"Why?" Rai said exasperated.
"We planned to complete High school together.
She was referring to the three of them. On the other side, Koushik also sat up straight. He too did not expect this turn of events.
"Even I did not know this would happen," Ankita said remorsefully.
Koushik pricked up his ears.
"Maa's collaborating with a bigger company, so she'll be moving to Chennai for about two years. You know my father can't live without his wife. As much as I like that personality of his, I just wish I didn't have to move with them. I'll miss Maa but I'm also scared of not being able to adjust after change schools now."
They sat in silence for some time, not knowing what to say. Their way back was also spent in silence, each was immersed in their thoughts. After they left, Koushik dusted himself and stood up but remained still. His gaze lingered on the place Ankita was sitting a moment ago, and their conversation kept replaying in his head.
Rishi and Bikram had decided to stay at the entrance of the park to keep their promise to Rai. But noticing Koushik's delay, they could not sit still anymore. It has been ten minutes since Rai and Ankita left, still there was no sign of Koushik. They got worried and decided to go look for him. Arriving at the hidding spot, they saw him standing motionless, staring ahead with a blank look. When Bikram went near him and waved in front of his face, Koushik got startled. Then, without saying a word he started walking back. Rishi and Bikram follow behind, anxiously.
They reached the car. It actually belonged to Koushik's parents, who had sent it for him and his bandmates to use for private business. Looking at his solemn expression, the driver did not dare to say anything and looked at his bandmates questioningly. Bikram and Rishi shook their head. They had decided to give him some time alone after seeing him in that state in the park. Once the car reached the gate of their house Koushik got down first and headed straight to his room.
The driver asked, "Bikram Babu, what happened to Kaushik Babu?"
"Ah. He's just frustrated. You know we are under a lot of pressure now, right? Don't worry." Bikram politely replied.
A few days have passed since then. Ankita and Koushik were not awkward around each other as before. They treated each other as normal classmates – and just classmates, not friends. The distance between them was growing constantly but it looked like they both wanted it. When Rishi later asked Koushik about that day, he was just brushed off.
Only a week was left before the exams. Everyone was busy doing revesions and all. When Rishi suddenly noticed a familiar figure limping through the door.
"Rishav, are you okay?" he asked.
The sudden call drew the attention of the others, but they went back to their work when Rishav claimed it to be a minor accident. A few days back, he fell down the stairs and fractured his leg. Thankfully, the injury was not serious, but he still had to stay in bed for several days. Rai and Ankita helped him to his desk.
"Didn't you say you'd come on the day of the exam?" Ankita asked with a concerned gaze.
Hearing her voice, Koushik looked up from his NB, but lowered his head back without changing his expression. Only his grip on the smart pen tightened. He was also absent for two days for running a light fever. But Ankita never asked him about that.
He exhaled heavily and thought, 'Of course, she would be more worried about her best friend than a mere classmate. And who am I to say this? She was bullied because of me. It's better if we treat each other as strangers.'
"Yeah... I planned to do so, but then I thought, what if the teachers gave some important notes as we only have a few days left? So I decided to attend this week's classes." Rishav said, carefully drawing his injured leg in.
"You could've just asked me or Anu for the notes, right? Did that not occur to you thick head? Do you feel sick of having two legs that you're trying to get rid of one by moving around with a goddam* fracture?" Rai said, annoyed at his thought process.
"Ah. Rai. You don't understand. Listening to the teacher explaining something face to face and looking at notes taken down by someone else is different." Rishav clicked his tongue.
"Alright, alright. Just remember to not move your leg too much. And be careful while walking. If you need something just call us. No need to show off your bravery." Ankita instructed him in a stern voice.
Rishav laughed and said, "Okay Maa."
"Yeah, yeah. Make fun of me as much as you want. Who cares? You can do whatever you feel like if you want to become crippled so badly." Ankita huffed and marched off to her seat.
Rishav looked at Rai with a pleading look but she ignored him. He understood that both of his buddies were on the same team this time. What could he do? His only option was to listen to them like an obedient child or get scolded by two angry moms.
Just then, there was an uproar in the corridor. The students who were studying peacefully, looked outside with an annoyed gaze. One boy walked out to see what had happened. Soon after, he came back, jumping like a hare.
"Did you hear that? Deepa's father was arrested this morning?" He announced with a mix of shock and curiosity.
One of Deepa's admirers sprang up from his seat.
"Why? Where is Deepa now? Is she alright?" he asked.
The boy who got the news shrugged and said, "She's outside. Everyone's surrounding her, you can ask her that yourself."
The other boy quickly got out.