Transient Fireworks

This is the story of two kids, innocent and wild, naive and passionate.
The story will follow their trials and tribulations as they pass through the most misunderstood phase of one's life, their transition into college, their experiences at their respective job while trying to stay in touch, as friends, as lovers, as acquaintances. 

The story is about the pain of young love, the struggle to balance family and friends, the dark secrets they try to hide and the victories they achieve in trying to live their lives. Either way - YOU DECIDE.

***

Our main characters are Shyla and Veer, class 12 students facing the first toughest exam of their lives - to get into a good college, as per their parents' choice. 

Shyla, a 17-year old bookworm is dragged along to a party by a friend where she meets Veer - the handsome and sarcastic captain of the football team with no grasp of Mathematics but with an intense skill for photography. He can transform even the worst of places into a majestic landscape.

Despite a rocky first encounter, Shyla finds herself drawn to the enigmatic Veer because she knows he has something to hide. Leaving her books and thick glasses aside, for once Shyla decides to break her barrier and let Veer in.

Will this result in love or heartbreak? With their entire lives unrolling before them and the constant threat of their impending future (along with the single piece of paper that decides most of it), help them survive or let go!

***

Shyla looked at the heap of clothes before her and sighed. Partying was not her thing. 

"You absolutely have to, Shyla!" her friend Ankita insisted. "I know you're done with your syllabus."

"But I have to revise!" Shyla protested.

"For heaven's sake, your parents are out of town. This is literally the best night to go out and enjoy! For once, do get your face out of the book," Ankita persisted. 

"I barely know anyone from school," Shyla dragged on.

"Then you'll get to know everyone today!" Ankita said brightly.

"You really won't leave me alone, huh?" Shyla smiled.

"Not today."

***

Shyla stood in a corner, tugging her skirt down to hide her knees. Of course Ankita had to lend her her clothes because all she owned was practically vintage. She was never one to care much for clothes anyway. All she wanted was to get into a college that would make her parents proud. What college? It didn't matter. She had no particular aim or interest. All she did know, however, was to study as much as possible. The topper of her school, Shyla simply wanted to pass out with that title and a gold medal, if possible. She spent her days grovelling among her books. Somewhere deep down, she thought as long as she worked hard enough, anything would be possible.

Drinks flowed freely around as the party of around 150 class 12 students guzzled it down, happy to forget their worries for a while. 

Underage? It didn't matter. Some things were best kept secret. Anurag - the class prankster's parents were a rich bunch. And unknown to them, he was using their Marine Drive villa to host a  party, complete with alcohol supplied from some shady source, Shyla was sure.

She sat with a glass of Virgin Mary on her lap, observing the mad crowd around. The loud music clogged her ears and all that the dim lighting made possible to see was figures moving on the dance floor - swaying dizzily. The stench of alcohol wafted around and somebody was yelling at someone else.

Shyla sighed as she took another sip of the bitter liquid. 

"Oh my god, is it THE Shyla?" Anurag said, materializing beside her. "THE Shyla Mehra coming to MY party. I am sooo honoured."

Shyla faked a smile. He was clearly drunk.

"You're welcome Anurag. And I was dragged here by none other than your girlfriend Ankita."

"Don't tell me you're not enjoying it!" Ankita yelled from somewhere and then staggered towards them. She took the seat beside Shyla's and said, "You really shouldn't be sitting in the corner."

"C'mon, I'll introduce you to my friends," Anurag offered.

"Nah, I'm fine," Shyla said, "I like observing people."

"Gosh, does this girl need a drink or two!" Ankita exclaimed. "Make one, Anurag, will you?"

"Oh, no! I don't drink!" Shyla said, "I absolutely don't."

"Shyla! For just tonight, break that little rulebook you follow," Ankita said.

"I'll make a really really dilute on, okay?" Anurag egged her on. "You look so miserable here. Have this."

Anurag pushed a glass in her lap filled with a straw yellow liquid. Shyla looked at it and sighed.

"Just this once and I'm never doing it again, okay?" Shyla said.

"YES!" Ankita and Anurag exclaimed.

"Here goes nothing," Shyla said as she gulped it down in one go. The bitter taste sent shivers down her spine and burnt her throat until she felt a  warm glow in her stomach.

"Ah, come on," Ankita said and began pulling her by the arm, "Let's head towards that crowd of hot guys."

"Ugh, no," Shyla said, "My skirt...it's too short."

"It's the longest one I own!" Ankita said. Anurag laughed and they made their way towards a group of 4 boys chatting happily.

"Guys! Look who decided to grace my party!" Anurag waved at them and pointed at Shyla. A series of oooohs filled the air.

"If it isn't Miss Bookworm," A guy with light brown eyes and a mop of messy hair said. Shyla looked at him and felt a tingle go through her.

He's handsome,she thought. Nah, that's probably the whisky talking. 

But he was handsome. And it wasn't just the whisky talking.

"That is Veer," Anurag said, "My best friend. Veer, Shyla."

"Oh, I know her," Veer smirked, "The one with the thickest glasses in glass."

"Hey, that's rude!" Ankita punched him playfully.

"And the truth," Veer suggested.

"And these are Rahul and Naveen," Anurag introduced the two other guys. They all bade a hi, but hurriedly departed leaving Anurag, Ankita, Veer and Shyla all alone.

"Was that weird or not?" Ankita demanded.

"Yeah, it was," Veer agreed. "I suppose they're not very comfortable around Miss know-it-all."

"I'm not Miss Know-it-all," Shyla protested. "I just know more than you."

