ใ โง ๐๐๐ง๐๐ค โง ใ
25 April 2008 (12 Years Old)
"I am so excited!" Avantika screamed from the back seat of my XUV.
The car drove down the highway, and I took a sip of my coffee, trying not to spill some on my favourite purple dress. As much as I wanted to attend the literature festival, anything that required you to wake up at six in the morning was not worth attending.
But I had made the promise to my friends, and delivering it was of the utmost importance. It was extremely unbecoming of someone to break their promises.
"Me too," Avni squealed in her thick American accent, from my side, playing with her curly hair, slightly jumping in her seat. She sat right beside me, and I winced at her decibels.
"Too loud, Avni," Sameera said, as she sat behind me. I nodded at her. Us not being morning people was a fact known by the entire school. Every morning, our expressions were enough to ward off anyone from coming closer to us. "God, Kay girl. I need a sip." She asked for my cold coffee, and I handed her the cup.
"Oh, hush," Avantika said, adjusting her black top. "We are finally going to the Sibi Lit Fest! I am going to be screaming all the way over there."
I smiled at that. Out of all of us, she was the most excited to be a part of the Festival. When I had finally managed to get the tickets, she was the one jumping up and down in delight while the rest of us watched.
"I am going to buy the next volume of Level Up and gift it to Dhiraj. I will probably never understand his love for manga, but I can at least use them to win him over." Avni shrugged, her blue top stretching at her movement.
Sameera nodded. "That's the way to go, Avni. Win him over and finally date him by the end of the year."
Avni hooted at that. I looked outside, and the fields rushed past me. Morning sun was hot, and the AC was turned on at high.
"Ugh, don't listen to her. She is in a happy relationship with Vishal, and so, she believes everyone is happy." Avantika huffed. Crossing her hands, she leaned against the backrest. She looked pissed off and I was frowned.
"Trouble in paradise?" I asked.
Avantika looked at me and straightened. "I swear, Kay girl. Do not date. Ever. Men are just not worth it."
I looked over at Sam. She frowned at Avantika's words, considering how new their relationship was. "What are you talking about? Vishal and I have been going strong for two weeks. He posts about me on Facebook and pokes me there, constantly."
Sam then turned to me. "Don't listen to her. Boyfriends are amazing. Relationships are amazing."
I smiled at her words. Being the only single member of the group, I was constantly given such advice.
Avantika scoffed. "That's because yours is still new. I have been dating Kartik for a month now, and let me tell you, men are just not worth it."
Avni opened her mouth to say something, but I spoke first. "What happened with Kartik?"
From what I knew about their relationship, Kartik really loved her. And cared for her. So, her words didn't make any sense.
Avantika did not say anything for a while, but then, she looked over at Deepak uncle, sitting in the passenger seat. "Deepak uncle, what we speak in the car, stays in the car."
My mother's assistant nodded, his eyes glued to his phone, probably working. He was supposed to bring us to the festival and bring us back home, safe and sound.
He and the four cars that travelled with us. Two in the front and two at the back. They were full of guards, and our driver was a professional race car driver, who could take detours and control a speeding car, if need be.
"Vaidehi sent me two screenshots yesterday, where Kartik and Diti were talking." She pulled out her phone and passed it over to us. Sam got up and leaned over the seat to get a good view of the conversation.
The screenshots were from a conversation that had happened yesterday. Diti had sent a picture of her in a dress to him, and Kartik had replied with three white hearts.
"It's not red, so we can't say if he was actually flirting, you know," Sameera commented.
"He replied with hearts!"
"But she is his best friend," I said, looking at Diti's picture and the hearts.
"Ummm," Avni said. "I would hate it if Dhiraj ever sent hearts to any other girl, best friend or not, red or otherwise."
I nodded.
Diti had then replied to his message saying, 'Come on. At least compliment me!'
Kartik had replied with a simple, 'You look nice :)'
Diti: You can do so much better than that, Kartik.
Diti: You used to say that I looked beautiful and gorgeous, before. Now, you don't even properly compliment me anymore.
