"What is Jatin up to?"A student with a statuesque figure in a dark green school uniform asked one of the two girls who were along with him as he adjusted his shoulder bag. He was looking at a group of students of similar age. These students wore a different uniform, though. Also, if one observed closely, the differences between them was not just the colour or design of the uniforms. There accessories like watches, spectacles, bags, shoes depicted a class difference.
The boy, who had a feeble physique, could be easily spotted in that group because of his distinctive uniform as he conversed with those students. The girl with an exquisite beauty turned towards the tall guy as she said, "who cares what Jatin is up to, didn't I advise you to stay away from him?"
Bhadra coughed as he looked towards the other side. Now that Aditya was not there, he did not want to lose Jatin also, even if he had his flaws. Kavya knew Bhadra's feelings, but she had her insecurities about Bhadra getting infected by Jatin's bad habits. She would instead like to see Bhadra spend time with Aditya, who was a good boy (Author: Ahem!).
Kavya looked at Anupama, who was also looking at the group halfheartedly. She noticed that Anupama was increasingly becoming distracted these days. First, she attributed this to the fact that her new friend 'Hitesh' had to leave the country. Hitesh's father was arrested on multiple charges of fraud, smuggling and even murder. His family's industry was in shambles right now. But after some time, Kavya felt like it was not the case. After a few minutes, Jatin walked back to Bhadra with a smile.
"What are you so amused about?" Bhadra curiously asked as he looked at Jatin. Jatin shook his head and said, "those guys are waiting for some popular playboy of their class who had transferred schools in tenth grade and was returning today. Do you know what's interesting about it? The playboy's name is also Aditya."
"Aditya?" Anupama eyes became focused as she looked at Jatin. Jatin looked at Anupama and said, "the boy for whom those students are waiting for is also called Aditya. It is quite a common name. It's funny how Aditya also transferred to our school after his tenth grade. Quite a coincidence."
"Yeah, how can our Aditya join school now when he did not agree when we even pleaded him so much. It should be a coincidence. Also, even if Aditya decided to come back, he would come to our school first. Why would he choose any other?" Bhadra said while shaking his head. Jatin and others nodded while disappointment flashed in Anupama's eyes. They all missed Aditya very much.
"Bhadra, them and we share the same school," Jatin corrected Bhadra with a laugh. Bhadra shook his head as he replied, "though the name and campus are same, you and I know that our education path is different. Ours is an international curriculum while it is national for them. I have seen their curriculum. It is so much more standardised and harder than ours. Both curricula follow different perspectives on education. I remember Aditya looking down on our mathematics and science syllabus when he newly joined our school, looks like he was not exaggerating."
"There is another interesting piece of information. The girl which Karan has been pursuing, I think her name was called Kumari or something. It turns out that she was this Aditya's girlfriend before he left the school. It is going to be amusing when they both meet." Jatin chortled. He always enjoyed watching such conflicts.
Bhadra's brows creased as he said discontentedly, "that idiot has not changed a bit even after all the fiasco he has caused. He was the main reason that our previous school got effectively shut down."
"This conversation is going nowhere, let us go to our class, the warning bell has already rung." Kavya shook her head and started walking in the direction of a new building in the distance. Bhadra and others were also about to follow when they heard shouts from that group which was waiting.
Bhadra and Jatin stopped as they saw a fatty riding an orange mountain cycle with thick tires as he made way towards that group.
"Why are they excited? That fatty is not the student from whom they were waiting for, right? I remember seeing him before," Kavya doubtfully asked as she looked at that group and the fatty.
Jatin laughed as he said, "That fatty is Kranthi, we have a history together. If you look closely, there seems to be someone sitting behind him. I think that's the boy who is also named Aditya...wait," it was not just Jatin who was shocked. Bhadra and Kavya also opened their eyes and mouth wide when they saw the slender figure jump from the back seat and made way for the group. Anupama's pupils trembled when she saw the person.
Aditya was regretting his decision to take the bicycle ride with Kranthi. He could not see anything in the front, and he was entirely at the mercy of Kranthi's driving skill. Also, there was no place to hold steadily with his hands, and Kranthi's body was like a cotton stuffed teddy bear which threatened to engulf him in the sea of softness, any moment.
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He knew that his old classmates were people who were mostly from middle-class families, unlike Bhadra or Jatin. He did not want to come in a luxury car or a sports bike which might make them uncomfortable. So when Kranthi proposed that he could ride on the back of his bicycle, Aditya obliged without much thought. He quickly realised that he made a huge mistake, but it was already late. So, Aditya could only hang on for now. At least, he had to buy a bicycle of his own in the evening.