"Oh, you do?" Veer asked, "Is that why you love looking down upon people?"

"I don't do that!" Shyla's eyed widened.

"Easy, guys, easy," Anurag laughed. "Hey Veer, Ankita and I are going...somewhere more private," he added with a wink, "Do take care of Shyla, she's never had a drink before."

Before five seconds passed, they had disappeared hand-in-hand in the crowd. Shyla looked at the surging crowd all around: atleast 150 people here and I had to get stuck with this idiot?

"Aren't you glad they left you alone with the hottest guy in school?" Veer laughed as he swirled the glass of drink in his hand.

"I swear I had never seen or heard of you before today," Shyla said truthfully.

"Really? I thought I was a popular chap," Veer laughed again and Shyla wondered at how carefree it sounded. How come they went to the same school? Well, she did have only a handful of friends and barely knew the kids in her own class. Her life only consisted of her parents dropping her off to school, her jotting down notes and then them driving her back.

"You'll have to try harder than that," Shyla said.

"I can't believe they left me with you!" Veer exclaimed, "Of all the hot girls out there."

"Excuse me," Shyla interrupted, "I could say the same about you."

"What? I'm not smart enough for you?" Veer smirked. Shyla didn't say anything so he continued, "Ah, Miss Topper. You must think everyone's so beneath you."

"I didn't say that!" Shyla retorted. "I just don't think you are capable of insightful or intellectual conversation anyway."

"Define intellectual," Veer said, "And try not to give me a textbook definition."

"Well..." Shyla floundered around for words, "A conversation with meaning. Not something inconsequential, not something about trivial matters -"

"What's wrong with conversations about trivial things?" Veer asked, sipping his whiskey.

"Well, they're dumb," Shyla said flatly.

"And you're too high and might," Veer laughed aloud.

"Whaaat?"

"Really? You've never had a nice little conversation about anything and everything? A conversation at the end of which, when you think about it, you didn't really talk about anything important or discuss the national debt - yet you feel like you've grown so much closer to the person? You feel satisfied?" Veer asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Shyla mumbled.

"Don't you have friends, Miss Topper?" Veer asked suspiciously.

"I do!" Shyla protested, "Ankita."

"And?" Veer prodded.

"And..." Shyla thought hard, "Well...I guess I'm not very good at making friends..."

"Or maybe it's because you always look down upon everyone," Veer said, rolling his eyes, "I can't believe how oblivious you are. Naveen and Rahul ran away because they're scared of you."

"Scared?" Shyla asked. "Why? I won't eat them. I'm not a cannibal."

Veer rolled his eyes at her weak attempt at a joke and said, "Because of this...aura." He blew at a hair creeping on to her face and Shyla blushed a deep shade of red. Her eyes lingered for some time on Veer's hard chest and broad shoulder. What am I thinking?

Shaking her head, she said, "Tell me why."

"Because you look down on them. You're Miss know-it-all. You think you're better than everyone else here," Veer said, looking away.

"I don't!" Shyla protested loudly, "And you don't have any right to make those assumptions about me!"

And yet, deep down inside, she knew he was right. She always considered herself to be the good girl - better than everyone else simply because she got the best grades. Because her teachers said so. Shyla, you're the best student we've had in years! But they were wrong, she was a petty, selfish person, one who looked down on others, vindictive when needed. She was the nerd everyone hated because she never shared notes, she was the colleague nobody wanted because she sucked upto everyone, she was the girl who got left behind in PT class because she didn't know the value of teamwork - because she thought she was better than everyone else.

"Grades aren't a measure of how good you are," Veer continued.

"Shut up!" Shyla said crossly. She hated how he read her mind. How within minutes of them meeting, he had already figured out her weak points, that he was giving voice to her worst fears. 

"Ah, truth hurts, no?" Veer smirked, "How awful it must be to have someone acknowledge your weak points."

"SHUT UP!" Shyla yelled and before she knew it, she had slapped Veer across his face. She watched, as time slowed down, as his face shifted to his right, then he looked back at her, his eyes still impassive, his smirk still intact.

"You know nothing about me!" She yelled, spun on her heel and made her way out of the villa.

***

I can't go back alone, Ankita was supposed to drop me off, Shyla thought as she sat alone on the roof of Anurag's villa.

She felt surprisingly refreshed by the cool, salty breeze. It cleared her head as she methodically thought back to everything that had happened. Just like solving a sum, she told herself.

I am Shyla Mehra, a 17 year old girl. I have dark brown hair, pale skin (because I barely venture in the sun, I'd rather sit and read) and light grey eyes (my mother's). I am plain to look at, I wear thick glasses and I barely socialize.

It sounded good so far. 

But I am also slightly selfish, I am not good at making friends because I never valued personalities and characteristics. My best friend was Rahi, who left school 2 years back. She was my fierce competition - we were never really friends, just back stabbers trying to out do each other. For me, friendship never existed.

Ankita is my friend - at least she says so. But is she really my friend? We don't hang out a lot or exchange secrets or discuss boys. 

Do I really have a friend? Or am I everything Veer said I am? 

It got tougher. 

The breeze blew harder and the night sky, full of twinkling stars soothed her, if not provide an answer.

She cleared her mind and sat, at peace.

Once you identify the problem, you try to rectify it, she thought. That's how you solve a sum. She heard faintly a pair of footsteps approaching her.

***

 Who could the footsteps belong to?

YOU DECIDE!

It could be :

(A) Anurag

(B) Ankita

(C) Veer

(D) Somebody else

Comment your choice below and the one with the highest votes will be how the story goes!