It was time for my class XI exams and I didn't know what to do. I remember the trouble that had been caused in my life when my previous year's results were out. The shouting, the screaming and the tears of agony; only my friend had understood me then. Lavanya and I have been best friends right from the beginning of our life and through all these years we proved to be inseparable from each other. She was a very bubbly girl who made me forget all my worries about the exams and had always helped me to escape trouble. Lavanya had not particularly been a very good and introvert girl but there was something about her that assured that she'd never do anything wrong. I was so sure of this fact that the call I received that evening struck me with despair.
"Just don't say anything right now, I've done something wrong. I need to meet you now, come over to my place... " I heard an urgent voice speak through the receiver. Before I could even place the words in my mind to understand what my friend had meant, I heard Lavanya shut me out from her secret world with a bang. I quickly rushed out of the house, making some fowl excuses about having the need of getting some extra notes from Lavanya.
Lavanya was alone at home that day and let me in through the back door, least something went wrong. there was a change in her usual calm and composed manner today. She hurried over to shut all the windows and lock both the entrances and pulled up a chair to sit beside me. She seemed to be hesitant to speak the whole truth and yet wanted to share it with someone. Lavanya had been staying back after school for tennis team selections till five o'clock in the evening and had spotted ma'am.Sengupta, our class teacher working in the staff room. She made out that she must have been making the last corrections in the papers before handing it over to the Principal. Lavanya had been watching her for a while and when the teacher went out and made for the Principal's office, she ceased her chance. My friend broke down at that point and refused to let out any more information about the evening. But I could very well imagine what must have happened next. Lavanya handed me a piece of paper where she had copied down some of the important questions when our class teacher had left the room for a while.
I stared at the piece of paper with disbelief and could feel anger rising inside me. But how could I leave my friend when she needed me the most? I looked into her eyes and commanded her to just destroy the paper but was interrupted by her sharp straight forward rejection to my suggestion. Lavanya had lost all her senses of thinking and now seemed to have a new plan taking form in her mind. At hearing her proposal to team up in this I looked at her to assure if this was my friend Lavanya I was talking to and not just another crook I was talking to. I got up and left the deadly house, sick of the hideous things that were in store for someone in there.
On reaching home, I shifted my mind from the evening's events and concentrated on my exams, aiming to prove Lavanya that cheating was not the ultimate way to achieve success.
Days passed as swiftly as the winds and I found myself seated in the hall along with my batch mates. Lavanya sat a few rows ahead me avoiding my gaze. Our friendship had come to an end with the beginning our exams. In a few moments the results for our exams would be announced together with some announcements about special awards being awarded to some girls. Our Principal's heavy voice cut in through my thoughts and brought me back to reality. The results were soon announced and surprisingly my name was announced for being awarded the all rounder. As I walked off the stage with my award I stole a look at Lavanya, who had narrowly escaped the misery of failing. The look on her face moistened my eyes. Walking back to my seat through the heavy applause I should have been feeling on top of the world but something made me want to rewind back to that day and shield my friend from the trouble. The award in my hand made me feel elated, successful at being to emerge out of a cocoon and make a mark as a butterfly. Yet my heart ached to cry out aloud, feeling sad and unsuccessful at being able to prove as a true friend and to help my friend out of the wrong done.
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By
Shruti Chakraborty
http://www.facebook.com/closeupindia
"Just don't say anything right now, I've done something wrong. I need to meet you now, come over to my place... " I heard an urgent voice speak through the receiver. Before I could even place the words in my mind to understand what my friend had meant, I heard Lavanya shut me out from her secret world with a bang. I quickly rushed out of the house, making some fowl excuses about having the need of getting some extra notes from Lavanya.
Lavanya was alone at home that day and let me in through the back door, least something went wrong. there was a change in her usual calm and composed manner today. She hurried over to shut all the windows and lock both the entrances and pulled up a chair to sit beside me. She seemed to be hesitant to speak the whole truth and yet wanted to share it with someone. Lavanya had been staying back after school for tennis team selections till five o'clock in the evening and had spotted ma'am.Sengupta, our class teacher working in the staff room. She made out that she must have been making the last corrections in the papers before handing it over to the Principal. Lavanya had been watching her for a while and when the teacher went out and made for the Principal's office, she ceased her chance. My friend broke down at that point and refused to let out any more information about the evening. But I could very well imagine what must have happened next. Lavanya handed me a piece of paper where she had copied down some of the important questions when our class teacher had left the room for a while.
I stared at the piece of paper with disbelief and could feel anger rising inside me. But how could I leave my friend when she needed me the most? I looked into her eyes and commanded her to just destroy the paper but was interrupted by her sharp straight forward rejection to my suggestion. Lavanya had lost all her senses of thinking and now seemed to have a new plan taking form in her mind. At hearing her proposal to team up in this I looked at her to assure if this was my friend Lavanya I was talking to and not just another crook I was talking to. I got up and left the deadly house, sick of the hideous things that were in store for someone in there.
On reaching home, I shifted my mind from the evening's events and concentrated on my exams, aiming to prove Lavanya that cheating was not the ultimate way to achieve success.
Days passed as swiftly as the winds and I found myself seated in the hall along with my batch mates. Lavanya sat a few rows ahead me avoiding my gaze. Our friendship had come to an end with the beginning our exams. In a few moments the results for our exams would be announced together with some announcements about special awards being awarded to some girls. Our Principal's heavy voice cut in through my thoughts and brought me back to reality. The results were soon announced and surprisingly my name was announced for being awarded the all rounder. As I walked off the stage with my award I stole a look at Lavanya, who had narrowly escaped the misery of failing. The look on her face moistened my eyes. Walking back to my seat through the heavy applause I should have been feeling on top of the world but something made me want to rewind back to that day and shield my friend from the trouble. The award in my hand made me feel elated, successful at being to emerge out of a cocoon and make a mark as a butterfly. Yet my heart ached to cry out aloud, feeling sad and unsuccessful at being able to prove as a true friend and to help my friend out of the wrong done.
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By
Shruti Chakraborty
http://www.facebook.com/closeupindia