A Bundle Of Contradictions

Today is a special occasion, everyone.

It's not every day that your oldest best friend turns seventeen.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, my oldest best friend, Anushree Natraj, turned seventeen on 4th of November when the clock struck twelve!

I know that the previous line sounds quite dramatic, but such nautanki dialogue are allowed on such special days, nai?

***

Let's begin with a few stories, shall we?

It was nearly twelve years ago (yes! That long!) when I first met Anu.

I don't remember the exact date or the exact moment when we actually met because childhood memories are so distant and so blurry — you hardly remember anything at all.

It's kind of like being drunk, to be honest.

What I do remember about that hazy period was that Anu and I were new girls in our old school. And I do remember that we were in the same class (G Division!) and we had managed to become good friends (you know, the hi-bye-and-play-for-a-while kind, not the ones who exchanged friendship bracelets…

A dear friend of mine had once quoted, "You feel the loneliest in a crowd." 
Two weeks ago, I believed it wholeheartedly. I was someone who wouldn't really interact with people. No, I wasn't an introvert. I was someone who would think ninety-seven times before I said something. I was someone who often thought excessively about what everyone else thought about me. 
But everything changed since the first day of camp. 
The minute I stepped inside the school campus, I thought, Why don't I stop giving a damn about what people thought about me? I'm here to make friends, not weigh my questions!? Why don't I just be myself? How does that sound? 
Enough about me, now. 
It's you guys who made everything all the more worthwhile. 
I had apprehensions. I thought that all we would have to do was learn, learn and learn. I thought a lot of the kids who'd come would be snooty. I thought that I would be utterly isolated. 
Boy, was I so wrong. 
This camp was one of…