I entered the blue door that said, “Grade 5”, and discovered that each desk already had a name placard on it. I found it to be very different from my old school, where we had free seating.
I looked around the classroom. There were yellow and green charts neatly pinned on the display boards. A big window allowed a lot of sunshine into the room, which made it nice and airy. Unlike my old school, there was a whiteboard at the front of the class instead of a blackboard and a projector too for presentations. I noticed a girl who had been getting extra attention from the other girls.
A petite girl with a soft voice called out to the girl who was getting attention. “Alisa, can we be friends this year?”
“Not this year, Vidhi, but maybe next!” Alisa rolled her eyes.
“But you had promised, Alisa,” Vidhi, the petite girl, said again.
Alisa didn’t say anything. She only fluttered her eyes and pouted her glossy lips as she stood with one hand on her hip like the models you see on television. Alisa waved to another girl and called out to her, “Meenal!” Meenal jumped to attention and ran to her. Alisa whispered in her ear, and they both laughed out loud.
Alisa’s popularity reminded me of myself in Bhaarti Bhavan. Last year, everyone wanted to be my friend because I was the popular girl.
Alisa and my eyes met; she smiled at me and I smiled back. I thought she wanted to be my friend. I decided that I was going to be a part of Alisa’s popular girls’ group. I thought it was great that the first day of school was going perfectly. A popular girl wanted to be my friend, and as for the academic side, I was positive I could show everyone how smart my brains were. I was already settling into my new school!
A tall gentleman entered the classroom.
“Good morning, everyone. I am your new teacher, Mr Kumar. Please settle down in your seats.” He smiled and put a pile of books on the table beside him. “I have placed placards with your names on your seats and I will shuffle your seats around every week, so that you all will get the opportunity to sit with a new friend throughout the school year!”
“How annoying!” Alisa whispered.
“I believe our class has gained a few new students. Would you please introduce yourselves?” Mr Kumar asked.
A messy-haired, thin boy, who was sitting behind Alisa, stood up and said shyly, “My name is Parth, and I like to play sports, read superhero books, solve math problems and play my violin.”
“Is there anything you don’t like to do?” Alisa asked.
Everyone laughed.
Parth’s eyes fell to his shoes.
“It’s wonderful that you enjoy doing so many different things. I like to read too and I bet we can exchange some superhero books,” Mr Kumar said kindly. “Any other new student?” he asked.
“My name is Simi,” I said confidently as I stood up.
“We are glad to have you at Newton International School, Simi,” Mr Kumar said.
“What are your hobbies, Simi?” he inquired.
“Like Parth, I enjoy reading and learning new things,” I said.
“This year, I am certain you are going to learn a lot of new things!” Mr Kumar smiled.
“I enjoy reading too, Mr Kumar, and I love writing short stories. I want to become an author when I grow up,” Vidhi added.
Alisa gave out a big huff! As though Vidhi’s interests didn’t matter to her.
“That’s lovely, Vidhi! Do share your writing with me,” Mr Kumar said.
“So, class, let’s begin.” Mr Kumar picked up a marker and wrote an algebraic equation in the form of a game on the whiteboard. “Let’s play with maths today.” He grinned. “Would anyone like to come to the board and solve this?” Mr Kumar asked the class.
I had been waiting for this moment! Now was the time for me to show off my academic skills and prove my intelligence to everyone in the class, especially to Alisa. Then she would surely want me to be in her group!
My hand shot up. Parth and Alisa were a second late. “Yes, Simi, please walk up to the board and solve this,” Mr Kumar said.
I neatly wrote the numbers, solving each step carefully and covered the entire board with my beautiful cursive writing. I was definitely sure that my answer was correct!
Behind my back, I heard irritated mumbles.
Excerpted with permission from Simi Stands Tall, Arti Sonthalia, Puffin Books.