he won't leave without answers.
"I'm waiting..." Kabir exclaimed tapping his feet while his lips curved a little. Ishika opened her mouth to speak before he interrupted again.
"And choose from the options only!"
"Yes?" She responded after a beat.
"And that's the correct answer!" He exclaimed showing a thumbs up to her. "But I'm disappointed it wasn't Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!" He pouted.
"Supercali- what??" Meenakshi questioned frowningly trying to repeat what he said. Beside her Ishika giggled.
"Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. It means something extraordinarily wonderful." Ishika explained to her , smiling at her astonished expression.
"Perfectly right answer, topper!" He said clicking her fingers and pointing towards her. "What was your name again?"
"Ishika Sharma," She sighed momentarily.
"Okay!" Kabir made an ok gesture with his fingers. He then walked backward doing a moon walk which didn't look close enough to an actual moon walk.
Ishika and Ipshita exchanged an amused glance while Meenakshi giggled softly. Kabir who was still engrossed in doing a moon walk hit Ms.Singania accidentally.
He stilled for a moment, his eyes widening in shock. She raised her eyebrows at him , silently asking him to explain.
"Mam...uh. Good morning mam!" Kabir suddenly greeted her with enthusiasm. He smiled when she just looked at him.
"Kabir..." Ms.Sighania said quietly, almost like a warning. "I do appreciate your full energy performance but mind your surroundings. Now go sit on your seat."
He nodded , thanking his stars for not hearing any scolding. Ishika moved back to her own seat , waving bye to the girls. Kabir also started to walk to the last bench when he was stopped by Ms Singhania.
"Not at the back, Kabir. I fixed your seat in front yesterday."
Kabir gawked at her in shock, his eyes widening. "Mam..." He trailed, his shoulders slumping. "You know i don't like sitting in front."
"And care to explain why is that?" Ms.Singhania questioned.
"The lightning is bad there," He replied with a straight face. "It messes with my face!"
Ms.Sighania pinched the bridge of her nose with her fingers, eyes crinklying in annoyance and amusement.
"The lightning of the corridor is also good, why don't you go and stand there?"
Kabir started laughing, and quickly sat beside Ishika. "Kya mam? aap bhi na! I was just joking!" He said smiling.
"But I was serious."
"Was...past tense mam." He then flashed the most innocent smile.
Ms.Sighania opened her mouth then closed it, sighing she moved on with her task. Kabir grinned and then shifted towards Ishika.
"Hi, Topper Ishika," He said , resting his head on his propped up hand. "Still on standby?"
Ishika smiled back at him, "No, thanks to you."
"What can I say? I have a charm!" He said , flicking his hair.
Ishika giggled at his sentence, her face lightening up with happiness. Kabir got still, for the first time he didn't have something to say.
He blinked, ignoring how his heart was beating. Ishika stopped laughing slowly but her eyes still glowed.
She smiled at him in confusion seeing him staring. He sat up straight suddenly all serious, "Your laugh reminded me of a famous laughing meme."
Ishika blinked once and then huffed in annoyance, a small pout forming. Kabir's seriousness lasted for a few moments before he burst into full blown laughter.
"Your...your face" He laughed , keeping his hands on his stomach. "You looked so..." He continued laughing.
Ishika glared at him, he stopped immediately. He then proceeded to act out as if he was zipping his mouth and locking it , throwing the imaginary keys somewhere.
Her lips twitched a bit before she concealed it. "Dramatic!" She muttered.
"Ow!" Kabir winced , placing his hand on his right side of chest.
Ishika now laughed looking at his expression and his hand placement. "The heart is on the left side , stupid!"
"...oh"
She shook her head in laughter, while Kabir smiled winking at her.
The canteen was filled with students-Some were eating peacefully while some hovered over their friends lunch stealing it.
Ishika stood with her lunch looking for a place to eat. She saw a table at the corner and made a bee line towards it. Setting up the content on the table , she carefully took a bite.
"BOOH!!" Kabir came behind her scaring her.
"Aahh!" Ishika screamed, the food went up to the wrong pipe.
She started coughing,her eyes closed in pain. Behind her , Kabir panicked...he quickly took his water bottle, giving it to her.
His hand moved quickly towards her back but stopped suddenly. His mind raced with thoughts of her getting uncomfortable. His hand hovered over before he could think further , Ishika's cough subsided getting him out of his dilemma.
"Sorry...sorry, I was just surprising you...," His spilled out, panicking.
"It's fine...I'm fine." She replied , drinking some water.
