Chapter 6- Can It Get Any Worse?

Aarthi took out her phone from her pocket and turned off the audio recorder. She recorded the whole conversations with Shivanesh earlier. After adding the contact numbers, she sent the recording out to all the girls in the whole school.

“This is what you get for making me feel like a fool. If I can’t get you, I will not ley anyone have you,” Aarthi said.

#

After the break, Shivanesh heard many phone chiming at once and saw many girls checking their phones. One of his classmate turned on the audio and heard both Shivanesh’s and Aarthi’s and the conversation they had. Shivanesh embarrassed and clueless on how to react to the audio and what to do.

“That girl is so sneeky. Shit!!! Great. Now everyone knows. So much for keeping things a secret,” Shivanesh thought to himself. He looked around the class and saw everyone staring at him.

“Shiva, is it true? You already have a girlfriend?” one of his classmates asked.

“Yeah. I do,” Shivanesh answered realizing that there is no point to keep anything a secret anymore.

Throughout rest of the school hours, Shivanesh could not concentrate as he was worried about what was going to happen next. He knows that there are many of his school students who were attending that same tuition as his and would somehow recognize Vinodini instantly. He could not put his mind in class because he was worried about some girls looking for Vinodini. The one thing he doesn’t want is for anyone to harm Vinodini.

After school, Shivanesh went to get the chocolates he planned to get for Vinodini and got his lunch as well. After lunch, he changed his clothes and went to tuition. When he arrived, he saw many of the students were gossiping. “So, Shiva. Who is that girl? Is she from this class?” one girl asked.

Shivanesh just ignored her and went looking for Vinodini. When he realized that she was nowhere to be found, he went to look for her best friend, Anusha.

“Anu, where is Vino? Did she come today?” Shivanesh asked

“I guess she hasn’t told you yet. Some girls from you school came to our school earlier. They met Vinodini and told her a lot of thing. That is when I realised that you both really are dating. She was crying on her way back and told me that she doesn’t want to come to tuition because she is too afraid,” Anusha explained.

#

Earlier.

When Vinodini was walking out of school with Anusha, she was stopped by a few girls.

“You are Shiva’s girlfriend, right?” one of the girls asked.

“No. I am not,” Vinodini said.

Suddenly the girl grabbed Vinodini’s hair and pushed her straight to a wall. “Don’t lie or I swear you won’t be having a pretty face to continue dating Shiva,”

“Yes. I am sorry. Don’t hurt me. I am. What do you want from me?” Vinodini said crying because of the hurt she felt on her hair and her face because of the impact she had with the wall.

“I am Aarthi and I want you to leave Shivanesh alone. Understood?” Aarthi said.

“Who are you to tell me what to do? Stay away from me or I will Shiva what you did,” Vinodini said.

“Aww. Little missy wants to go complain to her boyfriend,” Aarthi said teasing Vinodini. She suddenly slapped Vinodini hard on her left cheek and said “If I can’t have him, nor can you”. Aarthi pushed Vinodini on the ground and walked away. Vinodini woke up with the help of Anusha. She could not believe what was happening. She now understood why Shivanesh wanted to keep everything a secret.

#

 Shivanesh felt so bad because it was his fault that Vinodini was threatened by his school girls. These were the main reasons he doesn’t want others to know of his relationship. He called Vinodini to check on her condition.

“Vino, are you okay?”

“No, Shiva. I am not okay. Who were those girls and why were they threatening me?” Shivanesh could hear Vinodini crying as she speak

“These are the girls who had some sort of a stupid crush on me. They were the reason I wanted to keep things secret. I knew they would go after you if they ever found out,” Shivanesh explained.

“Yeah, but how did they know?”

“Sorry. I actually wanted to make it up to you for what I have done so far to you. I wrote things down in my diary. For the first time, I brought my diary to school. A guy, the bully of the school and the guy who has been crushing on the girl who attacked you, saw my diary and things got worse from then on. I am so sorry,” Shivanesh said feeling really guilty and helpless.

“It is ok, Shiva. I need some time to digest all of this,” Vinodini said.

“Sure, take your time. Do let me know when you are ok?” Shivanesh said and hung up the phone.

Shivanesh walked back to the class not knowing how to react to the rest of his classmate who might have just found out about his relationship. He decided to ignore everything and just go home so he packed up and left even before class could start.

The next day, Shivanesh went to confront Aarthi about what she did to Vinodini.

