© 2011 | Anyone Else But You… ANYONE ELSE BUT YOU… would understand that it’s not life! It’s a freakin’ game! RITWIK MALLIK | ANANYA VERMA To Aditi, And to those little flowers named Ashmi and Udita… Life... is like a box of chocolates - a cheap, thoughtless, perfunctory gift that no one ever asks for, unreturnable because all you get back is another box of chocolates. So, you're stuck with mostly undefinable whipped mint crap, mindlessly wolfed down when there's nothing else to eat while you're watching the game. Sure, once in a while you get a peanut butter cup or an English toffee but it's gone too fast and the taste is fleeting. In the end, you are left with nothing but broken bits filled with hardened jelly and teeth-shattering nuts, which, if you are desperate enough to eat, leaves nothing but an empty box of useless brown paper. ~ The X-Files Life is a game that must be played. ~ Edwin A. Robinson ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Writing a book is never easy and more so when you have to juggle it between your studies and extra-curriculars. So, the entire support system that helps me bring this book to you should be the ones acknowledged really. In comparison to their contribution, I haven’t done much really – just added a few words here and there and made the story readable. My parents form the backbone of this support system and without their guidance and motivation; it’d be really hard for me to continue writing. A big hug to my elderly grandparents – both my grandmothers have played the role of efficient PR managers and my grandfathers have always egged me to follow my heart. The attempts made by my maternal grandmother to translate my works into Bengali and the publicity provided by my paternal grandmother for both my books, have been commendable. Lots of love to my Appa, Mamu-Mami & MumMum-Cream dadu. I’m ever grateful to my aunt in Jersey, who has made sure that people read my books in the US too. All my uncles and aunts deserve a big mention for the way they’ve supported me all throughout and so do my army of cousins. I extend my heartfelt gratitude towards all my teachers who’ve truly inspired me at every sphere of my life. And some of the mentions I’d want to make here: The ever amazing Mrs. Gurleena Sikka, who has always backed me during the worst of times; Mrs. Rekha Jha, for pointing out my shortcomings in the sweetest manner possible; Ms. Renu Saxena, for being like a mother at all times and for pampering me whenever I ran short on cash to treat my valentine; Mr. Puneet Sharma, for teaching me what it is like to be dedicated towards a purpose and the ever inspiring and supportive, Mrs. Arpita Sen, Mr. Kannan, Mr. Beniwal, Mr. Ashish Singhal and Mr. Santosh Gupta. My existence would be in jeopardy if the likes Himanil, Mayank and Srishti weren’t there for me. It is hard to imagine how hard it’d be to do anything without constantly asking them for advice. Lots of love to a certain Daksha, for being there and making my life so much more beautiful. You are really really special, idiot. Remember that always… A big thank you to Aditi Verma, Runjhun Sharma, Siddhartha Sinha and Mihir Paul. I extend my warm regards to the ever loving, Ira ma’am for agreeing to go through my manuscript and point out the flaws in it. My publishers have made me what I am and I am indebted to them for the rest of my life. From the MD to the person who packages my books, every single person deserves credit for this work. Sumit Sharma needs a mention for the wonderful covers he makes. And not to forget my benevolent readers who keep on showering their best wishes and support at all times, I love each one of you. And lastly, I’d like to thank my co-author Ananya – for trying to teach me the art of perfection. Her constant jibes on my faulty grammar and “melodramatic” writing style have made me improve leaps and bounds. With all the workload, it’d be hard to imagine how I could singlehandedly go through with this book. I sincerely hope that you all enjoy this story and accept it like the way you have accepted ‘Love Happens Like That’ and ‘Because You Loved Me..’ into your lives. Ritwik Mallik My sister, I kid you not, is the best. Thank you for just being there. I cannot begin to thank you for all the times you’ve saved my a**. I’d want to thank my co-author Ritwik Mallik, who has given me the opportunity of writing this book with him. Although it is very hard to make him listen to what I am saying, he was pretty patient when it came to this book. Only we know what ups and downs this book has been through. I would like to thank my parents for helping me out whenever I have sought help. My existence would be incomplete had it not been for my best friend. Thank you for being there always, for putting up with me. We will always have that weird connection, like we do, always. Heartfelt gratitude to my teachers who have been there for me and have always encouraged me. This is my first step into the world of writing and I hope that all of you enjoy reading this as much as we enjoyed bringing this to you. All the best! Ananya Verma This story is purely a work of fiction. As a result, any resemblance to a person, living or dead is purely co-incidental. The names of characters, places and organizations are all fictional in nature and they have been used without any ill-will. - Authors PROLOGUE The aroma of freshly picked daffodils filled the air as the sunlight peeped into her office through the tinted window pane. Mrs. Meena Singhal paced the floor of her office in anticipation of some good news. She walked towards the window that overlooked the lush front lawns of the school and stood for a moment to admire its’ beauty. When she had first entered this school as a Physics teacher, seventeen years back – it was this very lawn and its beauty that had caught her attention. The dream to be the Principal and the passion for the job of teaching was as strong then as it was now but something about the school, its’ lawns, the then-Principal’s office had appealed to her and that appeal was yet to recede. She had some fond memories of her first year, way back in the Summer of 1993. The then Principal, Mr. Chavan showed her around the school that was not yet fully built. Void of a Senior wing, she remembers how Mr. Chavan insisted that she put forward her ideas, her inputs and opinions regarding what all could be done to help the school expand and grow. The graciousness and display of respect by a Civilian Award recipient educationist towards an ordinary first-day teacher was commendable according to Mrs. Singhal. And she pledged that from that day on, she would not only be an excellent teacher but a warm hearted mother and an approachable friend to all the hundreds of students she would teach in years to come. And the results were instant, her popularity grew. Students swore by her name and in the process, the respect she was entitled to, became unmatchable. A couple of years later, she was entrusted with certain administrative responsibilities of that of a Coordinator which she fulfilled to perfection. A Head of the Department post followed and by the time she was about to complete her sixth year, she was already being talked about as a possible replacement for the soon to be retiring Mr. Chavan. And the much expected call came; May 2000, Mrs. Meena Singhal officially took over as the Principal of the Delhi High School, thus taking over from a person, a premier educationist who had left behind a legacy of sorts. If one felt that the hard work had borne fruits, it wasn’t to be as the hard work would now be needed.