Chapter 9: Standing Up and Letting Go
Surprisingly, the first person at school to notice my weight loss was Arjun. One noon, I was finishing Dadi’s low-fat paneer pulao, dragging my tiffin back to class. The sun was relentless, my head throbbing with hunger. Suddenly, Arjun grabbed my wrist. 'You’re dieting again?' His eyes searched mine, half-angry, half-worried.
'It’s none of your business. Arjun, let go.'
He pulled me toward the canteen. 'If you keep dieting, you’ll get low blood sugar. Don’t you remember? Planning to faint on the road again?'
I warned him: 'If you don’t let go, I’ll bite you.' I hadn’t had mutton in ages.
He let go, lips curling in a smile. 'You’re really that ungrateful?'
I stepped back, looking at him calmly. 'Bas acting mat karo.' Then I turned and walked away. For the first time, I felt free of him.
The classroom was nearly empty. Kabir was resting his head on his arms, hat slipping over his eyes. I hurried over. 'Is your stomach hurting again?'
He raised his head, voice weak. 'I wanted to go buy medicine but forgot the way. I saw you downstairs, but you were talking to a boy, so I didn’t want to bother you.'
His eyes shone with tears. 'Priya, it hurts so much…'
'I’ll go get it for you. Wait here.' I squeezed his hand. Kabir pressed his stomach, but insisted, 'I’ll go with you, so I can remember the way.'
As we headed downstairs, we ran into Arjun. Kabir lost his balance, leaned against me, head on my shoulder. 'It hurts so much, I can’t walk. Let me rest a bit, okay?'
Arjun’s gaze turned cold. The PT monitor and Riya called him from behind. The PT monitor saw us: 'Wow, Moti and Bhoot Bhaiya—what’s this?' Laughter. Kabir straightened up, voice flat: 'What did you call her?'
'Moti. Did I say something wrong? If she’s not fat, am I?'
Kabir smirked. 'Mm, you’re not fat. You’re thin.'
The PT monitor was at a loss. I quickly pulled Kabir away. Only in the infirmary did I relax. 'Thank you, Kabir. But next time, just ignore him. He won a taekwondo championship; if you mess with him, you’ll just get beat up.'
Kabir gave a barely noticeable smile. 'But he bullies you. Priya, I can’t let anyone bully you.' His words warmed me from the inside. For the first time, I felt safe.