Vibharth FF - A Tale of Two Students! (Ch4 - Pg5)

They met on the train as both were headed to the same school - Warrior High. He did not like talking to girls and was busy reading a book when he tried to stop a fight, got provoked, got involved and got hurt. She noticed he quietly bore the brunt from the teachers even though he was innocent and went to dress his wounds. He did not want anyone to touch him, or talk to him, he just wanted to get back to his book. But she had never taken no for an answer for what she had set out to achieve, be it something small, or big. She went against his wishes and dressed his wounds, while he kept staring at her, not knowing how to stop her or what to say. She waited for a thank you, but he never spoke. She thought he was strange and left.

The next time they crossed paths was when the girl group was trying to hide during the night call and happened to cross the guys. He made eye contact with her, but she looked away as she was leading her girl group to safety, and also as she was still miffed with him for not saying thank you! And just then the seniors struck, as they came whistling around, there was a widespread panic and everyone started running haywire, here and there. The groups ceased to exist as every junior girl and every junior boy started running around to hide. Vibha stood their trying to calm the girls down and call them back to fight the seniors together, but no one listened. Parth went away, but shortly after turned back, ran towards Vibha, held her hand and ran with her. She looked at him with a stern face, and as he snuck her into the library, she let go of his hand.

Vibha: Yeh kya kar rahe ho tum? Huh?

He stood there staring at her, as in his mind, he'd saved her from the seniors, from getting caught. But that's not what she felt.

Vibha: Hello! Main tumse kuch puch rahi hu!

He noticed a shadow approaching towards the library and pulled her hand and ran towards the back. A senior entered the library and just then Parth opened a rather old looking cupboard and hopped inside with Vibha. And as he slowly tried to close the doors, he saw Vibha's eyes widening and he quickly covered her mouth. She started at him as he stared back at her, and they both stood there till the footsteps of the senior faded away into the background. She slowly touched his hand that was covering her mouth and brushed it aside, but just as they were about to step, out, they heard the seniors marching towards the library. They'd just caught two students and the library was the chosen place to round the juniors up and win. Parth realized that they wouldn't be able to get out now, unless they wished to get caught. He was determined to not let the seniors win, just as much as her. They both looked at one another with a sign of mutual mental agreement that they would together beat the seniors! The clock soon struck 12, and just then the headmistress walked in to the view the results of the night call, the seniors cheering away on their apparent success. But as the headmistress went on hastily and congratulated the seniors, 'creak!' opened the doors of the cupboard at the back. And out came Parth and Vibha. Vibha looked at Parth.

Vibha: Thank you!

He simply batted his eyelids to acknowledge her gratitude. She saw this as a positive sign and held out her hand to walk together with him. He looked at her hand and then looked at her face, and walked off on his own. She was furious that he didn't hold her hand as partners who had just won over the seniors. She rushed to get ahead of him and told the headmistress that they hadn't been caught, so they won! Parth didn't want the glory, he just wanted to accomplish the task, which he already had. She wanted the credit, but she was also prepared to share the credit with him. She proudly shook hands with the headmistress.

Vibha: But Maam, the credit goes to...

She turned around and looked at Parth. But he didn't say anything.

Vibha: Hello, excuse me, tumhara naam?

He was still quiet. She rolled her eyes.

Vibha: Arey, what is your name?

Parth started at her but finally said his name as the headmistress asked. She congratulated both of them and left when Vibha walked up to Parth.

Vibha: My name is Vibha.

She held out her hand yet again for a shake, but he stood there, frozen, yet again. She wasn't the one to take no for an answer, so she grasped his hand and held it out to make it shake with hers that she'd reached out with. He kept staring at her, as she spoke.

Vibha: When someone gives you a hand, you give them a handshake! And when someone helps you, you say thank you!

She then walked away as he looked at his palm and looked at her silhouette walking away.

It was the morning the next day and as everyone gathered around the morning assembly, the winners of the night call were called upon the stage. They were felicitated as the Legends of Warrior High and asked to burn the lamp in their honour. Vibha was quick to take the match, but then looked at Parth and knowing he was the true reason for their win, passed it along to him. He lit the lamp and she smiled at him. He continued to look with a serious face, unfazed by her friendliness. His aloofness caused her to look away at the end and she walked away on her own.

