Chapter 2: Sneaking Away

A woman wearing silver-rimmed glasses made her way towards the two youths, fire spewing from her eyes. In a matter of seconds, she had pulled the lad up and away from the bloodied boy’s body.

“Aakash, you just transferred to this school today! Are you so eager to fight that you have to brawl on your first day here?!”

The lad gnashed his teeth at the comment, feeling wronged. “He’s the one who started-”

“You are supposed to tell the teacher if someone tries to pick fights. You are not to engage in them!” The teacher snapped back.

“So, I’m supposed to let myself be beaten up? Making a report-” Aakash began but the teacher had already stormed over to the other boy and was hauling him to his feet.

As he managed to rise to his feet, she let him go. He wobbled and almost fell over again. His hands were wrapped around his nose from which a small trickle of blood was leaking and mixing with the blood already flowing from his hand.

“Serves you right! You always get into fights. You deserve to feel a little pain for your actions.”

But while her words were harsh, the teacher also quickly borrowed a handkerchief from a nearby student to wrap his hand tightly and made the bruised kid hold his own handkerchief to his nose to stem the nosebleed.

Aakash quickly walked over and picked up his glasses. Checking to see if there was any damage, he nodded satisfactorily and put them on. Just in time too.

Because the teacher, glaring at both the boys, suddenly grabbed their ears and began dragging them away. “Aakash, Cabir...both of you are coming with me to the medical room and then you are going to stand outside the class for the next period!”

Her hands tightened around their ears and she continued, “Maybe this will stop you from further misdeeds, Aakash. And as for you Cabir, you never learn...but probably, this time, having to stand after being hurt like this might help you to learn some discipline!”

The boys had no energy to reply back.

As they were dragged away, Aakash saw all the kids in the playground staring at them...or more precisely him...with what seemed like admiration!

Just as they were dragged off the playground, his blue eyes met the steel grey ones of a young girl sporting twin pigtails, who smiled cheekily and gave him a thumbs up.

*****

They had stood for almost the entirety of five minutes that Aakash saw Cabir move away from the wall in front of which they had been ordered to stand as punishment for the scuffle in the playground.

As he made to move towards the long corridor, Aakash frowned not understanding what the boy was doing.

Cabir caught his gaze but glared back challengingly almost as if he was saying, “What do you want, huh?”

Aakash whispered angrily, “Haven’t you caused enough trouble?! What do you think you’re doing, fatso?!”

Cabir’s eyes turned red again but he somehow reigned in his temper as he too snapped in a whisper, “What does it look like? I’m going for a stroll! Ma’am’s not even gonna look outside until class is over and I’ll be back by then!”

He grinned, “Bet you are too scared to go gallivanting, aren’t you, shorty?!”

Aakash frowned, clearly displeased with Cabir’s behavior.

“We were asked to stand outside as punishment! What are you doing sneaking away?! I’ll tell Sutapa Ma’am!”

The fat boy lost his patience and grabbed onto the shorter lad’s collar.

“Hey, you goody two-shoes! You wanna get bored and accept punishment? Then stand here! Don’t interfere with me. And if you tell Ma’am, I’ll just say that my nose began bleeding again and I rushed to the medical room. And because I was in a hurry, I forgot to tell her.”

He smirked, “Hell, my nose is actually dripping from time to time. I can just go and sleep there. And anyway, it’s your fault that my nose is bleeding. Go on, complain! Complain all you want!”

Laughing, he released Aakash’s collar and turned to walk away when Aakash pulled him back and pushed him towards the wall holding him there with all his strength.

“No way am I letting you go! It’s because of you I got scolded on my first day here! Like hell am I going to let you enjoy yourself after you made this mess...and all because you are a lousy catcher!”

“Huh? What did you say?!” Cabir snapped, voice rising.

“Shut up. I really want to beat you up! But I can’t because then Ma’am might call my parents! So, you will face this punishment with me!”

Both started pushing and pulling and unconsciously raised their voices while arguing.

Suddenly, from inside the room, a roar came out.

“SILENCE! Both of you, come in! It seems you can’t keep quiet outside, huh? You’ll stand here in the class with your hands raised for the rest of the period!”

Both Aakash and Cabir stopped hearing the voice.

Cabir gnashed his teeth, his plans to sneak away and enjoy when he should have been suffering punishment were all ruined.

Aakash on the other hand, gave a bitter grin. It would be embarrassing and painful to stand inside with their hands raised but at least the fatso wouldn’t be able to escape the punishment!

“What are you waiting for?! Come in! Or do I have to drag you in?!”

Reluctantly, both the boys went in, heads hanging. Cabir shot a venomous look at Aakash.

“GODDAMMIT!”