Blank Noise Action Hero Zoya. ( action hero story agent- Rachna from Vizag)

I was such a shy person. Maybe it was the rigid Muslim upbringing in my grandmother’s house or my natural bashfulness, but I could never converse properly with any boy. Even if he was someone I knew all my life like a cousin or a family friend. Everything was so awkward all through adolescence. This was around the time I started living with my parents in Vizag.

Vizag was so different from Hyderabad. I was a different person in Vizag, even if I say so myself. Oh, still very introvert and shy but I was more sure of myself. Boys always paid attention when I talked or walked or just sat there being the most boring person they ever met. My friends would patiently explain that I am a Muslim girl who was the shite, cause Muslim girls play hard to get, and are, you know, fair. So that was how I would turn head. ‘Cause I was well, Muslim, and this was well, Vizag.

I always walked everywhere I went with my eyes fixed on the ground. Pretty much to avoid eve teasers aka sick bastards.

One day walking to tuition, I noticed that there was this guy who has been following me for a very long time. He might have stalked me on other days as well, but I noticed only on that day. After tuition when I was walking back home he still followed but didn’t do anything. Little did I know that I’d have to bear the burden of my silence of that day for many more days to come. I’d cook up excuses day after day to avoid going to tuition. Fake stomach aches and make myself throw-up sometimes swallowing all kinds of nasty things for the same. I’d beg my little brother to accompany me and slap him when he refused. I’d wear the ugliest ill-fitting clothes and make myself look very unpleasant. After a few days of all this, I thought Enough is Enough. I was not going to cover in fear before this fool of an ass wearing sickly bright colored clothes and a Rajinikanth bouffant. I was going to walk out there and show him that I wasn’t scared. I was going to walk with as much liberty on the street as he and I was definitely not going to be intimidated. But of course I was scared shit. But I went out with a strange sense of fearlessness.

I came out of tuition that day and he was standing a few steps away (waiting for me, I suppose). All the people from the tuition were standing a few yards away. He came towards me and I started walking away. This was new. I was so used to being the eye-candy, I would’ve been surprised almost if I wasn’t so scared. I mean, come on, I was a defenseless 15-year-old. He, however looked very determined to disturb the routine. Three taps on my shoulder and I froze right there. Then he started telling me how much he fell in love with me. The close-to-incredulous look must have offended him somehow because he started shaking me by my shoulder. That’s when it crept up very fast. Uncontrollable rage. I worked up all my energy to give that One Tight Slap across his face. Smack! And all the smugness and swagger vanished from the face. I, well, ran away, tears blocking my vision completely, to my friends.

The guy got away from it quite easily, the blows from my tuition boys notwithstanding. But I lived in mortal fear for many more weeks. It may seem silly, I know. But I was always scared that he would jump out of some dark corner and throw acid on me or do some scary something else. Needless to say it was not the happiest period of my life, it was tough and challenging. Also, I learnt a lot during this time. I became less shy and pathetic. I’m not scared any more to shout at guys who accidentally bang themselves across my back. I don’t ‘let the guy pass’ when I’m driving. I just hold my head up high and let them go burn in hell, Allah damn those stupid apes.

Name: Zoya

Present age: 19.

Blank Noise Action Hero Rachna

I was on a train, returning from an educational tour in Rajasthan. Sitting among a group of friends, munching potato chips, cracking up, screaming at each other, singing, and doing the occasional jig. You could say I was having the time of my life. I could see out of the corners of my eye, that there was a guy with his eyes glued to us. Moving a little, I could see he was young with a crew cut and a ruffle bag. Army guy. Seeing that he wasn’t embarrassed at my noticing, I switched to my natural defence. Stare the hell out of him. This time it didn’t work, though. He seemed quite entertained by it, actually. He picked up his mobile and called someone, barked a laugh and continued leering. Then they came, two burly meat factories with a crew cut. And they brought with them, a camera phone.

My friends didn’t want me to get very wild. They wanted me to go up to our teacher and tell her that these creeps were clicking our pictures. So I did. I got up and was tried to rush past them – which was not possible because there was a) a beeline to the bathroom and b) pieces of luggage sticking out onto the aisle. One glance at him and he was lying down, smirking at me. Another glance down and his foot started sliding slowly down my thigh and up. And that was when I lost it. I must have shouted pretty bad because he started cringing and denying everything. I must have shouted so bad he started begging me to stop. Some boys from my class came running and took away his phone to delete pictures. In a fit of gallantry, they all agreed to switch berths with us. Very disturbingly, the guy and his friends seemed quite unperturbed by everything. Amused, even. Infuriating, it was. It took me every fiber of self-control in my body to not hit him. As walked away I heard him say, "Aaaay ladki. Be in your limits. Simply don't do ekstraws." Not bad for parting words.

Name: Rachana.

Emotion: Rage.

Age: 14