FF: [SG] Dare You To Move- Last Part P.143 - Page 24

Gunjan:

As soon as the auditions were over, I made a dash for the door, only to bump into Samrat for the second time in a row.

Samrat: You're crashing into me a lot today Gunjan.

I felt my cheeks warm up. "Im so sorry Samrat! My mind was somewhere else." I replied, embarrassed by my clumsiness.

Samrat smiled at me for the first time in years. "I was just kidding. Don't worry about it." He gave me a little pat on the back and started to head out.

"Oh my god." Just one touch, and I felt a thousand butterflies flutter in my stomach.

My face must've been red as a tomato, because Ms. Tamana giggled and headed for my direction.

"Ms. Tamana… I'm sorry about di's and Mayank's outburst… and the auditions." I began rambling on until she stopped me mid sentence.

Ms. Tamana: Firstly, call me Tamana. And secondly, honey… don't worry about it! You just made my day!

"Uhm… okay?" This was very confusing, I didn't audition… and because of that I made her day? I could definitely live with that.

Ms. Tamana: Samrat! Come here for a second.

Apparently, Samrat was still here. He walked over, and we both exchanged a confused look.

Ms. Tamana: I was wondering if you two would do me a favor.

"Favor?" I thought out loud. What could she possibly want from Samrat and me?

Ms. Tamana laughed. "Yes honey, a favor. So, will you do it?"

Before I could answer, Samrat butt in. "Anything for you, Tamana."

Ms. Tamana: Well… I was wondering if you two would like to play the characters of Khushi and Anmol, the main protagonists of the play.

I swear my jaw fell out of my mouth as soon as she said "main protagonists." I could tell Samrat was going through the same freak out phase, because his eyes looked like they'd pop out of his sockets any minute now.

"US?!" we both exclaimed at the same time.

"I can't act!"

Samrat: She can't, trust me.

I "half-glared" at him, because firstly, I could so act if I put my mind to it, and secondly because I wasn't very good at glaring at people.

Ms. Tamana didn't look very convinced though.

"I honestly would love to, but I-"

I was cut off mid sentence yet again.

Ms. Tamana: Gunjan, I know you're not comfortable with performing, but why don't you give it a chance Hun! You know the old saying, try new things; you may end up liking it.

"Or hating it." I muttered under my breath.

And then she gave me the "Dia look." You know, that puppy-eyed one that brainwashes you and forces you to do something you are totally against? Yeah, that one.

"But I can't." I sounded like such a whiney little kid. "Nice one Gunjan, what a way to get your opinion stated."

Ms. Tamana put her hand on my shoulder. "Of course you can…I have full faith in you."

Samrat:

This couldn't be happening… me acting, and that too with Gunjan? It was like saying that pigs could fly!

But this play was also an opportunity to boost up my marks (not that I cared or anything) and the parental units had threatened to get me kicked out of the basketball team if I didn't increase my grades. I wonder why they even bothered pretending to care.

Gunjan: Okay, I'll do it.

I turned to Gunjan in shock. "Okay? Gunjan, are you feeling alright?"

Ms. Reserved had just accepted the BIGGEST role in the play! I had to be imagining this, so I pinched myself.

"Ouch!" Okay, so I wasn't just seeing things. Gunjan had actually said yes.

Ms. Tamana had on an "I knew you couldn't say no to me" looks, and then she turned to me with a million dollar smile.

Ms. Tamana: Samrat, if Gunjan can put aside her fears and accept the role, then I don't see why you can't.

"Fears? I don't have any fears! I just don't think this whole acting thing can fit into my schedule. I have basketball practice all week for the next few weeks."

Ms. Tamana: That shouldn't be a problem. I've already spoken to the staff regarding the sports teams, and they all agreed to change the schedules around so that everybody can take part in the play.

Ugh. I hated her for being so preplanned, and admired her ability to handle tough situations.

Ms. Tamana: So is that a yes from your side?

"Do I have any other option?"

Ms. Tamana: Nope.

