The morning sun was streaming in through the window, its golden rays piercing the transparent curtains and painting the room with a warm, mellow glow. Outside, the soft chirping of birds provided the gentle sound of the day's dawn, their melodies mingling with the soft rustling of leaves in the wind. Light danced across the polished wooden floor, highlighting the intricate grain and light scratches that had accumulated over the years.
The room resonated with the quiet chaos of a school morning. A girl stood by the dressing drawer, her movements swift but disorganized manner, like the rhythm of a song slightly mismatched. The sunlight streaming through the curtains highlighted her in a soft golden hue, catching the shine of her neat and ironed uniform and the faint glow of sleep that still lingered beneath her eyes.
She reached out, brushing the scattered books and stationery from her fingers, then pulled out her ID card from the edge of the drawer. She felt the coolness on her fingers as she wrapped the string around her head. The name 'Anu' was written on the card in neat and bold letters.
Taking a quick glance at the clock, she takes a frustrated sigh, her movements quickening. A red hair tie was caught between her lips and she gathered her hair in one swift motion, the hair slipping between her fingers with practiced ease. Her movements were swift but precise.
Her brows were furrowed in concentration as she tied her tie, her hands moving deftly while her thoughts raced ahead, counting what she might have forgotten. Her bag lay open on the bed, the corner of a notebook peeking out, but she barely noticed. With one last tug to tighten her ponytail, she quickly placed her book in her school bag. Finally, she looked at herself in the mirror, Her face turned pale. Her eyes seems to have a lot to say. With that she left the room.
With that she leave the room. Turning off the lights.
As Anu stepped out of her room, she nearly collided with her parents in the hallway. Forcing a smile that barely touched her eyes, she adjusted the strap of her backpack and greeted them. "Good morning, Ma... Pa," she said, her voice steady but devoid of warmth.
Her father lowered the newspaper, his gaze flickering briefly over her before settling on her uniform. "Good morning," he replied, his tone casual. Then, with a tilt of his head, he added, "That uniform looks a bit tight on you, doesn't it?"
Anu froze for a split second, her hand tightening around the strap of her bag. Her mother, who had been busy arranging plates on the dining table, stopped mid-motion and turned to scrutinize her. "What are you talking about? That uniform was bought just this year," she said, her voice laced with mild irritation. "It's only been four months since your new class started."
She paused, her eyes narrowing slightly as she gave Anu a more critical look. "Have you gained weight?"
Anu's jaw tightened, and her fingers curled into a fist by her side. She said nothing, keeping her expression neutral, though the faintest flicker of frustration crossed her face.
"Look at the girls in your class, Anu," her father comments, his tone sharpening. "They're all so fit and healthy. Don't you want to look beautiful like them?"
Her mother chimed in, her voice tinged with a mix of concern and exasperation. "You really should do something about it. Your waist size has reached 36."
The weight of her parents words she can feel it even after leaving the house. She look up at the sun, even it's shinning she don't feel happiness even after seem it as she felt usually.
'This is normal, there's nothing to think about it.... it's normal' Anu said to herself. she repeatedly saying this to herself as she is chanting a mantra, just to calm herself down. Just to make herself feel better. As she approached the school, she can feel the eyes - she can hear unwanted whispers about herself, judging her, the way she look. She pretend to didn't notice them trying to ignore all the unwanting talks about her, but she maintain her gaze fixed at school gate. She forced a smile on her face, thinking to herself, 'It's normal day as usual... what's new about it.'
Anu quickly entered the bustling school grounds, gliding past slow-moving crowds. The corridors were buzzing with lively jokes customary of an ordinary day, the pretentious ease of fellow students drumming upon the walls. She put her foot inside the classroom (10th - B) , and her eyes slowly scanned the room. She could not help but compare their lean bodies to her oval shape face and a round body, a cruel sentence spoken by her mother echoing within her head 'Fit and beautiful like all others.' With considerable effort, she swallowed her throat, smiling broadly while she greeted her friends, her laughter hollow and light. As she reached her desk, she noticed an empty chair beside her where her deskmate would normally sit, still unoccupied. She sat in her place with a resigned sigh, her bag slipping off her shoulder. She sit quietly waiting for her deskmate to up, she seems excited as she have a lot of stories to tell her.