“Aarthi!!” Shivanesh shouted when he spotted her at the class corridor.

“Owh. Good morning, Shiva. How is your day so far?” Aarthi asked with a flirty voice.

“Good, after I kill you,” Shivanesh said as he walked towards her.

“Wow. Feisty. What is it about? What made the hero be in a bad mood? Maybe a fight with his sweetheart?” Aarthi said trying to irritate Shivanesh.

“Why did you confront Vino yesterday? I made it clear to you that you are not allowed to see her, didn’t I? How dare you?,” Shivanesh said.

“Owh yeah. Her name is Vino, right? Sorry, don’t bother to remember. So little miss girlfriend complained to you about it already? Come on, Shiva. What are you going to do about this? I know you don’t hurt girls,” Aarthi said running her fingers on Shivanesh’s chest.

Shivanesh was starting to get really irritated with how Aarthi is behaving. He grabbed her hand hard and pulled her closer.

“I don’t mind even killing a girl if she harms anyone precious to me. Want to have a taste of it?” Shivanesh said as he hardens his grip on Aarthi’s hand and twisted it hard.

“Shivanesh, you are hurting me,” Aarthi said struggling to get her hands of Shivanesh’s grip.

“Well, this is only a bit. Imagine if I grip your neck this hard? I bet you won’t be talking anymore.  Go near Vino again and I swear I will rip your head off,” Shivanesh warned. Seeing Aarthi’s shocked face, Shivanesh continued with a cunning smile on his face,” I bet you know what kind of person I am and I don’t see you as a girl, so I have no problem hurting you at all.” Shivanesh then let go of Aarthi’s hand and said, “Have a great day,” and walked away leaving Aarthi alone.

“One problem solved,” Shivanesh thought to himself.

When Shivanesh reached his tuition 2 days after, he was not so pleased. Vinodini was still missing but he understood that she still needs time. He assured her that no one will ever come and disturb or threaten her ever again. But he knew she needs her time to cure from the trauma she faced.

“So, it is Vinodini, right? No wonder she always met you in private,” Suresh said trying to find out more about the couple.

“Just shut up and get lost. I am not interested in explaining to you about anything,” Shivanesh said trying to ignore what Suresh just said.

“Well, she told me that she has a secret she wished she could tell everyone and she is not allowed to. Why Shiva? Why did you hide your girlfriend? So that you can flirt with other girls?” Suresh said just to provoke Shivanesh.

Shivanesh woke up and grabbed Suresh’ collar. “I don’t flirt with girls while having my girlfriend in front of me. You maybe a Head Boy in your school, but here, you are just a student. I won’t hesitate break your pretty face here and now,”

“Really? How would Amrita react to that? She thinks you are a good guy. Does she knows this violent side of you?” Suresh said to continue provoking Shivanesh.

“Yeah. I do want to show a good side to her. But she is your girlfriend, isn’t she? How would she react if she knows you are using her name to provoke me or maybe make yourself popular, huh?” Shivanesh said to get back at Suresh.

“Suresh!!!! Shiva!!!! What are you guys doing?” Amrita shouted.

Suresh move away from Shivanesh and smiled at Amrita. “Well, nothing. We were talking. Do you know? Shiva has a girlfriend,” Suresh said trying to introduce hatred in Amrita towards Shivanesh.

“Owh, really? Congratulations, Shiva,” Amrita said shaking hands with Shivanesh. Both Shivanesh and Suresh were caught in surprise by Amrita’s reaction. Realizing that he would only make a fool out of himself if he continues, Suresh walked away to his seat.

Shivanesh looked at Amrita with a shocked face. “You are okay about this? Why aren’t you reacting like others?”

“I would be surprised if I don’t know,” Amrita said.

“Huh? What do you mean?” Shivanesh asked.

“I already know about your relationship with Vino. How? I saw and heard the both of you arguing 3 days ago, after tuition,” Amrita explained

“Sorry. I should have told you earlier,” Shivanesh said

“It all make sense now. The sarcasm that Vinodini was showing me all this time. It was all because she was jealous. I guess I really need to keep a distance with you,” Amrita said.

“Please don’t do that. You are the only one talking to me properly in class. I really hope this does not affect our relationship,” Shivanesh said.

“Relationship?” Amrita asked.

“Err… Sorry. Friendship” Shivanesh corrected. He could feel heat rushing up his neck and to his cheeks out of embarrassment.

