VANSHIKA
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The problem with teenagers is they want to experience everything too fast. Even if someone tells you that a cigarette or alcohol isn't healthy, you still want to experience it. Even if it has the potential to destroy you, you still want to give it a try. Toxic relationships aren't something you need to experience personally. You can learn it from others mistakes. I had seen and heard so many stories of such relationships amongst my family and friends and had vowed to stay away from such men but I guess it's age and hormones.
And you know the worst part about a human brain? It's like a horror movie heroine. No matter how much you convince her not to go behind the sound of the anklets, she'll still go behind it.
I was no less. I knew he wasn't good for me. He started keeping a distance from me. It had been three weeks of him avoiding me completely and I was getting affected. I wanted to confront him. Talk to him when all he did was runaway from me until one day when our fate brought us together in the form of a college fest.
Our college held an annual fest which consisted of various events encouraging students to showcase their knowledge and talent. I participated it in my eleventh standard and won various prizes and this year I was a part of the organizing committee as I was in my senior year. But what I didn't expect was him being a part of the team I was managing.
My lips parted seeing him standing infront of me in a black suit. We were all dressed in business formals but his good looks made him stand out. It's not like he didn't look good the other days. No wonder every female in the college would drool over his good looks. Although I wasn't a huge fan of his tattoos or the cycle chain like accessories he wore, off late I started finding him attractive even with his eyebrow piercings or those dangling earings which I absolutely loathed initially. His multicolored messy hair which I thought was sheer cringe once upon a time was suddenly too attractive to my eyes.
But today he had tied his messy hair into a tiny little pony, neatly combed. The dangling earrings were replaced by diamond studs. His colorful tattoos were hidden behind the expensive Armani suit that he wore and for accessories, today all he wore was a diamond studded chronograph watch. He looked hot as hell, so much so that every other girl in the college was eyeing him today.
My thoughts were disturbed when Acharya Sir said 'Vanshika...Veer will be a part of your team today. I know... Infact entire college knows you both don't get along well but Veer has to participate in one of the cultural events to compensate for his internal marks as he can earn some extra brownie points. And knowing how horrible he did in his exams, I can't put him in a science club and knowing his reputation with girls I don't trust him with the managing committee. So I thought he fits best in your team.' and I noticed the way he looked angry and uncomfortable.
He was already not talking to me after the suspension incident and I didn't want things to worsen between us. So I spoke up 'But Sir my team is fully organised. People who are performing tonight are all finalized and we don't have time to make up for an additional performance!!!' I said when Acharya Sir said 'Then add him into the team of background workers. Let him help in setting up the stage. Oh come on Vanshika, You aren't doing this for the first time. You'll manage this!!!' saying Sir left from there.
I gulped looking at Veer who looked like wanted to run away from there. Just when he was about to do the same I spilled 'Ummm...Veer...You can help in setting up the props!!!' when he spoke without even turning around 'I would rather let go the brownie points!!!' and he started leaving from there when I blocked his way and spoke up
'Veer please!!! Don't screw this up in your anger. You can earn extra 5 marks and make up for your-'
'I don't want to make up anything where you exist!!! I better stay away from you!!!' saying his eyes met mine after a long time. There was something swirling in those eyes and although I didn't know what it was, I couldn't take my eyes off him. I gulped and confessed
'I know I judged you early. I am sorry. Can we please start fresh?'. The way he looked at me, I expected a positive response but instead all I heard was 'No!!!' and he left from there. The entire day I didn't see him. I kept lying to Acharaya Sir that he was working on background stage setup. Every time I went to bring some props from the store room my eyes fell near the empty space almost hidden from most passing folks near the canteen area and I noticed him hooking up with random girls. He held a cigarette in his hands and I saw the girl trying to press herself on him. He kept smoking while she kept kissing his chest and neck. Something in the pit of my stomach churned seeing him like that.
I avoided him as much as possible but everytime I went back to the store room my eyes couldn't tolerate the scene. Why was I getting disturbed by that view? Time was almost 5:30 in the evening and our main cultural event would begin at 6:00 pm onwards. I was already dressed in my salsa gown as I was going to perform the same. But the first performance was a Bharatnatyam performance for Ganesh-Vandana and I had to get the lamp from store room is when I heard two people fighting and I noticed an angry Yamuna charging desperately towards Veer. She was continuously crying and hitting his chest. He was trying to step away from her.
It looked like they had a bad fight. It looked like she was angry on him. Maybe she found him hooking up with other girls? I heard she was his rumoured girlfriend. I thought she would slap him but instead she forcefully tried to kiss his lips when he rigorously pushed her away saying
'Yamuna please...stop!!! No!!!' but Yamuna was acting like a mad bull and ready to again throw herself at him. This time he gently held her hands pushing her back and started running away when she simply lunged at him and started forcefully kissing him and although Veer was a playboy, I had never seen him force himself on a girl. May it a girl or a boy or a third gender... Girlfriend or not
... Boyfriend or not...wife or not... husband or not...no one has the rights to force themselves on the other person. Consent matters.
The reason I barged into the space and stood infront of them. Looking at me Yamuna stood still but the next second she snapped her finger asking me to leave and when I denied, she came charging towards me and attacked my face. She smelled of alcohol and I could clearly say she was not in her senses. Her palm rubbed against my mouth and my makeup was distorted, but before she could attack me Veer grabbed her in her arms and tried to control her. After a few minutes she looked tired and slowly fell unconscious. Although I was managing the cultural committee, I couldn't leave her like that. Although Veer was a strong man, if anyone found out that Yamuna was drunk, she would be suspended or rusticated from the college.