"That's what I thought."

Ms. Tamana: Great! So, rehearsals will begin in a few days, I shall let you all know which days we'll be meeting on.

----- Few days later, at rehearsals

Gunjan:

I waited outside Excel; Ms. Tamana told us all to meet here there first so she could give a briefing of what the play was about. I was already nervous, I couldn't sleep at all last night. When I went home and told di about the auditions a few days ago, she marched straight up to Dia and laughed in her face for the longest time. I had to admit, seeing the expressions on her face was worth the watch!

But I also knew that I couldn't do this, I was simply a coward. My heart was already beating out of my chest, and the rehearsals hadn't even begun yet! Why did I even say yes in the first place?

I thought back to when Ms. Tamana looked into my eyes the other day, and told me that she had faith in me. I remember my mum used to say that when I was younger. She took me in her arms and told me that one day, I'd overcome my fears. I'd become just like di- brave and confident, that I'd make her proud.

Maybe this play was it.

I looked up at the sky and shut my eyes. "Mum, I miss you."

Just then, di and Dia arrived. They both seemed ticked off.

Dia: Gunjan, your sister is a pain in the ass sometimes!

Di: Oh yeah, and you're an angel Dia. No wonder Tamana decided not to cast you in the play.

Dia glared at di and stormed off.

Di: She's just jealous, don't worry about her.

Mayank: NUPUR!

Mayank ran towards our direction. "You were supposed to CALL me last night so we could edit the dialogues!"

Di: Oh yeah, sorry I was watching DDLJ.

Mayank and I both looked at di, confused.

Di: By God! Don't tell me you don't know what DDLJ is!

Mayank: I don't CARE what DDLJ is- I told you to CALL me! You are just SO IRRESPONSIBLE!

Di: ME?! Why couldn't you call me? I have a LIFE!

Mayank: AND I DON'T?

Di: Frankly speaking, NO! Gunjan, tu yaha wait kar- let me go knock some sense into Mayank!

Di grabbed Mayank's arm and dragged him away.

Samrat:

As soon as I arrived, the first thing I noticed was Nupur dragging Mayank towards the parking lot.

Benji: I wonder what he did this time.

I shrugged, knowing Mayank and Nupur; they probably were going to become "best friends" again in a matter of minutes.

"I can't believe I'm wasting a Saturday morning here." I sighed, looking at my watch. It was only 9 am; I usually woke up at 3pm on weekends.

Benji: You're the main man in the play dude, you're gonna have to give up a lot more Saturdays!

I playfully punched Benji in the arm. Ever since he heard that I was playing Anmol's character, he'd never let go of a chance to bring it up. When he came over to my house the other night, he was telling Parental Unit 2 (my mother) that her beloved son had a newfound passion for the fine arts. Of course I shot him an evil glare, but it didn't seem to bother him much, because this was one of those things I couldn't really cover up.

But at least I wasn't on my own; Benji had been cast as Gunjan's brother. He had a small role in the play, but that didn't seem to bother him.

"Im gonna go sit down. Tell me when Tamana's here."

Gunjan:

I took a seat on the steps, scanning the familiar faces. A lot of people began to arrive. My attention was drawn towards Dia, who had five to ten people following her around.

Dia's the princess of Excel, she rules over everything. She's pretty and popular. A few years back, her and Samrat were "dating," and the whole college went crazy. The picture perfect couple was their official label. But it only lasted a few weeks, and nobody knows what exactly happened.

Speaking of Samrat, where was he?

"Im gonna go sit down. Tell me when Tamana's here."

Samrat took a seat on the opposite end of the steps, and he didn't even bother acknowledging that I was here.

"Hi." I was trying to start a conversation, I mean, since we were the main leads of the play; I figured we'd be spending a lot of time with each other.

He didn't answer. Maybe he hadn't heard me. I sat closer to him (there was still a two meter gap between us, which was kind of awkward, especially when you're trying to start a conversation.)

"So, uhm… how're things? Have they fixed your schedule for basketball?"