Shivanesh saw the whole class still staring at him.

“Yes, Vinodini is my girlfriend. Done?” Shivanesh said and went to his seat. On his way, he heard something that made him smile. “Vinodini is so lucky. Dating the Ice Prince of the class.”

When he was at his seat, he found Amrita seating at the next seat smiling at him. “You don’t mind me seating here right?” Amrita said. “I am starting to hate to sit next to my so-called boyfriend,” she continued.

“You are always welcome to,” Shivanesh said while taking his seat.

Chapter 5- Secret Leaked

Shivanesh woke up in the morning and packed his diary into his school bag so that he can execute the plan he has drawn out last night after school. He never brought his diary to school before because he was worried of his secret being revealed. But today he was willing to take the risk and he knows he needs to be extra careful with it because he wanted to make it up to Vinodini for such a big screw up. He got himself ready and also packed extra clothes to be used for tuition after school.

“Amma, I won’t be coming back for lunch later. I will go to tuition straight from school,” Shivanesh told his mother when he was having breakfast.

“Fine. Just make sure you don’t get into any more fights. And make sure you have your lunch,” his mother told him.

Shivanesh left to school after bidding goodbye to his mother. He was excited because he was going to do something surprising for a girl that he is currently dating.

When he reached school, Shivanesh left his bag on his seat and went to meet his teacher regarding his results. He had some questions he wanted to ask the teachers.

Shivanesh’s best subject is English and Biology but he has a hard time understanding Additional Mathematics. He went to see Mr. Nazri, his Add Maths teacher to for some help.

“Good morning, Mr. Nazri. Can I come in?”

“Good morning, Shiva. Come on in. How can I help you? Had your breakfast?” Mr. Nazri said. Eventhough Shivanesh was not the best student in Add Maths but Mr. Nazri favours Shivanesh a lot because this particular student makes an effort to see himself improve.

“Yes sir. I actually have a few things I don’t understand,” Shivanesh said.

“Come, boy. Let’s see,” Mr. Nazri started explaining to Shivanesh.

#

Krishnan wanted to bully Shivanesh again. He hated Shivanesh more because recently Aarthi told him directly that she likes Shivanesh a lot and she will wait until SPM is over to confess to Shivanesh. He went into Shivanesh’s class and ask his classmates to show where his seat is. Krishna went to Shivanesh’s seat to find something to use against Shivanesh and he saw something that caught his attention. Shivanesh’s bag.

He opened the bag to find for proves to show to Aarthi that Shivanesh is not the guy she thinks he is. He found the diary and opened it. While he was turning through the pages and suddenly a paper fell of the diary. Krishna picked it up and saw a picture of a girl. He turned the picture and saw something written at the back of the picture.

“My dear one,” was written at the back of the picture.

 “Wow. The so-called solo guy has a girlfriend. Interesting. What would Aarthi say if she finds out?” Krishna thought to himself.

Krishna continued reading the diary to find more interesting stories to tell Aarthi.

08/02/08

She finally said yes. She is officially my girlfriend. But I am too afraid to tell anyone about us. Really hate it when people become nosey in my matter. She….

“Krishna!!! What the hell do you think you are doing?” Shivanesh shouted when he saw Krishna reading his diary.

“Not bad, Shiva. Keeping your girlfriend a secret. Which school is she from?” Krishna asked.

“It is none of your business. Stay away from me,” Shivanesh warned Krishna.

“How disappointed would the girls in this school be if they find out, the school hottest hero has a girlfriend? And the best part is, she is not from this school,” Krishna kept going on to irritate Shivanesh. “Tell me, Shiva. Where did you get her? She looks pretty hot. It is not nice to keep a hot chick like that all to yourself.”

“Another word, and I swear I will make you regret,” Shivanesh was starting to get annoyed of Krishnan and was scared that others might start getting to know about his relationship.

“Don’t worry. I will keep it a secret, for now. But I will make it that you have to tell everyone about it,” Krishna said and left to his classroom.

Shivanesh took his diary that Krishna put on his table and kept in his bag. This was the main reason he didn’t want to bring his diary to school as he knew there is always someone who would try to find out about his secret.

#

Krishna was sneaky. While he was in the argument with Shivanesh earlier, he slowly took the picture of the girl in Shivanesh’s diary and kept in his pocket so he can show it to Aarthi. Krishna took the picture of the girl in Shivanesh’s diary to show it to Aarthi. He was willing to do anything to make Aarthi hate Shivanesh. He does not like the fact that the girl he was crushing on had eyes on another guy. He waited until the breaktime to see her.

