Just Like a Fairy Tale

Part 25

"I-I feel r-really tired now. I'm, uh, g-going back in-inside." And with that she ran into her room. Nobody tried to stop her because they were all shocked from this sudden transformation. Sumedh was feeling the worst. I think I said something wrong to her! Did I really sound that mean? I definitely upset her somehow.

"What just happened? Why did Mira run off? Something must have happened. Sumedh, why did you have to sound so bitter saying 'enough of you coming into our love lives'?" Basant worried.

There was a deep silence for a while.

"Guys I'm going to her...." Sumedh whispered. However, Mallika shook her head.

"Sumedh, that's a bad idea. You're the last person she would want to see. And you two don't exactly have the...perfect relationship - always fighting." Everyone else agreed with what Mallika said. But Sumedh remained stubborn.

"Trust me...this one time." Sumedh and Mallika shared a serious eye lock, and finally Mallika nodded.

Sumedh got up and slowly made his way to Mira's room. The door was closed. But Sumedh confidently knocked on it. From inside, a silent voice came.

"W-who is it?"

Her voice is not even bubbly like usual, Sumedh thought. He took a deep breath and replied.
"Your bhaiya."

Silence. I'm assuming that's a yes. He slowly opened the door and found Mira sitting next to the window staring out at the sky. Her face was still dead serious with absolutely no tears at all. Sumedh suddenly felt a surge of sympathy.

"Mira...I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to--"

She suddenly interrupted. "Bhaiya, it's not your fault at all. I j-just need to be alone for some time."

Suddenly a thought dawned on Sumedh. What if....THAT'S IT! He felt that sympathy again, but decided to be open with her.

"In tough times, talking things out and releasing - it is the best thing to do. You'll feel better."

Mira slowly turned around to face him, a little surprised. She saw a different Sumedh this time. Not the Sumedh that was annoyed by her, but a Sumedh that looked like he cared. She suddenly felt like she could express everything.

"Come on Mira. You can do it." Sumedh closed the door and sat on the bed. "I believe in you."

Somehow these words were able to manipulate Mira. She took a deep breath and turned back around to look at the sky.

"No matter how hard you try to ignore certain memories, they always seem to find a way back. I never thought there would be a day I would have to express my past. But now I'm telling you." She sighed and took a deep breath. Here we go...

"I'm an only child, and have amazing parents. But sometimes I felt that...I-I didn't get the attention I needed. This was a small part of my loneliness. But as I was growing up, I had amazing friends with me, always by my side. If you haven't been able to tell by now, I'm a very nerdy person. I would only show my true jovial and funny personality to people I knew closely. When I had these friends that accepted me for who I was...that was enough for me. My happiness rose to the peaks. But suddenly all of this was crushed when I had to move. My parents joined me in an elite school almost at the age of 16. I thought it wouldn't be that bad, but I didn't realize the horror until I joined. I only had one true friend. This popular girl gang would bully me for my personality and make fun of me for always being the teacher's favorite by focusing on my studies. But in these dark times, Devu--I mean--Dev came into my life. {Mira's voice choked} He would be very friendly with me and pretty flirty. But being the immature teen I was, I felt happy again after a very long time, that I always spent time with him. He never made me feel lonely. I was really happy to see that I was special in someone's eyes. Time passed like this for about a year. Throughout all of this, I never let my personality change. I would always focus on my studies hoping to exceed all those people who discouraged me and to make my parents proud. I was determined that if I performed good, I would be given a good career in the film industry. But-but...." Mira's voice trailed off. Sumedh stood up and moved towards Mira. He sat next to her and wrapped his arm around her. She leaned her head into him, gaining more confidence to continue.