Chapter 2
Breaking the Ice

It was the morning the next day. Vibha was getting ready for class and as she fixed her tie, she thought to herself 'Parth... hmmm... very strange indeed... But mujhe isse kya, use nahi baat karni hai, ho nahi kare!'. She shook off her curiosity about him and grabbed her fancy bag and left for class. She entered the class to find Parth sitting in the front row. Her instant friendly reaction was to smile at him and go sit next to him, but as she stood near his bench, she felt his cold vibes again and moved to another seat, far away from him. He stopped for a moment to look at her as she stood there for a second, and then looked away. As another girl walked in and sat with Vibha, they got talking and Parth looked back at them, spotting a smiling Vibha. She saw him looking at her and his unpleased look made her smile fade away. 'What is his problem?' She thought to herself. Its not that she disliked him, but his coldness was making her friendliness towards him slowly but steadily decrease.

Later that day, the students had to choose their subjects. For Parth it was an obvious choice, Physics, Chemistry, Biology with Boxing. For Vibha, it was a decision between Physics and History. Her love for literature and ancient things was inevitable by the lively, vivid conversation with everyone. Parth was standing right in front of her, as she managed to take a peek at his list, and it was almost as if the decision was made for her. She marked a cross next to Physics, making her choice Physics, Chemistry, Biology with Dancing. Not that she wanted to copy him, or be around him, she just saw a sign and went with her gut feeling upon seeing that sign, that's all there was to it.

And the next morning, their paths crossed again, the line of boys, going for morning jog, and the line of girls, going for a dance lesson. She looked up at him, and just as she looked away, he looked at her and then looked away too. The cold vibes continued, which weren't an issue for Parth, as he was like that with everyone. But for Vibha, every single time she was hit with it, she felt a need to warm things up, that was her instantly spontaneous reaction, but each time she realized it was Parth, and he was meant to be cold, and best to leave him alone as that. Upon their return from the job, the boys did some stretches and headed towards their dorms to change and the girls, having just finished their dance routine, also headed towards their dorms. Vibha, being Vibha, turned on the music as the dance teacher left and started dancing on her own. And as Parth was passing by, he heard the music and noticed Vibha twirling away in circles through the gap in the opened doors. His legs froze as he watched her dancing away to her hearts content. Vibha's twirls, unfortunately got out of control and her foot slipped and she fell on the floor. And just as Parth saw this, he rushed in to help her, and she stared at him. "How did he get here?'... 'has he been watching me this entire time?'... 'freak!'... and just as these thoughts came to her mind while she continued to focus on his face rather than on her own foot, he finally spoke to her for the very first time.

Parth: Are you okay?

Vibha was taken aback. 'Did he just say something?' she thought to herself.

Vibha: Huh?
Parth: Are you hurt?

Vibha quickly realized from his face that he was only concerned as she fell down.

Vibha: Nahi, I'm fine.

He held out his hand to help her get up.

Vibha: I'm fine.

And as she said that, she got up on her own, while Parth looked at his hand that was left hanging in the air. He then turned around and walked away and Vibha was intrigued once again. 'I really cannot understand this guy' she thought to herself. She replayed the scene in her mind and quickly realized that she hadn't thanked him. So she got up and ran. She saw Parth going up the stairs.

Vibha: Ouch ouch, ouch!

Parth turned around as he heard Vibha's voice, she was holding onto the wall. He waited for a second as he saw Vibha looking down at her foot. He started coming back down towards her, rolling his eyes and nodding his head.

Parth: Tumhara pair... are you okay?

Vibha quickly looked up and saw Parth standing right next to her.

Vibha: Thank you!

Parth didn't understand, he flinched his eyebrows and had a confused look on his face.

Parth: Huh?

Vibha looked up at him, and the expression on his face made her clarify the reason for her gratitude towards him.

Vibha: Woh, tum meri help karne kie liye... dance room main... isi liye, thanks!

Parth batted his eyelids as he now fully comprehended the situation. She turned around and started to leave, not because she wanted to be as rude as him, but because she felt a tingling sensation in her foot and wanted to sit down. He saw her limping softly as she was walking away, and paused to see if she needed help. But she was too proud and too independent to ask for help. She was managing fine just on her own. As he saw her silhouette fade away in the background, he nodded his head and started going back up the stairs. And as Vibha sat down in the dorm, on her bed looking at her foot, few other girls came up to her and asked her if she was okay. She thought of Parth, smiled, and said she was fine. One of the girls asked her why she was smiling and came her quicky reply -

Vibha: Ha, woh Parth...

She stopped abruptly. But another girl gushed 'Yeah, he's so hot!'. 'Hot?' Vibha thought to herself. 'Really?' she thought again. She knew he was sincere and quiet, but she hadn't thought he was hot. She hadn't looked at him that way.

Vibha: Nahi yaar, he's weird.

