Crossing the Line | Friends and Benefits by Saumya Singh - HTML preview

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Friends and Benefits

 

Ishika was eight. Raghav, nine.

They sat under a tree, like they always did. The people around them said they were best friends, but they weren’t too sure about their feelings. They sat together to discuss upon the matter.

Ishika was the one to take initiave.

“Am I the bestest friend you have, Raghu?” she asked.

Raghav made a face, “No. I hate you because you call me Raghu.”

She chuckled, “It suits you.”

“You’re really ugly too. I don’t want an ugly best friend.”

Ishika rolled her eyes, “That’s why I hate you. I am not ugly. You are.”

“I am not! Riya told me I’m handsome, and she’s the prettiest girl in class.”

“I don’t like her.”

“Why?”

“She copied my homework, then told Sarika ma’am I copied hers.”

“You shouldn’t have shown your homework to her. She’s not nice like you are.”

“You still like her more.”

“She is pretty.”

“I like Rohan the most. I wish everyone would say he and I are best friends.”

Raghav got agitated at that.

“Rohan is not nice! Much like Riya.”

Ishika pouted, “He’s nice to me.”

“That doesn’t make him nice!”

“He’s pretty.”

The wind blew softly against their skin. They looked at each other, unable to come to an end of the discussion.

Raghav took in a deep breath.

“Do you want everyone to stop calling us best friends?”

Ishika frowned. She wasn’t too sure if she had a LOT of problem in being Raghu’s best friend. But she sure didn’t like it. Also, in her opinion, Rohan would make a better best friend.

She nodded carefully.

Raghav clenched his fists in determination, then held her hands.

“Okay then, tomorrow we’re going to fight. After that Sarika ma’am is going to change our seats. I’ll say I want to sit with Riya, and you can say you want to sit with Rohan.”

Ishika’s eyes brightened. She grabbed his hands tightly as well. “That sounds great! But…

how are we going to fight?”

Raghav hadn’t thought about that. Despite the fact that they always fought, he didn’t know how to fake a fight.

“Okay, here’s what I think,” he offered, “I should steal something of yours.”

Ishika raised a brow, “What will you steal?”

“That toy truck you love?”

“No! We’re not allowed to bring toys to the school!”

“Then a pencil?”

“I won’t fight you for a pencil.”

“Do you have a favorite pencil?”

“You tell me.”

“You don’t.”

They fell into thought again. After a few seconds, Ishika was struck by a brilliant idea.

“What if I steal something of yours?” she said excitedly, “Like your Maths notebook.”

“Why would you?” Raghav was confused, “You scored a 90 in Math. I almost failed.”

“English, then?”

“You scored 82. I scored 90. I think –

“You scored 94.”

“Oh. Okay. I think you could steal my English notebook.”

“Or you could steal my Maths!”

Their eyes glinted. They clapped their hands together in a high-five. The discussion had finally come to a close.

They were going to have new best friends soon.

۞۞۞

The next day was rather dramatic.

Before Ishika and Raghav could fight each other, a boy in class teased her on being chubby. That irritated Raghav, who fought the boy on Ishika’s behalf. When the boy insulted Raghav for being too short, Ishika pulled his hair. The fight escalated to the point that the boy pulled out a notebook from each of their bags and tore it in half.

It was Raghav’s English, and Ishika’s Mathematics book.

The two returned home in tears.

The meeting under the tree was held again.

“Here,” Raghav held out a box of chocolates, “I got this for you. Are you okay?”

Ishika handed over a box of paint colours to him, “Yes. I got this for you. Are you okay?”

He nodded. They took their boxes and kept them aside.

“Let’s go to the swings,” Ishika suggested, “I don’t want to talk about school.”

Raghav nodded.

They gathered together with other kids in the park and played their hearts out. However, it didn’t feel the same. In the back of their minds, they were both worried, and kept glancing back to see that the other was fine. After a few hours, they returned to their tree, and sat down to discuss the matter at hand.

“I really hate Ashutosh,” Ishika fumed, “How dare he say mean things to us?”

Raghav grumbled, “Our parents are being called to school because of him.”

“I hope his parents really scold him.”

“I hope his section gets changed when we pass this class.”

“What about our plan to fight and change seats?”

Raghav made a face, “He tore our notebooks.”

“I hate him.”

“I hate him.”

“Raghu,” Ishika suggested, “I think we should give up the fighting plan for now. We already fought today, and if we fight each other again, our mom and dad will be called by Sarika ma’am and then we’ll really be in trouble.”

Raghav nodded, “I was thinking that too.”

“Also –

“Don’t call me Raghu.”

“And Raghu,” Ishika insisted, “I think I’m okay with you being my best friend.”

Raghav looked at her in surprise. He hadn’t thought about this before. Ishika was nice, except that she called him Raghu. It made him sound old. But in everything else, she was fine.

“I think I’m okay with you as my best friend too,” he said.

“It’s beni-benipical to stay best friends for now too,” Ishika explained.

“Beneficial,” Raghav corrected, “I agree. The exams are soon. We can’t let Sarika ma’am think we’re bad students.”

“Yeah. If my marks drop, I won’t get free chocolates anymore.”

“I’m even taking tuitions to get a better score in Maths. If I can get 80, I’ll have my own bicycle.”

“You’d lend it to me?”

“If you stop calling me Raghu.”

“Okay. Then we could even go to the Temptations parlour and buy more ice cream.”

“Without telling mom and dad!”

Ishika smiled coyly, “It would be so much fun. Are you sure you can get 80?”

