chapter 5 of 'i cant sing'
before diving into this, make sure youre upto date with the story!!
check out the first 4 chapters (i called them episodes before) by clicking on this link : i cant sing
okaaay lets begin!!
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“What are you giggling about, N?” he says to me in a dramatically villainy voice but with a whiff of goofiness. It’s Madhan. Our drums guy. What do they call them? Yes, drummer.
“You’re too young to understand my humour M” I say with a smug. “GOD IT’S JUST 1 MONTH. You’re older by one month N; you make it seem like a whole year.” He says pouting. Madhan literally looks like a teddy bear. He is not very scrawny and not very round. He is a perfect blend of muscle and fat. He has a charming smile and eyes to die for, my friend’s words, not mine. Unlike Aditya who is the heartthrob of many, Madhan is actually residing in all the girls’ hearts. He has an easy going personality and eyes that always search for mischief. On the stage he is a completely different person. If Aditya and I didn’t exchange that fruitful ‘interaction’ on my first day, Madhan would have been my crush. A crush that would actually work. Sigh.
Madhan has brownish black hair, always taken care of. He is very rich but never shows. He doesn’t deny it but hates being called rich. He is very humble. He knows the pain of earning money because he used to be poor but ever since his mother’s book started growing, they got really wealthy. His father works in software, but is not much in the scene, he works a lot. His mother writes cookbooks and has a YouTube channel. She lovesss my poems and every time we meet, she would ask for updates. She has a bubbly personality and homely vibes. The day she met the band, she brought chocolate cake and spent a whole hour talking to us. Uma and I would exchange glances that say “now we know why Madhan is the way he is.”
“Accept it, I’m wiser”, I say keeping up the argument. “Nahhhh” he says and drops a hand on my shoulder as I walk to my seat. I sit in the second bench because that’s literally the best position to sit in. It’s in the middle of the class, you’re not too close to the teacher that they spit on you, the speaker ambience is perfect and you can have a secret snack without getting caught immediately. “Wait a minute” he says as he removes his hand off his shoulder to place it on his chin giving a Sherlock Holmes ‘deducting’ look with another hand in his pant pocket. “You came in a bit early today” he continues, “Something is fishy and I need to know”.
You know when people say that girls love gossip. Well Madhan is here to argue that boys love it too. “It is human nature to be curious” he said when I sighed at his many questions about my transfers.
We know a lot about each other because 1. We are in same class all day long and 2. He doesn’t shut his mouth.
He talks a lot and since I do too, we talk about each other, i.e., every time he finds me alone. Without my friends. They low-key protect me from his child like curiosity. He is a younger brother and I totally relate to his university going sister. Ever since she moved out, he has become chatty; my friend once told me.
Wait, where are my friends?
“Ever thought of “minding your own business” or is too mature for you to understand?” I say dying not to laugh, smiling. He looks at me with hurt, pretend hurt and goes to his desk, way in the back. In a way he and Uma are not very different in being dramatic. Though I’m glad the question bank is out of sight, I feel alone and trapped in my thoughts. I miss him.
Just then, we hear chaos from outside. I check the time and guess what, its 8:40pm. Usually I’d be very excited but now I just feel annoyed and detached. After a few minutes, all my friends come to the class and sit. That’s why I couldn’t find them. “Oh you’re early” says Priya with disbelief. “That’s a surprise” Amrutha chimes in. “I have decided to be diligent and focus on my studies for the upcoming exams, guys. Chillax” I say with a neutral tone, with a sarcastic smile at the end. They burst out laughing and I do too.
Oh the joys of girlhood.
The voices die as our teacher steps in. Its maths! Did I tell you how much I love math? It’s wonderful. Fine fine, I won’t bore you with my love towards maths.
Few hours later
“Omg I am sooo hungry” priya agonises as soon as the lunch bell rings. The teacher is not even out the door yet but most students rush out with lunchboxes in their hands. Mrs Padmavathi, our science teacher, doesn’t give a shit because even she is hungry and just lets the students go without any tacky saying like “the bell doesn’t dismiss you, I do”.
