FF: [SG] Dare You To Move- Last Part P.143 - Page 8

- At Excel, the next day

The day was busy, students walked in and out of the campus. Everyone was split into their usual cliques; there were the Goths, the punks, the preps, the nerds, the populars, and the freshies (the new students @ Excel.)

Samrat and his friends sat near the steps, they're usual hang out spot. As always, they were surrounded by hundreds of girls, all of them claimed to be Samrat's girlfriend.

Samrat:

The spring dance was coming up, and all the girls wanted me to be their date. My phone was crammed with text messages from practically every single girl at Excel! Why couldn't they just stop wasting their time, and leave me alone? Don't get me wrong- I love the attention! I could never get tired of being in the limelight. But being the practical person I am, no matter how much I tried, I couldn't ever possibly take all of them to the dance. There was one of me, and thousands of them!

So, to help me out, Benji called upon the 'most happening' girls from Excel, and presented them to me. I was supposed to choose my date from one of these girls.

Benji: How about her?

I took a look. "You call her hot and happening? Dude, are you blind!?" I whispered into his ear. I guess being deprived of girlfriends for years caused Benji to turn to anyone.

Benji: Uhm… okay, how about her?

"Too tall."

Benji: Her?

"Too short."

Benji went through the whole line of girls, but none of them caught my interest.

"Benji, we've run out of girls! Looks like I'll have to go with Dia… again."

Benji stared ahead, half listening, half not.

"I wonder why we even wasted an hour doing this, when in the end, I'd end up having to ask Dia!"

Benji nodded, still spaced out, and staring ahead.

"Hey Benji! Are you listening? Let's leave dude. Basketball practice awaits us."

I was walking away when Benji grabbed my shoulder.

Benji: Dude, there's still one left.

"Huh?" I replied, clearly confused.

Benji: DUDE! There's still one girl left!

"Yaar, it's a waste of time. Let's leave!"

Benji: You haven't even seen her yet! C'mon!

He yanked on my arm. "Okay! Who? Where?"

I looked around; trying my best to 'look interested' just so Benji wouldn't feel that his desperate attempts went in vain (even though they did.)

"Dude, I don't see any other girl! C'mon, let's leave!"

Benji turned me around, and pointed towards her. My jaw dropped open. I tried suppressing my laughter, but it got the best of me.

"Benji! GUNJAN? You can't be serious!"

Benji didn't seem to think it was funny, and if he did, he was very good at keeping a poker face, an expert for that matter. Just when I was about to think that Benji had actually meant it, he burst out laughing.

Benji: Dude! Of course I'm not serious! You and Ms. Don't touch me? Hahahahah, that'd be priceless! Even if she was the last girl standing, I bet you wouldn't give her a second look.

We both shared a last laugh, and then raced off to the basketball court.

Gunjan:

The spring dance was coming up, and everybody was out hunting for his or her date, everyone- except me. I don't get why people waste so much time worrying about things like these. Take my di for instance. If she spent the amount of time she takes watching movies, gossiping, and reading Maya-pari, and replaced all that by actually studying and reading worthwhile novels, not only would she be smarter but also have a better academic future.

But what's really saddening is the fact that the only person who ever seems to agree with me on this is Mayank. But once di gives him one of her killer (and I'm not being sarcastic, I seriously mean KILLER) looks, he just ends up shutting up, leaving me alone and without anyone to support my opinion.

I walk into Excel, and right away, Dia hands me a box of who knows what, and tells me to go take it down to the storage room. Figures. She was probably waiting for me to get here just so I could be ordered around like her man slave. Okay, may be not a man slave, more like a woman slave.

"But Dia, I have to go get some books-"

Dia: C'mon doll! It won't take you long.

No! I always have to do EVERYTHING for Dia. Today, I will stand up for myself. I will NOT listen to her orders any longer.

"I'm sorry Dia, this is more important." As I say this, I feel so lighthearted. Wow. Standing up for yourself really does make you feel better.

I'm about to walk away when she grabs my arm.

Dia: Oh Gunjan! Please honey! I've been walking up and down the stairs ALL day, look at me! I think I chipped my freshly manicured nails… OH and my hair, it's a mess, but I'm not complaining! Anything for Excel! Please babes! Just this one last time.

And then she gave me her famous puppy dog eyes. "No Gunjan! Don't fall for it!"

Dia: Pretty please Gunjan! If not for me, then think about Excel. If I go, then all the preparations will come to a halt! And if that happens, it'll be a total disaster!

"Fine." I muttered. So much for standing my own ground.

There it is- the story of my life. Taking orders from Dia. Sometimes, I really wish I could be like Di. Outgoing, bubbly, brave, and most importantly… someone who can actually speak up for themselves and stand out.

Samrat:

"WHAT? CANCELLED!"

Benji: Haan yaar! Basketball practice is being called off today.

I stood there, feeling extremely pissed off. This wasn't fair, our practices were already cut down to three days a week, and we were entering the championships this year. Frankly speaking, we needed all the practice we could get (not that I needed it of course.)

"So is there a particular reason why our valuable session is being axed?" I asked Benji as if he had all the answers to my questions.

"SAMRAT!" I watched Uday run towards us. "SAMRAT! SAMRAT!"

Benji: DUDE! We're not deaf!

"Chill Benji, let him speak."

Uday came panting. "YAAR SAMRAT, BENJI! Woh… new. Teacher. Drama. Hot. Hayyee!!"

Benji: Dude speak in full sentences!

Uday: *clears throat* Actually, what I meant to say was… THE NEW TEACHER IS A BABE YAAR!

Everyone stopped and stared at us. Uday could be so embarrassing to be around sometimes, no scratch that. All the time! And typically, as soon as the word babe was heard, all the boys magically disappeared. During a game, they were slower than a turtle, and now look at them. Disgusting.

Uday and Benji were about to make a run for it too, but I grabbed both of them by their collars. "Hold up. So what were you saying about this teacher exactly?"

Uday: Arre where should I start? I was walking to the basketball court, when suddenly… the wind began to blow lightly through my hair. The sky split, and down came an angel from heaven. There she was, as soon as I set my eyes on her, I knew she was the one. Yaar! The Ding Dong bells in my heart began to play out loud! Tujhe dekha toh yeh jaana sanam! Pyaar hota hai deewana sanam!

Benji: UDAY! Cut it out! Get to the point, who is this teacher?

"And what does her coming to Excel have to do with OUR basketball practice?" I added making sure that my point was clear.

Uday: I was getting there! Anyways, so my heart went DING DONG DING DONG, and I walked towards her…

Benji: And then?

Uday: And then Deed's entered the picture.

We all knew how Uday's story would end. But unlike most of the time, this was actually interesting news. A new, apparently hot teacher. This I had to see for myself.

"C'mon dudes, let's go see who this teacher is."

Gunjan:

"New teacher?"

I just made my way back upstairs from the storeroom, and already we had a new teacher join Excel. This is how it was, everything happened in the blink of an eye.

Nupur: Haan! A new drama teacher, Ms. Tamana! By God, kya naam hai! CHAL NA! Let's go see!!

I followed behind di. I guess going to the library would have to wait yet again.

"Ms. Tamana." I thought to myself. How was I supposed to know that this new teacher would change my life forever?