f o u r [ h e l i u m ] - part 1

GLOSSARY:

Thambi - little brother (can be used in both a literal sense but also a way of addressing a boy/man younger than yourself).

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BOOKMANIAC12'S WORDS ECHOED THROUGH ME though it's been more than a day since she said. Unlike lucky students of the western countries, we only had Sunday as the 'weekend.' Saturday was also a full working day so I had to waste my precious one day off from school to try and figure out her name.

For a long time?

Heck, was that even a clue? If so, it's a really unfair one because I know countless names since I was old enough and to pick a single one from it—BookManiac12 is totally unfair.

Trying to work on my quiff and realising that it was pretty much useless, I just combed the hair a little back so that it wouldn't fall on my eyes.

And since my parents had to leave early from some business thingy, I tied my tie myself and though it looked more than pathetic, I set to school.

With dark bags under my eyes, my crinkled uniform shirt, which looked like it hasn't been washed for months after being used as a body wipe by a really filthy hippopotamus, covering my torso, already baggy pants hanging more baggy around my hips, a tie which was knotted more or less like a suicide rope around my neck instead of a tie and an unpolished black school shoe that had mud all over it, I walked out of my room.

Our head servant, Mani looked like he just saw a ghost when he took my unkempt appearance. Obviously I looked like a broke, homeless guy wearing his 'worstest' (not a word, but I like to imagine myself as the next Shakespeare) clothes ever.

"Thambi..." he dragged as he looked up and down, too shocked for his own good.

I flashed him a smile and started walking towards the gates but he stopped me.

"You're going to school looking like that?! Madam will kill me if she comes to know I sent you to school like this. Please go change it at once."

I looked at the tiny old man who had been serving my family long before I had even born and who's wife was my babysitter during my diaper days till I went to Riverside.

"Tell her that I was in a hurry if she asks anything." I smiled again as I patted both his shoulders.

And before the old man could stop me, I shot him a salute and almost ran out of my gate.

*

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*

"I couldn't figure it out," I announced as soon as I sat in my place, my body turned to meet BookManiac12's corpse eyes.

She didn't reply but for a fraction of a fraction of a second, and I seriously don't know if I imagined it, her eyes had something like disappointment.

"Don't you think you're being unfair?" I asked as I sighed, "all I want is to know your freaking name. What's in that?"

BookManiac12's eyes hardened, if that was even possible with her already corpse eyes.

"Yeah, be all enigmatic and mysterious," I muttered before turning around.

"Dude, I can always tell you," Yuvan said in a sing-song voice and I just shook my head.

To be unbiased, Yuvan and I had no need to give snarky remarks to each other but it's all because of BookManiac12. I want to know her more and he wants to brag about knowing her more. And suddenly I felt something close to anger when I realised that I'm being a jerk to a potential friend for some girl I met on wattpad.

Wow, anger.

Anger has never been in my dictionary as hard as it seems. And here I was, borderline angry because of such a petty thing as knowing a girl's name.

Oh well, if she's being so stuck up, let her be that way. I won't bother anymore. Even I have a limit and I think eight and a half days (plus the one day before I came to school) of begging to a stranger is enough.

"Good morning, Varun," Boomi called from behind me. She wasn't there when I talked to Book— her best friend. Call me childish, but I was mad and if she doesn't even want to share a simple thing as her name, I don't think I'd address her with her pen name.

Unlike my usual self, I just waved my hand once without even turning.

"What's wrong?" Boomi asked confused and when I didn't reply, from my peripheral vision I saw her smack Yuvan with a notebook.

"Ow! What the hell is your problem, woman?" he hissed rubbing the back of his head where she had attacked.

"Did you spread your jerk fever to our sweetheart, Varun too?"

"Shut up," Yuvan growled and before Boomi could retort, our class teacher (homeroom teacher), entered our class.

And like that, the day continued and though I felt a pair of eyes on me now and then, I knew it wasn't from the girl who shall not be named.