The lunch routine in this school is a love-hate relationship. Everyone has to bring their lunches out to the playground and no one is allowed to stay back in the class. I learnt the latter the hard way. One day I stayed back without telling my friends and the p.t teacher was on rounds and caught me, red handed. I was just having my lunch in peace, alone but they made it sound like I was committing a crime. Since then I never tried to do it except a few desperate times.
Anyways, now we are all rushing to the playground because the good spots are good spots for a reason and don’t stay open forever. I love the lunch break routine because it’s so peaceful and fun to be outside, it feels like a picnic. I hate it because I don’t know if I should sit with my classmates or band mates. Being popular shucks.
Well since I’m trying to avoid him, hmmmm I’ll go sit with my friends. Priya, amrutha and I are speed walking to the ‘under-the-tree’ spot. I walk faster with my one year practice of catching up with Aditya. As I get closer, I notice a group has already claimed their position at our place. Frustrated, I turn to my friends and say, “ah f—ck, not today. I really wanted to have a nice lunch, you guys”. Priya says with enthusiasm I can’t seem to find in my bleak mood, “maybe they’ll share!” Amrutha chimes in with a yeah, so positive, I actually feel a little better.
A few steps later, I recognise the dark messy hair and my heart takes a dip. It’s him. Priya overtakes me and goes to the band and says, “Heyyy, if it isn’t the popular band!” “Ouch” amrutha says nudging me. Uma notices me and welcomes us to their place. Like luck (or unluck) would have it, Aditya moves aside to give me place to sit. But I really don’t want to sit beside him, I mean I do want to but I promised myself to move on from him. I begrudgingly sit beside Uma, while amrutha takes the spot beside Aditya. We start eating our lunch, Madhan starts joking about how I came so early today. Priya and Uma join in in the joke. I face palm and steal a glance at him. My heart skips a beat as I make eye contact. I break the eye contact and play along the joke. And just like that 30 minutes pass. I don’t know why but Uma, while walking to the classroom, says “So you really wished it was someone other than me, huh”. We both laugh at the throwback to morning. I shake my head and smile awkwardly. The next class will start in 5 minutes but I have to run the bathroom quick. Priya and amrutha both of them refuse to accompany me saying it’s a bad idea since the next subject is social and Mr. Srinivas doesn’t play around. How can I tell them how much of an emergency this is? I run real quick and after I finish the business call with nature, I come out to find Aditya standing near the staircase beside the washroom.
“Oh hey.” I say coldly and don’t wait for a response. I turn to my class and suddenly feel someone holding my hand. It’s so sudden, I gasp at the tension. I turn around so quickly, I’m surprised I didn’t fall down immediately. It’s him. Aditya. Holding my hand. He stands so close to me, I can hear his breathe and feel his heartbeat. It’s so close, it feels like a dream. It’s so close, it feels illegal. It’s so close; I forget I’m at school. F-ck, we are at school!!! I quickly step back, leaving his hold. Suddenly my hand feels cold. “What are you doing??” I snap at him. He looks at me. More like looks down at me. He squints his beautiful eyes, furrows his beautiful eyebrows, opens his beautiful lips- ok let’s keep it pg-13
His mouth opens, “Why?” he asks, in a low voice. I almost don’t catch it. “Why what?” I ask. His eyebrows scrunch a bit more. Why is everything in slow-motion??
He asks again, “Why did you leave early today?” Before I can process the question, the bell rings. Not wanting to answer his question, I run to my room after saying “I have to go, it’s social period.”
and the drama continues~
hoping to see where the sory's headed? wait for only 30 dayss
i wanted to post this on diwaliii, here you goooo
i wish you a very happy diwaliiii <333
i loved the festival, it was really fun !!!
i love you, byeeee
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