Samrat gave me a blank expression, and continued to ignore me. He nodded every now and then to the people who passed by us.

"Do you think you'll fundraise for the new computers? Because if you are, I can give you one of the forms." I asked trying to make this chat a tad bit more interesting.

Samrat: Look, is this your idea of small talk or something? Because if it is, your social skills need some work.

That was expectantly unexpected.

Samrat:

Gunjan was annoying the hell out of me. She kept asking me stupid questions about the lamest things like fundraising for computers.

"Look, is this your idea of small talk or something? Because if it is, your social skills need some work." I said, but it came out a bit harshly.

Gunjan: Number seven.

"Number seven what?" I asked a bit too interestedly.

Gunjan: Oh, it's just this list I keep of all my goals.

"This being one of them?" I raised an eyebrow.

Gunjan: To start a conversation with someone I don't like.

"Ouch." I tried acting like that really hurt me, and being the gullible one she is, she fell for it.

Gunjan: Sorry, I didn't mean to say that out loud.

Thank god Ms. Tamana arrived at that moment, I needed to get this over with as fast as humanly possible!

Ms. Tamana: Hey everybody! Whoa, glad to see that most of you are here! Let's go inside, and I'll give you each a briefing of the play concept.

She unlocked the door, and we followed her into the auditorium.

"Everyone, sit in a circle, I'll hand out the outline of the play."

We all sat in a circle like a class of preschoolers. I glanced at my watch again. "Two hours to go."

Ms. Tamana: Sorry I took so long, there was a traffic jam. Anyways, here's a copy of the cast members, and what the play is about. I'll let you all read it first, and then if you have any questions, we can discuss it as a group.

The papers were passed down the circle. I grabbed my copy and began scanning through it.

"Dare you to move."

What a lame name for a play I thought.

"The story of two individuals, Khushi (played by Gunjan Bhushan) and Anmol (played by Samrat Sehgal) who are polar opposites that end up being tied into the unconditional bond of love."

You can't be serious! I knew this would be a cheesy love story! I could almost picture my reputation falling down the drains.

Ms. Tamana: Today, we'll start our first session of rehearsals. Mayank and Nupur have prepared some dialogues that we'll use.

Ms. Tamana looked over the paper. "Gunjan and Samrat, I need you two to start off. You have the most dialogues to memorize."

Gunjan: Where should we start from?

Ms. Tamana: Start from the second last scene, when Anmol declares his love for Khushi.

Gunjan started off. "Leave me alone Anmol!"

"I didn't grab this hand to let go. Khushi, I have to tell you something."

Gunjan: What?

"Khushi, you're like the pages of a dictionary, you define me?"

What kind of moron would say that? I glared at Mayank who had a wide smile on his face. This was definitely his idea!

Ms. Tamana signaled us to continue.

"You're the colour in my black and white life, who needs a dictionary when I have you?" I paused, making sure I hadn't misread the line. "What the hell is this?"

I stared angrily at Nupur.

Nupur: Woh actually, we were really tired yesterday, and Mayank wouldn't stop comparing love with dictionaries…

Mayank: Those comparisons are brilliant! And Ms. Tamana, it took me hours to edit out Nupur's filmy dialogues!

Nupur: HAW!! You edited them out?

--- An hour later

Gunjan:

The rehearsals weren't as scary as I imagined them to be. All we really did was read out loud. And I really liked the basic story of what we were holding the play on. But I couldn't imagine how Samrat and I could work together. He made it clear that he wasn't interested in anything we were doing. For the past hour or so- he sat back, reading his lines without any emotion.

In the mean time, we played some games to get to know each other better. Ms. Tamana gave us more insight of what to expect from the play, and I was actually growing confidence in myself. Ms. Tamana was so positive; it was beginning to rub off on me.

Ms. Tamana: Okay everyone, its wrap up time. You all did an amazing job! Rehearsals are same time tomorrow.

Di and I gathered our belongings and headed out for the door.