That was her quick reply. He was weird to her, but she also thought he was nice. She had seen a bleak ray of concern in his eyes when she fell down. And even if she'd imagined that ray all by herself, he wouldn't have stopped and come in to help if he was all that cold.

The ice hadn't been broken, but his actions had definitely started chipping away at the cold block that surrounded him!

Announcements were made in the evening for a Junior HeadBoy and a Junior HeadGirl to be elected soon. These two would be responsible for maintaining discipline among their respective junior groups, making sure everyone abided by the rules and attended all classes. Everyone knew who the HeadGirl was going to be, it was pretty clear! But who was going to be the HeadBoy, now that was the question on everyone's minds.

Chapter 3
The Contest Begins

So it was the start of the next day and after the usual jog and dance routine for the boys and girls respectively, followed by the breakfast in the mess, the students gathered in the main hall for the Principal's announcement. The principal said that in the coming week, the process for the election of the new Junior HeadBoy and Junior HeadGirl would begin, through various rounds of tests, to find the most suitable candidates for each post. And for these two candidates, there would be responsibilities as well as perks if they performed well and maintained the reputation of the school, while the current ones would go on to become the Senior HeadBoy and HeadGirl, respectively.

The rules were briefly outlined as follows. There would be two choices for each position, one would represent the majority voted by the teachers, and the other the majority voted by the respective student groups. The teachers choice would depend on the academic performance, the skills, the leading capacity of the student, while the students choice would reflect the popularity of the student along with the ability to communicate effectively. The junior girl group would have an opportunity to choose their representative, in a similar fashion as the junior boy group. All four candidates would then be interviewed by the headmistress to pick the most appropriate choice.

Vibha was excited as she was not the one to shy away from the position of power. Yes, it would come with an added sense of responsibility and extra care to keep the mischievousness within control, but she was prepared to take it on. She was already confident that she would get the girls' vote, as she'd already befriended everyone in her room and also gotten along with the girls from the seniors' dorm. Not that the latter would matter for getting nominated for this post, but it definitely aided in her popularity and credibility. Parth on the other hand was least bit bothered, this announcement to him was as useless as someone trying to make small talk with him. Though he didn't care as to who got elected in the end, he most definitely did not want to waste his power to vote by choosing the wrong guy. He most certainly was not popular among the juniors, let alone the seniors, as he never made an effort to speak to anyone, nor did he look up and smile. He was a true loner.

So the aptitude tests began later that day, and it sure does go without saying that Parth aced the test. He was the brilliantly unsurpassable combination of persevering hard work and sheer intelligence. He was a true bookworm. And Vibha was not far behind. Yes, she did spend a lot of her time doing vher girly things that included gossip, talk about boys, fashion and pranks, but when she set out to achieve something, she gave it her all! She may not have been the school topper like Parth, but she surely had always been in the top few.

The rest of the day classes continued as per the usual routine and a further announcement was made to showcase talents in a couple of days time. Vibha instantly knew what she was going to do. Dance! But there were so many songs to choose from, film songs or traditional ones, both had countless titles, dating back several years. Parth thought of taking part in a timed boxing match, but for that he would need to find a partner. It had always been difficult for him to ask anyone for anything.

It was the next day. The teachers had been observing the students in their own ways to mark their favourites. The students, today, had to put down what it was that they intended to showcase as their talent, so that the necessary arrangements could be made. Luckily for Parth, there was an opponent, the most popular boy in school, well, at least amongst the juniors, Rahul. He was the strong, good-looking playboy from a humongously wealthy family. The girls loved him and wanted to be around him. Vibha obviously didn't need to do this, as he always flirted with her and she gave it back to him sometimes. After all, she had known him since childhood. Now obviously, Parth didn't know this. He was in for a shocking surprise. The list was read out and he found out that he was going to box against Rahul, the only contender. And just as he was preparing to leave the classroom, he heard Rahul speak, and had he not said her name, Parth would have been gone by now. But he stood by the door and kept eavesdropping. Rahul said 'Hey Vibha, so who are you going to support? This new freak or me?' And quick came Vibha's reply 'Of course you Rahul, after all, hum bachpan ke dost hai!' Rahul was excited and said 'Now that's like my girl'. Vibha held his hand to take it off her shoulder and nodded to show she never was his girl, and never could be. And just that very moment, a surprised Parth turned around and looked at her. She felt like someone was watching her and looked up, whilst still holding Rahul's hand, and saw Parth by the door. And as their eyes met, Parth looked away and the next second he was gone. Vibha paused to think what possibly could have happened to Parth to stop and stare at her, but his coldness and his weird behaviour made her force herself to think of better things.

