Manjha A String of Complicated Relations

Do Not Mess With Me!

To say that Shambhavi was scared would be an understatement. She was absolutely terrified. She looked at Captain Chauhan with wide eyes.

"Why did you not tell me or Major Khan?" he repeated again.

Shambhavi was sure that her heart had stopped beating then and there.

"Why did you not tell me the first time Cadet Rajput said anything?" he continued and Shambhavi released the breath she did not know she was holding. He was just talking about the incident that happened in the morning, thankfully.

She was relieved but was confused as well. "It wasn't a big deal, nothing big enough to bother you, let alone bother Major Khan with it," she replied honestly, ignoring the burning sensation on her skin that was caused by his hand on her elbow.

"Didn't seem like a big deal? It's a bloody big deal, dammit. He was talking to you as if you were nothing more than an Orderly and not a Cadet. How did you not tell me and, better yet, how did you tell him not to talk to you like that?" Captain Chauhan asked, even though he was not shouting, his anger was evident with the way his voice shook and his grip on her tightened.

"I will not come to you for every little discomfort I have here. And I did not say anything to him because he is a senior. I can very well choose when to speak up to defend myself and when to say quiet," she replied, a bit irked with his accusation.

"Well If you can decide then why the hell did you not speak up and rather allowed him to walk all over you?" Aniket asked and if they had not been in a corridor, then surely, he would have been shouting.

"It's my life and I choose whether I let anyone walk all over me or not, as you so kindly put. If you did not notice, he was having a go at Anisha, not me. He just said one thing to me which I would have given back to him with interest, had you not interrupted in between, trying to be a knight in shining armor for no reason. I know how to defend myself. Like right now I am going to turn and walk away from you," Shambhavi retorted back with as much force as she could muster and wriggled out of his grasp.

She gave him a look filled with so much passion and fire that any other person would have melted because of the heat and anger emanating from her but Aniket just gave her an incredulous look. She turned and walked away, just as she had said, leaving a fuming Captain Chauhan behind.

Unbeknownst to them, their whole conversation had been witnessed by Captain Rathore, along with Cadet Saexena and Cadet Rathore.

Captain Rathore was not sure if he should be surprised at his friend or his cadet. Cadet Vyas was usually so quiet and composed that he could not imagine her blasting like that on his friend, and Captain Chauhan, whom he had known since they were themselves cadets at the academy, was always happy, rarely angry, and forever a ladies' man. Today, though, for the first time since they had known one another, he had seen him get affected by a girl, so much that he got angry.

Anisha was looking on with widened eyes, thinking that she had never seen or heard Shambhavi talk like that with anybody. Still, there she was, talking, no, almost shouting, at their teacher! She wasn't sure if she should be baffled at her friend's anger or fangirl over Captain Chauhan's protectiveness.

Anant was watching both of them go at each other like a tennis match and thought he should keep popcorn with him at all times, you never know where you might find entertainment, after all.

When Shambhavi walked back towards the dormitories, Anisha followed behind and Captain Rathore went towards his friend.

Shambhavi was fuming in anger while pacing around the room. That was when Anisha entered.

"Who does he think of himself?" she shouted, making her roommate jump in surprise. Firstly, she was fighting with a teacher and now, she was actually screaming. "Telling me that I don't know how to defend myself, that I purposely let that idiot walk all over me. I mean, I was doing just fine without him interfering. He was the one who came out of nowhere," she continued her rant and poor Anisha was left to just shake her head in affirmation or negation.

"Honestly, Anisha, if he were not a teacher, I would have slapped him today. Talking to me like that. Moreover, he has the guts to accuse someone else," she would have continued like that had the bell not rang for dinner.

Anisha was thankful for the bell because she was sure that a few more minutes and Shambhavi would have surely gone to the Captain to slap him.

They left for the mess and Shambhavi was taking her anger out on the vegetables, poking them with her fork meanwhile imagining them to resemble Captain Chauhan's face. Anthony and Shreya, who had no idea about the fight, were confused at Shambhavi's behavior while Anant was amused by the girl's infuriation.

They were finishing up when Shivankar Rajput entered the mess along with his cronies, laughing and joking about some other cadet.

Anisha smacked her head and thought that the man has solid timing. She was praying to God that they will go unnoticed by him, but apparently God was busy at the moment.

"Ah, look at the beautiful lady cadets of IOTA. I believe our conversation was cut short in the afternoon ladies," He said in full swagger.

"I am warning you Shivankar don't mess with me, not now," Shambhavi said in a low voice, hoping to get away before she did something that might cost her.

"Oh my, Cadet Vyas, I am trembling," Shivankar mocked.

Anisha and Anant thought the guy really did not know when to shut up.

Shambhavi took a deep breath, ignored him and decided that leaving was a better option than getting in trouble because of the idiot. But the said idiot was not having it. She had her back turned when he went to grab her hand but before he could, Shambhavi swiveled and grabbed his shoulders before turning him around and hitting him on his knees, causing him to fall to the ground, on his knees.

Shivankar was caught off guard so it was easier for her. Next, she went on to completely push him to the floor. It all happened in a split second and everyone around stopped in their tracks to witness the drama unfold. Anisha was on the verge of tears for her friend. Anant was not sure whether to be scared of Shambhavi or laugh at Shivankar.

"I told you, don't mess with me now," Shambhavi repeated to Shiv who had gotten up and was probably raising his hand to slap her. She would have stopped him when they heard a third voice.

"Cadet Rajput! Cadet Vyas!" they turned to see a very angry Major Khan