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 “You get lost please”

“What?”

“Yes you heard me”

Yes, that’s what Nat said and slammed the door on his face, and then she walked 2 miles all the way to her house.

“Wow! I mean that’s the reason they’ve not been talking to each other for a week”

“Yep, you heard me.”

“Damn!”

 “So are we going to get a ride today, is Sam coming to pick us?”

“I guess, I mean I’ve never seen two best friends fight dragging this long.”

“Best friends? Aren’t they like into each other, I mean okay! I’ve been introduced to your group like last year but pretty much I could see is… you know.”

“The whole goddam school knows”

I will tell you a story; I know Sam even before Natalie came into this picture. We used to be neighbors, and then coincidently we happen to be in the same high school later. So as we were kids we played basketballs under the bridge, attached to the end of the bridge there was a house, for us a haunted house. So after the game we always played another game, purely wannabes teenager game; the dare. So it was Sam’s time to give us a dare, he dared to go into the yard of the house and pluck all the bananas and give it to him, he loves bananas by the way. 

So not a single person agreed our parents already prohibited us from terrace-passing that property. The reasons were not only paranormal but rather the owner, who was mentally abnormal; he visited his property every weekend and never liked kids hanging around. We all disagreed with Sam but he always had to unnecessarily quench his point, he went all alone and jump-off the barbwire. I and all the kids were waiting for about 15 minutes but we had no clue about him, so we decided to check on him, we entered his property making our herd, and what we see is Sam unconscious fallen on the ground near the backside of the wall.

“Damn! Are you serious?”

But here is the best part later when we asked him in the evening what happened he replied saying he felt a vigorous push,

“Whoa! The haunted one?”

Obviously not, I saw there was a broken piece of metal attached on the wall, might be for safety purpose but it was ruined and mainly bent by someone, so I saw his shoe hanging in those metals, so basically when he tried to jump over he got himself stuck in those metal and he felt that someone had a hold on his legs, but Sam to this date he never agrees, he just wants to stick to his version of paranormal activity.

“That’s obstinate behavior.”

“He is way more bro, see now you see my point he is a good person …but”

“Yeah! Definitely a good person”

“But only if you are good to him”

“Ohh Yeah, seems like. So that’s what this wrangle is all about.”

“What you mean?”

“I mean his personality trait, I guess” 

“No! If our POTASSIUM boy here is obstinate then our girl is WATER.”

“What do you mean?”

“You do not attend Chemistry, do you?”

So here is it, a very first year of high school we all newbie looking around learning new thing engaging in friendship, and our banana boy, the potassium boy caught sight…

“Of what?”

Of a sight when his heart might have skipped a beat, his brain triggered a surge of adrenaline into his body, which instantaneously activated all his senses to gather at an unidentified discovered relic…

“Man! Wait what are you saying?”

He saw Natalie for the first time, and he was mesmerized. I could clearly see it, bro, in his changed body language, in his behavioral routines and our changed go-to spot was suddenly a bus stop after school, why would a guy with a car need to stand on a bus stop? We did not literally were standing near the bus stop but he convinced me the café across the bus stop is a gem…

“Oh really?”

It sucks! The worst coffee I’ve ever had bro, but getting back one fine day she caught us I mean him. She discovered the daily spectating and unusual glances, she faced him…

“What?”

Yes! He was standing opposite to café near the bus stop, I know it sounds too creepy with a pinch of cliché but our potassium boy lacks social skills and he’s oblivious to the fact of approaching but has a good heart. She confronted him and asked

“Why are you following me?”

  She asked with annoyance.

“Ah… are you talking to me?”

  Holding palpitating heart he responded.

“Don’t you play around; I’ve been noticing you around me so spit it.”

  She said angrily

“I don’t know you ma’am I just come here to buy bananas”

  He said while pointing at the street fruit vendor right behind her far away.

Well despite not wanting I had to get involved and calm the ambiance down a little bit, after that it was very obvious encounters in high school premises while walking around changing classes. Now we finally introduced ourselves in a good manner and misunderstanding vanished. Slowly days are gone and we exchanged good vibes together, for him a little too much and I noticed she is sailing with him in the same boat, so I always gave them space.

One afternoon we decided to go on camping to ‘Alpine Lake Campz’, she loves to swim, by the way, state-level champion. The plan was all set for the weekend but before that, she went sick with cold and fever, that was not good we had three more days though she recovered a little bit I obliged her not to enter in the water, she was not fully recovered yet Sam did the same but she is a female version of Sam and refused our caring proposal. When we finally reached she with great respect disobeyed our command, I mean she did not listen and went into the water, the camping area was pretty much cold at night so we made a born-fire, but…

“But what?”

She was down with fever again and we had to rush her into the local hospital, and the best part she refuses the reason for everything was due to getting into the water.

“Damn, that’s some crazy people”

“Yah but she is nice”

“Yah yah very nice”

“Yes, they both are nice”

“Pretty much”

 “Adam, what happened last week? why they are still fighting?”

When you were gone on your tour, it was just me with them and as per the route, even though Nat’s house was near to mine, he always dropped me first then Nat but he took another route and dropped her first, I could feel the unwanted tension between them and I sensed they had differences before school maybe the last night they went for drive-through cinema, something might have happened there.

