Let's know more - Fun time space - Page 4

Thursdays were great for a number of reasons. First and foremost, the dining hall served tacos with an extra helping of curly fries. Thursdays also meant a double free block between English and Psychology. But the best part about Thursdays though, was that the swim team would have not one, but two hours of practice.

What did two hours of practice mean?

Oh, woe is her heart. It meant that Arnav Singh Raizada -- not to be mistaken for either Prem Raizada or Arnav Rathod -- would be sharing the glory of his body with the students of Claremont High School for a whole one hundred and twenty minutes.

The way his back muscles grew taut when he warmed up, the way the water glistened as it trickled over his chest, the way he toweled off his wavy black hair...

Be still, oh restless heart.

Damn it, she said be still.

So what was special about this particular Thursday? This was the Thursday that Khushi Kumari Gupta would put an end to her twisted infatuation. Ever since he had transferred there, not a day had passed where she did not think about him. Whether it was G-rated or X-rated, those moments were her guilty pleasures, secret little treasures that she had stashed away from the rest of the mentally balanced world.

It was an unhealthy hobby, which was why, after days of careful consideration... Khushi had decided to put a stop to such a fatal obsession.

But how, you ask?

The plan was so simple, it was ingenious.

Based on the assumption that no one was perfect, it would also imply that Arnav Singh Raizada was not flawless. It was a universal fact. It had to be true. So all she had to do was catch him in a moment of imperfection. Maybe he would punch an old lady, or litter, or knock over a dog, or... something. Anything!

Target: Arnav Singh Raizada

Age: 18

Height: 5'11"

Eye Color: Brown

Hair Color: Black

Mission Commenced at 7:30 AM.

007 Location: Target's locker minus 5

Target Location: MIA

She doodled hearts around his name.

"God, you're so pathetic," Preeto often said. Then after finding out about today's scheme, "God, you're such a freak."

It was difficult for Khushi to plead innocent to that, because, well, it was true. Best friends knew best, right?

Preeto had also said, "Look, you wanna find some big ass zit on his pretty boy face? It's staring right at you, Gupta. What kind of guy like him doesn't have a girlfriend already? Six hundred bucks that he's gay"

Oh, she hadn't wanted to believe it, she really hadn't. But what Preeto said held a modicum of truth, did it not? How could such an attractive, smart, athletic and all around nice guy not have a girlfriend?How? There was obviously something wrong with him. Maybe he was asexual?

Whatever it was, be it a secret fetish for nose-picking or simple sexlessness, Khushi was going to find out so that her soul and libido may rest in pea---

Speak of the devil.

Target approaching locker with two irrelevant individuals

Actions: Chatting and laughing.

Notes: Beautiful, straight and white teeth. Swoon.

"And so I said, 'Yo mama so dumb she starved to death in a grocery store,'" Irrelevant Individual Number 1 joked.

Arnav laughed but made no response.

Irrelevant Individual Number 2, on the other hand, doubled over with a couple of loud guffaws, and smacked Irrelevant Individual Number 1 hard on the back. "Woo, man! That's the shit."

It was difficult not to frown at the trio. Unfortunately, Khushi had the honor of attending elementary with both irrelevant individuals and lo and behold, they hadn't changed since. They were, however, gifted athletes.

Strike One: Target associates with questionable entities.

When Arnav reached his locker, his thumb automatically spun the right combination on the lock. He didn't even have to look. God, it was so f*cking hot. The massive, door-stop-worthy AP Physics textbook he took out though, was not.

Strike Two: Target has questionable academic taste.

Thanks to the two morning spares and an early dismissal, it was only necessary to skip one class today. But it also meant that it was necessary to endure all of Arnav's favorite classes: AP Physics, Organic Chemistry and Honors Differential Calculus. The boy was your average B student, but word of mouth said that he took those courses because he... enjoyed them. Sick, sick, sick.

7:57 AM.

Target heading towards first class.

007 will report back when resurrected from Classes of Doom.

Praise the lord for big classrooms. It was the middle of AP Physics, and out of over seventy students, surely no one would notice her dead body. Many, of course, had asked Khushi what she was doing in their class. She casually replied that she was taking notes for Preeto - who shared the same, obscene interests as Arnav, and who was also conveniently sick today.

By conveniently, of course she meant forcefully. A little bit of the three B's - begging, bribing and blackmailing - in that order, and it had been as easy as taking prune juice from an elderly home.

Khushi did love it when things went her way.

