PART II - The day CPT results were announced! – Results a day in advance!

Nishant asks me ‘kitna mila’? I mean come on, I say, isn’t the result due tomorrow? This line enlivens all those standing around me. They ask which result am I blabbering about. Some fake fright, others try to hide surprise. He still repeats the question. I say, I really have no clue about the results. I am more worried about my BC-Tuts! I ask him his score. He very reluctantly divulged – 178! I am scared. Isn’t 178 too good? Still, I am scared. The hysteria, though, now had to be dealt with. I couldn't. Control myself. No one could actually, though Sammit initially wanted to see his result personally. Kunal turned out to be the quickest. His ‘fairy-godmother’like sister was sitting in front of our fortune-teller. But he was very sad. He had scored 177. I expected him to be one of the merit-grabbers. Expectations shattered sans remorse! Akanksha sat beside me pacifying my uneasiness like water on a hot stove. She didn’t know what was going within me. Nor did I bother to tell. It was an insane thought about to turn les saner.
Suddenly, hands are being shaken, smiles being spread. I catch one; it increased my worries. Behind me was sitting the 3rd ranker from all over India. I am sad. Not because Hrishikesh got 187 – certainly not – but because he got the 3rd rank! (I am not against him getting the 1st rank either but that time anyone getting the 3rd rank was like hell for me.) I expected to get above 187 & if he has got the 3rd rank, that leaves only 2 ranks above him, meaning just 2 different scores left above him. I expected more than 187, but then not the first 2 ranks, or did i? I was sad, dejected, tensed, nervous and morose! I was wishing that that damn tutorial got over in a jiffy. Everyone slowly contributed to my wishes. I was being asked my seat number. I couldn’t recollect. Meanwhile ‘I’ had spread the news. It was burning through the college. Burning aspirations, lighting faces.
Dhawal was informed and told my number. WRO 0274445 I said. He was warned to not blurt out my score to me. Farheen & Sanjana were also alerted. The battle had announced its fortune showcasing the sheer inability of the divinitioneers- for loss of a better word! Akanksha continued to be supportive! Sweet!