When it was breaktime, Krishna rushed to Aarthi’s class to tell her about the interesting information he just found out.

“Hey, Aarthi. I have something to show you about your hero,” Krishna said with a really proud smile on his face.

“Come on, Krishna. Stop it. I am seriously not interested,” Aarthi said trying to ignore Krishna.

“Will you be interested if I showed you this?” Krishna took out the girl’s picture and showed it to Aarthi.

“Who is this? Come one, Krishna. Please don’t do anything stupid,” Aarthi said feeling really pissed.

“For your information, dear Aarthi. This is Shiva’s girlfriend. I found it in his diary. See what is written at the back of the picture. ‘My dear one’. You should see the great things he wrote about her in his diary. I wonder how he managed to get his hands on girls who look much better than any girls here in our school. I won’t deny. He has skills,” Krishna said trying to provoke Aarthi and he succeeded. Aarthi got really mad and took the picture from Krishna’s hand as she stormed out of the classroom.

“Well, Shiva. Let’s see what you have to say now,” Krishna thought in his mind feeling a sense of accomplishment after being able to start the fire of jealousy in Aarthi which would soon burn Shivanesh. He just needed Aarthi to hate Shivanesh so he could stand a chance.

 #

Aarthi went straight to see Shivanesh in his classroom to get true explanations from him. When she reached his class, she was him looking for something. She decided to piss him off as she was already boiling inside.

“Looking for something?” she said.

Shivanesh turned to see who it was only to find Aarthi. “Yeah. Lost something really precious to me,” Shivanesh said to Aarthi.

“Is this what you are looking for?” Aarthi took out the girl’s picture out of her pocket.

Shivanesh was shocked when he saw Vinodini’s picture in Aarthi’s hand. “How did you get that?” Shivanesh said and went to grab the picture of Aarthi’s hand.

Aarthi put the photo away before Shivanesh could get a hold of it. “Don’t you think you have some explaining to do?”

“I don’t think I have to explain anything to you,” Shivanesh said trying to avoid the need to tell anyone about Vinodini.

“Owh, really? In 5 minutes, your classmates are going to come in. you can start now or do you want to wait for them to come in? Coming to think of it, I think all of us deserve an explanation. You always told everyone that you were never interested in relationships.  And this is how you prove it? By having a girlfriend already. How could you? I bet you know the fact that many girls in this school like you,” Aarthi said.

“Look I don’t even care who you are and what you guys want. It is none of your business. I think that it is up to me if I want to keep things secretive or not. I have the rights to make a choice on whatever I want to do. I am not responsible for your feeling,” Shivanesh said trying to avoid the topic.

“Owh. Well, I am Aarthi. Remember the time Krishna and his friend beat you up because of jealousy for a girl? I am the girl,” Aarthi said proudly while flicking her hair back.

“That makes sense. So, Krishna gave you this picture? “ Shivanesh said.

“Nevermind who gave me. Who is this girl? Is she your girlfriend?” Aarthi asked feeling really annoyed of Shivanesh’s attitude.

“Yes. She is my girlfriend. There, I said it. Don’t bother going and looking for her. She is not a student of this school,” Shivanesh said.

“You should have told earlier. At least, I would be waiting like a fool,” Aarthi said before throwing the picture on the floor and running out in tears.

“Oh, God. Seriously? I hope no one finds out. This has become a big mess,” Shivanesh as he picked up the picture. He was starting to worry about the kin of mess all this would cause.

Chapter 4 - Good Friends

It has been 3 months since Shivanesh and Amrita became friends. Shivanesh realized that his heart goes out to Amrita in some ways.  He knows that he is a bit attracted to her, but seeing her every day with her boyfriend made him realize that she is very happy with her boyfriend. She was never his to begin with. And he also realized that he also had a girl who he has been dating for a while now.

Adding to the miserable feeling, Vinodini has been ignoring Shivanesh for some time. She was acting really strange. She only talks to him when she needs to. This makes Shivanesh feel really lonely. Looking on the bright sides, Shivanesh realized that he could put a lot of focus on his preparation for his SPM.

During Science class, Amrita came to sit next to Shivanesh.

“Why are you looking so gloomy?” Amrita asked.

“Just stressed. With the important exam is just around the corner. A bit worried,” Shivanesh said.