It was a rather cloudy morning the next day. And as Vibha woke up earlier than usual with the noisy, roaring clouds, she decided to walk along the corridor for some fresh breeze. She instantly thought of getting changed and practicing some dance moves in the room, as everyone was fast asleep and the thought of no one disturbing her made perfect sense for a rehearsal routine. But as she walked along towards the corridor leading to the dance rooms, she heard random noise coming out of the Gymnasium. She tried to peep in through the window but was unable to see past the exercise machines. She walked towards the doors and opened then ever so slightly to see a serious looking Parth hitting away at the boxing punch bag. He looked determined and focussed. She slowly let a smile spread on her face as she appreciated his hard work and determination. But he felt the breeze hitting his body and looked around to find Vibha through the slightly opened doors. He couldn't help but give her a piercing glance, which immediately wiped off her smile and made her uncomfortable, not because she was scared of him, cause she was not, but because she felt he didn't like that sort of attention. So she hurriedly closed the doors and walked away. He resumed doing what he did best, roll his eyes, nod his head and then back to punching!

She turned on the music and started listening to songs and danced along, stopping every now and then to think of steps to include and make her movement more graceful. Dancing soothed her nerves, it took her into a different world, where she could express herself without needing to talk, she could be happy without needing to smile or laugh, she could be peaceful yet emotional, and where she could let herself go even by being fully in control. She closed her eyes and she imagined Parth staring at her. She quickly stopped and opened her eyes to find no one around. 'Why did his image flash in front of my eyes if he really wasn't here?' she wondered. 'But I know I'm not going crazy' she thought again, 'So he must be around her somewhere'. She checked around the door, the window and also walked down the corridor. It still didn't bring peace to her mind, so she walks back to the gym to see if he is still there. She tries to look inside from the window, but can't see anything beyond the exercise machines, just like the last time. So she stands near the door, pausing to think whether or not to open the door and disturb Parth yet again. She listens to her mind and opens the doors slowly, and leans in. And just the very moment, she feels two quick successive taps on her shoulder. She is startled and turns around and looks visibly shocked, its Parth!

Vibha: Parth? Tumne to mujhe dara hi diya.
Parth: Sorry.
Vibha: Tum yaha...
Parth: I was going to ask you the same thing.
Vibha: Zyada smart mat bano... Waise toh bade hi chup chap se rehte ho... Aur chori chori mujhe dance karte hue dekh rahe the?
Parth: Kya?

He is genuinely confused. Everytime she comes back to say something to him, it is always out of context, and always leads him to question her sanity.

Vibha: Ha, bolo, kaha the tum? Koi answer nahi hoga tumhare paas... Kyunki mujhe pata hai ki tum...

He couldn't bare to hear more of her accusations, so acting out of character, he put his hand on her mouth to stop her from saying another word, and pointed towards the sign that read toilets. And as he let go of his hand, he could see the fire in her eyes turning into guilt for throwing false accusations at him.

Vibha: Woh... woh mujhe laga ki...
Parth: Its okay.

And as he says that, he starts to walk off, but she runs and stops him.

Vibha: Arey, meri baat abhi khatam bhi nahi hui ki tum chal diye?

Parth gives her one of her cold looks with wide eyes, almost as if to show its a chore waiting for her to complete talking, as her talks just never seem to end.

Vibha: Woh, sorry! Pehle ke liye bhi, aur abhi ke liye bhi.

He realizes that she is referring to disturbing him earlier and for misjudging him now. He accepts her apology by batting his eyelids as per usual and walks away. She turns around and is about to go, but stops and looks back at him. 'Why did I see him when I closed my eyes?' she thinks, 'perhaps cause he is so strange and seems so mysterious'. She gently taps her head for being carried away and goes back to dance.

It was the morning the next day. Vibha was getting ready for class and as she fixed her tie, she thought to herself 'Parth... hmmm... very strange indeed... But mujhe isse kya, use nahi baat karni hai, ho nahi kare!'. She shook off her curiosity about him and grabbed her fancy bag and left for class. She entered the class to find Parth sitting in the front row. Her instant friendly reaction was to smile at him and go sit next to him, but as she stood near his bench, she felt his cold vibes again and moved to another seat, far away from him. He stopped for a moment to look at her as she stood there for a second, and then looked away. As another girl walked in and sat with Vibha, they got talking and Parth looked back at them, spotting a smiling Vibha. She saw him looking at her and his unpleased look made her smile fade away. 'What is his problem?' She thought to herself. Its not that she disliked him, but his coldness was making her friendliness towards him slowly but steadily decrease.