"Because he is not your boyfriend? That's why he doesn't need to compliment you like that, nor should you need them?" Sam said, frowning at her words.
Kartik: It won't look good. Avantika won't be happy.
Diti: So, your girlfriend dictates how you talk to your friends?
Kartik: She has never once stopped me from talking to you or any other girl.
"That's a lie," Avantika said. "I totally tell him that I hate her and I don't want her around."
Kartik: And it's coming from me. I care about my girlfriend's reputation.
"As you should?" I said.
Diti: Just because you compliment me, doesn't mean you are cheating on your girlfriend, you know. You can compliment your best friend at least.
"He did? He said you looked nice. You wanted him to give you more intimate compliments, and he did not want to." Avni scoffed. "Seriously, this girl!"
Kartik: Again, it's not about that. I don't want to do anything that might make me or her look bad.
Diti: Kartik, I know you are lying. I know she is not happy with our friendship.
"You're right. I am not!"
Diti: I told you even then that she would separate us.
"I will, just you wait!"
Diti: You should never have dated her!
"Oh, fuck you!" The three of us said at the same time.
Kartik: I will talk later, Diti.
Vaidehi had texted underneath these images. 'Diti sent me the screenshots, saying Kartik didn't even defend you. They are so breaking up.'
"He actually did not defend our relationship in front of her. He just left the chat," Avantika said. "It was so insulting."
Sameera spoke. "Look, I can see where you are coming from, but he did defend you, and he just did not want to entertain her idea that the relationship is an issue."
"And it is a fact that she is in love with him, and is planning to break you two up, for sure." I handed her the phone. "And he is not letting her. I am sure she must have said it before as well. That's why he just left, and did not even bother to reply."
"Then why does he even consider her his friend?" Avantika asked. "Someone who constantly questions your relationship. It's wrong and is insulting to me!"
"She is right," Avni said. "I am sure even he knows what she is doing, so even talking to her is wrong."
"Exactly! She badmouths me all the time. She even insults me to my face and then passes it off as a joke. And he doesn't even say anything."
Sameera nodded. "Fair. If Vishal had a friend like Diti in his life, who said or did what she does, I would have given him the ultimatum. Either he can date me, or be friends with her."
"I know. I would, too," I said. "But I have seen them since we were kids. And they have been best of friends since nappies. It might not be easy for him to keep a distance from her, you know."
Avantika huffed. "Well, then, he can go and date her if it's that troubling. Why is he dating me, then?"
"You should say this to him. That way, he will know that he has to actually make a choice, because it's creating problems between you." I took another sip of my cold coffee.
Avantika laughed. "I did, actually," she said, and we all turned to look at her. Disbelief was clearly showing on our faces. "Yeah," she nodded. "I said that and we had a huge fight."
"Wow," Sameera said. "This is supposed to be your honeymoon period, and you are actually threatening to break up with him."
"He got it on himself," I said.
"Yes. As her boyfriend, he has to maintain distance from every girl who disrespects his girlfriend. Or break-up," Avni said. "I am sure my Dhiraj won't be like this."
We all groaned at her words.
"Oh god, Avni. He doesn't even bother to reply to your confessions. Like, he doesn't even speak when you confess. You seriously think he will accept you if you give him the next volume of that manga?" I said and turned to look at Avni.
She looked at me. "Yes," she replied. "I have been observing him enough to know that he likes manga. He has no friends, and Avni Poddar is in love with him. And he won't be able to resist this beautiful accent for long."
Dead serious.
We didn't say anything for a beat, a little intimidated at her unfounded belief that one day Dhiraj would actually accept her feelings and wouldn't file a restraining order against her.
"Anyway," Avantika interrupted, side eyeing Avni's confidence. "I told him that I don't want to be Avantika Chaddha, that much."
I laughed. "Oh my God, 'Avantika Chaddha'! You actually said that?"
Sameera snickered. "I know, right? I would have broken up with him, just because of his surname."
