just another ordinary teenage story

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    Chapter-1

    (The day before day zero. Day -1, perhaps?)

    Its 6:29 in the morning and you wake up right before your

    alarm clock goes off and wakes the entire household with

    its ringing. Youve always managed to do that, youre notexactly a very organized person but waking up on time is

    something you cant help but do (unless its the weekend,

    of course). You lazily get out of bed and walk to the

    calendar on your wall. Looking at the date, you gasp!

    December 10th! In only two more days youll be off to your

    aunts and uncles house to spend the rest of the year andjoin Maurice hawk high school. This unfortunate (since

    youll be leaving the place, where you spent all most all of

    your life!) but merry turn of events is because your

    parents are moving back to India. Instead of taking you

    with them they decided to leave you here so that it

    wouldnt affect your education. You smile to yourself asyou remember all the fun youve had at your aunts place

    before.

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    Your aunt is your dads younger sister and shes extremely

    fun-loving and completely unpredictable, sort of like the

    older sister youve never had. Shes practically a teenager;

    the way she dresses and goes around gives anyone the

    impression that shes way too young to already be married.

    But, thats the truth! She is! Your uncle is really cool too.

    Anyone can tell that hes completely head over heels for

    Aunt Nikki. Aunt Nikitha was practically like your best

    friend back in grade school when you were the shy-and-

    too-short-studious-in school choir kind of girl. Up until

    your family decided to move away from New Jersey to a

    small town with a much slower pace in Virginia. You know

    youll miss your family a lot but you also know its for the

    better. Graduating from Maurice hawk is much better than

    leaving to India in the middle of high school and starting a

    new life all over again. You sigh and head off to the

    bathroom to get ready for your last day of school.

    Since its your last day anyways you decide to wear

    something preppy and cute. This is not your usual style

    though. You mostly just grab the first thing you touch in

    your closet. You know that youre considerably good lookingwhen you dress with care but youre definitely no

    cheerleader. Youre so not the girl who goes strutting

    around in mini-skirts acting like a damsel-in-distress

    waiting for the right guy to come rescue her (the type

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    that guys usually fall for). You dont mind this much

    though, because you know that there is much more to life

    than guys, clothes and parties.

    Finally you decide on the perfect outfit not too casual and

    not too trendy. You pick out a dark-blue, slim-fit low

    waist jeans topped with a white short sleeved shirt with

    just a hint of ruffle about the neck. You can slightly see

    the thin metallic chain of the necklace you always wear

    hidden underneath your shirt. The pendant is half a heartand it says friends on it. Your best friend Samhitha or

    Sam has the other half and that one says forever. You

    realize that youre going to miss her most after you leave.

    Looking into the mirror you decide that nothing can be

    done about your jet-black hair and you leave it open. You

    look at your reflection, carefully speculating, and think-whoa! Not too bad! You actually look pretty. You dont have

    many stand-out attractive features. Youre rather on the

    short side, hovering around 51 or 52. There is

    absolutely no point in wearing heels. Those dangerous,

    deadly weapons are not meant for people like you. And

    youre also extremely skinny! While the rest of the girls in

    your class are endlessly trying to lose weight, you are

    shamefully trying to put on weight. Its one of the things

    Sam keeps cribbing about to you.

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    Sam is actually a really pretty girl but she doesnt have

    much time for popularity or anything for that matter. She

    is endlessly trying to participate in all sorts of extra-

    curricular activities like the debate club, drama team, and

    the works. She is totally focused on getting the McGill

    fellowship which is an extremely-difficult-to-get

    scholarship to Oxford University. Studying in oxford for

    the business program is what she always wanted to do. You

    ponder over this for some time. At least she knows what

    she wants to do in life you think to yourself, shes got her

    future set. Youre not jealous of her you know she

    deserves it she always works really hard. You on the other

    hand have no idea what you want to do. Getting good

    grades and studying well is natural for you (as is for all

    kids with Indian parents living in America) but you still end

    up coming up with a new ambition everyday!

    Suddenly, you here the doorbell ring and it jolts you back

    to reality. As you run to answer it you take a quick look at

    the clock in your hall. Its 7:15! Yikes! You realize that you

    spent way too much time in front of the mirror playing

    dress-up. You open the door and look up to see your nextdoor neighbor grinning stupidly down at you. Yes, Mathew

    what do u want? you sigh. Your patience is extremely

    minimal when it comes to matt. Hes forever behind your

    heels like a puppy, trying to get you to go out with him.

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    You dont like hurting his feelings so usually dont say

    anything unless he forces you to say no. its not that you

    dont like matt, hes a nice person, but finding the person

    in there is kind of difficult.

    Hey rhea! I traced intergalactic signals to around your

    house and the radiation strength I received is much

    stronger and more prominent after you opened the door.