“Relax. It is not that you are bad in your studies or you are dumb. You are a clever guy. You are clever. A bit of studying, you can score. I believe that you can,” Amrita said.

“Wait. Why are you sitting here and not with Suresh?” Shivanesh asked feeling weird that Amrita is sitting next to him.

“I was rejected,” Amrita said letting out a sigh.

“What?” Shivanesh asked confused.   

“He said he doesn’t want to study with me. Don’t feel like it. He chased me off to ask another girl to sit with him. I am not brilliant enough for him, he says,” Amrita said feeling irritated with her boyfriend.

“What? He must be joking, right? You are the most intelligent girl in our class. He is seriously insane,” Shivanesh said feeling angry of Suresh for mistreating Amrita.

Suresh has been doing such for quite some time. He makes Amrita do his work for him while he is busy flirting with other girls. He sometimes, chase her off to sit somewhere else for him to sit with other girls. He spends more time with Vinodini but somehow Shivanesh never bothered to care much. For him, feelings of the girl in front of him mattered the most.

“Well, it is ok. You have me to depend on,” Shivanesh said, feeling thankful that she chose to sit next to him.

“Yeah, obviously,” Amrita said while resting her head on Shivanesh’s shoulder for a while.

Shivanesh was shocked but he felt warm inside. Amrita ans Shivanesh have been studying together for some time. Being good friends seem to be fine for him because, at leat this way, he would still have her next to him.

 

Everday seem to be very precious to Shivanesh because soon, after the exams, he is not very sure if he is able to see Amrita again.

It was end of the class. After bidding goodbye to Amrita, Shivanesh went to see Vinodini. He wanted to understand the reason of her silent treatment and find out if he is behind it.

“Vino, can I have a minute with you?” Shivanesh asked when he approached her.

“No, I have something to do. I got to go,” Vinodini said while packing her bags.

“Don’t you think I need an explanation?” Shivanesh asked again.

“Explanation? For what?” Vinodini asked pretending not to know what Shivanesh was asking about.

“Well, let’s see. Explanation for why have you been avoiding me? What is the need for the silent treatment? Did I do something wrong? You should tell me if I did something wrong?” Shivanesh asked feeling irritation rising in him because of the attitude that she was giving him.

“You wanted us to be secretive about our relationship. So that is what I am doing,” Vinodini said pointing out that she was doing as what he asked for.

“So, you are avoiding me so that we can go on being secretive? How about not texting or calling me? Or maybe answering my calls? Or at least sitting next to me in class? I thought you exchanged your seat with Amrita so you can sit next to me,” Shivanesh said, clearly trying to control his temper.

“So, this is about Amrita. What is so great about her?” Vinodini started shouting.

“Do not use that tone on me. Don’t talk like as though you have been doing something great. Don’t compare yourself to her. You are nothing compared to her,” “Shivanesh said feeling really angry that Vinodini brought up Amrita into their fight not realizing what he just said.

“Do you hear yourself? I am your girlfriend. But some other girl looks the best to you? Now you see why I avoided you. I am jealous. I am hurt. Even with me sitting next to you, you don’t see my existence,” Vinodini said with tears flowing down her cheeks. She took her bag and just left.

“Shiva. What have you done? How could you have said those things to her?” Shivanesh thought to himself. He realized that the way he has been acting lately was the reason.

#

“Hearing some noise from the classroom, Amrita went back upstairs. She heard voices of people screaming. She opened the door find Vinodini and Shivanesh arguing. As she was listening, she realized that she may have been the reason of their fight. Amrita just closed the door and left, pretending like nothing happened.

#

On his way home, Shivanesh was thinking of ways to make up to what he has done to Vinodini. He felt bad that he was so into making Amrita feel better about her boyfriend’s attitude that he forgot his own girlfriend’s feeling. Eventhough he seem to be comfortable with Amrita’s presence, he shouldn’t have forgotten Vinodini. He also kept on blaming her without realizing that he too should be blamed.

The moment he reached home, Shivanesh started planning of ways to make up to Vinodini. He checked the amount of money that he has been saving. He wrote down his plan in his diary and he wanted to prepare for it tomorrow after school before going to tuition.

Chapter 3- At First Sight

“Hi, I am Amrita. I am new here, “Amrita said

Shivanesh was surprised to hear a voice next to him. He never really had anyone sitting next to him. Shivanesh turned and looked at the owner of the voice. A sweet looking girl with the most charming eyes and the prettiest smile he has ever seen was looking straight at him.