As she was settling her thought one of her classmate sit the empty seat next to her. She got heart shape face with fair skin tone, she got cylinder figure. Anu really admire her.
"Anu, Hi..." She place a Novel on the desk.
"Hi! Riya...(she look at the book) Is this the new release... volume of Moonlight romance..." she ask her with excitement.
Riya tucked her hair behind her ear and give a smirk. "Indeed it is..."
"please, can I borrow it... I promise i will give you back soon..." Anu asked her.
"I would, but I'm still reading it, so I can't lend it out yet," Riya replied with a polite shrug.
"That's fine. When you finish, can you tell me the story? I'd love to know!" Anu picked up the book, flipping through its pages with fascination.
Riya's hand darted out, snatching the book back. "Yeah, I'll tell you after I'm done," she said, her smile faltering into something that felt more like pity than kindness. Anu, oblivious, nodded enthusiastically, her happiness unshaken.
As Riya moving back to her seat a girl come to her. "Riya, can I borrow your Novel... Moonlight Romance?" Girl asked Riya. Anu was watching everything.
"yeah sure." she hand her the book. "Please return me in a month." Riya added. That girl nodded and said, "thank you!" then she went back to her seat. Anu watched everything but she couldn't understand what happened.
Some seat next to Anu. "Hey! my big girl... how it's going" she asked with a sweet warm hug. Anu smiled and it was really the real one this time.
"How did you come late...? I was thinking you were dead." Anu asked and chuckled.
"nothing much. I just got diarrhea..." As the girl replied Anu got shocked and burst out. "How... what happened?'
"Yesterday evening, I was with my tuition friends... one of the guy had birthday so he treated us... with memos...ice-cream and pizza and also cold drink. So at night I got loose motion... so I get up late this morning."
"Eh! Vina... I told you to stop eating street food... even if you don't get fat doesn't mean that the food isn't effecting your body." Anu said with concerned.
"Chill girl... Life is worth when you live it with joy..." she pinch Anu's cheek. Anu removed her hands from her cheeks gently. "You should also enjoy it..." she added. She holds Anu hands and said, "How about you come with me... so we both will gonna enjoy it...did you try the new spicy memos...?"
Seeing Vina's excitement, Anu was happy and confused. "I never tried memos in my lifetime... and not even pizza..." Anu said calmly. After hearing it she look shocked as someone dropped a bomb on her head.
"Girllllll.....(she in bold and heavy voice) not possible. How are you still alive... I mean you didn't even taste them..."
"yeah... I am telling the truth. The fat on my body is not by eating street food... it's by eating homemade food. Just think what would happened if I was eating street food... I would have become a elephant by now..." Anu laughed while saying it.
Teacher entered in the class, everyone settled on their seat. The lesson began following it's usual rhythm, as time ticking by slowly until bell rings, as usual many periods passes until it's P.E. Everyone preparing to leave for P.E.
"I heard today will be our physical test." Vina said to Anu, as she was preparing to leave classroom.
"Yeah! I read the WhatsApp message last night." Anu said, leaving classroom with Vina.
The summer heat hit them like a wall as they stepped onto the playground, the sun shining mercilessly. There were beads of sweat on everyone's forehead.
"Good morning, students!" the P.E. teacher's high voice boomed as he emerged from the sports room, his tone sharp and commanding, cutting through the murmurings. It was a voice that commanded attention, his presence reminiscent of a drill sergeant.
"So do I message reached to all of you." P.E teacher said, holding a whistle in his hand. Everyone said in rhythm, "YES SIR.....". He blows the whistle. To start the test.