    May I take a look inside? he replies while simultaneously

    fiddling with an antenna on a remote-control that lookslike it came from a toy car.

    You stare at him and blink a couple of times. He always

    leaves you wondering what to reply and pretty much

    incapable of speech. Youd think after 10 years you should

    have gotten used to it by now. You look at him from the

    tip of the tin-foil cone shaped hat on his head all the waydown to his white tennis shoes and back again, wondering

    what could have happened to his genetic programming to

    make him so different. You know that each person in the

    world is different in their own way, but matt is an

    extremity. You shake your head and turn away. That is

    one mystery you have never been able to solve.

    Are you checking me out? he asks, apparently noticing

    your looks. Dont count on it you reply. Not wanting to

    take this conversation any further, you let him inside.

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    While he ventures through the house trying to contact

    aliens or as he likes to call it, find means for intergalactic

    space communication you walk into the kitchen to fix

    yourself some breakfast. You decide on a bowl of cold milk

    with lucky charms cereal. You know its childish but theres

    something about different shaped marshmallows in cereal

    that make your mouth water. (Yes, its strange but you

    cant help it)

    Your dad seems to have woken up; you can hear theclicking of his laptop keyboard. You decide to brew a cup

    of coffee for your parents. Your dad walks into the

    kitchen sleepily and passes matt trying to raise his antenna

    remote control to different heights. He looks at matt and

    then gives you a questioning look. You simply shrug your

    shoulders and roll your eyes. Your dad nods, heunderstands you way better than your mom does. Getting

    ready for your last day of school? I know this is hard for

    you but itll be good for you to get used to us not being

    around. he asks ruffling your hair as he gets himself a

    bowl of cereal too. Yeah, daddy Im going to be fine,

    dont worry about me. Im the only sane one in this houseremember! you say, you know that it doesnt really matter

    how this day turns out. Youll be leaving in a few days

    anyway.

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    You say hi to your mom, who just woke up. And then,

    practically run out of the house dragging matt with you

    just in time to see the bus pull around the corner. You get

    on and sit next to samhitha. You guys chat and laugh for a

    while till you get to school. On the way to your locker in

    the school corridor, you spot Kate Meyers and her coven

    (figuratively, of course) looking at you disgustedly. Just

    ignore them you think to yourself, they are not doing

    anything to you so why should you care. As youre getting

    your books out, Kate catwalks herself over to you and

    looks at you from top to bottom.

    And what are you supposed to be? she asks pointedly?

    Human. And what about you? you reply calmly. You are

    totally used to her rudeness and you know that being quiet

    and walking away when shes made it her goal in life tomake hell for you, doesnt work! (No matter how much

    parents say that it will). The key is to be pleasant and act

    totally oblivious to the insults.

    Gosh! Youre so weird putting on her your-a-tiny-worm-

    and-Im-popular face.

    Oh really, and youre not? you ask. Of course Im not.

    Unlike some people. She responds.

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    Well, thank god Im not like you then it saves me from

    a lot of insults. You being as smart as you are with an IQ

    equal to the number of alphabets in your name. you say

    and walk steadfastly into your classroom while Kate is still

    standing near your locker confused, trying to figure out

    what you just said. Although god might have gone

    overboard when he gave Kate beauty, he seemed to run

    out of wit and common sense and could only spare Kate

    about 1 percent of it.

    Time passes really quickly and the rest of the day is over

    before you know it. After school timothy Rosenstein calls

    out to you across the school yard, looking good today

    rhea! All the people along the distance between the two

    of you look to see who hes talking to. You and Tim used to

    play soccer together almost every summer until he becamea popular jock at school. (Now, he tends to attract a wide

    group of fans where ever he goes) But the two of you are

    still on friendly speaking terms with each other. Naturally,

    anyone can guess who his girlfriend is, yup. Kate! And

    hence the rivalry between you two. She cant absorb the

    fact that her boyfriend is friendly with a girl not from theA-CROWD! You blush a deep shade of pink but still manage

    to call back a thanks.

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    You get back home and finish your homework, even though

    its your last day, you enjoy doing trigonometry. Math is

    your favorite subject it gives you something for your mind

    to work on. After a quick snack, you decide to start

    packing the stuff you need to take with you to your aunt

    and uncles place. You take a look at the to take with me

    list that samhitha drew up for you a few days earlier.

    After filling your suitcase with most of your treasured

    things (that your mom likes to call junk), like CDs, posters,

    your soccer ball, skateboard, etc. you head off to the

    dining room.

    Your parents just got back from work and your brother is

    sitting on the sofa throwing a baseball all around the

    room. What a family! Its your dads turn to make dinner

    tonight. Yum! Your dad makes amazing food, but he seemsto think hanging around the kitchen all day is a ladies job.

