Still at Mia’s school
“Because she will lose as a matter of fact both of you would lose too badly, whether she is on your team or not” Bella rudely intruded in their conversation.
“Learn to shut up when no one talks to you. I didn’t ask you so mind your business and walk away” Lakshmi was moving closer to bella and Mia was sure Lakshmi was about to attack her so she stopped her.
“Let’s just go and have lunch. ” Mia gave a gentle smile as she held Lakshmi’s hand and walked to the canteen.
Mia had already begun eating when she noticed that Lakshmi had a long face.
“You” was the only thing Mia could get herself to say.
“Just leave me alone. I don’t know why you don’t want to join the dance competition with me, now you have made Bella to mock me” Lakshmi folded her hands on her chest, she looked very upset but yet Mia giggled as she ate and dropped her spoon.
“And what’s funny to you?” Lakshmi was more upset.
“They will laugh at you even more if I join the competition with you because I can’t dance and I don’t like music and I hate dancing” Mia was moving back and forth on the chair.
Lakshmi smiled, for a moment she had forgotten that her friend was autistic and she wouldn’t be able to do all these things.
“Well it’s okay then, but you will have to listen to music for my sake and it would just be for a short period of time” Lakshmi stretched her hand over the table that was between herself and Mia so that she could touch Mia’s hand.
Mia tilted her head towards the right, she was now fond of doing that anytime she was confused or was in a situation where she had to have eye contact with the person she was talking to.
“But why?” Lakshmi helped Mia to ask because she knew that was what she wanted to say.
Mia nodded her head as a yes.
“So you can help me practice” Lakshmi smiled as she let go of Mia’s hand.
“But I can’t dance,” Mia protested with a side smile on her face.
“I know but you are able to know if someone is good or not so yes you will help me” Lakshmi shrugged and stuffed her mouth with food.
“I just need to get two other students to join me so” Lakshmi swallowed her food harshly and that made her throat ache for a short while before Mia handed her a glass of water.
“You need to chew your food slowly so you can grind it well before you swallow unless you are going to hurt yourself” Mia advised Lakshmi who was still drinking the glass of water.
Before Lakshmi could say anything, loud music was playing in the background and both girls fixed their eyes to where the music was coming from, it was Bella, she had already assembled three other girls that were to perform with her and they already had cool dance moves.
Lakshmi was quite stunned and Bella didn’t stop using her eyes to mock Lakshmi while she was dancing. Soon the dance was over and Bella and her crew walked up to where Lakshmi was having her lunch.
“Can’t wait to beat you looser” Bella
smirked and walked away quickly with the girls. Angered Lakshmi abandoned her food and Mia at the table. Mia just couldn’t understand why Lakshmi was getting upset about the whole issue, Bella danced very well and they were almost flawless on the dance floor if not for a few mistakes they made, that was hardly noticeable. Mia went after Lakshmi.
“Why are you upset?” Mia asked Lakshmi as they walked to class.
“Nothing” Lakshmi lied.
“That is not true. Maybe you are just jealous she already has a crew and dance moves, jealousy is a common human characteristics” Mia pointed her finger to nowhere in particular and pressed her lips together.
Lakshmi just smiled at the guts Mia had to be so blunt.
” Well maybe I am,” Lakshmi shrugged.
After school
“Common Mia hurry up” Lakshmi kept on persuading Mia who was flipping her textbook and jotting something down on her note book
“I need to finish this before we start” Mia kept on writing as fast as she could.
“But it’s getting late and soon you will tell me you have to go home” Lakshmi was sad
“I’m done now so how do we start?” Mia closed her text book and kept it gently inside her school bag.
“Ok first we have to..” Lakshmi couldn’t finish her sentence when Mia started to move the class desk to one side of the room.
“What are you doing?” Lakshmi looked at her.
” I am creating space so you can have more room to practice your dance” Mia continued until she was done.
Suddenly, Lakshmi paused to look at her watch.
“It’s 5 o’clock you have to go now” Lakshmi informed Mia as she picked up both their school bags from the floor.
“You don’t have a crew. You can’t be the only performer, it’s against the rules” Mia looked at the door knob as they were about to head out.
“I know that, I would have had one member by now if only you had agreed to join me” Lakshmi turned to look at Mia, pleading with her eyes.
“It’s a shame” Mia shrugged and continued her walk. Lakshmi’s driver had been waiting for over an hour and 30 minutes.
“Welcome ma’am” Lakshmi’s driver ushered her into the car but she didn’t even act as if someone just spoke to her. It was after the car had driven some distance away that Lakshmi remembered that she was supposed to drop Mia at the orphanage.
At the orphanage
Mia was in for a surprise, the little girl that she made the kite for ran to hug her the moment she arrived from school.
“Welcome, I have been waiting for you so I could thank you for giving me another kite. It is beautiful, I love it ” the girl hugged Mia’s knee as she was still very short.
“Ok” Mia walked into the orphanage and met them having lunch and as usual she didn’t have lunch with them.
She was still trying to organize her things after having her bath when the little girl brought some food for her.
“Aren’t you hungry?” The girl handed the tray which she could barely carry over to Mia.
Mia looked at the girl with confusion, she thought of how the girl changed her attitude towards her instantly all because she made her a kite. It was the same girl that didn’t want to talk to her, that didn’t even want to look at her, suddenly the same girl was bringing her food, all that was unbelievable to Mia.