Later that day, the students had to choose their subjects. For Parth it was an obvious choice, Physics, Chemistry, Biology with Boxing. For Vibha, it was a decision between Physics and History. Her love for literature and ancient things was inevitable by the lively, vivid conversation with everyone. Parth was standing right in front of her, as she managed to take a peek at his list, and it was almost as if the decision was made for her. She marked a cross next to Physics, making her choice Physics, Chemistry, Biology with Dancing. Not that she wanted to copy him, or be around him, she just saw a sign and went with her gut feeling upon seeing that sign, that's all there was to it.

And the next morning, their paths crossed again, the line of boys, going for morning jog, and the line of girls, going for a dance lesson. She looked up at him, and just as she looked away, he looked at her and then looked away too. The cold vibes continued, which weren't an issue for Parth, as he was like that with everyone. But for Vibha, every single time she was hit with it, she felt a need to warm things up, that was her instantly spontaneous reaction, but each time she realized it was Parth, and he was meant to be cold, and best to leave him alone as that. Upon their return from the job, the boys did some stretches and headed towards their dorms to change and the girls, having just finished their dance routine, also headed towards their dorms. Vibha, being Vibha, turned on the music as the dance teacher left and started dancing on her own. And as Parth was passing by, he heard the music and noticed Vibha twirling away in circles through the gap in the opened doors. His legs froze as he watched her dancing away to her hearts content. Vibha's twirls, unfortunately got out of control and her foot slipped and she fell on the floor. And just as Parth saw this, he rushed in to help her, and she stared at him. "How did he get here?'... 'has he been watching me this entire time?'... 'freak!'... and just as these thoughts came to her mind while she continued to focus on his face rather than on her own foot, he finally spoke to her for the very first time.

Parth: Are you okay?

Vibha was taken aback. 'Did he just say something?' she thought to herself.

Vibha: Huh?
Parth: Are you hurt?

Vibha quickly realized from his face that he was only concerned as she fell down.

Vibha: Nahi, I'm fine.

He held out his hand to help her get up.

Vibha: I'm fine.

And as she said that, she got up on her own, while Parth looked at his hand that was left hanging in the air. He then turned around and walked away and Vibha was intrigued once again. 'I really cannot understand this guy' she thought to herself. She replayed the scene in her mind and quickly realized that she hadn't thanked him. So she got up and ran. She saw Parth going up the stairs.

Vibha: Ouch ouch, ouch!

Parth turned around as he heard Vibha's voice, she was holding onto the wall. He waited for a second as he saw Vibha looking down at her foot. He started coming back down towards her, rolling his eyes and nodding his head.

Parth: Tumhara pair... are you okay?

Vibha quickly looked up and saw Parth standing right next to her.

Vibha: Thank you!

Parth didn't understand, he flinched his eyebrows and had a confused look on his face.

Parth: Huh?

Vibha looked up at him, and the expression on his face made her clarify the reason for her gratitude towards him.

Vibha: Woh, tum meri help karne kie liye... dance room main... isi liye, thanks!

Parth batted his eyelids as he now fully comprehended the situation. She turned around and started to leave, not because she wanted to be as rude as him, but because she felt a tingling sensation in her foot and wanted to sit down. He saw her limping softly as she was walking away, and paused to see if she needed help. But she was too proud and too independent to ask for help. She was managing fine just on her own. As he saw her silhouette fade away in the background, he nodded his head and started going back up the stairs. And as Vibha sat down in the dorm, on her bed looking at her foot, few other girls came up to her and asked her if she was okay. She thought of Parth, smiled, and said she was fine. One of the girls asked her why she was smiling and came her quicky reply -

Vibha: Ha, woh Parth...

She stopped abruptly. But another girl gushed 'Yeah, he's so hot!'. 'Hot?' Vibha thought to herself. 'Really?' she thought again. She knew he was sincere and quiet, but she hadn't thought he was hot. She hadn't looked at him that way.

Vibha: Nahi yaar, he's weird.

That was her quick reply. He was weird to her, but she also thought he was nice. She had seen a bleak ray of concern in his eyes when she fell down. And even if she'd imagined that ray all by herself, he wouldn't have stopped and come in to help if he was all that cold.

The ice hadn't been broken, but his actions had definitely started chipping away at the cold block that surrounded him!

Announcements were made in the evening for a Junior HeadBoy and a Junior HeadGirl to be elected soon. These two would be responsible for maintaining discipline among their respective junior groups, making sure everyone abided by the rules and attended all classes. Everyone knew who the HeadGirl was going to be, it was pretty clear! But who was going to be the HeadBoy, now that was the question on everyone's minds.