"So...why are you sitting all alone,again?" Kabir asked , his usual carefree persona replacing the earlier panic one. "Where are the gossip girls?"
"Gossip girls?" Ishika asked, confused. Kabir nodded seriously, "The two girls you were talking to in the morning."
"Ipshita and Meenakshi?" she asked after a small pause. "They are the gossip girls? Why?"
"Yeah! They know everyone's business somehow," He answered , stealing a small bite from her lunch. "You want to know, why two teachers aren't talking to each other? Go to them. Fight? They know the reason."
"Oh...wow." She muttered, shocked.
"Yes, they're like reporters." Kabir said while nodding, taking another bite of her lunch.
Ishika's mind ran with the information they both told her. She glanced at him who was busy eating her lunch, she debated with herself whether she should ask him or not.
"By the way," She blurted before she could think twice. "The reporters told me something about you."
Kabir paused and then shifted his whole attention to her. "Me?" A few crumble sticked to his lips.
A sudden thought occurred to her mind, 'How did Akshita even develop a crush on him?'
"Yes,"
"What was it? That I'm the most charming,funny and handsome person?" Kabir asked mischievously, wiggling his eyebrows.
"No." Ishika deadpanned.
"Not worth it,then." He said , returning his focus back to food.
Ishika stared at him in complete annoyance. She stood up , ready to leave the table.
"Accha, okay...okay. Tell me." Kabir voiced out quickly, stopping her from leaving.
"Do you know Akshita Singh?" She came straight to the point.
He looked confused for a moment before remembering, "Yeah, What about her?"
"Do you not know?" Ishika asked , raising her eyebrow at him.
"No,Ishika. I don't."
"She has a crush on you!" She blurted out.
Kabir stared at her , blinking then he shrugged casually as if it didn't matter. Ishika looked stunned seeing him react this vaguely. "What..."
"I can't help everyone keep falling for me." He stated as a matter of fact. "I know about her having a crush on me. She proposed to me. In 7th or 8th i guess, I don't remember."
"What did you say?" Ishika asked , now curious about knowing the full story.
"I said," Kabir turned serious, turning fully towards him. He leaned a little bit towards her , "I said...I'm gay!"
"What?" She asked him stunned , her eyebrows furrowed together.
Kabir laughed a full blown laughter, causing everyone's attention to be on them. He was laughing so hard that he almost fall off the chair.
"Of course, I'm not in a relationship. I wouldn't talk to another girl if I was with someone." He said , finishing off what was her lunch.
Ishika sighed , looking at her finished lunch. She wanted to know why he rejected her but she stopped herself knowing she wasn't that close with him.
Kabir looked at her , seeing her wanting to know more. She was easy to read , wearing her mind on her face.
"My friend had a crush on her and i didn't like her romantically. So, bro code!" He answered her curiosity.
"Oh," She said , surprised.
"By the way, sorry for eating your lunch. It was tasty." Kabir grinned, forwarding the empty lunch box to her.
"No worries, I-"
Kabir got up from his seat and disappeared in the crowd. After a few minutes, he came back with two aalu patties , coca cola. He placed it in front of her and then proceeded to take a bite from his aalu patty.
Ishika smiled at him , taking a bite. He had flakes of patty around his mouth and some were on his clothes too while she still looked well put up for someone eating patties.
"You were saying something?" Kabir asked, dusting off the stubborn flakes which still stuck to his uniform.
"Oh yes," Ishika brought out another small box kept at the side. "This is from me." She said , forwarding him the box.
"Why?" Kabir asked, opening the box to find chocolate brownies. "Oh wow! Brownies?"
"Um...for taking me out of standby." She replied , softly. He stopped mid bite , stunned at the girl sitting in front of him.
He looked up at her , sunlight hitting her exactly at the right place. Her hazel eyes seemed brighter than usual.
Something he wanted to capture in his camera.
"That's...um," Kabir stumbled upon his words. "If I get to eat these brownies everyday, then I would help you get out of standby all my life." He said , grinning finishing off the brownies.
"You made these?" He asked.
Ishika nodded a little shy now. Kabir's eyes widened in surprise, and proceeded to make a thumbs up at her making her smile.
Kabir cleaned his hand using his handkerchief and then forwarded his right hand in front of her. Ishika looked down at his hand and then at him , confused.
"If i have to eat these brownies and other goodies then I have to befriend you!" He said winking at her.
"So friends?" He raised his eyebrow at her looking at her with expectations.
Ishika smiled before closing her hand around his. "Friends."
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