    Hes a typical, proud, older man. You sit down at the

    dining table with the rest of your family. As you begin to

    eat your mom asks, So are you going out with anyone

    rhea? Mom! you gasp. You find it extremely difficult to

    have conversations like these with your parents. It makesyou feel extremely uncomfortable. Of course not you

    say. You have no idea how your parents would react if you

    ever did manage to get a boyfriend. Thats good because

    too many visitors are sure to spoil the flowers. If you

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    know what I mean. She says. Ugh! Disgusted, you look

    down into your plate. After years of her abnormal

    phraseology unfortunately you DO know what she means.

    You and your mom used to be really close but, ever since

    you turned sixteen last year shes been constantly getting

    under your skin. Wanting to know what youve been doing

    every minute of the day. Its infuriating! You eat quickly

    so that you can hit the sack early. Tomorrow is going to

    be a long day.Chapter 2

    (Day zero! and youre off)

    The next morning you get out of bed early and get ready

    when the doorbell rings yet again. Thinking its matt. You

    angrily shuffle over to the door to see a smiling samhithawalk in confidently holding a bag of dunkin donuts in her

    hand.

    I came to help with the funeral preparations she says,

    smiling.

    Its 6 in the morning, for heavens sake! And its not afuneral for the hundredth time! Quit saying that, already!

    Im too young and talented to die! you tell her angrily.

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    Yeah, yeah. Whatever. She settles down on the counter,

    takes out a glazed donut and holds it out to you. You cant

    be angry at her any longer. She knows your weakness,

    when it comes to food you are just so helpless. Sam

    spends the whole day at your place helping you get ready.

    You are extremely thankful, as usual she knows you better

    than you know yourself, and you needed her organization

    skills. And you couldve never done it alone.

    You hug each other good-bye and she tells you that shellmiss you. You know youll miss her too. That night, you

    snuggle into bed and hold onto your teddy bear, taffy.

    Yes, you have a teddy bear but very limited people know

    about it. And you prefer to keep it that way. Its a while

    before you finally drift off to sleep.

    The next morning youre off to New Jersey sitting in theback seat of your dads car. Youre entire family decides

    to tag along and give you one last good-bye. Its over a

    three hours drive from Virginia to eastwindsor, and youre

    starting to feel a little nauseous. Car sickness is almost

    unavoidable for you when youre travelling long distances.

    After a whole lot of pit-stops and stinky bags with plenty

    of nutrients for the plants on the side of the road, you

    reach your aunts house just after lunch. Aunt Nikki

    bounces to the door and practically starts jumping up and

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    down as she says hello. Aunt Nikki is 23 years old thats

    just 7 years older than you. She rushes you and the rest

    of your family into the house and tells you to leave your

    bags by the stairs.

    She gives you a tour of the house. Clearly she is really

    over- exited that youre coming to stay. Its a huge house,

    you realize. It has four rooms! Wow! Now, why would they

    need four rooms for just two people you think to yourself?

    You dont ask this out loud because it might hurt AuntNikkis feelings. You wonder where your uncle is, its

    Saturday so he cant possibly have gone to work!

    Hey Aunt Nikki wheres Akhil uncle?You ask.

    Um he went to a basket ball game. She says vaguely.

    By himself? you ask wondering what fun someone couldhave alone at a game. (Not that youd ever bother going or

    anything)

    Sort of, you know how weird akhil is she replies.

    Well, will wonders ever cease? You think. That evening,

    your parents leave after much talking about boring stufflike family affairs. You look back at them sadly, its the

    first time youll ever be spending so much time away from

    them. (Apart from summer camp). You start to feel a pang

    of homesickness and a knot forms in your stomach. Of

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    course, it disappears almost completely (almost) when you

    realize youve finally got freedom!

    Youre already drifting off to sleep by 8:30 and youruncle still hasnt got back yet. You yawn uncomfortably on

    the sofa, tired after a long day of travelling. Aunt Nikki

    notices and runs to get you the Mac and cheese she made

    for dinner so that you can go up to bed early. After a lot

    of hassle over you wanting to stay up till your uncle gets

    back and your aunt saying no way. You decide to go tosleep.

    You sleepily walk to your room. Your room is multiple

    shades of blue and purple. Its simply gorgeous! The bed is

    not too girlish but not too hard. And you have a bathroom

    right down the corridor. Unfortunately, though the house

    has four bedrooms there are only 3 bathrooms and one inthe corridor that you presume you can use for yourself.

    Better than nothing you decide. You change into your night

    clothes hold onto taffy and within minutes youre fast

    asleep.

    Chapter 3

    (Freaky Friday? Yeah, right! Its a freaky Sunday!)

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    You wake up at 7:30 the next morning. Wow! You nearly

    slept for ten hours! Your aunt and uncle usually get up late

    especially on a Sunday. So, you grab your towel and

    bathroom things and decide to hit the bathroom. You take

    a long shower with warm water letting the reality that

    your actually back in new jersey starting a new life, sink

    in.

