The Skywalk - Part 4

Tanya woke to her mother's usual rant.
" Wake up! Wake up! You are going to miss the bus! Sleeping for more than eight hours everyday. You know, when I was your age, I used to get up at 5 in the morning and do all the work. And then look at you? Sleeping? Urgh! My goodness!  Have I given birth to female Kumbhkarni or what?! Get up. Stop testing my temper early in the morning itself Tanya. This is the last and final time."
Now, this was not something new to Tanya. She was made to hear this same old tale everyday, and in a sense, this had turned into a form of alarm for her every morning.
She opened her eyes and saw that it was 20 minutes less than the time, her mother had threatened her with.  "Pfft. And they tell us not to lie."
She grumply got up from her comfortable position of rest and slid her hand under her pillow. Her phone.
Tanya opened the few messages she had received through last night.
One was from her friend Indirani. A typical chain message-
" Wake up! It's a beautiful day. May your day be as pretty as the blooming flowers outside and as exciting as the chirping of the birds,  right outside your window. May the sun shine and bring brightness to your life. Have a beautiful day! "
The irony of hearing that on a rainy day, thought Tanya as she looked at the dark and gloomy climate outside.
And then,  there was another chain like message. This time from Mithun. 
" Mithun and chain messages?" thought Tanya. She quickly opened the message to see what it was.
"Wake up! It's a beautiful day! Kindly remind yourself not to look in the mirror and ruin this beautiful day by looking at your ugly face. Yes, you are still ugly. Good morning to you too."
What a b!#@$, thought Tanya.  A typical Mithun message. Wait till she saw him in school.  She would show him who has the ugly face then.
~~
Three years had passed since their fateful conversation at the skywalk.  And a lot had happened in these three years. Mithun and Anushka were friends again and all of them were in tenth now. Friendships had been shattered, tears had been shed, abuses had been passed and finally new friendships had begun. Skirts became shorter, hairstyles were all about spiking,  and Facebook and instagram had conquered teenage minds. Their abusive vocabulary had expanded, Barack Obama was re-elected,  and Chemistry and Maths had turned more complicated than ever before. And why not? Even a tsunami had hit Japan in these three years. Is there a need to say more?!
Tanya had kissed her mom goodbye,  taken the first bus, and gotten herself to the station. She had taken a slow train, which was empty and occupied her favourite position near the doors. She had put on her earphones and had begun to sing with the music,  her wet hair falling on her face, creating a very filmi effect. She wouldn't have admitted it to anyone, but she loved these mornings. They were hers. They were her very own.
She ran through the dark skywalk, which lacked much people, except the few homeless people here and there, and quickly messaged her mother while she crossed the road to Don Bosco School. Tanya looked up and saw that while nearly the entire building was empty, the third class in the second floor had lights. 
"Damn" she thought, and couldn't help but smile, at the beautiful morning that she was going to spend with the her best friend. She ran up the stairs, and caught her breath. She tiptoed to the class, and found a girl sitting on the third bench, head down, trying to call back her beloved friend- sleep, which she had just bade farewell to a few hours back. Tanya quietly walked over, and leaned in close to the girl and screamed-
" Gooood mooorning girl" as loud as she could and soon burst into laughter at the wonderful greeting she had just given her best friend.
Suhara Ahmed, jumped and screamed at the sudden noise which had filled the class, but didn't even have to look up before she muttered "kutti" and join her friend in their usual morning laughter.
Seldom did people turn up half an hour prior to the first bell. But Suhara, her sister Safina and Tanya always made sure they turned up earlier than that.
Suhara, was an outspoken and pretty woman. While Tanya and she had had their own share of hating each other, they had begun to respect each other the moment they had learned about the silent battles the other person was fighting. And from then on,  they had begun a blissful friendship. They understood the meaning of each others looks,  what every grin meant and every facial expression that came on their faces, for every distinct person they met. There was something so different yet special in them. While their characters were as different as the Earth and sky, they had more mutual and common interests than that which appeared before the human eye. And it was when the classrooms were empty, in those early mornings, that they would talk of every damn thing in their minds. From teachers to boys and careers to dreams and goals and beliefs.
As the sun slowly came up in those mornings, before V.D Desai road would fill up with the usual student chatter,  Tanya Mathew and Suhara Ahmed created their own tiny little world. Something they were sure would never get shattered. Something they cared not to share. Something that was their very own. But alas! No sea would ever have only a smooth tide, for these young ladies did not know of the tsunami which was preparing to strike their very own calm waters. They had no clue at all.

To be continued.