The Love School (Chapter 1)

CHAPTER 1

AGNI'S POV

The soft morning rays fell onto my eyes, waking me up for a brand new day at school. I got up, pretty much excited about school and my first day as an 11th grader. I love my school and am sad that I would miss each and everything related to it after two years. But now I was happy as well as excited to meet my friends after my vacation.

I swiftly did all my morning chores and got ready in a jiffy, as I didn't want to get late for school. I went downstairs, where I met my sister, Bhumi Sharma. I only have my sister with me as we lost our parents when I was just five years old in a car accident. From then on, Dida (Sister) has looked after me. She was ten years older than me and, hence, has given me the love of a mother and the care of a father. She is the only person whom I look into whenever I feel depressed. Whether it was happiness or grief, I was sure that she will always be there by my side.

"Good Morning, Dida," I greeted my sister.

"Good morning, my Chutki. It's your first day at 11th standard. So I thought I would make Paneer Pulav, your favorite dish," Dida replied

"Oh Dida, you know my mind, what would I've done without you," Dida smiled at my comment and patted me on my cheek.

"It's your first day, right. I'll drop you at school today."

"Okay, Dida," I replied. Dida was working at Rathodes Industries as Marketing Head. She was very workaholic and dedicated, and because of that, she was at a top position like Marketing Head. The company was led by Akash Singh Rathode, who was the son of Virendra Singh Rathode. I have not met him before, but as per Dida, he was a very kind-hearted gentleman.

"Are you excited to be in 11th and that too in Commerce class?" Dida asked

"I'm so excited to see my friends and also to go to my favorite place and play football."

I've two best friends who were twins, Amaya and Ananya. They were such sweet souls and were always there to support me. Amaya was a nerdy-type girl with her spectacles and books, and because of that, we called her "chashmu." Ananya was just the exact opposite of Amaya as she was a more free-spirited and lovable girl. Her only aim was to date guys, to hang out with them, and to enjoy her life freely without any tensions of the external world. She acted as a "Love Guru" for all those people who needed help in love matters and had also tried finding matches for both of us. I have hated her concepts, but I liked her because she was such a great person to talk to.

The next thing that I liked the most about my school was our football team. People had always wondered why I was interested in playing football being a girl, but it was not something that needed to be stereotyped. Our school promoted football not just for boys, but also for us girls too and thus our school had two football teams for both genders, and I was so proud to say that, as there are a lot of girls who were passionate about playing football, but lacked opportunities. Our team had 15 players in total last year and had won a lot of small tournaments. But we couldn't play for the Xavierian Inter-School Football Tournament, which was the biggest Inter-School Football tournament in Mumbai, as we had only 15 players They needed a minimum of 16 players for the tournament, and, hence we were all disappointed. I hoped that this year, we could play and win that tournament.

"Dida, it is a new beginning for me. Are you not giving me any advice as usual?" I playfully asked Dida

"I only have one piece of advice for you, that advice which I always give and that advice which you will never keep up. This time also, I'm saying Agni, control your anger, and don't get into unnecessary fights or else you'll have to suffer."

"Oh Dida, you know your Chutki no. All my fights were against that bitch, Sanjana. I hate her like anything. She is an opportunist and does anything for her victory. She even used her brother against me, whom I once liked and trusted a lot. He also turned to be just like his sister. He changed my views about love, Dida, and because of him, I'm scared to trust people. If they both come in front of me, I won't stay silent, Dida." My emotional self started to come back after saying this. That boy, Virat Goenka, really played his cards just like the way his sister wanted and finally ended up breaking my heart. After that incident, I started to hate the word "love," and I hated seeing boys flirting with girls just for their time-pass.

"I think both of them have changed school after Virat got his suspension letter, and their parents have said that he will never come back to that school even after his suspension, but I don't know about Sanjana," Dida replied.

"If both of them are not there, I can study and play peacefully, and Dida, don't get tensed. I will not get into any sorts of fights." I hugged her after saying this.

"That's my Chutki. So come on, let's go otherwise, you will get late, and before going, let's get the blessings of Baba and Maayi." We prayed to our parents and went outside.

"Oh Bhumi, Agni, Sat Shree Akal (Greeting in Punjabi)," came a voice.

"Sat Shree Akal, Vijay Uncle," we both greeted back in unison. Vijay Uncle was our neighbor, or rather, we could call him our godfather. After our parents' demise, Vijay Uncle and his family were always there to support us. He was an established businessman, and his company Singhania Steel Co was one of the biggest steel companies in Mumbai. Vijay Uncle and his wife Shikha Aunty has two sons. The elder one was Ruhaan, or rather, Ruh Bhai, who was a lawyer and was of Dida's age. The younger one was Aryan or Ary Bhai, who was one year senior to me. He was studying in my school and was also our boys' football team captain. Every Sunday, we would go to Singhania Mansion and would enjoy our day with them. They were like family for both of us.

"Agni, it's your first day at 11th, no, all the best."

"Thank you, Vijay Uncle, and bye, see you," I replied.

Dida started her scooty, and we both rode to my school, Campion School, which has been one of the famous schools in Mumbai. I was so proud of all the achievements that our school has received both in academics and non-academics.

We both reached my school, and I smiled just by seeing the arch where "CAMPION SCHOOL" was written in bold letters. Children were running here and there to reach school. I looked at Dida, who smiled at me after wishing me all the best.

"Dida, I have football trials today and after that tuition. I will come home only after that," I reminded Dida.

"This is not something new, right. I know. Just make sure that you reach home safely," Dida said caringly.

"You know that Nico will drop me till the street, right."

"Yeah, I know, but I'm your Dida. I've to make sure that everything is safe and perfect for my child." Just then, the first bell rang, and I hugged Dida and went to my allotted class. I entered the classroom with a smile, just thinking about the new beginnings and the old meetups that were about to take place in that class.

When I entered the class, I saw Amaya and Ananya seated together as always and had reserved a seat for me at the back. I hoped that our gang had four members so that a friend of mine sat with me. Every time a random girl or boy would sit with me. But I could not talk to them freely as I have a problem initiating conversation especially, with boys after that incident. We were not the typical nerdy girls who would sit in the front seats with the hope of hearing the teacher first. We were those type of girls who would always sit at the back but would study just like the other girls in our class. Just because of that reason, our seats were adjacent to the bad-boy gang, and two people in that gang had their eyes on Amaya and Ananya. Their names were Pratheek Roy and Parth Khanna, respectively. I don't hate them for doing that, but if they hurt any of my friends' hearts by being in a false relationship, I was sure that I would break their nose. Just because of that reason, those guys were scared of me as they never flirted with them