    You dry your hair as much as you can with a towel and put

    on a long LA Lakers t-shirt, which is what you almostalways wear after you take a shower, its soft and

    comfortable. The shirt barely comes up to mid-thigh. But,

    who cares? Theres no one here to see you anyways. You

    lie down on the bed and stare at the ceiling for a while.

    All of a sudden, you hear a grumbling noise. You jump up

    with fright only to laugh and relax after you realize thatits your stomach. You can still hear your aunt and uncle

    sleeping (they snore like crazy). So, you grab taffy and

    tip-toe down stairs to find something to eat. You walk

    confidently into the kitchen.

    Then suddenly you stop and let out a scream. But hardly

    any sound comes out. What you expected to see when you

    walked into the kitchen was a lot of quiet and perhaps a

    fully stocked refrigerator. What you did NOT expect was

    to find a guy standing in front of the fridge with the door

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    open glugging down a carton of milk with one hand and a

    box of recess puffs cereal with the other. Your feet are

    rooted to the ground and you have no idea what to do.

    The guy hears you, turns around, looks at you and blinks

    silently for a couple of seconds. Thats when you realize

    hes not just any guy hes probably one of the cutest

    Indian guys youve ever laid eyes on. Hes tall, probably

    around the 6 foot mark. He has got straight dark hair

    which is all shaggy and loose. His eyes are a pretty shade

    of dark brown and his gaze as he looks at you is so

    penetrating it seems as if hes looking right into your soul.

    He has fair skin but tanned as if he spends a lot of time

    in the sun. And his body under the almost see through

    white t-shirt hes wearing is perfectly toned. He looks as

    if hes just woken up with just a hint of razor stubble. To

    top it all off, hes wearing Winnie-the-pooh boxers! Winnie

    the pooh, you think! Wow!

    The guy rakes you up and down. Your face goes up in

    flames all youre wearing is a not so-so-very-long t-shirt

    plus your holding taffy!! Not to mention your wet hair. He

    lets out a long low whistle. That brings you back to yoursenses. You know that you cant leave a guy thief running

    around the place in boxers no matter how cute he is.

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    What are you doing in my aunts house? you nearly shout

    angrily.

    Oh! You must be rhea! he says and continues eating hisbreakfast, if thats what it is hes doing. Gosh you look

    nothing like you did when you were younger. Youre hot! he

    shuts his mouth abruptly and looks confused like he doesnt

    know how those words came out of his mouth. Thats just

    weird. How does this guy know you?

    Huh? u say intelligently. (not!).

    Um Nikki showed me your baby pictures he replies as if

    that sums up the whole issue.

    Excuse-me? you ask nearly choking with embarrassment.

    You still dont know who this guy is.

    Your aunt slowly comes down the stairs yawning. She looks

    from you to the guy and back to you again. Oh rhea, I

    see you two have met this is Dhruv, the guy I told you

    about

    What guy? You never told me about any guy! you exclaim.

    I didnt mention him? Oops! Mustve slipped my mind,Sorry. She mutters sleepily.

    This doesnt surprise you one bit. If your aunt nikki got a

    personal call from god saying that the earth would end at

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    12 o clock, she wouldnt remember to tell you till 11 59

    and 39 seconds!

    And he is? still not comprehendingOh! His parents went back to India so; hes staying with

    us till he finishes high school. I showed him your baby

    pictures too!

    So Ive heard u groan inwardly.

    Its funny how whenever kids parents leave to India theyend up at my house. Well all the merrier! Hes a naughty

    guy but hes still cute and sweet. Youll learn to like him

    she says.

    The guy. Now known as Dhruv or Dhruv gives you an

    impish grin which causes your heart beat to speed up

    considerably. Not good. You think to yourself.

    well, since rheas dressed for a beach party in Miami

    shes sure to fit in amazingly well here he says

    sarcastically, Watching delightedly as your face turns pink

    again.

    Yes, Im sure she will. Your aunt replies only increasingthe embarrassment factor. Youve totally forgotten this

    about your aunt shes near oblivious to any kind of negative

    humor. Such as sarcasm, for example.

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    You give Dhruv an icy stare and say, well, at least Im

    not dressed to work in a Disney land porno video. Dhruv

    whistles again and says cute. He walks up stairs. You

    look at your aunt angrily.

    Whats wrong? she asks innocently. Aargh! Nothing! you

    groan. You grab a cereal bar and stomp your way up to

    your room. You change into appropriate attire and settle

    down on the bed. Youre about to open a book to read

    when you hear someone calling your name. Yeah! youshout in response. Rhea! the person calls again. You get

    up to go see who it is. Rhea, rhea rhea! you hear again.

