Chapter 2
It has been more than half an hour since classes got over and Ragini was still waiting for Shruthi to come.
"Sorry, experiment took time. I told you to come to lab na?", said Shruthi.
"Oh No. You know the chemistry between me and chemistry lab, right?", Ragini chuckled.
They were in their chemistry lab when Shruthi saw a cockroach near Ragini's hand. She quickly pulled Ragini away. Shruthi's intention was good but it resulted in something dangerous. Her sudden pull made Ragini's hand accidentally dash with a acid bottle and the acid fell on Ragini. Luckily, the chemical could only burn a small piece of Ragini's lab coat. Shruthi quickly apologised and Ragini told her that it was not a problem but Shruthi couldn't forget that incident. She was thinking what would have happened if the acid fell on Ragini's hand or her face or... No, she stopped her thoughts there as it was getting scary.
After the class got over, Shruthi searched for Ragini to talk and finally found her sitting on the corridor outside their classroom with her legs hanging down freely not able to reach the ground and her eyes focused on her notebook.
"Hi", said Shruthi in an almost whisper. Ragini turned back and looked at Shruthi. She didn't ask anything but her eyes asked her the question, "What?"
"I am really sorry. I didn't meant to... I mean... I just tried to..", Shruthi stumbled with words that even she couldn't know what she was telling.
"It's OK. I saw the cockroach. You need not apologize", said Ragini and turned her face to her notebook again. The lab coat lying by her side made Shruthi feel bad again and again.
"But I shouldn't have pulled you... It's my fault.. I... I..."
Her sentences were so incoherent and Ragini was losing patience as this classmate of hers was depriving her of loneliness.
"You know, you need not explain yourself. I said it's OK. If you don't mind, I am solving some problems. Would you please excuse me?"
It was only when she said excuse me', she noticed the tears in Shruthi's eyes. She patted on the place behind her indicating Shruthi to sit.
"If I had seen the cockroad myself, I would have panicked and the acid would have fell on me anyway. So you need not really blame yourself."
But Ragini knew that her statements were not working. She found herself in a strange situation. Since their parents died, she was the person who was depressed, crying and her friends/family would try to console her. She was the person who needed consolation but here she was trying to console her crying classmate. She decided that the only way to stop her classmate from starting to cry was to distract her.
"There's something on your eyes", she said looking at her face. Shruthi who was facing down before looked at her curious. Ragini added that it made her look less pretty.
"You want to see?", saying this Ragini took her bag on her lap and looked for something. She took her purse and extended it to Shruthi so that she could see her face in the small mirror. Shruthi looked even more confused then. Without any hesitation, Ragini wiped the corner of Shurthi's left eye and took a teardrop in her finger. As Shruthi looked at her finger, she smiled unknowingly.
"That... That thing on your lips now actually makes you look more pretty", said Ragini with a smile creeping on to her face as well.
"You seem to be an optimistic and jovial person. I couldn't believe that you have such negative thoughts", said Sruthi wiping the tear at the corner of her eye.
"Negative thoughts?"
Ragini raised eyebrows. Shruthi realized what she blurted out. She didn't want to remind Ragini that she attempted suicide by telling her she knew about it.
"I mean you are always alone. I haven't seen you ever smile at all. So I assumed you are a reserved and pessimistic person. Sorry"
Ragini seemed to believe Shruthi's made up story.
"And this is my favourite kurta", Ragini said looking at her red kurta. Shurthi laughed it off and they started walking to the canteen.
Just then when they started eating rice from their lunch boxes, Prem came and joined their table.
"Hi", he said.
"Hi", said Shruthi and before she could introduce him, Ragini muttered "Who is this pencil?" but Prem heard it.
"Everybody can't be chubby like you na?", he said to Ragini and somehow the way he chose the word 'chubby' instead of 'fat' impressed Ragini.
"Sorry, I was just thinking...", Ragini stumbled to give an apology.
"Aloud", he completed her sentence with a smile.
"He is Prem, my classmate and this is Ragini, my friend", Shruthi introduced them to each other.
"Classmate? I hope you don't talk about Chemistry here", Ragini said terrified.
"What? No way", he laughed aloud.
Prem opened his lunch box and started eating while they chit chatted for the next 15 minutes. Shruthi needed to explain Prem's like towards Mathematics and that he wasn't studying Chemistry out of interest.
"You love Mathematics? That's cool", said Ragini and gave Prem a high-five.
"You changed parties? That's not fair", sighed Shruthi.
"Darling, how would I ever leave you? This is just a temporary alliance"
The two friends started giggling while Prem sat there confused not understanding their talks.
***
Clock struck 9 but both the girls were busy with their books. Shruthi was the first one to close her book as she felt it was time for dinner.
"I am going to make Dosa. How many do you want?", Shruthi asked but Ragini wasn't answering her. Shruthi just went into the kitchen and started cooking. She repeated the same question aloud this time from the kitchen but she wasn't getting any reply even then. She lost her patience and came to Ragini who was sitting with her back leaned against on the wall and eyes focused on her book.
"What are you reading with so much involvement?"
Ragini's ears weren't working.
"This can't be a textbook. Must be one of her...", she snatched Ragini's book and she guessed it right, "novels"
"Darling, Just 20 pages left. Why did you take? Give it back", she tried to get her book from Shruthi but Shruthi held it behind her back.
"How many times will you read this Sherlock Holmes?"
"I haven't read this one. I promise this is a story which I haven't read"
"There's a story you haven't read. It's a miracle", said Shruthi sarcastically.
"Stop behaving like my mom and give it to me", said Ragini as she was annoyed.