“I know. They said no one sits next to you. But there are no empty seats anywhere. If you don’t mind, can I sit next to you?” Amrita asked.

Shivanesh was too shocked by the beauty sitting next to him, he just nodded. Her beauty definitely knocked his speech out of his head. Seeing Shivanesh being silent and acting so strange, Amrita felt more awkward. She started to feel insecure and uncomfortable when she saw Shivanesh staring at her. The confusion of whether or not she should continue sitting there to try to find other seat was slowly taking over her mind.

“Maybe I should not sit here. Why is he staring at me like that? Is there something weird on my face?” Amrita thought to herself.

“Is there anything on my face? Why are you staring at me like that?” Amrita asked finally not being able to hold the uncomfortable feeling in.

Her question made Shivanesh snap out of his frans and realized what he was doing. Shivanesh quickly looked away and sat straight. Regretting what he just did, he cleared his throat trying to get his speech back to carry on with the conversation with Amrita. “So, what made you choose this tuition centre?”

“Well, my boyfriend recommended it to me when I was looking for a tuition,” Amrita said with a smile.

Shivanesh could hear his heart breaking into million pieces. All of a sudden, he felt like his world was coming down .

“No, Shiva. You already have a girlfriend. You can’t fall for this girl out of nowhere. No way,” Shivanesh had to tell himself so, to stop his brain to imagine anything else.

“Owh, who is your boyfriend?” Shivanesh asked pretending to look for her boyfriend but he was actually not interested to find out who that guy was.

“Suresh. He is my boyfirned,” Amrita said pointing to a boy wearing a blue-checkered shirt.

“Owh. Ok,” Shivanesh said. He could feel a sense of jealousy growing in him.

“Well then, Amrita. Nice meeting you. Since you are going to be sitting next to me for some time, may as well, we be friends right?” Shivanesh said.

Throughout the class, Shivanesh tried his best to stay calm and not look stupid in front of Amrita. He doesn’t know why, but he doesn’t want to show his bad side to Amrita. During breaks, they would chat and joke around. Shivanesh found himself becoming very comfortable with Amrita having any form of interactions with Amrita. The Ice Prince was slowly warming up.

“Amrita, if you don’t mind explaining this? I just can’t understand,” Shivanesh asked. For a certain someone, it was shocking. Knowing clearly how cold Shivanesh is towards the girls, it was shocking to see him ask a girl for help.

Shivanesh and Amrita had a lot of discussion regarding the subject without realizing that the class has come to an end. Seeing Shivanesh being so happy with another girl is not a pleasing view for someone. Shivanesh packed his bag and was ready to leave.

“Ok then, I will see you tomorrow ok?” Shivanesh said to Amrita.

“Well, I guess you will, we are in the same class, aren’t we?” a voice said from behind of Shivanesh. Shivanesh turned to only find Vinodini looking at Amrita as though she was ready to eat her up. Realizing how intense and awkward atmosphere has become, Amrita decided to break the silence.

“Owh. Hi. I am Amrita. New student of the class,” Amrita said putting her hands out to welcome a handshake.

“Yeah. I know. Heard about you from Suresh,” Vinodini said ignoring Amrita’s hand.

“You must be Vinodini. The girl who is seated next to Suresh right? I have heard a lot about you,” Amrita said trying to be nice and composed after the short embarassment earlier.

“Yes, I am. Anyway, Suresh asked me for a favour. Would you like to exchange seats with me? He told me that you are his girlfriend,” Vinodini said in a synical voice.

“It is ok. I think I am comfortable with my current seat. Besides, it would not be fair for you because you have been sitting there for some time,” Amrita said.

“Owh. So, you are telling me that you prefer sitting with another guy than your boyfriend?” Vinodini said sounding really sarcastic as she was trying to provoke Amrita.

“Okay, fine. I will exchange seats with you. Bye Shiva. See you, Vino,” Amrita said and left immediately because she could not take the sarcasm Vinodini was giving her.

“Why did you need to be so sarcastic?” Shivanesh asked, feeling really annoyed with Vinodini’s attitude towards Amrita earlier.

“What do you mean? Out of nowhere you are smiling and talking friendly to her. How was I supposed to feel?” Vinodini asked.

“Vino, Amrita was seating next to me. I was just trying to make myself comfortable,” Shivanesh said.