    The voice is coming from the room next to yours. What?

    you scream as you barge into the room. Dhruv is lying

    down on his bed fiddling with a rubber band that looks like

    its yours and shouting rhea! every five seconds.What is your problem? you ask exasperated.

    Nothing, I just like your name. Its nice

    Thats great, now dont wear it out.

    Oh by the way, is this your rubber-band? he asks.

    Um yeah! Thanks you say softening a little. You hold

    out your hand expectantly.

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    What you think Im going to give it back to you? No ways!

    Im keeping it. Its the perfect sling shot he says.

    Please? you ask softly hoping that hell melt and give itto you. Usually everyone gives you whatever you want when

    you say please like that.

    His eyes widen a little in surprise, probably that you can

    be sweet when you want to. Nope! he says.

    Fine! Keep it then!! you reply and turn around to walk

    haughtily out of the room. He sits up suddenly and grabs

    your wrist; you can feel your heart rate speed up. You

    turn around to look at him. He looks deep into your eyes

    with a timid smile on his face. What? you ask softly as

    you feel yourself melting under his touch. Oh no! This is

    not good you think. Leave! You tell yourself but youre

    brain doesnt seem to performing any of the functions its

    meant to. Like, secreting enough adrenaline to escape

    danger when you see it.

    Why are you looking at me like that you ask curiously?

    I dont know. You seem different I mean, good

    different he replies.

    You hear your aunt calling Dhruv to come downstairs. As,

    he looks toward the door the spell is broken. You jerk your

    hand away from his grip and run out of his room. Yikes!

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    What just happened there? You wonder. You sigh and sit

    down to read your book again. After about an hour you

    hear Dhruv shout out to the house that hes leaving.

    Thinking its safe to go down now; you go and sit next to

    your aunt who is watching TV.

    The both of you talk through old times a little. Your aunt

    tells you that shell take you shopping next weekend.

    Youre not too sure that you want to go. Youre not too

    fond of shopping back in Maryland, youd usually hit themall with Sam. And while shed pick out clothes for the two

    of you youd go look at skateboards or books or maybe go

    to the CD store. You were probably the most frequent

    customer at planet M, your favorite music store in the

    mall. It looked like you could do the same thing with your

    aunt along with making her happy so you agree. Schoolstarts tomorrow, rhea. She tells you as if you didnt

    already know and werent shaking with nervousness at the

    thought of it.

    Yeah, I know. Could you drop me off tomorrow morning

    you ask. You dont want to spend the first day with the

    embarrassment of not finding anyone to sit next on the

    bus.

    Why dont you ask Dhruv to drop you in his car?

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    HE has A CAR?!? Still. No way, Im not asking him you

    say.

    Fine ill ask him for you okay? You happy? she says.Okay you sigh reluctantly. Well, its better than walking

    to school.

    At least you dont have to worry about what to wear.

    Maurice hawk school has uniforms. There is a short green

    plaid skirt with a formal white shirt and a tie. Its trendy

    but it wont exactly win any fashion points either.

    Chapter 4

    (the unexpectedly unexpected)

    You wake up early the next morning before mister-Im-so-

    perfect-dhruv can hog the bathroom. You change into yourschool uniform and head back to your room. You love doing

    weird things with your hair and today you decide to prop

    up one side with a barrette and leave your hair free.

    Some of your bangs fall across your face. Not bad you

    think as you look at your reflection in the mirror. You put

    on a fresh layer of black nail polish and wait till it dries.Youre not a Goth chick or anything but you love the color

    black, it represents a lot and it also suits you.

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    Youre just about to get your school bag when you hear a

    knock on the door. Aunt Nikki calls for you to hurry up

    and come down to eat breakfast. You rush downstairs and

    gulp down the stairs quickly gulping down the cereal she

    put in front of you.

    So I told Dhruv that youre going with him to school. But,

    he might have somewhere to go afterwards. So maybe you

    should take your skateboard with your or something. You

    can put it in your locker at school k? your aunt asks.Yeah thats fine thanks!

    Love you. Dont get lost

    Ill try not to you laugh and walk out of the house.

    You hear the honking of a car and turn to see Dhruv

    standing in front of a black BMW 6-series. Whoa!

    Awesome! Nice car. You say

    He grins down at you shyly and says yeah, his name is the

    dude.

    You named the car the dude you look at him

    incredulously. Wow. Thats actually sort of cute you think.Something that you definitely did not expect from dhruv.

    His eyes twinkle as he smiles back at you. Your heart

    stops for a few nanoseconds. He opens the passenger seat

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    door for you, but you decline the offer saying that youll

    sit in the back. You dont want to get any closer to this

    guy than you have to. You put your skateboard next to

    your seat and lean back relaxing.

    We have to make a quick stop and pick up a friend on the

    way is that okay with you? dhruv asks.