So without a word said to each other, I helped Veer to carry Yamuna to the parking area where Veer's car was parked. He called his driver and asked him to drop her home. After the driver left we both took a sigh of relief. Neither of us spoke a word. We silently started walking inside the college. I could see that Veer wanted to talk to me about something but he was hesitant. I decided to go first...
'Veer... Actually I-' but before I could speak up I heard Acharya Sir's voice
'Vanshika...Veer... What are you both doing here?' and we turned around seeing him there. His facial expressions changed the minute he saw us both. It's like he couldn't see my face and he kept looking elsewhere. Then he looked at Veer and said
'Veer!!! I had asked you to be a part of the cultural committee to gain brownie points but it looks like you are here all set and ready to earn something else!!!' and then he threw a disgusted look at me and just when I was confused he said
'Well!!! We couldn't wait for the head of the cultural committee as it looks like she was busy solving 'Personal' issues. We managed the Ganesh Vandana props ourselves. In fact half the event has already gotten over. If Madam head would want to perform her salsa act then she can join us backstage.' saying he was about to leave only for him to suddenly speak up 'And Mr NRI!!! Please try to button up your shirt and if possible wash away those lipstick marks off your neck!!!' saying he made a puky expression and left from there leaving us both shocked.
Without even waiting for a minute more we both ran to the backstage and everything looked messed up. People didn't know what to announce, some folks had misplaced the props, the music CDs were misplaced. There was complete chaos, so much so that even the Principal Sir looked disappointed. The event was a mess. I tried taking control of the event and slowly things got back on track however the damage was already done.
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'What??? What do you mean by Raj must have left? He is my salsa partner!!!' I said when Vinu my classmate said 'Maybe he was tired of waiting Vanshika. Imagine the announcement was also made but you were missing. We re-announced postponing the act. I mean where were you for the last one hour?' he asked and my eyes fell upon Veer who was silently in a corner trying to carry a prop onto the stage. I gulped saying 'Store-' but he beat me to it and said 'You were not in the store room. We came there!!!' and I couldn't sit explaining him everything. Instead I tried changing the topic saying 'Let to Vinu!!! Let's concentrate on the event!!! Did anyone try calling his mobile?' I asked and he nodded saying 'He is disconnecting the call!!' I stood disappointed.
One by one all the acts were coming to an end and finally Vinu asked if I would even be performing. How could I? It is not a solo act. But atleast it was better than not facing the audience, so I decided to take the stage. When this time they announced the act,we heard loud booing from the audience. They had already termed it a flop due to absence of one of the participants each time but I started moving to the music carelessly and started moving my foot and started dancing but when the lines belonging to the male lead started playing I was clueless what to do but suddenly someone grabbed my hand and twirled me like a ballerina. My body swiftly spun only to crash into a hard chest and my eyes meeting a dangerously sexy pair of eyes that had half the college gasping.
Why wouldn't they?
Four weeks ago I slapped him in the cafeteria causing him being suspended. And today here he was grabbing my waist on a stage infront of the entire college looking into my eyes matching my rythm and dancing the night away.
We hadn't practiced. Damn he didn't even see me dancing but he matched my steps. Our eyes spoke to each other and our bodies were in complete sync. But my heart seemed to have lost its control. Every time his hands brushed against my skin or held my waist it felt like a fire was ignited in my body. My throat went dry and my skin felt ticklish. My stomach was filled with butterflies.
At once I wanted this to end and then again I wanted this to never end. I didn't know what I wanted. It's like we had choreographed the entire act perfectly so much so that the boos were converted into loud cheers and finally making the auditorium boom with loud claps. My reverie was broken and took a step away from me bowing to the audience. I missed the warmth of his body.
Everyone appreciated him including principal Sir who seemed upset with him but all he did was nod and walk away from there. Our act was announced the best performance of the evening as well but he didn't come to collect the prize. When asked I was told he already left. Guilt washed my heart again making me feel sad for whatever happened in the past. He wasn't that bad after all. He didn't try to take advantage of Yamuna, then he helped her reach home safe, then he helped me with my act. Maybe I judged him too early.
I received both our trophies when Acharya Sir told he can keep Veer's trophy with him in the staffroom and Veer can collect it on monday, I somehow felt Veer would never go to voluntarily collect it. So I simply asked Acharya Sir to give it to me. He raised an eyebrow giving me a questionable expression when I said 'I know where he stays and I can drop it at his place!!!' when Acharya Sir gave me a filthy look rolling his eyes and said 'Never thought you would be one amongst those girls!!! I thought you were better than this Vanshika!!!'.
I absolutely loathed Acharya Sir for his judgemental comments without even knowing the real scenario. He was one of those who would judge girls by the length of their skirts and boys with the length of their hair. But because he was almost at his retiral age, no one back answered him. However I chose to politely reply him saying
'You are misunderstanding this Sir. Veer is just a...'
'Friend??? Already??? So soon??? I thought you both hated each other?' he asked with an ugly smirk and I was getting irritated now.
'Sir!!! Veer is NOT my friend. But he is a classmate. He helped me today when Raj ditched me at the nth moment. And you are right we aren't friends already!!! But after today...I think I judged him too early. Veer doesn't seem that bad. And you know what Sir?... We are not friends but I don't think...we are enemies either!!! Now will you please?' I raised an eyebrow asking him for the trophy and gritting his teeth and passing me another ugly smirk he gave me Veer's trophy and I left from there.
Walking out of the college I looked at my watch. The clock was only tocking 9 pm.
Was it too early??? Ummm No!!!
Was it too late??? Ummm Maybe!!!
Was I going to his place??
Well!!! Yes!!!
And a small smile appeared on my face.
He wasn't that bad after all.
Yes!!! He wasn't that bad.
Because the worst was only knocking at my door and I was ready with a bouquet full of flowers to welcome my disaster.
People were naive but I was an idiot.
I didn't see the storm coming.