**Pratapnagar Girls High School**
**Tiffin Period**
It was the tiffin break at Pratapnagar Girls High School. The classroom rang with peals of laughter and the constant chatter of girls. Everyone was eating their tiffin—some had chips, others sandwiches. A few had khichdi, some bread with jam, and one or two had simply brought cut fruit.
Someone was laughing, someone else was telling a story.
Suddenly, a mysterious smile spread across Diya's face. A naughty idea had popped into her head.
Diya, with an oddly mischievous grin, said,
Diya (eyes sparkling):
"Hey, listen… shall we do something fun?"
Tanvi:
"What now? Yesterday you were standing behind Madam imitating her walk—what's it today?"
Diya (waving her hand dismissively):
"That's old news. Today's plan is super special."
Megha (mouth full of bread):
"Just tell us already! I can't even swallow properly with all this suspense."
Diya (winking):
"Okay, imagine—we touch each other's chests and see how it feels!"
Jyoti (startled):
"Have you gone mad? What kind of fun is that?"
Diya laughed and said,
"Come on, it'll be hilarious! Just try it once!"
Megha (giggling):
"Mine are practically non-existent. But Sneha's… wow."
Diya (laughing):
"Yeah, Sneha's are really big and full. Just makes you want to touch them!"
Vaishali:
"Seriously. They're so perfectly shaped—makes even us want to grab them. Imagine what the boys must feel like! Poor guys, I get their struggle now."
Tanvi, covering her mouth to stifle her laughter, said,
"Those two mountains of Sneha's make the boys' heads spin!"
Sneha, meanwhile, had been quietly sitting on the back bench eating her sandwich. Hearing all this, the food slipped from her mouth and fell straight back into the container.
Jyoti winked and said,
"Sneha? Those two of yours look like they're stuffed with cotton! Won't you let me touch?"
Vaishali laughed and added,
"Yeah, I want to touch Sneha's too. Sneha, just a little?"
It felt as if the sky had crashed down on Sneha's head—her friends were outdoing even lesbians in their teasing.
Sneha (eyes wide, voice trembling):
"What are you all saying?! How can you talk like this in class?"
Diya (laughing):
"Oh come on, what's the big deal? You always act so innocent—it's hilarious."
Jyoti, still laughing, added,
"Who knows how many boys she's already made happy with those!"
Everyone burst into laughter at Jyoti's comment.
But inside, Sneha felt deeply humiliated and hurt.
Vaishali giggled uncontrollably:
"Actually, those things of hers are so big, you can't help but want to grab them!"
The whole group erupted in loud, wicked laughter.
"Come on, Sneha—you're our close friend, right? Won't you let us touch?" — Diya teased.
Sneha, horrified, hugged her chest tightly.
"No! No! Absolutely not!"
All the girls started laughing even harder.
Then someone shouted,
"So what? You'll let Anurag Sir touch them instead?"
Hearing that, Sneha froze completely.
Another girl chimed in,
"Yeah! He probably wants to squeeze those two of hers anyway!"
Sneha didn't know where to hide her face from embarrassment.
Diya (laughing hysterically):
"Exactly—if Anurag Sir ever grabs them one day, Sneha's dream will come true!"
Megha:
"Tell us honestly—if Anurag Sir one day says, 'I want to touch your chest a little,' would you say no?"
Everyone roared with laughter.
Sneha's face turned bright red with shame. She lowered her head and sat silently.
******
Amid the cloudy weather, the final school bell rang a little late.
After school, as usual, Kakima was waiting beside the rickshaw outside the gate. Sneha walked toward her slowly, tired eyes managing her bag.
"Come on, Ma," Kakima said with a smile.
Sneha nodded quietly. But there was something different in her eyes today. Everything that had happened during the tiffin period kept replaying in her mind.
Perhaps she wasn't particularly excited about her own birthday. No one in class had remembered the day—not even she had told anyone.
Sitting in the rickshaw, Sneha stared outside. The sky was full of clouds today.
The two of them rode home in silence.
As soon as the house gate opened—
"Surprise!"
The living room was decorated with colorful balloons and paper flowers.
On a table sat a shiny chocolate cake with white icing that read:
🎉 "Happy Birthday Sneha" 🎉
Seeing the colorful streamers, light blue balloons, and the small chocolate cake on the table, Sneha stopped in her tracks.
Surajit Kaku came forward and said,
"Today is all about you. Cake cutting, photos, eating—everything's planned!"
Sneha's Keya Kakima stepped out from the kitchen with a beaming smile:
"I've cooked all your favorites today—very delicious—Aloo Dum, Pulao, Chingri Mach!"
Sneha's eyes sparkled.
Avinash Kaku came from the drawing room and said softly,
"Your father always wanted every one of your birthdays to be unforgettable. Even if he's not here, we are."
For a moment, tears welled up in Sneha's eyes. But she quickly hid them.
From behind, Nitu Kakima came forward and said sweetly,
"Come, Ma, go change your clothes. Guests will start arriving soon. Everyone wants to see you! You have to get ready beautifully, right?"
Following Kakima's words, Sneha went to her room to change into new clothes. Outside, the evening light was slowly fading. Yellow lamplight spread through the house, and from the kitchen drifted the warm, inviting aroma of Basanti Pulao and Chingri Malai Curry.
----
Sneha pulled the door of her room shut from the inside. Through the gap, a sliver of bright light from outside slipped in, while the window curtains swayed gently in the light breeze. On the bed lay the neatly folded pink dress that Kakima had set out for her—a soft georgette fabric that shimmered faintly in the gentle light. Delicate floral embroidery adorned the neckline, tiny dangling tassels hung from the waist, and thin lace trimmed the sleeves.
She stood for a long moment staring at the dress. Then she moved in front of the mirror and slowly looked at herself. Tonight's evening seemed to be gazing back at her all of a sudden. Yet she felt it wasn't easy to present herself exactly the way she wanted.
To be continued....