    Yeah. Thats fine. You reply. Thinking the friend is of

    the female variety you feel a little uncomfortable, but you

    have no idea why.

    As you slow down near the corner of a street you see the

    friend that he was talking about. Its another guy; this

    one is good looking too. He has a great build but for some

    reason he doesnt hold the same attractiveness that dhruv

    does. He is standing on the sidewalk listening to his iPod,

    when dhruv stops in front of him and opens the car door

    for him. The friend looks at you for a couple of seconds,

    taking in your image and finally says yo dude! I think Ill

    sit in the back, theres more room to spread out.

    Man! Do I really smell that bad? Why doesnt anyone want

    to sit next to me? dhruv playfully whines.

    You giggle unexpectedly. Dhruv turns around in his seat to

    look back at you. You laughed! he exclaims. Yeah, so?

    you reply, the smile disappearing. What is up with him?

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    You think. Nothing he says and turns to the front again.

    His friend comes down and plops himself down next to you.

    Hey! Watch the skateboard! you shriek as he nearlycrushes it with his weight.

    Oh sorry. Your new around here arent you? Whats your

    name? he asks.

    Um Im rhea.

    Rhea a pretty name, for a pretty girl. Im Nate, gladyou came to new jersey. he says giving you a Colgate

    smile.

    Okay. This is starting to get a little creepy you think.

    Thanks you reply and put the strands of falling hair

    behind your ear.Rhea he murmurs again and puts his arm around the back

    of your seat.

    Yeah! She says not to wear it out intervenes dhruv from

    the front looking at you through the rearview mirror

    grinning. He sees Nates arm and you think you see what

    looks like an irritated expression cross his face, followed

    by confusion. He shakes his head and looks forward again.

    Boys are so weird, you think. As Nate tries to make

    conversation with you. You look out the window responding

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    yes or no whenever he pauses to catch his breath. Youre

    not really listening your trying to memorize the way back

    home. It seems easy enough. You quickly remember all the

    big important landmarks that you see on the way.

    As you get down at the school parking lot, you grab your

    skateboard, bag and things and ask dhruv where the front

    office is. Nate slowly puts his arms around your shoulder

    and says hey, dont worry about it. Ill show you where it

    is.Actually, I will find it by me thanks. You slowly pry his

    arm off your shoulder and head for the front office.

    Mrs. Miller is the school receptionist. She gives you a

    short tour of the school and a schedule of the classes

    along with your locker number. As if as an afterthought

    Mrs. Miller suddenly asks you what co-curricular youre

    interested in just as your about to leave, and then gives

    you a list to choose from. Maurice hawk requires each

    student to take part in a minimum of two extracurricular

    activities. You take a quick glance at the list and choose

    the interact club which you come to know is raising money

    for all kinds of charitable events as best as you can, and

    most of the money the school raises is through their music

    groups. Mrs. Miller tells you that most people already

    formed bands and singing groups. (How you get extra

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    credit for that kind of fun is beyond you) and you also

    take soccer.

    Your locker, you notice after reaching it, is right next tothe water fountain. If this school is like any other then

    that area will probably the most crowded and noisiest. As

    walk to your class you see dhruv surrounded by a flock of

    girls and guys. Hes popular? You ask yourself. A guy who

    wears Winnie-the-pooh boxers is popular? Not that any of

    the people hovering around him have probably seen him inhis underwear. This school just gets crazier by the minute.

    Your first class is English and your teacher introduces you

    to the class as a transfer student and tells you to take a

    seat next to a tall brunette at the back. You happily go

    and take your seat. You would rather sit in the back than

    in the front where the teacher is constantly staring downat you, any day.

    After a while, the class starts to get boring and the girl

    next to you says hey.

    Um hi you reply. Not knowing what to talk about, you

    ask her what her co curriculars are. She tells you thatshes taken the interact club (which another name for the

    music club) and soccer. The same as you. You find out

    that the two of you have a lot in common. She lives three

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    houses down the street from Aunt Nikkis place plus she

    gets to school on rollerblades. Roller blades are eco-

    friendly, fast, fun, and efficient. How else would anyone

    want to travel? she asks smiling. You tell her that you

    agree a hundred percent but you feel much more

    comfortable with your skate board. Another thing is that

    shes French; after she mentions it you can hear a faint

    trace of an accent. She moved to New Jersey last year

    from Lyon to live with her mother, who is American. Her

    father is the one whos French. She also plays the drums.

    Wow! You think youve always wanted to play them but

    never got the chance to learn. The teacher drones on and

    the both of you are still talking till the bell rings. You part

    ways at the door and there she asks, Oh! By the way, I

    almost forgot. Im Noelle rochet. Whats your name? you

    both burst out laughing as you realize that you were

    bonding without even knowing each others name! je

    mappelle rhea et bientt! You just said-Im rhea see

    you soon. She laughs at your accent which is atrocious but

    looks great full at the same time. They dont teach French

    at Maurice hawk she probably misses it you think.

