DESTINY'S FAVOURITE CHILDREN

9. Inside the Lion's Den

Rishabh stopped at the entrance and peeked his eyes in. He stepped back as he saw MSD's intense face. Virat squeezed his hand in assurance and guided him in.
They both went and stood in front of MSD's table. MS smiled looking at Virat there, he knew he will come alongside him.

"I didn't call you Virat. Did I? " MS asked and Virat fidgeted his hands.

"Haan toh? Mai aise hi nahi aa sakta? " Virat asked gathering courage. With Rishabh he was feeling like he had also bunked the school alongside him.

"Aa sakta hai, par ja bhi sakta hai, haina. Get out. " MS spoke.

"This is not fair" Virat whined.

"Get out Virat, right now" MS spoke in a stern tone and Virat obliged. He squeezed Rishabh's hand one last time and went out. He knew Mahi bhai wouldn't do anything which he shouldn't, but the kid needed assurances.

MS shut his laptop down and looked at Rishabh. One glare and Rishabh looked down, it had been more than two months of them living together, but he still didn't know how to stand up to his glares. It was like one glare from MS and he was un-done.

"Rishabh" MS spoke, "so you and I both know why you are called here, right"

Rishabh nodded. MS handed a paper and pen to him, "Can you list what all things you did today, which you shouldn't have done? "

Rishabh sat down on the opposite chair and started writing, "1. Bunked the school. 2. 4 of us rode on one bike. "

Rishabh wrote and handed the paper back to MS.

"Ho gya? Bas itna hi? " MS asked.

Rishabh looked at MS blankly, what else had he done? "Yaad karo, yaad ayega. Kyunki mujhe yaad hai" MS insisted.

"Aaj hi ke din bhaiya? " Rishabh asked.

"Aisi harkate roz karta hai tu? I don't mind, likhde kal-parso-jab tak ka bhi tereko man kare" MS spoke.

Rishabh shook his head, "nahi bhaiya, maine sach mein aur kuchh nahin kiya "

MS got up from the chair, Rishabh squirmed into his seat. "Mai yaad dilata hoon" MS said leaning back on the table "Didn't you jump the gates? What height was it?"

Rishabh flustered. "What height was it Rishabh? " MS asked again, his voice rising a bit at the end.

"6 feet or so" Rishabh answered.

"And you jumped from that height, without caring a bit just because you hadn't completed an assignment. Is it true? " MS asked.

Rishabh nodded in yes.

"Words" MS pressed.

"Yes bhaiya" As Rishabh uttered those words, he felt a sharp sting on his left cheek. He closed his eyes at the impact. Tears brimmed into his eyes as he realised what just happened.

"Do you people realise the consequences? You jump from gates, you drive carelessly on roads, violate the traffic rules, all for what? One damned assignment? You could have got seriously injured, the police could have caught you. Idiots, all four of you" MS scolded.

Rishabh looked down, with each word MS spoke he was realising the gravity of his actions. "I'm sorry bhaiya" Rishabh spoke, his voice getting weak with crying.

"Whose idea was it btw? To bunk the school? " MS asked.

Rishabh stayed silent. It was his idea, he dared not lie and he dared not utter the truth. "Yours right? " MS asked again.