But the next day, after the day he dropped her first I somehow convinced and brought them together thinking it will fade but I felt like I aired the ongoing fire when I call both of them at my place without them acknowledging that the other one is invited too, they started arguing and opposing behaviors. I tried stopping them but no.

So fast-forward to two days our morning routine was demolished and I took a bus to the school and figured that Sam was on the bus and after 2 stops saw Nat on our same bus, I was startled damn but at least not in a car but somehow we are going together, I asked Sam where is his car and he said up to the garage, I believed but later I saw his car outside of his house so he was just on the bus for her, I mean if you care so much just finish it off why to make a detour in an unexpected expedition. Throughout the whole bus ride, we all talked but they both did not even have eye contact for a second. Nat and I giggled but at that time he was looking in the other direction, Sam and I discussed but without Nat’s involvement, so you get it right?

This continued for straight two days and again we were at my place, it was late so I offered them both a ride as my dad was home already easily accessed car and we could chill outside a little bit. We decided to get something from the store and eat outside while driving them home, Sam told me his stomach is upset so he will not go with the bread. Somehow I was supposed to go inside the store but an unexpected call asked me to stay inside the car while Sam has his head down on the dashboard so Nat went to the store, as she came I finished my call and apologized as I was supposed to go then we parked our car under the tree and had some packed sandwiches and muffins, what I see next is some Pepto tablets inside the bag. Did you see it? Covered in all this fuss on my call I forgot that Sam mentioned his stomach ache and choose not to eat bread, there were bananas to soothe digestion and some ginger and mint drinks. So she cared about him I felt bad for not considering what he said but felt good when she did all that.

“That’s straight out of a Korean drama”

“No that’s what happened, you know Ali what’s missing between them?”

 “Umm, a sense of consideration that they both like, or rather love each other?”

“No, just a romantic proposal will sort it all out”

“They both somewhere knows that they like each other but they don’t express”

“Maybe expecting another one to initiate”

“Something like that”

“Keeping all that aside, why are we waiting if Sam is not going to come?”

“He must, he will, in fact now I think not just alone but with Nat”

“Well looking at this cold war seems impossible”

Two days back in school Nat was about to attend a guest lecture it was probably very long, she just told me she left her water bottle inside Sam’s car and requested me to get it, so I went towards parking I knew Sam must be hanging out with his basketball team. I went there and I see is Sam filling up Nat’s bottle with the water bottle he purchased from the cafeteria, I went near and asked for the keys so I could get the bottle, I know it is a very small thing but says a lot. You know little things make big difference and it’s not just that due to an ongoing cold war their behaviors are this, I’ve seen them doing things the same way, caring for each other just the difference now is that they don’t communicate. And Mr. Ali here is my prediction look Sam is her.

“He is here but I don’t see Nat”

“Boooooooo!”

Natalie popped out from the backseat startling Adam and Ali.

“Jeez, Nat!”

Adam responded

“You scared the shit out of me”

Ali said while holding his breath

“Hop-in guys we are getting late for school”

Sam said while unlocking doors

Sam just drop Adam and me right at the gate, you guys wait in the parking lot we will get project sheets and join you guys.

“Seems no problem to me”

  Sam responded to Ali

“Yeah will catch up with you guys in 10minutes”

  Said Ali while waving at them

Okay Adam what just happened, I mean the reason I asked him to drop us at the gate was so that I can know, how you were so sure? I mean you told me everything about them and it was no wonder that they will need third-party involvement to sort things out, how they seem so happy, I mean I am happy for them but it’s very different than what their personalities are.

I knew Ali you must be wondering, you are very right there is a third-party involvement. Do you remember I told you about when I went to drop them off when he was suffering stomach ache? So later that night I dropped Sam and decided to check on the project and presentation files, I was concern amidst all this if he was not concentrating then, I was ought to get an ‘F’ in the test. So while he was resting I went through his PC, and guess what I found?

“What was it?”

 It was a small video consisting of short videos and photos created by Sam, it projected Nat and Sam’s very beautiful moments together, it also had a small recording of Sam’s poem written for Nat at the very end, and mostly it was in confessing manner. I wasn’t supposed to be in that place and go through his personal stuff but it was laying right inside the project file. So an idea bloomed inside my mind and I decided to drop a copy of that video into Nat’s pen-drive, technically which was suppose to be with Sam he took it for project purposes, I gave it to her saying we are done with the project and Sam asked me to give it to her.

“Oh, my boy! Damn you played the game”

So Nat must have thought Sam gave it to her, you see they are happy together just waiting for another one to take initiative first. Somehow they will know that it wasn’t done by them but us but till that let them both know how important it is to express ourselves before it's too late.

“Yeah you are right, but wait for us? You did it without my involvement”

I am not talking about this Ali; I am talking about what you are going to do now. Whatever I did it was from Sam’s side to Nat, now we want something from Nat’s side to Sam. igniting both souls will enhance consideration in the right proportion.

“I am not sure what you said, but if you say so”

And I am sure Nat must have not talked to Sam about video yet so before she does let’s do it, let’s finish it off before the ultimate collision of POTASSIUM and WATER begins…

 Story by- rohit jagtap.