    You happily go to your next classes; at least youve made

    one friend. Every time you look around each of your

    classroom you notice that most of the guys are looking at

    staring at you. What is up with them? You think. But by

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    lunch youve finally figured it out. There are hardly any

    girls at Maurice hawk! The ratio of boys to girls is

    probably 3 is to 1. Lucky girls you think to yourself. You

    order pizza for lunch and look around the cafeteria. Dhruv

    is sitting with a gang of seniors, jocks and pretty girls.

    You look to the table next to them and see Noelle. You

    make eye contact and she gestures for you to come sit

    with her. Graciously, you accept her offer and go and sit

    next to her with your back facing dhruvs. Noelle and you

    chatter away, while eating, on topics of complete

    randomness. You tell her about Sam and she tells you

    about her friend Rebecca. Its a start.

    Suddenly, you feel a tap on your shoulder. You turn around

    and see dhruv smirking.

    Yeah? you ask consciously.

    Well my cuddly teddy bear, I heard you took the interact

    club. I cant wait to see you in one of those t-shirts. He

    says.

    You feel a blush creep up your cheeks as you remember

    yesterdays incident. Luckily most of the people around youdont know what youre talking about. You are way past

    staying quiet.

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    Oh, youre one to talk mister-Im-a-fan-of-Winnie-the-

    pooh! you roll your eyes sarcastically.

    You like Winnie the pooh dude? asks a voice that youfairly recognize. Nate is sitting across from dhruv and

    giving you a sheepish grin.

    watch yourself new girl dhruv says a little acidly.

    Why? Are you scared you might fall? you ask putting on

    your most polite and innocent expression. You mean a

    double meaning to your words and youre pretty sure he

    understands it.

    Okay! Okay! Enough already! Noelle buts in.

    Hey! Dhruv practice tomorrow after school rite? she asks

    him. You have no idea what theyre talking about.

    Yeah! But Stacey left and we dont have a lead plus the

    auditions at the store arent going too well he replies.

    Well, back to eating you decide. Noelle nods at him and

    turns to start talking to you again. You and Noelle part

    ways at the door. You look at your timetable and it says

    that you have math next. You smile, you love math! Youvebeen placed in advanced placement math because of your

    test scores and you hope it will be a little more challenging

    than your previous school.

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    Chapter 5

    (things cant get any worse? and inevitably, they do.)

    You walk into the class and the math teacher greets you

    enthusiastically. He introduces himself as mr.jay and he

    says that hes extremely happy youve been placed in his

    class. He seems like a very sweet teacher. You thank himas he tells you that his class is studying mensuration and

    you have a project to complete with a partner. He shows

    you a seat and tells you to sit down while giving you a

    piece of paper with instructions on what to do written on

    it.

    You take your seat and are so intensely reading your

    instructions that you dont hear anyone take the seat next

    to you, until they call your name. You turn suddenly in the

    direction of the voice. Nate is sitting next to you and

    grinning. You groan and look towards the door and dhruv

    walks into the class. This is the limit you think. Dhruv

    walks straight up to your desk and looks at Nate.

    Hey man! Nate says with a nod.

    Youre in my seat dhruv replies flatly.

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    Yeah! Let me switch places with you just this once Nate

    asks giving you a quick smile and a wink.

    No. gets back to your seat. You dont for one second;believe that Nate will listen to him. Youre extremely

    astonished when Nate hesitates for a couple of seconds

    and then slowly gets up and walks to another desk (which

    is apparently his). Dhruv hardly looks at you and reads the

    directions. He doesnt talk to you either. Fine! If he wants

    to play it that way he can, you think. You dont see anyonebegging him to talk.

    Your project is to build a model of a house with

    appropriately scaled measurements. You decide to begin by

    drawing a rough blue print of the house youd make. After

    you finish, you lean back to admire your work.

    You feel dhruv leaning over your shoulder to look at your

    diagram.

    Whoa! Thats just weird! he says, running his hands

    through his hair. What kind of reaction is that you think,

    firing up immediately?

    What makes you say that? You ask. He hands over his

    blueprint and you look at it.

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    Wow! you exclaim. Both your diagrams are exactly the

    same. EXACTLY! In fact, his looked even neater than

    yours.

    Mr.jay comes around to see everyones work. Nice work

    dhruv and rhea, Glad to see that you two are working

    together so well. Although, rhea your work is a little

    shabby.

    Mr.jay leaves after minutes of speculation. Team work?

    you scoff.

    Yeah, right! dhruv replies with complete sarcasm. You

    both burst out laughing. You look at each other and at

    that minute the bell goes off.

    Well, baby Ill see you later. Take care of yourself.

    Excuse- me? you choke, not sure if you heard right.

