TW: Mild unwanted advances, Toxic parenting
Indu had a visitor outside the class after the 7th period. Swara was standing outside a window and waving at her from the corridor. She fidgeted with her sleeve for a few minutes, but smiled as best as she could. Indu walked out to the corridor and Swara walked up to her and held both her hands in her own.
"I had some free time because we have games now. I just wanted to say that I am exceedingly proud of you for your efforts today. Everyone noticed it, and it shocked us in the most pleasant way possible. You're doing beautiful, baby!" Indu looked up, doe-eyed, at Swara's face.
Indu could not form words, but her eyes worked overtime to get the emotions across. She let a sigh out when Swara's friends called out to her, and she looked at them, and with a sigh, let go of Indu's hands. "I guess I have to go, bye..." she said, her legs walking away. Indu did not even get the chance to thank Swara for her words, and she had to walk back into the class.
Sameera sat at the table by the door and looked up inquisitively at Indu. Indu just smiled in response and shook her head, showing that it was nothing important. However, to say that out loud would make it a complete lie. For the first time in years, she had experienced this, and her heart swelled so much with joy that she trembled at the idea that the bubble would burst anytime now. It was exhilarating. It wiped away all her Monday morning blues in an instant.
Rehearsal went much smoother, too. While the number or nature of mistakes barely went down, Indu fought hard to not critically judge or criticise anyone. Surprisingly(or unsurprisingly,) this made practice a lot more light and fun. She even talked with Mirzab about her weekend, engaging in light conversation. It made her exhausted, though she had been an active listener more than she had talked.
In the end, Indu was more than happy to retire for the day. She was ready to leave on her own, but Sameera stopped her.
"Wait a minute, babes - I'm coming too," she said as she threw her bag over her shoulders. The two walked in silence towards the buses. They were treated to a surprise from behind them.
"HEYY! Sameera, dude!" a familiar voice screeched. "Oh HI Indu!!," he added. The two turned their heads to find Raghav grinning from ear to ear.
Sameera fumbled to find words to say. "Oh, hey, how come you're here?"
"Oh, I had basketball stay-back today! It's why I'm this sweaty - sorry Indu," he said in the most genial tone Indu had ever heard from him. She glanced at Sameera, then at Raghav, and then back at Sameera in utter confusion.
"So, Indu - How's the practice for the play treating you? Is it fun? It's so nice to see you talking with Sameera now!! I'm so glad that you two are friends now!" He looked pointedly at Sameera while saying the last sentence, laced with sarcasm that only Sameera could understand. Sameera pushed her hair behind her ear and looked the other way.
"Oh, um. We're not friends or anything... We are closer though?" said Indu. Sameera's eyes shot back to Indu with a pang.
"Oh my god, we should seriously meet up sometime after school, Indu. I know how hard it is dealing with Sameera, so it'll be my treat to you for putting up with her." He guffawed at his own words. No one else did.
"Oh, no - nothing like that. I'm going now." Indu said in a firm tone, shutting him down completely.
"Hey, hey, hey! It's okay Indu, you can stay - the buses won't go for some time. You know that, right?" Raghav grabbed onto Indu's wrist as she walked away. The glare Sameera gave him could have killed him then and there.
"Raghav. Let her go. Now," she said, her voice dripping with ice. "She wants to go, she will go - don't you dare do that."
"Whoa chill man! What's got into you today?" Raghav said, letting his hands drop down. Indu looked at Sameera, murmured thanks, and went to the bus.
Raghav completely dropped his friendly aura as soon as Indu was out of earshot.
"So you haven't changed at all, I see. Become even more of a hypocrite, if anything."
"Raghav! Look, maybe she's better than I thought, okay? But I can't see you two together!"
"Oh, really?"
"Look, do whatever you want, but don't keep ignoring me like this." Sameera was desperately trying to keep it together now, and she was very close to failing.
"Maybe stop being such a bitch then." Raghav retorted.
"Ok, ok, just, please..." Sameera begged. Raghav's face softened a little.
"Hmm... okay," he said and walked away to his own bus.
Sameera climbed onto her bus with a dejected face. She was unsure why she was this sad, even though she had finally got Raghav to talk to her again. Indu looked at her, concerned. She wasn't sure it showed, though. Sameera wordlessly plopped into the seat next to Indu. Indu looked down, but the words flowed out of her either way. "Thanks, for umm stopping that guy..." she said.
"Nah, it's okay. Raghav can be like that, at times. He's an annoying ass." she said with a giggle. The laugh, however, did not seem to scrunch up Sameera's eyes, nor did it bring her small dimple out.
"You've liked him for a long time, huh?" Indu looked at her, trying to make conversation.
Sameera sighed, "Not really, no. I've known him only since I got here... And I knew I liked him the second I saw him. I mean, he's everything any girl would want. Popular as well!"
Indu furrowed her brows. "Not every girl. I like guys and I'd never want him. Too egoistic." she suddenly realised that she was talking to Sameera. "Sorry," she added.
