Like The Most?

(Sirisha: 17 years old in 11th class
Kunal: 18 years old in 12th class)

1 Year Later,

Karan

I pack my bag as the lecture ends with the ring of the bell.

I don't like Business Studies that's why I just sit and eagerly wait for it to end quickly. And when it's the last period, like today, my eagerness multiplies by twenty.

I should focus on Business Studies as it would be helpful for my University course. But I still don't completely focus on it.

I would rather do car racing than be heir to my family business.

My family is a royal family of Rajasthan. And, I am the Prince, for the commoners there, if India hadn't been a democratic country, I would have been a real Prince, of course.

We still are respected like in the old times. We don't rule but we still have the fame, name, money, and power.

And I, am next in line to take over the family business.

The Rajput Empire.

I don't want to though. I want to live like a normal person but I can't. I have to bear the family responsibilities and name when I am old enough.

I stand in the corridor hanging the strap of my bag over my left shoulder looking at the crowd. Ruhi comes running to me excitedly and stops as she reaches me.

She is always excited for things. She is all sunshiney and goofy. But is also messy.

"Ms. Gupta was absent. I had a substitution. What about you?" She asks excited.

"Waited for the period to get over for the whole period. Where's Kunal?" I asked plainly.

"I don't know."

"Hey guys! Waiting for me?" Kunal appeared from behind us and landed his hands on both our shulders, heavily.

"Ouch!" Ruhi wails and swats his hand away.

"Speak of the devil." I sigh.

"Looks like someone had a bad period. What day is it today? Oh yes, Tuesday. You had Business right?" He asks, he literally knows me so well.

I hum and he sways his fist up in the air as his guess was right.

"Oh! By the way, we don't have to wait for Sirisha, today." Ruhi informs.

Sirisha is not in the same school as ours, so, we go to hers daily to pick her up after school. It's our habit now. We had to convince her mother for her to leave the bus and join us, it honestly took a lot of time, but in the end, she agreed.

"Why?" I ask. She never skips school, what made her do so?

"It's her brother's birthday today." She chirps.

"Just a little birthday and she skipped school?" I ask.

"You should ask the further to her. I don't know it in detail. Maybe they went out?" She guesses wildly looking up and walks mindlessly.

"Ruhi!" I exclaim and pull her by her arm as she was about to step on a roller skate.

Her tiny body bumps into mine and her face crashes against my neck. She pulls her head back a little and her hot breaths flattened on my throat.

She would have fallen!

Messy as I said.

This girl can never be responsible, can she? She is always so caught up in herself that she doesn't look around.

A boy comes running to us and picks up the skate saying "I'm sorry."

"Boy, shouldn't you keep your skates to yourself? And not throwing them around making people fall?" Kunal asks walking towards him with his hands in his pockets.

Ruhi backs away from my chest and looks at the boy. "Leave it." She commands Kunal.

"By the way, what are you doing here?" Kunal asks suspiciously.

"We stopped him." Three boys come from behind him walking.

"Woah look who's here. Rishabh, the greatest bully." Kunal took a step forward.

Kunal and Rishabh were never on good terms, moreover, they both are one of the most famous seniors. Other seniors and juniors brought them on competing terms, which they took personally.

"Can I go?" The boy whispers as Kunal and Rishabh glare at each other like they will choke one another if they get the right moment.

"Did we ask you to?" Rishabh yells still looking at Kunal.

"Go!" Kunal commands.

"Really?" The boy whispered in surprise.

"If you go. Be glad to say bye to your roller skates." Rishabh warns.

"Try it." Kunal challanges.

I peek behind Rishabh as I hear light footsteps getting louder.

It's the Director.

Good trick Kunal!

The boy gets ready to walk away but Rishabh holds his bag and pulls him back harshly.

And........ Here it comes,

"Is something wrong here?" Comes the Director's heavy voice.

What a great great timing.

Rishabh and the other two boys turn around and their faces turn pale. "No sir. We were just going." Rishabh says and all the three boys go away.

"Want to say something?" The director turns his gaze at us as they disappear from the view.

"No sir, we were leaving too." I shake my head to deny and held the boy's bag pulling him with us.

"Senior, you were so cool back there." The boy looks at Kunal like he is his long-lost idol.

Kunal hums and the boy asks "How can I be cool like you?"

"First of all. Stop being bullied." Kunal made a weird face. "And be confident."

"I can't do anything about it. They are bigger and stronger." He reasons.

"About that, ask him." Kunal immediately points at me.

What the hell?

How did I come in between?

Although I know how to fight and shoot but I still choose to keep it a secret. Being at my home, or as I'd rather call it Mahal, for 16 years I've learned all this, willingly or not, I had to.

"Karan and fighting? Not possible." Ruhi chuckles.

Oh dear! Only if you knew.

"Just ask your bullies to shut up or you'll kick their asses," I suggest quietly. "Even if you can't," I whisper the last part.

Everyone burst out laughing as we walked out of the school building together.

• • • • •

I complete one more match and throw the gaming console on the sofa making it bounce. I look at the watch and see that it's already five.

Living alone is good.

No one disturbs me.

I change into my shirt and leave for the park. I look around and spot Sirisha. I run to her and pat on her shoulder from behind like always. And she recognizes me.

She knows me. So well.

How she explained her so-called weird feelings for Kunal earlier, I felt like she has started liking him. And this feeling has turned into a fact in this one year.

She really likes him, a lot. It's just her who doesn't agree with the fact. I have been constantly bugging her, but she just doesn't confess.

She's too stubborn. She believes that she can't love anything or anyone except her studies.

And she is also a little afraid to love a boy after seeing the condition of the heartbroken girls in her class. She thinks that a person has to be controlled, and loving someone brings overflowing emotions that no one can control.

"Hey!" Sirisha chirps.

"Hey!" I mimick her back and she narrows her eyes making me laugh. "Why didn't you go to school today?"

"Sam's birthday. He asked for me not to study for a whole day as a gift." She explains.

"Weird gift." I raise a brow.

"It's just, lately I've been so caught up in my studies that I couldn't give enough of my time to him." She sighs. "And when I noticed this..."

"You hated yourself for it and decided to agree to him." I complete.

"Bingo." She looks up in my eyes.

We settle on a bench and I say "Let's play a game."

Sirisha agrees "Okay, what's it?"

"Rapid Fire. Let's start with you. You have to give quick answers, okay?"

"Okk fine!" She agrees

"Ok, so what's your favourite colour?"

"Black"

"Your favourite food?"

"Ice Cream and Momos."