Avantika raised an eyebrow. "Oh, like, Vishal Panda, sounds royal!"
Sameera's laugh died down. "Yeah. I am dreading the day we will get married."
"See? This is where I am lucky," Avni spoke. "I will be Avni Rajvanshi! Sounds perfect, doesn't it?" She asked us.
We looked at each other, not knowing how to respond. It was a good thing that she wasn't losing hope, but like, she needed to be a little grounded in reality and also have a little self-respect.
"Guys?" Avni said.
"Objectively," Avantika began. "It sounds good."
"But it also depends on the fact that Dhiraj accepts your proposal and actually dates you," Avantika said.
Avni frowned. "Of course he will. We are meant to be together. I mean, even my name fits well with his surname. It's a match made in heaven. And he will soon realise it."
I resisted the urge to grab my head in my hands. It was too early in the morning to entertain her delusions.
"You need to wake up to reality, Avni," Sameera said. "I like your confidence, but you also have to be real."
Avni waved off her concerns. "I understand you. But I just know. He is playing hard to get. I mean, it's not every day a man gets pursued. And he is just enjoying the chase." She shrugged.
"You seriously think that?" I asked.
"You know you are breaking the hearts of many guys, right?" Avantika asked Avni. "Like, they are all vying for your attention, and here you are showering it on the guy who turns around when he sees you walk into a hallway."
She shrugged at that.
"You really are that confident?" I asked.
She nodded. "Yes. Avni Poddar was born to be Dhiraj Rajvansh's princess."
'Let's see who comes first this year, Princess!' At her words, Aryan's voice rang in my ears. He had said that yesterday. Every year, we made a bet to see who would emerge victorious every year, and it hurt my soul to admit that he won most of the time.
I gulped.
"What do you think of mine?" I asked, cautiously, my heart thumping in my chest.
I had tried it a few times, and every time, it sounded right to me. In my journal as well, there was a whole page where I had written my name like that.
Sameera smirked. "Kanak Thakur sounds good to me, as it is, Kay girl." She said, feigning ignorance.
Avantika nodded, a small smile playing on her lips. "Yep, your name is perfect, Kay Girl."
Avni looked at them and then back at me. "Guys, I think she is talking ab--" Avantika slapped her hand on Avni's mouth, stopping her from completing her sentence.
"Yeah, I think your name is good enough," Sameera said. "What other name is there?"
I rolled my eyes. "You know what I mean, girls."
"Princess?" Avantika asked, hiding behind Avni.
I glared at her.
"Princess Kanak Thakur?" Sameera asked.
I took a deep breath.ย "No, I meant Kanak Rathore."
They laughed.
"Why don't you just tell him?" Sameera asked.
I shook my head. "It's too soon."
Avni jumped. "Girl, it's not! I am telling you. He is in love with you, that's for sure."
I started to shake my head at her suggestion, when Avantika spoke, "Yes, Kay girl. It's obvious. He is in love with you! You just don't want to admit it."
"No, he doesn't. I mean, have you seen the way he talks to me?" I asked.
They didn't reply.
"That's because he is just a boy. Boys do that. But, I know you won't believe us, so just, we will just wait for time to tell." Sameera just shook her head. "But I think the name sounds nice, Kay girl."
"Me too," Avantika said.
"Yes, it does!" Said Avni. "I mean, I will be Dhiraj's princess in the future, but you are Aryan's princess, already!"
My cheeks heat up at her words. "I mean, my parents have already given me such an oldie name, but with Rathore attached to it, it sounds extremely regal, right?"
Avni nodded. "You were born to be his princess, too, Kay girl."
I smiled at her words.
"But whoever our grooms be in the future," Sameera said. "We will be each other's bridesmaids!"
We cheered at her words, and at that, and I pulled out my phone. Stretching my hand out, I asked Sam to come a little to my left and Avantika to position between me and Avni. Once the placement was done, I clicked our picture and immediately sent it to my parents.
'See you in a few hours,' I texted them, and kept my phone at my side.
That's when the gunshots started going off.
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