"No, no! Is it bad that I secretly agree with you a little? He seems so ideal though, doesn't he? Like, objectively as well." Sameera smiled.
"Hmm... According to some, I suppose..." Indu murmured.
"I just wish... I just wish he liked me more... I know I look dumb, but I know I'm being very obvious to my crush." She laughed, a little more genuinely this time. "How is it, though? Being in a relationship?"
"Sam, you're asking me that?" Indu wore an amused smirk. Sameera felt her heartbeat quicken at the nickname.
"Of course! Surely, you've had some experiences! I'm sure many people have asked you out!"
The bus had started moving by now. "No! You've definitely had more boyfriends than me!" Indu was laughing now.
"Yeah... But it wasn't serious, you know?" Sameera argued.
"So this one is? You want it to be serious with Raghav?" Indu asked, pushing the spotlight away from her.
"Nah... I don't think so. I like it when guys like me, that's all!" she paused. "Oh shit, that sounds so narcissistic!"
Indu looked at her curiously, a thought passing through her mind. She pushed it away instantly, laughing at its absurdity. The rest of the bus ride was mostly calm and silent. It was not the silence that hung over you like a saw, ready to cut your heads off, but the silence of a warm sea breeze on a sunset lined beach.
Sameera forced out a smile. Raghav was ready to talk to her again. This was good, right? Indu had her book out. Sameera leaned a little over and spent the rest of her bus ride reading along with her. She could barely make out the plot, or the words themselves, but it gave her comfort, and she ultimately fell asleep, head lolling back.
The nap had thankfully rejuvenated her, though it was awkward to be woken up by a flustered Indu when the latter had to get off the bus. She had drooled all over her face and was amazed that she had fallen asleep when she was beside Indu, out of all people. Slightly embarrassed, she slid to the side and let Indu out. It was now only a short distance from her house, and she let her eyes rest on Indu's back as she turned. The book had been nice; she thought. However, she had to get home now, and that itself was enough to turn her mood sour.
Once home, she freshened up and returned downstairs to pick her snacks up. As she took the plate of sandwiches and went to the base of the stairs, she heard her mother's voice. "Where are you going with that plate?" Her mother's voice was sharp, as it usually was.
"Upstairs to my room, Maa," Sameera said, exhausted.
"Can't eat downstairs or what? Why do you think we have a dining table?"
"I just wanted to get started with my schoolwork." Sameera tried giving an excuse.
"Do you think I don't know all your tricks? You'll go upstairs and then sit in front of your laptop and watch your stupid Netflix. Don't think I'm dumb."
"I won't Maa, I promise."
"And always sitting in your room. You've forgotten about your Maa, Paapa and Bhaiya*, haven't you? Won't even spend a bit of time with us. Do you know how hard your brother is working? Can't you spend some time with him?"
"Maa, he barely works, even you know he gets praised because of -"
Sameera instantly knew that she had made a mistake when she saw her mother's eyes widen with rage. Though she was all of 5 feet, her mother still oozed a powerful presence over all she met.
"Stop talking bad about your elders! The Bhaiya that you think is so lazy, cleaned the entire hall yesterday, along with his office work. Do you know why?! Because his idiotic Behen* could not find the time to clean up after her mess!!"
"That wasn't my mess, Maa! He was the one who made it!" Her voice rose to match her mother's now.
"So what?! Whose job is it in this house to clear the hall?!"
A/n - Bhaiya in Hindi means older brother, and Behen means sister.
Sameera went silent.
"Stay like this. When you have to clean up after your husband, scream at him. Scream at your mother-in-law also, just like you scream at me. I thought girls only treated their mothers-in-law like this. But no - I get the same treatment from my daughter only. Do you know how hard I have to work to give you all this? How hard your Paapa works? Stay like this. I don't know which boy in his sane mind will ever take you. Hai Ram*, I'll be stuck with you my whole life, huh? Deadwood." The venom in her mother's voice ripped through Sameera's skin and bones, and she began to cry. Bad idea.
"Oh, the Maharani has begun to cry!" her mother said, in a mockingly sweet voice.
"Why do you have to cry? I should be the one crying, no? I am the one with an ungrateful daughter, who doesn't do her work, who doesn't spend time with her family, who won't spare an ounce of respect for us. Cry, cry. One day, my BP will become so high because of you. And when you wake up and see me lifeless - then you'll have an actual reason to cry. But then, it will be too late. Handle it - handle every little thing I do once I die. Let's see how long you'll last."
Sameera wiped the tears off her face, but fresh ones replaced them every second. She went to the dining table, covered one ear with a finger, and began eating her sandwich, trying her best to ignore the salt from her eyes and the hurtful words hurtling at her from right behind her. She didn't know what she had done wrong. She didn't know when they ended either. All she knew is that she had to listen till her mother's voice went hoarse, and she left the room. Speaking up, or trying to leave would just worsen the situation. She had learnt that the hard way too many times. Next Monday. She would ask out Raghav. That would help her. He would make her feel better about herself. Having a boyfriend always did, right?
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