This might be the most thrilling thing that has happened to me in school since I took admission here. We were just in the 8th grade, too young and sensitive to handle such a situation, but somehow, we did. By this time, Amaira and I had gotten along really well, and Apeksha, Amaira, and I were really close.
Let me introduce you to our dance teacher, who I'll call Mr. Narayana, as this was his surname. He taught us Kathak and classical dance moves. However, Apeksha and I noticed something strange: he made the boys sit down after just ten minutes, leaving only the girls to continue dancing. As we danced, we often felt uncomfortable under his gaze. Maybe we were wrong, but we were girls, and we knew how men could be.
One afternoon, Apeksha and I discussed our discomfort.
"Have you noticed how Mr. Narayana always makes the boys sit down early?" Apeksha asked.
"Yeah, and the way he looks at us while we dance... it doesn't feel right," I replied.
Apeksha nodded, her expression serious. "We should talk to Amaira about this."
Later, the three of us sat together and shared our concerns. Amaira agreed with us, and we decided to take action. We wrote an application detailing our experiences and had our classmates sign it. However, Raghav Khattar, who seemed eager to please Mr. Narayana, told him about our plan.
Just as Raghav was ready to take the application from Amaira, Amaira gave it to Anirudh. He dashed to the classroom, but just in front of it, Tushar grabbed it out of Anirudh's grasp and raced to the dancing area to give it to Sir. Then, in an effort to retrieve it, Amaira hurried toward the dance room with Anirudh and Raghav. We finally received the application back and gave it to the vice principal after a lot of fuss. Soon, Apeksha's supportive mother was called to the school.
Amaira, Apeksha, and I were called out of class, all eyes on us as we made our way to the vice principal's office. We paused outside the door, gathering our courage.
"Ready?" Amaira asked, squeezing my hand.
"Ready," I nodded, though my heart was racing.
Inside, the vice principal, Mrs. Sharma, read our application and asked us to explain. Mr. Narayana was sitting there, making us uncomfortable. Mrs. Sharma noticed this and asked if we wanted him to leave the room. We all agreed, and he left, arguing with her as he went.
Once he was gone, Mrs. Sharma turned to us. "Now, tell me what's going on."
We explained one by one, detailing our discomfort and Mr. Narayana's behavior. Mrs. Sharma asked many questions and seemed skeptical at first. Tears started to flow as the stress of the situation overwhelmed me. Amaira, Apeksha, and her mother consoled me, helping me find the strength to continue.
After what felt like an eternity, we finished our explanation and left the room. We knew Mrs. Sharma would call Mr. Narayana back in for a discussion. We decided not to mention this incident to anyone in our class, despite their curiosity.
In the following dance class, Apeksha and I refused to dance without permission, sitting aside and watching Mr. Narayana's every move. He seemed genuinely scared. Soon, other girls who had felt uncomfortable joined us, sitting out of the dance sessions. Mr. Narayana started making the boys dance too, much to their confusion.
"Why is he making us dance so much now?" one boy asked, clearly puzzled.
Apeksha and I exchanged a knowing smile. The change was evident, and though our classmates were confused, we felt a sense of accomplishment. We had faced a daunting situation and, with unity and determination, brought about a change that made us feel safer.
Looking back, I realized that this experience, while challenging, had brought us closer together. It taught us the power of standing up for what is right, even when it's difficult. And most importantly, it showed us the strength we had within ourselves and our friendship.