Ms. Tamana: Gunjan! I needed to speak to you and Samrat. Could you both meet me at the main office once everyone leaves?

Di: Okay, then I'll meet you at home. Bye Gunjan!

She gave me a quick hug before leaving. "Bye di."

I waited for Ms. Tamana outside her office.

Samrat: Why do you play around with your dupatta so much?

"Oh." I was doing it again! "Sorry."

Samrat: Gunjan, you're so strange.

But he smiled while saying it, so I don't think he meant it. "You're not to bad yourself, minus the ego and you're actually pretty cool."

I can't believe I had the guts to say that!

Samrat:

Gunjan: You're not to bad yourself, minus the ego and you're actually pretty cool.

It was the first time someone said that to me, and it actually felt nice. "Thanks."

Ms. Tamana: Okay! Finally, I got you two alone. I was actually wondering if you both had a few more hours to rehearse. There are certain scenes that I need you both to pin down before the play, so I thought private rehearsals would benefit the three of us!

"Sorry I can't-"

Ms. Tamana: Samrat, I've already called your mother before hand; she said it was no problem at all.

Shit. She was so organized it annoyed me.

Ms. Tamana: Gunjan? You have no problem do you?

Gunjan nodded no.

Ms. Tamana: Great! So let's get started. See, near the end of the play, there's a dance that you both need to learn the steps to. And I want it to be a surprise to everyone!

No way! First, I'm forced to take part in this play against my will, act with the biggest nobody at Excel, AND dance?

"Sorry Tamana, I don't dance."

Gunjan: Yeah… I can't dance, like… at all.

Ms. Tamana: Non-sense! C'mon now, you both can do it! It's a slow dance! Isn't that romantic?

"Oh yeah. How romantic." I used my most sarcastic voice.

Beautiful soul plays in background: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6n4IjN2kMo0&feature=channel_page

I walked towards Gunjan, and wrapped my arm around her waist. We awkwardly moved back and forth for a while.

Ms. Tamana: Gunjan! You have to hold onto him too hun!

Gunjan hesitantly grabbed my shoulder. We both looked in the opposite directions.

Ms. Tamana: You guys!

She walked over to us and positioned us so that we were making eye contact. "There." She said. "Perfect. Now dance like you mean it!"

I tightened my grip on Gunjan. Slow dancing came naturally for me. You know what they say; practice makes perfect. But I'd never danced with someone like Gunjan; she made it seem so new. It's creepy, but I think I could feel her nervousness.

"You okay?" I whispered into her ear.

Gunjan: Yeah, I'm fine.

But she looked away again. "You know, we're probably gonna be here all day if you keep staring off into space."

Gunjan: Oh!

She finally managed to look at me without staring somewhere else. I guess we both felt more comfortable with the dance now, because it didn't seem that bad. I even managed to twirl her around without making a fool out of myself.

Ms. Tamana: Oh my gosh- it was PERFECT!

Gunjan immediately let go of my shoulder.

"Thanks." I replied, feeling proud of myself.

Ms. Tamana: You two are naturals! I just wanted to see if you both shared chemistry, and BOY was I ever surprised! It's like you two were meant to be Khushi and Anmol!

Ms. Tamana laughed. "What's so funny?" I asked.

Ms. Tamana: I think you can let go of Gunjan now!

"OH!" I was still holding onto her. "Sorry…." I let go as quickly as I could.

Ms. Tamana: So it's a wrap up for today! Same time tomorrow?

"Yeah, whatever."

Gunjan and I thanked Tamana and headed outside.

"OH FRICK!" Damn! Benji must've taken my car home.

Gunjan: What happened?

"Benji took my damn car! How am I supposed to get home now?"

There was a long silence.

Gunjan: My car's in the parking lot. If you'd like, I could probably drop you home.

I weighed my options. There was no way I'd take a cab, what if someone saw me? But how could I go home with… Gunjan? I thought hard for a while until I decided it would be best if I went with her.

"Fine. Let's go."