Arnav sat in the row next to the window, three seats from the back. She was in the very back, one row off. So far, he hadn't committed any heinous crimes against civilization. Like a good student, he was taking notes, with the occasional glance out the window. Only twice did he turn around; once when he needed to borrow a ruler, the other time was to whisper something to the person next to him. No, it wasn't a female.

Was that a good thing or a bad thing? She didn't know anymore.

Target like using those 4-color pens, especially the red and black.

Target has habit of drumming only last three fingers against edge of desk.

Target had spectacular shoulders and back muscles.

007 wants to cop a feel and press her naked body against them.

Lalalala.

Lalalala was right. Never in her life had Khushi ever yearned to get down and do the nasty. If she was going to lose her precious little cherry to anyone, she'd want it to be him. No joke. With absolutely no offense to ex-boyfriend one and two, Arnav made her want to be a naughty, naughty girl.

Oh, Arnav...

Damn it, she fell asleep.

Judging by the almost empty classroom and the stream of student coming in for the next class, AP Physics was over.

9:17 AM.

Target nowhere to be found

Hypothesis: Headed to next medium of torture - Organic Chemistry.

007 Status: Still alive

"Excuse me, sorry," she said, stepping through a group of freshmen loitering by the door. The hallway was trafficking again, as it always did during the five minute break between each class. Claremont High was a big school, but there were over 15,000 students. Thus, these were the circumstances where being short was not quite advantageous.

Exiting the classroom was not hard. The tricky part was getting through the crowd. Fu*k, some of these kids walked slower than her Bua Ji. Slooow motion, much? Oh, yes, enormous, meaty jocks -- please do stop in the middle of the stairs and shout greetings to your homies. Thanks.

Just as Room 110 came into sight, the familiar dark haired head disappeared through the door.

Target can run, but he cannot hide. Hehehe.

She took a seat in the last row again so that he was four seats away, diagonally.

"You're not in this class."

Khushi grinned. "Hey, Kyle. I'm just taking notes for Preeto. She came down with a bad cold yesterday." It didn't even sound rehearsed.

The blonde-haired boy furrowed his brows. "Didn't she tell you that we have a quiz today?"

"No..." she drew out the 'o' sound. "It seems she forgot that tidbit."

"Don't worry," Kyle said with a sympathetic smile. "If you're quiet, Watson won't even see you. He never checks past the third row."

True that. Mr. Watson was more sightless than all three blind mice combined. And this would be the perfect opportunity to observe Arnav in a test-taking environment. Just imagine if she caught him cheating! Jackpot, baby.

9:20 AM.

Target is sitting at desk, reviewing notes.

Hot chick walks into room and down target's aisle.

Target looks up and checks out hot chick.

Check out style: slow once-over

Hot chick and target make eye-contact and smile at each other.

007 Status: in pain.

Said hot chick was Jenna Anstill -- vice president of the student body and predicted valedictorian. Khushi hated to admit it, but Jenna was hot as f*ck. Not your typical golden-haired beauty, but a dark, modelesque, mysterious sort of gorgeous. Her mom was Japanese and her father was some French-German mix. Enough said.

Strike Three: Possibly promiscuous.

Target's homosexuality: nonexistent.

007 Status: Torn.

"Books away, everyone. No scientific calculators." Mr. Watson did not speak. He dictated.

As the quiz papers were being passed down, Arnav made a sudden movement. One side of his butt lifted from the chair as he shifted. A look of slight discomfort could be seen from his profile.

Oh, Jesus! She'd recognize those actions anywhere.

Khushi scrambled for the pencil that was already in her hand.

He was going to fart! He was going to f--

Arnav reached under his seat and removed half a pink eraser. Frowning, he placed it on the corner of his desk before returning his attention to the test.

The pea was to the princess as the eraser was to Arnav.

Damn it to all hell! How anticlimactic.

9:23 AM

Target: Page one of quiz

007 Status: Bored

Notes: Target has uneven ears, and an out of place uni-dimple when concentrating.

9:39 AM

Target: Still page one

007 Status: Still bored

Notes: Target has feminine lower lip, profile only

10:00 AM

Target: Page two! Progress!

007 Status: Connecting carbon chains to make swastikas

10:30 AM

Target: Done with quiz. Checking it over while tapping foot to muted music

007 Status: Foaming at the mouth from boredom

Five more minutes, just five more minutes before this class was over. The only interesting thing that had happened was when Arnav sneezed and five people simultaneously chorused Bless you'.

Albeit, his sneeze was kind of ugly, but not gross enough to make it strike four. The worst sneezes were ones that sounded mucus-y. Plus, he was clean. He didn't try to wipe his nose with the back of his hand, but instead rummaged through his bag for a small package of Kleenex.