“No need for that. Tomorrow onwards, I will be seating next to you,” Vinodini said before dashing out of the class, not giving Shivanesh any chance to say anything back.

Chapter 2 - A Beautiful Nerd

A girl with really petite body was carrying boxes of books that it covers her face. There is no way she can see where she is heading. Taking careful steps, she tried her best to carry the boxes. Being the teacher's favourite, she is always called out for help. 

"Gosh, I am worried of falling. It would be too embarrassing to fall. I think my dear Ms. Goh did not realise that I am a girl," she mumbled while carrying the boxes to her class. Once she reached her class, her called her classmates to help her out," Guys, could you help me out please?"

Many boys ran out to help this girl carry the boxes. "You should have asked us to come along," said one of the boys who helped her. "Are you forgetting that this girl is our class's Wonder Woman?" another boy said. 

"That is enough, boys. Thanks for the help. Anyway Ms. Goh asked all of us to take these books and read. She asked us to choose an article and write a review about it. She cannot make it to class today because she has a meeting to attend to. Everyone understood?" she said out loud. "Yes ma’am," the whole class replied. She just smiled and went to her seat.

This young lady here is Amrita Raman. A young lady with astonishing beauty. Tanned skin but smooth as silk. She has a deep-set eye with long and dense eye lashes. Long and luxuriant hair with big loose curls that frames her face well. A very responsible and clever lady. Elegant yet playful. Childish at times but has a really matured-way of thinking. She is a girl who can differentiate right and wrong. Always very practical in decision-making but still holds on to what she believes. Always find ways to make life fun but never over do things. A lady who holds on to her cultural values yet very modest. As a whole, she is a 25 years old lady trapped in a 17 years old pretty girl's body.

Amrita is the teachers' favourite not because she always sweet talk to them like how some people would do. She is very dependable that teachers trust her a lot. Her responsible character and really good leadership made the teachers to elect her as the Head Girl of the school.

There are many girls in school who envy Amrita because of her ability and talent. She is a good speaker, a talented sportswoman and a brilliant student. Some who are jealous always tries to bring her down, but given the fact that she is strong lady, she was never affected by other people's jealousy and threats.

Being a lady with a great personality, Amrita was often favoured by the boys. There were many boys who were crushing on her. Having to meet such an elegant lady which has a strong personality yet maintains her grace is every guys dream. And for the boys in her school, they couldn't thank God enough for making those dreams happen by sending her to that school.

"Amrita, if you don't mind, could you explain what this means?" one of her classmate came up to Amrita to ask for help.

"Sure," Amrita started explaining without realizing a guy standing behind her.

"You look really attractive when you teach others," he said.

"Owh. Hi, Suresh. When did you come in? I didn't realise you were there," Amrita said smiling.

#

Suresh. He is the Head Boy of the school. Strict young man but clever. Very responsible and has good leadership. Second best student in the school after Amrita.

Suresh and Amrita first met when they went for a camp together. They became really good friends  ever since. They helped each other in studies. They were close until Suresh decided to take the relationship to another level. He confessed to Amrita 2 months ago. They have been dating since then. Amrita was actually attracted to Suresh even before they became friends. Her feelings kept on growing by the day but she was too afraid to let him know because she was afraid that her confession might affect their friendship. But when Suresh confessed, she accepted without a second thought and agreed to go out with him.

Everyone in school believes that this couple is the best couple in school because they both are idol among the students. Everyone acknowledged the fact that the coupled were meant for each other.

#

"Well, wanna go for lunch with me?" Suresh said.

"It looks like I have to say no because I have some errands to take care of," Amrita said.

“Well, if that is the case, then can I walk you home later?” Suresh said trying to get her to spend some time with him.

“I guess you can. I was going to ask you about something. Maybe we can discuss it later? Usual place after school?” Amrita said.

“Ok then, I will see you later. Usual place,” Suresh said and left.

Amrita always liked how Suresh took effort to understand her and his charisma attracts her the most. But she was actually not sue if she was in love with him or if it was just affection.

After school, Amrita went to their usual meeting place. She saw Suresh already there waiting for her.  “I am so sorry I am late. Was teaching a friend something that she didn’t understand in Add Maths,” Amrita said feeling really guilty that she made Suresh wait.

“If this is what I have to do to date the school’s sweetheart, than I have to,” Suresh said.

