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There are a few instances when you’re not quite sure of whats going on and what you can expect. These moments are not normal and they do not come up in day-to-day life. But unknowingly and unwantedly, they do spring up once in a while. You are in the wrong end of a mirky scheme of things. You dont know how to come out of this and you dont have anyone to go to. You just have to live with it till its over. The Mavericks happened to be in such a bizarre circumstance where nothing was bizarre anymore. Everytime we thought it couldnt get worse, all logic was defied and time proved us pathetically wrong. Wounded and there for the taking, we left home for a highly dreaded day of school that Monday.

I remember waking up quite early by my standards. A healthy breakfast across a very silent dining table, mainly due to the fact I kept it shut. I walked hopelessly to the bus stop and realised I was pretty early there. I remember feeling very wierd that time waiting under the hinged roof. Its one of those moments when you feel everyone around you and going past you is looking at you with disdain and disgust. Your guilt sinks in further. The rational part of you tells you that you dont make any sense but the guilty part hangs its head and gives up. There were some whom I saw for the first time there, thanks to my record of unpunctual appearances. I carried a blank mind through the journey to school and as it neared the foothills, my heart got heavier and faster. “What are the other guys upto ?” “How did their parents react ?” “How is this gonna change their behaviour ?” “How is this gonna change us ?” “Will One be there ? at all ?”. I got down and knew all my queries are gonna answered soon.

I couldnt get myself to go to class yet. I sat on the concrete gallery by the sidewalk. A couple of minutes later, I saw Yats walking to class from his bus. He nodded meaning “Come along”. Well, Yats is human after all and I expected / hoped he was equally scared of this deep hole we were in. The usual suspects appeared one by one. Now the guys are used to some noise and activity when they enter the class. So the ones who had no idea of the eventful weekend were cheerful as usual and tried doing fun stuff.

Kush cracked some joke and laughed his lungs out. That didnt exactly tickle my funny bone and I turned my face away. He disappeared. In a while, Vish appeared in the class. It reminded me of what he had told One’s brother / Mum – that Kummi was carrying a knife or whatever. I seriously wished I had a knife with me that moment. But the brainy side of me whispered: “Vish and One are in the same bus. If Vish is here, then….”

After all that, she was still the person I was hoping to see that day. One walked in with a hung face, holding her bag like some journalist with a bag of scandolous papers. My eyes followed her from the entrance to her place. At the end of the arc, I noticed Yats staring at me. He didnt exactly like that. He got up and walked past me, his fists almost brushing my face. I knew – another time, it wouldnt be just brushing. None of us spoke any word to each other. Probably the longest spell of silence in my entire life as yet. I started thinking about how my love life had finished even before it started. One’s mum fishing the hell out of her after she found out about just a phone call, leave alone the love story. A movie screening that had more drama off the screen than on it. Some random goon telling us off for speeding… and then the best – the maverick gang takes a picnic to one s house and invites her brother to the party… party it was at the correspondent’s house – knives, girl friends, ‘JUST’ friends and parents were sought. No stone was left unturned in this tragic effort by time and nature to overcome the maverick legend !!! Take a breather ! I felt like a heart patient who had lost 20 kgs in an accident and has just been informed that his blood group is not available in any corner of the world. It couldnt get any worse than this, surely. Deepa mam broke the deadlock.

DM: So, are you guys prepared for the cycle test ?

What the…. A cycle test at this time ? Ofcos, in the southern state I was studying in, you are never far away from a Ganesh temple and a cycle test. They dont need a reason. At every moment of your life, including the time you are enjoying parathas in dinner, scoring a fab goal in playstation, adoring Kareena kapoor on MTV, you are always reminded of board exams by someone or the other… ‘Public exams’ as they like to call it, just to make it sound a bit more dramatic. An hour later, there was a cycle test in Accountancy and this cycle had no fuckin brakes for the next 2 years till we hit board exam time.

Ya ryt ! With this frame of mind, the last thing I am bothered about is Cash A/c Dr. to Raja son of a swine A/c. As the whole episode was drifting into Suspense A/c, I saw Yats being called up by Deepa Mam and they both left the class. They must have gone for a morning stroll I thought and looked around at One. I know the guys hated her and hated me for not hating her. But she looked way too pretty that day. She has these days… when she comes out there and doesnt put a step wrong. Totally flawless in her appearance and speech. In full form. That way, she is like Tendulkar. Except, Tendulkar has been in form longer than she has been alive. Ok. Wrong example.

Yats walked in and signalled me to come out. I thought: “Hello, there is a class supposed to be going on here. This guy must be insane to call me out like this”. I obliged. I walked out of the class, thankfull to the fact that I get to leave the place for sometime of my own. The moment I turned I realised I was wrong. Right outside, Deepa mam was standing, ready for a conversation with Yats and myself. What now !

DM: Arjun, what is this ?

Me: Ma’m, I have lost track. We did not intend to barge into her house like that but…

Yats stopped my line.

Yats: She s asking about something else.

What else could it be ?

DM: Yats told me something. Is that true ?

Now, how am I supposed to know what. I looked at Yats.

Yats: I told her about Akki’s (One’s brother) thing.

No, you didnt.

Me: What Akki’s thing ? (Hoping he would say something else…)

Yats: That he masterbated aroused by Ma’m.

Fucking hell Yats. He actually looked at Deepa Ma’m and told her that some student was aroused by her and wanked in the restroom. The boy had some guts – not the wanker. Yats had some guts.

DM: Is that true ?

Me: Yes. From what I heard from him.

DM: What is this ? Cant an unmarried teacher work peacefully at a place ?

I had no idea what marriage had to do with it. I hung my head and couldnt believe it had got this embarassing now. Contagiously, this incident had started affecting more people than originally planned.

