Friends...

"Mom, my friends were all talking about going to the vibrant Basant Panchami fair."

 "So...?"

"Sooo... I was thinking, maybe I should go too."

The spring festival was on the horizon. Mom was engrossed in household chores, and I feigned enthusiasm to help her, hoping that by doing so, I could secure her permission to join my friends at the fair.

 After all, the power to grant permission rested solely in Mom's hands.

"No, no, you're not going alone," Mom, immersed in her cleaning tasks, immediately refused.

I threw the cleaning cloth onto the floor and, with determination, I seated myself next to Dad on the sofa. He was engrossed in reading the newspaper.

"Look, Dad! Mom just won't agree. All my friends are going. If I don't go, they'll feel bad.

What will they think of me?"

"Hmm..." Dad's attention was more on the newspaper headlines than on me. I snatched his newspaper. "Dad, are you even listening to what I'm saying?"

"Oh! Yes, dear, I was listening to you. Now, can I have my newspaper back?" Dad tried to take the newspaper from me, but I quickly pulled it away.

"No... first, you talk to Mom and convince her to let me go. All my friends are going," I insisted.

"No, Arya, your mother is right. You alone..." Dad began to say, but I interrupted, understanding his concern. "Oh, Dad, how many times should I tell you? I'm not going alone. All my friends are going. We'll go in the morning and be back before evening. Besides, I've grown up now, I' m in high school. Please Dad, don't treat me like a child anymore."

"Still..." Dad tried to come up with another excuse, but I began to jump in front of him like a stubborn child, "Please, Dad, please, Dad, please..."

"Alright, alright, fine," Dad finally relented, "I'll try to convince your mother, but you'll have to be responsible there, and..."

"I promise, I'll listen to everything you say," I interrupted, happily jumping up and down, stopping him in his tracks.

That day, a storm had erupted within our home. Mom was not prepared to concede, but my determination and Dad's love made her yield.

Mom called Kiran and asked her to look after me.

I mean, Kiran and I were in the same class, but Mom seemed to trust Kiran more than me!!!

"Seriously, it was such a struggle to convince my parents," Riti sighed.

"You're right, my mom and dad have entrusted Kiran with my safety," I added.

The next day, in interval time- me, Kiran, and Riti, who had recently joined our school, were narrating our stories to each other.

"I told my mom that Arya is going, and she immediately agreed," Kiran said with a laugh.

"Wow! Here, my mom doesn't even trust me, and your mom is letting you go in my name," I chimed in, and the three of us burst into laughter.

"Yeah, my parents also reluctantly agreed," Sameer, who was seated in the seat behind with Drishya, responded to our conversation.

"Really? I just told my parents, and they agreed," Drishya, who had a knack for playful banter, teased us. "You guys are still kids; that's why your parents don't let you go out," he said with a grin, and then burst into laughter in his own joke.

His witty comments always had a way of getting under our skin.

But despite it all, everyone cherishes him because he stood by us in every tough times.

Today, for the first time, I was going out with just my friends, without my parents. That day, my happiness was known no bounds.

It was a school holiday today. All of us—me, Kiran, Riti, Sameer, and Drishya—were set to head to the Basant Panchami fair at eleven in the morning. I woke up early at five in the morning, even before Mom and Dad, and got ready. I eagerly assisted Mom with the household chores since early morning.

Seeing a girl who usually slept in late on holidays waking up so early and actively helping with household chores left Mom astonished.

Kiran and Riti arrived at my house ahead of time. Mom served them breakfast, but my excitement had already taken away my appetite. However, both of them devoured the meal as if it was dinner.

After that, the three of us reached near the school where Sameer and Drishya were already waiting for us.

Drishya was dressed casually that day, but the way the sunlight made his plain white shirt shine, along with his sparkling hazel eyes and confident demeanor, set him apart from the rest.

He was looking at me....

We often spent time together at school, and he had looked at me before, but today his gaze held a different meaning.

His continuous, unwavering gaze was making me feel compelled to avert my eyes and it was accelerating my heartbeats...

And the culmination of this awkward situation came when Sameer exclaimed, "Hurry up, the bus will leave soon."

We all arrived at the bus stop, and as the bus pulled up, we climbed aboard.

Sameer, with enthusiasm, quickly snagged the seat near the driver, leaving me curious about what drew him to take that particular spot.

Kiran invited Riti to sit with us, but Riti chose to sit beside Drishya instead, and that stirred up a sense of jealousy within me.

On that day, we had an absolute blast, and I can confidently say it was the highlight of my time with friends.

As we returned home, the evening had cast its enchanting veil.

At night, my mother prepared an exquisite feast, and that evening, my parents bombarded me with questions about my first-ever 'trip with friends.'

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