Hygienic men were such a turn on.

Ding-dong.

Only their school had a ring that sounded like a doorbell. But who cared, really? Class was over, and that was the only thing that mattered.

Off to... oh, shit. Honors Differential Calculus.

Khushi liked numbers, too. Especially if there were dollar signs attached.

More importantly though, this was the class where she would reveal Arnav Singh Raizada - a lying, s*utty, cheapskate old lady puncher. And she would be forever free to live her life again. She could prep for SATs without picturing the way he concentrated on math problems. She could take a shower without envisioning his naked body. She could eat without thinking about that adorable mouth of his. In essence, she could live again.

007 Status: On the move. Dun dun dun.

Honors Differential Calculus turned out to be problematic. Arnav sat in the back row, which meant there was no way Khushi could observe him from any of the remaining available seats. So, she had no choice but to sit two seats away and pray that no one would think she had a neck tic.

A tap came from the right.

Loretta Jones.

"Can you pass this down to Arnav?" she asked, handing Khushi a small, folded rectangular note.

"Sure," she said, smilingly taking it from her.

Precious, precious. Was she asking him out? A secret rendezvous? Asking him to meet her outside? Asking him to meet her inside? Asking him to do something scandalous? Oral sex? Drugs?

Strike Four: Possibly an undercover pimp or drug dealer

It gave her a sick sort of scheming satisfaction to know what everyone thought she was perfectly and innocuously normal, and had no idea of the psychotic madwoman that lurked beneath. Oh, how people trusted her.

Loretta got up to use the washroom, without even checking to see if the message had been delivered to its proper recipient.

As inconspicuously as she could, Khushi lowered her forehead to the edge of the desk, hands hidden underneath, un-origami-ing the note. The anticipation was mind-blowing. With quivering fingers, she opened the last fold and feasted on the juicy information.

'Swim practice canceled today. Tell April and Connor if you see them :)'

...

Is this what Hamlet felt like when he echoed the fateful words, 'To be, or not to be'? Khushi empathized with thee, dear Hamlet. The disappointment was too much. Without even refolding the piece of paper, she handed it forward.

"It's for Arnav."

10:39 AM

World: 1

007: 0

Target tests negative for drug abuse.

11:55 AM

Target has committed no crime but drink apple juice.

007 quotes from The Wizard of Oz: "I'm melting, melting! What a world, what a world."

The good news was that Calculus was finally over. The bad news was that nothing worth writing down had happened.

Maybe it just wasn't meant to be. The looming sense of failure was draining all the energy out of this 007. Khushi let out a big, fat, defeated sigh.

Arnav was rising from his seat and heading out of the classroom, probably as eager to get out of class as everyone else.

Like the good little spy that she was, she followed him. It would've been so much simpler to just get to know him and then have him leak his more uncivilized qualities gradually. But, it was much easier said than done. Khushi enjoyed talking to people, and liked making new friends. But the times she had come into contact with Arnav... she just couldn't function, speak or act as she usually would have. It wasn't just about being tongue-tied or awkward. Her sense of humor and sanity signed a pact that whenever Arnav Singh Raizada approached within five feet, they would commit temporary suicide.

No, she wasn't kidding.

It never bothered her that a lot of girls liked to look at him. And really, who could blame them? While they loved to ogle the eye candy though, they didn't pine. A few tried, but they all gave up in the end due to his rather 'reserved' personality.

Ha.

11:58 AM

Target heading to bathroom

007 Status: Low-profile and stealthy

The hallway was surprisingly empty. There wasn't even a need to camouflage.

Looking once to the left, then to the right, she darted in. It didn't occur to her at that point that this was going a little too far. But if the restroom wasn't where people showed their true colors, then she didn't know where else they would. 'Catch them when they're the most vulnerable,' as someone famous probably once said.

All the urinals were empty. By the process of deduction, it seemed that Arnav was presently occupying a peach-colored stall, identical to the ones in the girl's washroom. What could be more of a turn off than hearing the person you crushed on take a dump?

12:01 PM.

Target: Last stall

007: Second to last stall

Could he hear the escalated breathing? The hammering heartbeat? She sure as hell could.

Khushi plopped down on the toilet seat and bolted the lock. It was an awkward position because she had to turned sharply to the left, nervous that he might notice her feet. Not even a gay boy would wear size six, hot pink converse.

His feet, though, were big.

What was that saying again? Big hands, big feet, big --

Unzipping. Shuffling.