Also, the school uniform, which was a white cotton shirt (half sleeves), cream coloured pants, black formal shoes and a dark blue tie felt a little uncomfortable to Aditya. It took some time for his body to adjust. He had been wearing comfortable clothes in the past few months, and the contrast between them and his uniform was big. Aditya bitterly smiled when he thought about the fact that he was currently a CEO of a startup which was worth millions of dollars. Now, he had to start worrying about homework, assignments, lab work.
A warm smile appeared on Aditya's face when he saw his friends whom he did not meet for over a year and a half. The old 160-year-old school building, with its symmetrical pillars, had a dignified aura emanating naturally from it because of being a centre for education for centuries. This old building, which was built with stones kept the classrooms cool even during the hottest time of the year. This building was a classic example of Gothic revival architecture.
The school had large playgrounds where they could play cricket, basketball and hockey. There were beautifully designed gardens with many old trees. These trees gave the best shade during the summer months. There was a large banyan tree which was planted when the school was opened. It was 160 years old and very huge with over 100 aerial roots. That was where he and Sameera, ahem, used to study.
This school was St. Joseph High school and Aditya remembered that the school motto was 'Fide Et Labore' which was a Latin inscription meaning 'Faith & Toil'. As the warning bell had already sounded, Aditya could see cute, adorable kids sprinting into the school. These sweet angels were carrying colourful bags with cartoon characters printed on them in bright colours. He could see parents looking anxiously at their children as if worried that they might fall and get hurt. Aditya's eyes dimmed a little as he remembered his parents. When he was that age, his mother would let him buy Polo mints before going to school.
Aditya had initially planned to join along with Bhadra and Jatin's school when Maahi wanted him to go to school. But after some reasoning, he decided against it as the international curriculum had many time-consuming activities like social service, researching, arts etc. The national curriculum did not have such obligations, and it was purely academic. As long as he proved that he was knowledgeable in these subjects, it could be managed even if he did not attend the school regularly.
Though Aditya agreed to go to school, there was a critical condition. He would not allow this to become a hindrance in his plans. So, Aditya chose national curriculum for studying, which made many things convenient for him. So, he joined the school which he had studied till tenth grade as there was Kranthi, Kumari and many other friends whom he knew.
Aditya took a deep breath as he suppressed these thoughts and smiled at his previous batch mates. Very few remained, and he was surprised to discover that he did not know many of these people in the group. These people seemed to have joined after he left.
He could not figure out why these people were also waiting for him. Aditya did not know that his 'playboy' legend was quite famous among the students and the whole school. After all, you usually don't find a 15-year-old boy who romanced the two most beautiful girls at the same time and got away with it.
Just as he was about to greet his mates, a soft figure slipped into Aditya's arms and hugged him tightly. Aditya heard an excited, high pitch voice, "Adi, it is so good to have you back." Before Aditya could open his mouth, a pair of soft lips planted a kiss on his mouth. The other people in the group looked at Aditya with awe as some of them whistled and cheered. A teacher looked at Aditya with a red, angry face as if he was the one who made a mistake.
Aditya's brows slightly wrinkled as he said in a low voice so that only the girl in his arms could hear, "Kumari, do you know that I can accuse you of molesting me?"
Kumari giggled as she said with a witty expression, "if this is molesting, then, what about your actions in the theatre when you dragged me to see an adult film?"
"Ahem, let's not talk about the past. Okay, so what's the reason?" Aditya asked as diverted the topic.
"There is a bug which has been annoying me a lot, so I am using you like a bug repellent." Kumari grinned as she explained while still hugging Aditya.
"You have to pay me for my services," Aditya joked as he also held Kumari firmly. He and Kumari shared many physical intimate situations, so this action came out naturally without any flaw.
"What do you think I am doing? This hug and kiss are my payments. Be thankful I am letting you touch me," Kumari snapped as she looked at Aditya as if she was doing him a favour. Her jewel-like eyes sparkled, and two dimples formed on her cheeks as she smiled. She was also wearing a uniform which was a white cotton shirt, tie and cream coloured skirt. She styled her hair into a messy fishtail braid which gave a sporty look to her.
Aditya grinned but did not refute her, "Okay, where is this bug of yours?." If Aditya did not reconcile with Maahi, he would have flirted more with Kumari. But now, he did not have the urge anymore.
Kumari pointed at a handsome boy who was standing a few feet away from them. But that handsome boy's face did not show wrath, rage or at least disappointment. Instead, it showed fear and dread as he looked at Aditya.
Aditya's eyes lit up when he saw the boy that Kumari pointed as he said, "Karan, long time no see, how have you been?"
'Wait, why was Karan here? Does that mean...' Aditya started looking around eagerly when he thought about this. He did not have to look for long before he saw Bhadra and others in the distance.
Bhadra and Jatin were grinning encouragingly while Kavya's mouth was wide open with shock. Aditya's gaze landed on Anupama who was looking at both him and Kumari.