"Reading books is a good habit but you should also follow what you read", Shruthi replied.
"You want me to become a detective like a Sherlock?", mocked Ragini.
"Tell me this. What did you eat for breakfast?", asked Shruthi as she sat in front of her.
Ragini struggled to remember for few seconds and finally said that she doesn't remember. "Sandwich", replied Shruthi after which Ragini said that she remembered it then.
"What dress were you wearing yesterday?"
"Darling, what is this? Why are you asking these questions?", said an irritated Ragini.
"Just answer me"
Ragini sighed and told Shruthi that she didn't remember it at all.
"See, you can't even remember even these. Your Sherlock stories lie in his ability to observe things and here you are not giving attention to simple things."
Ragini stood up and went to the bookshelf and started running her fingers over the books. Shruthi wondered whether Ragini got angry because of her lectures. Ragini came back to Shruthi with a book and asked Shruthi to read a particular page in the book.
"What?", Shruthi gave her a puzzled look.
"OK, then I will read it for you", said Ragini and started reading a paragraph from one of her favourite Sherlock Holmes Book.
"I consider that a man's brain originally is like a little empty attic, and you have to stock it with such furniture as you choose. A fool takes in all the lumber of every sort that he comes across, so that the knowledge which might be useful to him gets crowded out, or at best is jumbled up with a lot of other things, so that he has a difficulty in laying his hands upon it. Now the skillful workman is very careful indeed as to what he takes into his brain-attic. He will have nothing but the tools which may help him in doing his work, but of these he has a large assortment, and all in the most perfect order. It is a mistake to think that that little room has elastic walls and can distend to any extent. Depend upon it there comes a time when for every addition of knowledge you forget something that you knew before. It is of the highest importance, therefore, not to have useless facts elbowing out the useful ones."
Shruthi knew what exactly Ragini meant by reading that paragraph. Shruthi understood that her friend was indirectly telling her to not mess with her reading habits or favourite books and no one can ever win against her.
"Atleast now give it to me. Please...", Ragini was almost pleading her.
"First dinner, then Book", Shruthi took the book with her to the kitchen not looking at a disappointed Ragini.
After few minutes, Shruthi came with dinner for both.
"It is 9.30. We should sleep now. I am telling this. You are cooking tomorrow. No more escape from chores", Shruthi said this in an almost warning tone and started placing the pillows and bedsheets on the floor.
Shruthi switched off the lights and both of them retired to sleep. Ragini turned to Shruthi side and kept on looking at Shruthi while she didn't understand the meaning for her good-girl kind of looks.
It took few minutes for Shruthi to realize the reason. She woke up, switched on the light and went to the kitchen.
"Here", she gave Ragini the book.
Ragini sat up in a jiffy as she got the book from Shruthi's hand.
"My Darling!", she said pulling Shruthi's cheeks.
"You and your obsession for novels. Anyway Good night. Sleep soon"
***
Shruthi woke up yawning to the alarm sound. She was surprised to see Ragini already awake and getting ready.
"You woke up so soon?", exclaimed Shruthi.
"There was some batter remaining. So I made Dosa for breakfast. Eat before you come to college", she said putting books inside her bag.
"Where are you going?"
"I have some work to do before going to college", replied Ragini without paying much attention.
Shruthi was confused regarding Ragini's indifferent behaviour. Ragini would behave like that only when she got angry but why was she angry then. They didn't have any fights or quarrels. Before Shruthi could ask anything further, Ragini bid her bye and left out of the house.
After her shower, Shruthi ate the dosas that Ragini had made. She was checking her bag before she could start from home and that was when she saw someone entering the room.
"You..? What are you doing here?"
"I came to meet you", replied Akash in a low voice.
"There's nothing to talk"
"Please, let me speak once"
"Did you let me? Did you let me explain things? Why should I let you talk?"
Shruthi was about to cross him and walk to the door but he grabbed her arms. Shruthi stared at him and he left her arms.
"I am sorry. I didn't mean to force you to talk to me but why are you so stubborn? I am pleading you. Why don't you give 'us' a chance?"
"There is no US'", replied Shruthi with a stern face.
"Everybody makes mistakes. Nobody is perfect. I hope you remember that even you made a mistake", said Akash.
Shruthi sighed and asked him what he wanted to talk.
"I really didn't know that Ragini..."
"I am not in a mood to listen to old stories. Come to the point.", said Shruthi looking down.
"Why are you lying to yourself?"
Shruthi looked up at him.
"You still love me? Why is it difficult for you to accept the fact?"
"I don't love you"
"Haan. Yeah, that's why you still have the letter I wrote to you."
"I don't have any letter"
"Stop lying", he shouted and Shruthi could see someone outside looking towards her house.
"Don't create a scene here."
"The fact is that you love me and you know what I did that day was purely out of a misunderstanding. I apologized to you more than 100 times. What else do you want me to do? You are lying to yourself, Ragini, me, your parents and everyone else. Don't you understand that a single lie' is what has led us here?"
"Lie? You still hold me responsible for that?", she looked at him furiously.
"Please leave", she said looking down.
"I didn't mean that. Why are you always getting me the wrong way?"
"BECAUSE we are not compatible. I have to lock the house. Will you please leave?", she said without looking at him.
Akash went out of the small house and waited till Shruthi locked the house. He walked with Shruthi as she walked towards the bus stop.
"Stop following me like a teenage boy."
A smile creeped into his face as he heard her say that.
"You didn't change"
"What?", she stopped walking and looked at him curiously.
Edited by -Nive- - 9 years ago