Was he taking off his clothes?

There was an uncapping sound, and a glop. It was followed by... the sound of skin rubbing together. She leaned in closer and heard an unmistakable smack smack between the chafing. What the f*ck? Was he...

A low groan, and then a quick hiss.

Oh, all that was sacred... he was masturbating!

Masturbating. In a bathroom stall. In school.

Khushi was going to be sick.

Here she was, sitting in the boys' bathroom, listening to the love of her life masturbate in the adjacent stall.

12:05 PM

Target caught self-cultivating in bathroom stall at school

007 Status: Numb

Mission: Complete?

Just as she was about to get up and make herself scarce forever, he set something down to the ground.

Oh, lord almighty.

His lube. Sick-o nast--

Wait.

It didn't quite look like lube (not that she knew what lube looked like) but more like... a prescription.

Pushing her hair away with one hand so she could peer down, Khushi squinted and read the label.

50 GM Ectosone Regular Cream - Betamethasone Valerate

APPLY TO AFFECTED ECZEMIC AREA(S) TWICE A DAY

Eczema.

12:06 PM

Target caught applying prescription lotion, not lube.

007 feels stupid and relieved, with stupidity outweighing relief.

Mission: Up in the air

Khushi didn't quite know if she wanted to discover Arnav's dirty little secrets anymore. Could she handle the trauma?

12:21 PM

Location: 1.5 miles off school grounds

Target walking in unknown direction, perhaps for lunch

007 Status: Wary and weary

The streets were busy, but lively, especially since it was lunchtime. Although it made it harder to follow Arnav through the crowds, it left little chance of being discovered. With a backpack slung over his shoulder, he strolled down Bartholomew Avenue like a true regular. Khushi loved the way he walked. There was an effortless ease that commanded the attention of those around him.

Arnav stopped in front of Cafe Crepe.

Ah, very good choice. It was only a five-minute walk from their school, and probably one of the more popular dining venues for students.

Seating himself at a small, grey booth by the wall, he flipped open the menu to scan the items. Khushi crept into the two-person booth diagonal from him.

"Would you like anything to drink?" The waiter, who looked far too old to be working there, stopped in front of her table. But what did she know? Maybe receding hairlines were in.

"Just water, thanks."

It was too tempting to just hide behind the laminated gold menu and stare.

12:35 PM

Target orders.

007 cannot strain ears enough to hear.

"Sorry, can you come back in a few minutes? I'm still deciding." She put on her best 'there are so many delicious options, I cannot possibly pick one' face.

To be honest, she really was famished, tired, and famished.

After only five hours of stalking, Khushi was ready to conclude that Arnav Singh Raizada did not pick his nose, fart, scratch his crotch, burp or masturbate in public.

Rather contrary to all that, he was polite, down-to-earth, smart and a dedicated athlete.

This would not do at all.

It was fifteen minutes before the waiter brought Arnav's order: not one, but two crepes. Judging by the smell and color as the waiter carried them past, they were possibly filled with strawberries, bananas and nutella. Her stomach growled.

But Arnav didn't eat them. He reached into his bag and took out a pen. Grabbing a napkin from the dispenser, he began to write. From the length of it, it seemed to be a phone number. But maybe not. Gah. What was that boy doing?

Khushi surveyed the room for attractive girls that may have caught his attention. Sure enough, there were a few candidates. However, he didn't approach any of the other tables; what he did was get up and walk back towards the restrooms.

Again?

12:55 PM

Target partakes in strange behavior

007 Status: About to find out if curiosity did indeed kill the cat.

Discretion was, after all, Khushi's middle name. Making sure he had disappeared, she snuck up to his table. Upon getting closer though, she noticed something odd.

The two plates of crepes were facing each other, each with a glass of water to its right.

It was a table set for two.

Gah. Of course.

A date. He was waiting here for a date. Who would eat out alone?

12:56 PM

Target Status: Dating

007 Status: Impending

If it hadn't been evident before, it definitely was now. There was absolutely nothing wrong with Arnav Singh Raizada and there was never going to be anything wrong with him, no matter how long or how closely she followed him around. The longer Khushi stayed, the more she would realize that he was everything she'd cracked him up to be.

Mission: Failed

All hail unrequited love. It was time for 007 to head home.

Just as she was about to leave, the napkin he had been scribbling on caught her eye. It sat on the middle of the table, the handwriting upon it clear and neat.

But a phone number it was not. And when Khushi read it, her heart missed a beat .

Curiosity: 1

Cat: 0

The message was short, sweet and simple.

'Turn around'

_________