Seventeen and Done , livre ebook

Penguin Books India Pvt Ltd - Vibha Batra

Découvre YouScribe en t'inscrivant gratuitement

Je m'inscris

Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne
En savoir plus

100 pages

English

Vous pourrez modifier la taille du texte de cet ouvrage

Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne
En savoir plus

A propos
Informations
Extrait

Description

Rinki has everything she needs to go crazy with: bickering boys, a bitchy grandma, boring books, and the Biggest B of them all: Board Exams.Rinki and her wolf pack are back in action. And they have company in the form of Google (Mr Know-it-all) and Adit (Mr Goody Two-shoes). At last, Rinki has her wish fulfilled. She has two boys fighting over her, er, mostly with her!Meanwhile, Rinki’s brand new grandmother, Mausiji, is raising hell at home. Her dad (lucky fellow!) is away in Coimbatore. And it’s all up to Rinki to cool tempers down. At school, things are no better. Board Exams are looming large and Princy is making her feel smaller than ever. Her grades are shrinking and her waistline is growing. School life is about to get over, but not before things get a lot more crazy.Read the next instalment in the Rinki series and discovery why turning seventeen is no walk in the park!

Informations

Publié par	Penguin Books India Pvt Ltd
Date de parution	15 avril 2013
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9788184759471
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0350€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