“Awww, don’t say that. Let’s go. Walk me home, okay?” she said with a cute voice to make Suresh feel better for waiting. Suresh finds it hard to say no to Amrita when she acts cute because it is too cute and she doesn’t show it to anyone else in school but himself.

While their walk back, Amrita decided to ask Suresh the thing she has been meaning to ask him from earlier.

“Suresh, I was thinking of joining some tuition session because I think I need some guidance to prepare for the big exam. I discussed with Amma and Appa. They asked me to find out. Any place you know of or you would like to suggest?”

“Why would you need tuition? For God sake, you are teaching others in your class. Why would you need someone to guide you?” Suresh said surprised.

“Oh, come on, Suresh. I still want some help with the preparation and answering techniques. I may have the knowledge, but I should know how to use it right? Please,” Amrita explained to him.

“Fine then. Why don’t you join the tuition session I am attending currently? It is quite fun and nice. Besides, it would be awesome to have you there. We would get to spend more time studying together,” Suresh said with a smile plastered on his face.

“Okay then. That would be fun. I will talk to Appa and Amma about it. We are here. Thanks for walking me back,” Amrita said.

“Okay. I will text you once I reach home. Bye,” Suresh said and left.

Amrita got inside her house and got herself freshened up. When she went down to have her lunch, she saw her mom in the kitchen preparing her favourite meal, chicken feet curry.

“Owh, Amma. I could smell it from the bathroom while showering. Is it ready yet? Can’t wait to have it,” she said.

“Wait for it. It is almost done. So, how was school?” her mother asked to distract Amrita from the chicken curry till it is ready.

“School was good. Oh, yeah. Amma, I asked my friends regarding the tuition I was telling you about. One of my friends suggested this place. I thought I could do with some help to score a bit better for my papers especially the subject that I haven’t been scoring very well. Is it ok?”

“Well, I trust your choice. You know are always the girl who knows what is the best for you. Just don’t forget to ask Appa for some cash for your enrolment tomorrow,” her mother reminded her.

“Thanks, Amma. Is the curry ready now? I didn’t really eat anything at school so I am very hungry.To death,” Amrita said complaining of hunger.

“Okay. It is ready. Here you go. Eat slowly. Don’t rush. You can have more after this,” her mother said giving her a plate of rice with curry.

That night, Amrita decided to discuss with her father about the tuition during dinner.

“Appa, I was thinking about joing some tuition session especially it is now really close to the trials and SPM. Can I join?” Amrita asked.

“Sure. Do you have a tuition centre in mind?” Amrita’s father asked her.

“Yes. A friend of mine suggested a place he attends. The timing is also not bad. The session starts few hours after school. So I gives me time to come home and have lunch before going back out and I would be back before dinner time to spend some time with my own studies and school work after dinner,” Amrita explained.

“Okay then. That sounds like a good plan. Let me know how much you need. I will transfer to your account,” Amrita’s father said.

The next day, after school, Amrita went to see Suresh. “Suresh, I am not sure where the tuition center is. Could you tell me?”

“I can show you where it is. I can come and pick you up and we can go together. How is that?” Suresh suggested.

“Awesome. So, I will see you later,” Amrita said, quickly walking back home.

The moment she got home, Amrita cleaned herself and had her lunch. She was ready in time for Suresh to pick her up as she was excited to join her first tuition session.

“Hey, Girl. Let’s go. We are gonna be late,” Suresh said when he saw Amrita coming out of her house. “Ok, I am ready. Let’s go.”

Once they reached the tuition centre, Amrita settled her registration and paid the monthly fees before joining her class. Suresh came out to introduce Amrita to everyone in the class. “Everyone. Attention please. Let me introduce the new student joining our class from today onwards, Amrita Raman.”

Many of them came up to her and introduced themselves. Amrita realised that there were a lot of new faces in the class. She figured out that the tuition centre was attended by students from different schools.

“Where shall I sit?” Amrita asked.

“Well, there is only one seat left and it is next to Shiva,” one of them said. “But no one dares to sit next to him,” another said. “I think, him being cold also seem to be charming,”

“It won’t be that bad right?” Amrita said and went to the only seat available in the class.

Suddenly, a boy came and sat next to her. “He must be Shiva. What is with those injuries? Is he some kind of thug or is he just trouble?” Amrita started getting scared. “I still need to create some kind of bond with this guy. Don’t wanna feel awkward. Come on, Amrita. Go for it,” Amrita thought to herself. She took a few deep breaths.

“Hi. I am Amrita. I am new here.”