CHAPTER 1

2006

It was Kriti's first day of school and she couldn't be more nervous than she already was. I as the start of first grade in a different school because her parents thought that she shoul oin the same school her cousin is in and she had to. Dressed in a skirt and shirt with tw raids of her black hair, she was dreading all of it. Red rimmed green iris as if she'd crie ating the idea of joining a new school. She was standing with his cousin and his frien utside the colony , waiting for the bus to arrive but also secretly wishing that somehow i ouldn't arrive.

'Bhagwaan agar bus na aaye, toh mein mummy se jhooth bolna band kar dungi'

(God, if the bus doesn't arrive, then I will stop lying to my mom.)

As she was praying, she heard the voice of someone running towards them. She turne erself and saw her friend (or enemy) Aarav dashing towards her with his brown hair, haze yes, and dazzling dimpled smile. She was confused. He was wearing Pearl Internationa chool's uniform, which was the school she had taken admission into.

He came and stood next to her. Being the curious girl she was, she couldn't contain he uriosity and asked, "Why are you here?"

He scoffed and said, "what do you mean by, ' why are you here?' I am going to school, that' hy I'm here, Dobi”. Dobi meant silly and Aarav liked to anger her so he would say it t ease her. She would be so aggravated and red with frustration, he loved it. But other tha im no one could do that to her and as per him only he had the right to do so.

"But you were in Jamnabai school, why did you change your school?", she asked.

"That is none of your concern", he arrogantly replied.

"Mujhe bhi koi jaan ne ka shauk nahi hai. Bas tume dekha toh aise hi puchh liya. Tums cche se baat karu toh bhi tumhe problem hai aur na karu toh bhi, toh fir mein karu kya?

Mujhe tumse....", her rambling came to a stop when he put a hand over her mouth an uffled her voice. Out of self defense she bit her hand.

(Even I'm not a fan of talking to you. Just because I saw you, I asked. If I talk to you nicel ou have a problem and if I don't you still have a problem, so what should I do?.......)

"Ouch!", he screamed , "pagal ke jaise kaatna band karo Kriti Patel".

(Stop biting me like a mad person.)

" Mein pagal nahi hu Aarav Odedra", she replied, defending herself.

(I'm not mad).

Aarav wanted to retort but honking of the bus stopped their argument.

Krunal, Kriti's cousin turned to them and said , "Chalo, bus aa gayi hai".

(Let's go, the bus has arrived.)

All of them got on the bus and Krunal, being one of the 'cool kids' went to sit at the back o he bus with his friends. Aarav and Kriti eventually settled on the third seat.

"Abhi toh batao school kyu badli tune?", Kriti again asked.

(Now tell me the reason, why did you change schools?)

"Tumne ne mujhe kaata, Jao mujhe nahi batana ", Aarav said.

(You bit me. I don't want to tell you now.)

"Dekho mein tumhe abhi hi puchh sakti hu, colony mein kisine mujhe tumse baat kart ekha toh daat padegi." Kriti said in Hopes to make him understand. It wasn't that her famil as conservative or anything but her family and his family were business rivals, living in th ame colony and they wouldn't allow their kids to interact with each other.

(See I can ask you here only, back in the neighborhood if anyone sees me talking to you I'l e scolded.)

"Theek hai, theek hai, Batata hu", he said as if preparing for a speech, " Hua yu ki mer urane school mein ek ladki thi, bada pareshaan karti thi mujhe. Mein bhi usse paresha arta tha. Fir ek din usne school Badal dali, maine socha ki uske jane se usse pareshaa arne mein jo maza aata hai wo nahi rukna chahiye isiliye uske saath- saath maine bh chool change kar dali".

(Okay, I'll tell you.) (The thing that happened was that in my old school there was a girl, sh sed to trouble me a lot. I also enjoyed troubling her. One day she changed her school, then

I thought that my enjoyment shouldn't stop even though she left so that's why I changed m chool too.)

"Oh, toh tum mujhe pareshan karne aaye ho?", she innocently asked.

(Oh, so you are here to trouble me?)

"Haas toh vadi", he replied, proudly, making her roll her eyes but she was happy knowin hat someone she knew would also be with her and that she was not alone in this.

(Of course.)

It was all a lie. He was playing with Nakul, his best friend in colony's park when he heard he alk to her friends saying how sad she was that she had to change her school. She also trie o convince her friends to change their school along with her but none of their parent greed. After overhearing that he wanted to vanquish her sadness, he thought of takin dmission in the same school as her.

Rushing home he went in search of his mom and told her he wanted to change his school.

Hearing him his parents were a bit uncertain about the idea but after all the research the inally got him admission in his desired school.

At the tender age of six he was intrigued by her (secretly) .