Vibha Batra

SEVENTEEN AND DONE
(You Bet!)
Contents
About the Author
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Footnote
Chapter 18
Read More in This Series
Read More in Inked
Read More in Inked
Acknowledgements
Follow Penguin
Copyright Page
INKED
SEVENTEEN AND DONE (YOU BET!)
Vibha Batra is a copywriter by profession and fiction writer by passion. Her literary pursuits took off when she translated her grandfather Late Shri Vishnu Kant Shastri s book on the Ishaavaasya Upanishad (Rupa & Co., 2007). Among her recent titles are Sweet Sixteen (Yeah, right!) published by Penguin, Tongue in Cheek , a collection of poetry, and A Twist of Lime , a collection of short stories.
To connect with Rinki and learn more about this book, visit www.facebook.com/seventeenanddone
For MRS 2
Prologue
Facebook Status Update: Rinki Tripathi joined the group I am from Chennai and that automatically makes me a hundred times cooler than you.
So, I was wrong.
The summer of 2010 was NOT the worst summer of my life. Actually, as summers go, it was a Titanic (not the super hit movie, the ship). But then 2011 came along, and all of a sudden, 2010 didn t seem so bad after all.
I know what you re thinking: Haven t we been through all this? Did we just hit the rewind button here? (Sadly, no. Can t say I blame you, though. This is one deadly d j vu, all right!) Boyfriend trouble again? (Flashback: Last year, I starred in this sorry love story with one Mr TJ. Let s just say, it didn t have a happy ending. la Beyonc , am so rooting for all the single ladies right now.) Hair straightening job gone wrong? (Shudder, shudder! No. Knock on wood. I have just found the bestest parlour in Chennai. Yay! Now if I can only find the finances for it )
So, why me cry? Why was Miss Rinks in Angstville?
Cut to May 2011. Final exams were over and done with. XI grade was over and done with. Most importantly, trip to Delhi was over and done with. I was actually looking forward to two weeks of doing nothing, when, BAM! Dad summoned an EFM (Emergency Family Meet).
I don t know about you, but around these parts, an EFM means only one thing: Trouble. Biiiiiig run-for-dear-life trouble!
Allow me to explain.
An EFM is like a brahmaastra (divine weapon, very lethal) that can be called upon by the elders at the time of, what else-an emergency. Kind of like those intervention thingies on one of my favourite sitcoms, How I Met Your Mother.
So there we were, huddling around the centre table. Had we been holding hands, I m sure we d have looked like one big, happy family. Had we been holding hands. But but but Dad s hands were playing a neat tabla on the table. My hands were fiddling with the iPad. Mom s hands were in a big bowl of butter popcorn.
And then, Dad turned to look us square in the eye. At least, he looked me square in the eye. Mom s eyes were busy tracking the descent of a runaway popcorn.
Ladies, I have to tell you something.
My blood ran cold. That s exactly how he d dropped the We re moving to Chennai bomb on us last summer.
I held my breath.
I ve been transferred, Dad whispered, right on cue.
Pin-drop silence in the room. Correction: we could only hear Mom s teeth chomping away merrily on the popcorns.
Could it really be? Could lightning strike the same place twice? I mean, what were the chances? We d moved to Chennai only last year. And just about settled in. What could be worse than Chennai, I thought hysterically. Somalia? Ethiopia? One of those tiny African countries Brangelina loved adopting kids from?
I jumped to my feet. No, Dad. I refuse to become a pirate who kidnaps . uh, hijacks oh, does whatever it is they do to ships
Ships? What ships? What on earth are you babbling about, Rinki? Dad asked, bewildered.
I m not going, Dad. I m not going anywhere, I declared, stomping my feet.
Wash aboush my sharee shaaaphs?
That was Mom, her mouth full of popcorn.
What? Dad swung around to look at her.
She means what about my saree shops ? I subtitled.
Great. Since when did I start speaking Popcornese?
Ladies, ladies, ladies. Didn t you listen to a word of what I was saying? I said I was getting transferred.
I narrowed my eyes. So did Mom.
As in me, myself and I. I am going to Coimbatore for a project. Shouldn t take me more than a couple of months to wrap it up.
Oh? Oh!
There was a moment of respectful silence. I could hear two brains working away furiously: Mom s and mine.
You re going away for shiksh whole monthsch? murmured Mom.
And taking the iPad with you? I said, without missing a beat.
Whash aboush Rinki s school, her shudiesh? Mom did it again.
I wouldn t want to uproot Rinki, Dad consoled.
Yeah, right.
It s her Board year, after all.
Like I needed any reminding.
Suddenly, without warning, hope sprang in my heart and floated up. Gosh, Dad and Mom would go away to Coimbatore. And while the cats were away, Rinki the Rat would be at play. Oooh, yeah! I d be like Priyanka in Dostana . I d get an all new wardrobe, two super hot (male) paying guests. Oh, not for me. To help Mom and Dad out with the rent, of course.
Ohmmmygooosh, I was so excited! I was totally going to rock. Life was finally going to look up for Rinki Tripathi. Yay! In the words of my favourite spy, Austin Powers, Groovy, baby!
Don t worry. To make things easier for you, I ve asked Mausiji to come stay with you and Mom, Dad consoled.
Crasssssshhh!
Chill, that was not the sound of my heart breaking. It was the sound of Mom s popcorn bowl clattering to the floor.
Whash? Howsh coulsh you do thisch to me?
What? How could you do this to me? I translated like a zombie on auto mode.
Backstory: Mom had no lau (as they say Down South) lost for Mausiji, Dad s aunt. In fact, if there was one person on earth my mom couldn t stand, it was her. Earlier, it used to be Daadi, Dad s Mum. And Mausiji was basically her evil twin. (Mom s words, not mine. My interaction with Dad s side of the family was pretty much like a Bollywood starlet s clothing and IQ. Tantalizingly brief and nothing to write home about).
Cut to the present.
Mom flew out of the room, Dad close on her heels. Come on, Sheena. Don t be cross, he cajoled.
Well, well, well. Talk about a twist in the tale.
The sudden turn of events got me thinking. I mean, any of these three things could happen: My life was not going to get affected at all. One jailer, two jailers, same difference. My life would get a shade better. With Dad out of the way, I could actually stretch my deadlines (and ergo, my luck). Have a little fun in the last year of my life. (School life/life, same thing). My life would nosedive. Get worse than last summer. (Hah, not likely.)
I was still pondering over my future when Mom came out of her kop bhawan (sulking room-gosh, don t you ever read those epics?) and muttered, Rinki, where do you get the best Kanjivarams in Coimbatore?
I dutifully reached for the iPad.
Google search: Silk saree stores in Coimbatore
Psst. To make matters worse, the family s backbone-our hired help-announced the same day that she was quitting. The news hit Mom wayyyy harder than Dad s transfer. I mean, she barely sniffed while waving Dad goodbye. But when the time came for Maheshwari s departure, she howled like a baby. Like she said, Your dad ll be back in six months but Maheshwari? How on earth will I find a maid as good as her?
I didn t know the answer to that question. So I went to this uber-cool website exclusively for teenagers that posed easier ones. I always found it a great way to pass time. And ponder over life s big questions.
Rinki Tripathi is taking an online quiz on Teenz Forever.
Quiz Number #333. Chameleon or Dinosaur: What s your personality type?
1. Your friends ask you if you want to go bungee jumping. You: Jump to your feet and ask How soon can we leave? You are scared but convince yourself Darr ke aage jeet hai. Lock yourself in a dark room and never come out
2. How experimental are you when it comes to your hair: Helloooooo! You were the first to sport pink hair colour amongst your friends Religiously change your look once a year You ve had the same hairstyle since kindergarten
3. Your boyfriend kisses you on the cheek in public. You: Throw your arms around him and coo, I love you too, laav! Are kind of embarrassed but give his hand a little squeeze nevertheless Cringe and think, I don t like this barbaric behaviour.
4. Someone screams at you for no apparent fault of yours. You: Scream right back and break a plate on their head Wait for them to calm down and then put your point across Study your toes and think, I had it coming.
5. When you speak, people usually: Wear earmuffs Compliment you on your sing-song tone Wonder if they ve gone deaf
If you ve scored mostly As: Heyyyy Hothead, go easy on that aggression. You are a Type A personality. Strong, bold, confident. While it s great being all those things, sometimes it helps to be humble, to extend a listening ear-you know, occasionally. Honestly, being all hyper all the time is so not good for health.
If you ve scored mostly Bs: You are one level-headed creature. Congratulations! You speak up when you need to, and stay mum when you have to. Good going, love. Just make sure you continue to stay that way.
If you ve scored mostly Cs: You are a doormat. Seriously kiddo, you need to pull your socks up. Take a good hard look at your life and ask yourself: is that what god put you on earth for? To be trampled upon? No, right? So get up, speak up, stop apologizing and show the world you are made of sterner stuff.
Rinki Tripathi scored mostly Bs.
Chapter 1
BlackBerry Messenger Status: Why can t all Mausijis be like the one in Sholay ???
Rinki Tripathi s got a cell? Lucky