That girl is so dangerous! is here to stay.

She was sorting out her playlist when she came across the songs folder of Akon- The sensational American R&B crooner. In it was a track Dangerous. She hit Play button but paused at the very words of the song- That girl is so dangerous, pressed the Play button again, which took her to the moment that happened six years ago. 

       It was a public hall with competitions cased. A large auditorium dimmed with low bulb lights. Many schools, host of teachers, all kinds of uniform were lightly visible. That smell of junk foods, split cold drinks, crunching of snacks smelt and heard. The sight of cornered bags, coin filled pockets, white skirts, long pants, ponytails, gel of hairs, buzzing boys, whispering girls, murmuring participants, all form a humming buzz. There were papers crushed with points of debates, discarded by nervous palms. The pounding hearts flinched the fist due to doubtful confidence, as three teams stood backstage to debate on topic of Braindrain. This girl acquainted herself with other team participants, and sat to relax for a second when she saw the tall boy of the adjacent team looking at her in constant gaze. She ignored all the attempts of the boy who was eager to come close, and speak to her. She would stay firm, greet other participants with all rudeness to keep that boy away and avoid his approach. But he would brisk around her in anxiety, making this confident girl anxious too. The bell rang, the debate began. All the nervousness, slip of tongue, lose points, stammering lips, warm body, lost mind fell and tripped and scattered in front of students, teachers, judges. Jam packed auditorium reverberated with loud speeches, long lines, longer pauses, and thumbing of dais. More so due to quietness of the listeners, disinterest of students, focused and distracted judges.

      The moment of judgment and the echo of the memory flashed through the girl's eyes with the beats of the song that was now playing in background. Her team did not win neither did the boy’s. Backstage, it was time to see off. Being an adjacent team, she kept talking to the partner of that boy who would play with his watch while smiling at her with regret of losing the debate. The girl was swift and light as a bird, chirping around, with no signs of dejection. She opened her bottle’s lid and let the water sweep down her face, on her lips, through the neck, and the boy gaped. She wiped her cheek and was about to leave when he followed and held her fist tight, she turned back. There was a rush of students around and fear inside her. She stopped to see the boy had is head up high. She looked up with all boldness. He smiled at her and dragged her closest, and said “listen to me.” He hummed something in her ears. 

Girl I can notice but to
Notice you
Noticin' me
From across the room
I can see it that can't stop myself from lookin'
And noticin' you noticin' me
Watch out I seen your type before 

girl you so dangerous
girl you are a bad girl 

He looked in her eyes piercing all the covers and tearing all the curtains of her shyness, sweetness, made-up rudeness, unseen pain of losing too and spelled- “D-A-N-G-E-R-O-U-S, listen to this song, it is for you.” He stood close to her moist lips, held her palm tightly, choking her breathe, stopping her heart, shutting her eyes, there was nothing around she felt as she opened her eyes, the boy was gone. Faintly feared, in the crowd of students pushing, playing, abusing, laughing moving out of the hall; she searched for that young, mad moron, in soaked sweat, through trampling shoes, among the uniformity of dresses, with different faces, but he was not seen.

      The girl returned home. Restless she locked herself in her room. She searched for the song, and listened to it and hated it for its tongue on cheek lyrics. She wondered what it was. Why this song? What was he trying to say? She six years back wondered was he really Lucifer who would have sealed the case that day had he not disappeared. What kind of boy he was she thought. Wasn't it strange? What through that song did he wanted to say that he

 - was the last man on earth,

I would only take that girl, end the search. 

      She was a carefree girl. Though young, beautiful, in sweet sixteen, she lived with childish style, sans cosmetics, sans pseudonyms. She did not invest much for her beauty. She was raw and loved to wear mild perfume with her neat, ironed white uniform. She was thin, strong and tall. She had something smartly natural yet simply magnetic, maybe her smile or the way she carried herself that attracted boys. Her soft spoken manners made her look refreshing and resplendent. She assumed that boys are friends and that being a tomboy she would never fall in prey of brats. She did receive many friendship bands, chocolates, cards and letters written in wrong grammar but she never spared a thought for the intimate emotions. In her world, there was nothing beyond friendship. A stranger was to her a threat until they meet every day, play every day and become friends.

         So the boy's intentions through the song dedication infuriated her. Was there an intention? Who knew? The voice of the boy's utterance haunted her. Was he stalking her sensibility? Did he harm her emotional virginity? What was the song all about? It was hard to catch up with the beats but she was drawn towards it. Why would he think of her Itty bitty waistline, good bodyship,

She did not understand the fast flowing words

-I wanna make my black snake moan
Talk a little bit then take that off
When she on the dance floor – tell 'em I rip

The girl really wished to kill that boy and he would rest in peace who stirred her peace, acted phony and hummed such a B-A-D song. she hated the lines-

Shes bad and she know the deal

     She thought she was bullied, harassed to the hilt. She could not share it with anyone. What would her friends think? A strange boy comes up and sings a R-A-U-N-C-H-Y track to her and she could not even hit him. A girl who plays and hangs out with her buddies suddenly stood unarmed. It was hard on her part to think of a reason why he got lost. Maybe he was afraid of her reaction. She cursed herself not to have listened to Akon. Why did she close her eyes, got scared and let a stranger hold her hand, move his lips and impure her ears to make her as miserable as she was, sitting listening to the track, wiping her unending tears. She was confused about her heart's longing for that boy's presence. Her heart was trying to justify his absence. Her heart knew he wanted to say more but could not. Her heart believed it was not a right place and time but her mind would nullify all her heart's justifications. He was brat and the song was B-A-D. But its music had something rolling with it, a recurring lust, a bohemian calling, a constant urge. The song sounded good but she felt bad. The rhythm roared in her mind, the beats bruised her delicate heart; she thought was it really the way she walked?
 

 -I see you got that fire by the way that you walkin
From left to right I watched her go down

Girl I just want it right now don't wanna do no talkin  

She did not know when she stopped listening to that song, went to bed, fell asleep, the song still playing in the background.

      It was six years now, the song plays again. Now, she sits and smiles, shaking her legs and moving her hands to that very track which once tormented her. Now she wonders it was just a song a boy felt would share with her. Now she thinks she must have given the boy the chills, he was infatuated, he was in a moment's love maybe, or he just wanted to cheer her up. Maybe he himself did not know the meaning of the song. Now she laughs how back in 16 she listened to a track trying to know a boy a million times in just a single day. Now she listens how rapturously he sang the song....few words, zest in tone, strength in his clutching of her palm, the boundless spirit. Now she could say the boy was handsome, and feel the hardness of his palm. He must have been in some sport he was so tall. Now she could see the liking in his eyes, the reason behind his smile, and the effort of his heart. Now she realized it was one moment when a young boy really tried well to woo or shock or tickle or tease a girl. Now she agreed that just for a moment he stole her heart through that song.

     Now that moment was gone, but in her playlist the song was here to stay...for now and forever.

Vishakha Sen