“I don’t know.”

“Do you need my help?”

“Will you help me?”

“Of course.”

“Then I’ll bring my books here from tomorrow.”

They ran back hand in hand, dreaming about a bicycle they could travel the world on, saving a few rupees each month from their pocket money to buy more ice cream, and of someday making new best friends again.

۞۞۞

Part of their wish was granted when they passed and got into the next class.

Raghav was seated with Riya this time. He got a 75 in Mathematics, but was given a bicycle anyway. Ishika could maintain her top rank, but she was stuck with Ashutosh in her new class.

The bully boy, however, had changed. Ever since the series of scolding he got for tearing off Ishika and Raghav’s notebooks, Ashutosh had stopped troubling most of the kids.

After half a semester, he and Ishika even became friends.

The meetings under the tree continued. Now, Raghav had a lot to tell Ishika about Riya while Riya had a lot to say about Ashutosh. Most of the time they disagreed with each other, but they couldn’t stay angry at each other for long. After all, Raghav had the bicycle, and Ishika had more savings.

They decided to deal with each other till they found new, better best friends.

۞۞۞

Eighteen years passed.

At twenty five, Ishika stood at the railway platform waiting for the train to arrive. It was more than three hours late. Ever since she had taken up a corporate job in Bangalore, she had almost forgotten what it was like to travel by train. With memory, she had also lost her patience.

So when Raghav arrived, she slapped him on the shoulder and complained, “Next time you’re taking a plane!”

“Not as rich as you yet, Ishi,” Raghav teased. He put a hand around her neck and they walked out of the station.

“I’m not rich, but I’m definitely getting you an air ticket next time.”

“No need.”

“Then don’t ask me to wait for you at the damned railway station.”

“I will. And you should wait for your best friend.”

“I already helped you loads three months ago when I convinced your parents to let you be a comedian. Can’t do any more.”

“That is true. Thank you. You saved my life.”

Ishika looked up at him, threw his hand off her shoulder and slapped his shoulder again.

“And you! You’ve decided to marry that Trisha?”

Raghav smiled, “I have. I really want you both to get along, Ishi.”

“Don’t call me Ishi,” she snarled, “Trisha dumped you, and you were stuck in your house depressed for months. I am not over that.”

“Yes, but you know she had no choice.”

“Nobody treats my best friend that way!”

“Except you.”

“Except me, yes.”

Raghav laughed. Ishika stared at him indignantly, but smiled in return. They took a cab together.

“Here,” Raghav pulled out a pair of socks from his bag, “Your feet get too cold in the AC.

Put these on.”

“I can simply get the AC turned off.”

“No you can’t. That way I’d be uncomfortable.”

“Selfish.”

“Yes. Now put on the socks.”

She removed her heels and pulled on the socks. Once she was done, she handed over a pen to him.

“For signing autographs,” she said nonchalantly.

Raghav looked at her in surprise, “This must’ve cost you a fortune.”

“I want you to look fancy when you sign autographs,” she explained, “That way, I won’t look bad. Do you want the world to say Ishika’s friend uses lame pens?”

Raghav rolled his eyes, took the pen, and said in exasperation, “Twenty years since we’ve been friends Ishi. You really should tell me what you want from me in return.”

Ishika pressed her lips. Now that was her bestie.

“I’m marrying Ashutosh.”

Before Raghav could gasp or passout from shock, she held his hands and said fast, “That’s the reaction my parents are having. They’re stuck on him being the mean kid who tore our books in kindergarten. Please, please. Convince them for me!”

“Absolutely not!” Raghav said in horror, “And bloody hell. You can’t maary Ashutosh!”

“We’re in love. And he’s adorable. You’ll see when you meet him. Nobody’s the same as they used to be in kindergarten.”

“Please,” Raghav breathed heavily, “We weren’t in kindergarten. We were in class third.”

“Yeah, same.”

“Ishi.”

“Yes.”

“Are you sure about him?”

“A 100%.”

After the entire way was spent in argument, Ishika could finally convince Raghav about Ashutosh. Meanwhile Raghav agreed on one condition: he was going to meet with Ashutosh, assess him, while Ishika would try her best to like Trisha, Raghav’s fiancé.

Reluctantly, Ishika agreed.

Once their drive had almost reached Ishika’s house, they held each other’s hand again.

They didn’t have a tree for their discussions anymore – technology had taken that place – but they remembered the pacts and promises that they had made under that tree.

“I think we’re officially breaking our pact then,” Ishika smiled at him.

Raghav put a hand through his hair, “Thank God.”

“Thank God,” she laughed.

At fifteen, after a huge fight with their classmates, they had both decided that they would marry each other if they couldn’t find anyone else before thirty. Their logic had convinced them that the world was against their beliefs, and since the two had been failing to find new best friends for years, they were ready to deal with each other forever.

“We sure were cool,” Raghav said mockingly. Ishika nudged at him, “We still are.”

“You sure about Ashutosh?” he repeated.

“A 100%.” She said again.

“Then you promise to like Trisha?”

“If you promise to convince my parents.”

“Done.”

“Done.”

They high fived. Raghav tucked the pen she had given him inside his pocket so he won’t drop it. Ishika removed her socks.

“You know,” he commented, “You can be pretty useful.” He pointed at the pen.

Ishika grinned, “You too best friend. You too.” She looked at the socks.

The car stopped. They pulled out their bags from the trunk, took each other’s hands one more time and walked into the house, never stopping their banter.

Their search for a better best friend had finally come to an end.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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