Slowly everyone giving test, as first was 50m race. First boys get started and have a good score. Then girls were standing on the racing track, including Anu and Vina. As everyone was excepting Anu to come last in the race so they didn't take her seriously.
As P.E teacher blow the whistle, everyone started running, at first it feels like that Anu will be the last but as they get near the finishing line, her speed boosted and she come tenth. Leaving behind those mocking teeth. Girls who were behind her didn't believe, giving her a rough look, but Anu didn't notice it. Next test was push ups, Anu was doing good, as she able to 16 pushups, in pushups her score was 5th from bottom, she didn't care she was just enjoying it. After a few more test everyone was sent back in class.
"Sir... I want to ask something?" Anu asked from P.E teacher.
Teacher turn to look at her, "yes, what happened."
"Sir, Is Wrestling is still not in?"
"ah...Sorry dear, I talked about it but we don't have any teacher who knows about Wrestling. How about you try for kabaddi, it's same as Wrestling."
"Sir... I am doing Wrestling at home so I still need need to wait for a teacher to come in our school..."
"That's the one problem, Anu. The problem is we need two candidate but in this whole school you are the one who is interested in it. Why don't you try something else." He handed her a paper. "In it there are games for sports tournament, you can choose whatever you want."
"Yes sir...(she takes the paper) thank you sir..." She said and walked went inside the school building.
As she entered the class, a girl block her path, having a smirk on her face with attitude she asked Anu, "I didn't expected you that you could cross me...?" She chucked with her group who were listening and enouncing her.
"She pass you that matter and nothing else." Diya the class monitor said from behind that girl, as she was dusting the class board. She added, "Back to your seats." She said with a command.
"Diya... I was just asking her and nothing else... if she had lost some weight she would have be in the first place...isn't right Anu?" She said in mocking voice. She had a satisfy smile on her face, as she won a war.
Sudden question from her leave Anu shocked and she nodded, "Yes..." As she was saying suddenly a hand grabbed her and pull her away from her.
"Vina!" Anu saw Vina who was holding her hand. They both settled down on seats.
"Why didn't you said anything to that beauty queen...?" Vina asked in frustration.
She gave her a pale and empty smile, "what she said was true..."
"HEY! What are you saying...?(She hold her shoulders) I need my old friend, who use to fight. where did she go...?" Vina was worried.
Anu thought shifted to back her old times,1 year ago. When she was training herself to become a wrestler, wrestling was not only was her game but also her passion. As she qualified the state level championship, her name had become sensation among people, newspaper and buzzing on the social media.
But all her name come crashing down at quarterfinal, before the match start she broke her arm, it was an accident. Which let to her disqualified and sidelined. She got hospitalized and took months to recovery, even her physical form was recovered but her inner self still was in pain, which was leading her to gain weight and losing hope. but she was determinate to herself that she will push herself hard so she can get her passion- wrestling back on track. Since then she was trying to get her name again. Now, her parents were adamant: 'no more wrestling'. They feared the sport that once defined her would only lead to more pain.
Present day, at home. "Ma... I want to start wrestling again..."
"Don't be a fool. you know what happened last time." Mother said in cold voice.
"But wrestling is my dream... I love it...(she pause waiting for her mother to say something) MA..."
"We already discussed about it. NO WRESTLING MEANS NO."
"But..." As she try to say something her mother left the conversation, doing her household chores.
Anu went in her room, looking herself in the mirror. She is hating her own reflection, her mind rising with unwanted thoughts, 'If I fail to prove my parents that I am a worthy child... I have no future...I don't want to live like Ma' she lay down on bed. 'Ma always said if I won't be successful I will end up in the kitchen... I want a different future for my self... I want to do something... I don't want to get married... I want to live...I want to live' She was crying silently hiding herself in the blanket. Hidden beneath the blanket, her tears soaked the pillow, her silent cries carrying the weight of her dreams.