    Dont flatter yourself says dhruv, I meant it literally

    teddy-lover. He grabs his bag, gets up and leaves the

    class smiling into your irritated face. You feel extremely

    irked. Well, only one class left and thats the interact

    club!! Awesome. You meet Noelle in the corridor and walktowards the music room. This is going to be fun you think

    to yourself.

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    Nearing the classroom, you ask Noelle if its a problem if

    you dont really play an instrument.

    naah! It doesnt really matter a lot of people dont playanything but theyre still in it and you cant really get

    kicked out. And apart from that, its hard to keep track

    because we dont have a fixed teacher in-charge of it.

    Ooh! Thats not so bad then. You say.

    Well yeah, youll see for yourself she replies and pushes

    a nearby door open.

    The volume of noise that hits you is DEAFENING. Its

    even louder than the cafeteria!

    Wow! you say to no one in particular.

    Yup here we are. Find a seat and make yourselfcomfortable she says. You look around and see mostly

    familiar faces of people youve seen in most of your

    classes. Nate and dhruv are sitting to a corner as usual,

    surrounded by a gaggle of girls.

    Nice! you think sarcastically. Every one already seems to

    already know each other and you feel slightly left out. Butas you look around you cant help but be amazed. There

    are so many people.

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    Wow! You think to yourself. This is amazing! You cant

    believe that you actually get credits for this. Earlier,

    Noelle told you that the bands formed in this school had

    gigs inside and outside the campus. The reason for the

    extra credits was because this club was originally meant to

    be strictly an interact club (as in going to orphanages and

    giving talks) but was modified and changed over the

    generations. Changed so drastically? you had asked her.

    The thing is all the people here provide some sort of

    social services or help raise money for orphanages, old-age

    homes and stuff. Its not just a music club, that sort of

    thing is for the choir. Noelle had replied with a look of

    horror at the word choir. Youre defiantly not going to

    bring up your past here and if dhruv can keep his mouth

    shut about those baby pictures, all will go well.

    The teacher in-charge, you are happy to see, is mr.jay!

    What a wide range you think. He happily introduces you to

    the class who all say hi, rhea in unison like in a 1st grade

    class room. You go take a seat in the back and quite a few

    people come and introduce themselves to you, mostly guys.

    You cant fail to notice that, since most of your life youvebeen practically invisible to that species of human.

    Then a couple of honey-blonde girls (the type youve

    basically already categorized) come up to you, say hi and

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    take a seat next to you as if theyve always been your

    best friends.

    Hey! Welcome to our school. Im Amanda. Says a girlwho is about your height except really pretty.

    Yeah hi you mumble, you start to feel a little

    apprehensive.

    Suddenly Amanda bursts out, I heard you live in dhruvs

    house. Do you think you could do me a favor? now you

    know where this is headed.

    Um It depends. We dont really get along that well you

    tell her, trying to give her the hint that you dont want

    anything to do with this.

    How can you not get along with him? He is like so sweet

    and so hot and hes got a great personality. Did you check

    out the way he plays guitar? It is like awesome! a girl

    sitting next to Amanda says. Amanda gives her a look and

    the girl shuts up.

    Well, anyway can you like find out if he likes me? I

    mean, Im sure he does I just want to like know for surejust in case. Amanda asks questioningly.

    I guess maybe. You respond.

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    Thats great thanks! Im sure well be great friends!

    Amanda says and with a toss of her perfect hair struts of

    to where dhruv is.

    So, dhruv plays the guitar. You ponder over this for, its

    not exactly a pleasant thought or maybe it is. This is so

    confusing you think. You look around the classroom. No one

    is actually doing anything useful; people are playing

    instruments, talking, taking notes or something of that

    sort. You look towards mr.jay to see how hes taking thisin. he seems really so relaxed and care-free not to

    mention SLEEPING ON THE CHAIR WITH HEADPHONES

    IN HIS EAR!! Wow this school is amazing you think.

    Noelle is standing with dhruv, Nate and two other guys.

    You walk over to her to see what shes doing.

    Hey. Whats up? you ask her as you take a seat and

    prop it in front of her.

    nothing really. Were trying to write a new song. The old

    ones are getting really old. Everyone in town has probably

    heard each one 10 times at least. She answers.

    Dhruv butts in as usual without the slightest bit of

    decorum, not only that, we dont have any one to sing!

    The girl who used to sing left school last week and

    everythings just turning into a disaster.

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    you guys have a band? Together? you look at Noelle.

    Youre shocked that everyone seems to get along with

    dhruv except for you.

    Yup! Didnt I tell you? Noelle asks.

    Like all of you? Even dhruv? you ask still a little dazed

    by this new development.

    Youre really slow. You know that rhea? dhruv says.

    Yeah, yeah. Whatever. You say, not in the mood to pickup a fight.

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