1 CHAPTER 1: THE MEMORIES

It was a bright sunny day. And the 1st day of the academic year for the class of 10"D". There was an air of excitement in the air. Everyone was happy, but for different reasons. Some were happy to have passed somehow and be promoted, while some others were happy to meet their friends after post exam holiday. Some were happy that none of their friends has failed while rest were happy to be in a new class. One thing was common among them all I.e everyone was anxious to know about the new student joining the class. Her name was Priyanka Snehal. She was the only addition to that year's 10th batch. Every boy in the class wanted to be her friend as she was insanely beautiful and every girl in the class was jealous of her beauty.

But among all this, there was this one boy who was sad. This boy was Vicky, the topper of the class and school vice-captain. He was sad because the girl's name - Priyanka - had triggered some very old and forgotten childhood memories of his childhood best friend Priya.

He started going into a flashback, remembering all those sweet memories. Priya was their neighbour when they stayed in Ludhiana. They were both 8 years old and studied in the same class. They did almost everything together, from going to school together on their small bicycles with side wheel stands (Vicky was always late yet Priya always went him) to playing together (Priya never liked losing so Vicky always lost knowingly to make her smile), from praying together in the evening to doing their homework together. They were always together, in mischief and scoldings, in fun and sorrow. They were by definition, best friends.

But like every good thing has to come to an end, this friendship also had to come to an end. Vicky's father was a bank officer and was transferred to Kolkata (then Calcutta). His parents became busy with packing and also with getting TC for their son. Vicky was terribly confused about what was happening. For as long as he could remember, he had always stayed there and his small child mind could not comprehend this thing called transfer. The only thing that bothered him was that he was going away from his best friend. But his parents didn't understand him. They thought it was childish and knew that it will be forgotten as time passes.

As the day of their moving started coming closer, Vicky started crying more and more. He begged to his parents not to transfer to another place. He promised that he will be a good child and won't do mischief again. But his father couldn't do anything. This transfer came with a promotion to head office in Kolkata for which he had worked so long. During this time, Vicky became very angry at his parents and started spending more and more time in Priya's house. Their parents also let it go as it was just a matter of few days.

And finally the moving day came. All the families of the entire building had come out to say goodbye to the Mehras'. They had become very friendly with all their neighbours over the last 5 years. After putting all their luggage in the moving truck, when they were about to leave, they realised that Vicky was missing. They went to Priya's home but couldn't find him there too. They asked Priya(who was crying too), the whereabouts of Vicky. Priya knew her best friend really well. She took them to the roof of their building where they found Vicky sitting on the wide parapet wall. They tried everything, from gifts to threats but failed to move him from his place and could not force him as it was a very dangerous place and only 1 could go there and certainly not a well-grown man.

That's when Priya went down on the wall. Everyone was screaming for her to come up and it was dangerous but she won't listen to anyone. Her friend needed her and she was the only one who could console him. She was able to get him on the roof after getting a promise from his parents that they will allow both of them to meet once a year and be connected with each other through the mail.

Both the friends departed, with the memory of the sweet hug they shared. That single moment was the most treasured memory Vick had. He was both happy and sad. He felt something he never had felt before. Till the present day, he had never felt like that. That was the last time he saw or talked with her. After moving to Kolkata, he wrote many letters to Priya and gave to his father to post. But there was no reply mail from Priya. His parents told him to get over her and he had, until 3 years ago, while cleaning the storeroom, he found all his letters that his father had supposedly sent. He asked his father about it, on which his father revealed that Priya's parents considered him a bad influence for their daughter and had asked him not to ever send any letters and they will also do the same from their end. That day he cried a lot, for what he had lost.

He had lost his friend to his parents.

He tried searching for her but without remembering her surname, it was hard searching on FB. He had given up hope that he will ever see her again. And in that hopeless moment, with all options failed, he suddenly realised that Priya was his 1st love.

The end of the period bell had woken him out of his flashback. He saw that the class was already over. He cursed himself as he will have to borrow notes from others. Then his class teacher introduced Priyanka to the entire class and that all should make her feel comfortable. Then she turned to Vicky and told that it was his responsibility as the class monitor to make sure that Priyanka was comfortable and he was to make her Transition smooth. He just nodded like an obedient child.

After teacher left the class, Vicky went to Priyanka, introduced himself and then they did a formal handshake. Vicky felt a sudden jolt to his heart and went suddenly into a shocked state as if that touch was what was missing from his life and finally it came back to him. Priyanka then picked up her bags and came to sit near him. It was a general rule in the class that no boy would sit near a girl. But nobody had the guts to say that to Priyanka, not even Vicky. And that's how Vicky and Priyanka met.