Some time later and 20 mins into the Accountancy test, the peon came to the class. Even as he stood there at the entrance, I knew what was coming. I started getting up.

Peon: Ma’m, Arjun is wanted by the correspondent.

Ofcos ! It had become a daily part of the process now. But, stop using words like ‘wanted’ dude. Looks like I had more dates with the correspondent than with One.

Corress: Oh, you have come alone ? Where s your partner in crime ? Bring him also.

Thank goodness am not alone. Minutes later and the duo appeared.

Corress: This is the new guest room we are building. And you guys are my first guests here.

Me: Thank you ma’m.

Corress: Shut up.

Ok. I was expecting something like ‘welcome’.

Corress: I told you guys to drop this issue. But, you have decided to take it further… and you, Yats, are accussing that kid of non-sensical stuff.

Yats looked at me when she said ‘kid’. For fuck’s sake, no kid does what Akki did. This whole thing was unfair. Why not believe us for a second ? Now, how the hell am I supposed to prove something like this ? This is not some stupid Big brother show with cams in restrooms.

There was heavy shelling for another 10 mins, when the first guests in the new guest room were not even requested to sit. When we came out,

Yats: Whatever happens, she cant change the fact that we were her first guests in that new room.

Me: Yes, they are gonna have a honourary board and our names will on top for history and rest of time to see.

We had to seek consolation in the little things. No extra time was given in the test and I submitted a half-done paper. I couldnt care less. Yats never did.

One after the other, slowly, this was killing us. The news spread to the gang and we got together in the lunch break.. secretly.

JD: Is everyone ok ?

No one answered.

JD: You guys did the right thing by telling Deepa Mam about Akki. They should know that he is not some milky-hearted guy as they think he is.

Me: But no one is believing us dude.

Panky: At this moment, no one will.

Yats: I wish Harry was here to tell them what Akki told him. (Flash: Akki was telling the whole story of his premature release to Harry when I over-heard him. He had no idea back then that I would end up with his sister. High 5!)

Me: Not that Harry will remember it now to tell them.

Kummi: What did your parents say ?

Me: Dad doesnt know.

Deep surprise in the gang.

JD: What ? Why didnt you tell him ?

Me: I need some breathing space. I will tell him today evening so that by the time it is weekend, the effect will be lesser when we both are at home. What did your parents say ?

JD: My mum hates your girl for letting it all open… and so do I.

Dars: Yats’ mum slapped him.

Me: Yats’ mum what ?

I looked at Yats. He quietly looked away. I could not take what was happening. There was still no answer for why all the news about the girl friends and the detailed narration of our relationships came out from One. Only she had the answer. I hadnt even spoken to her since all this, leave alone seek answers. She, surely was in trouble of her own. With her parents first and now all this drama. I was not sure if she will even talk to me. For that one moment, school sucked !

The first class after lunch was Computers and that meant the lab and some fun. Being amateur pioneers in HTML, Me and Yats got to show off in the lab. This brought some much needed distraction. Me and Yats were in so much fear that time, you could say that when we sat next to each other like never before in the lab, almost holding each other’s hands. While the Comp sir went to blagging random tags and codes, Yats and Me were looking up all the sound files in the directory and playing them one by one, much to the teacher’s annoyance. And then, we heard him say,

Comp Sir: Its so nice to see you, come in.

I turned around and experienced the most unbelievable co-incidence I had ever seen in my life. It was Harry. Yes, the same guy who Akki had confessed to about his level 3 toss. My eye balls popped out. I almost threw up in fear and excitement. Harry was done with schooling a couple of months ago. What is he doing here ! I looked at Yats and he looked like he had seen some ghost. Well, to an extent, he actually had.

After chatting random shit to Comp Sir, Harry looked at us and waved. Yats immediately got up to go to him. I caught him.

Me: No, dont ask him a word.

Yats: Why not ? Are you mad ? This is our chance. Akki is a dead duck now.

Me: No. No one will believe him or us. What are we trying to prove anyways ? That Akki is a wanker ? People will eventually find that out. Its only good for us we close this issue here. We dont wanna get hurt further trying to hurt him.

Yats: What the fuck ?

Me: Yats, live today, fight tomorrow. Sit the fuck down.

Yats sat the fuck down with the biggest thud and started banging away on the keyboard like some tabla maestro. Thinking back, it was a great decision not to let Yats go with it.

Sometimes I think – what if this was the other way around ? What if One’s friends came to my house and pulled my brother out. My brother would have probably happily let me go. He can have the tv and playstation all to himself. But it doesnt happen like that, does it. It always has to be boy who makes the effort, tries to be the hero and ends up an idiot. The girl is sitting, crying on the swing in non-glamorous clothes. Damn you life.

The last 3-4 days were getting more and more dramatic by the minute now. And yes, I still havent informed Dad about all this. And ofcos, I havent spoken to One as yet. Does she still want to do this ? Is there a comma to the love story or a full stop ? Right now, there was a big fucking exclamation mark. But then, will she ever talk to me again ?

As I said, happy to be still surviving, rather unscathed. Everything else can be sorted out with time. A big lesson from the incident – Live today. Fight tomorrow. Fly high till next week ~

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Happy New Year to all the readers. Hope you have a special and memorable year ahead. Apologies for the big break between the posts. To say the least, some unforeseen circumstances held me up.

Belated Birthday wishes to Rohit Murthy, Darshan Rajvir, Neelakantan, Sunil Tejwani, Chloe Nicole and Ashwin Kannamani. A very happy birthday to Preethi Rangamani, whose birthday luckily falls on the same day as this blog post… or rather, the other way around.