Slap! A tight slap!
The resounding slap echoed through the air, leaving behind a crimson mark on the cheek of St. Xavier's most notorious geek. The girl responsible had already run inside the resort with her hips stained with blood, a stark reminder of the private ordeal she had endured.
All of Dev's efforts to shield his beloved from embarrassment now seemed futile as the teachers and excited students bore witness to her intimate crimson mark. Murmurs and whispers rippled through the crowd, leaving those privies to the situation dumbfounded.
"Dev, what is the meaning of this?" Mr. Abhinav's voice cut through the tension, directed at the defeated figure before him. Dev's expression betrayed a sense of defeat, as if he had lost everything in that moment.
"Please, sir, I cannot explain now. Allow me to go to her," Dev pleaded, his heart heavy with the weight of the situation.
But Mrs. Sarita intervened, her commanding voice silencing any further discussion. She swiftly directed Mr. Abhinav to escort the students away, leaving only Dev, Sakshi, and herself amidst the aftermath of the chaotic scene.
"So, tell me what new story you cooked this time? And how come blood is there on that girl's back?" Dev couldn't believe that the person who was a woman herself was asking him such questions with disgust filled in her tone.
"She had her first period, that's why," Dev's words cut through the tension, his tone tinged with anger. He resented the teacher's interrogation, filled with disdain and contempt for Arvika at her most natural life process.
"Then why were you kissing her? She should be resting in her room, then why?" the vice-principal was getting on his nerves now, Dev wanted nothing but to strangle her neck and bury her deep inside the mountainous soil of Ooty.
"Ma'am, it's our lives. Who we choose to be friends with, who we choose to kiss—why is that any of your concern?" Dev's voice held a simmering anger, a defiance that he could no longer contain. His anger surged within him, a force determined to confront anyone who dared to interfere, teacher or otherwise.
"How dare you talk like this!" with that being said, Mrs. Sarita was going to slap Dev on his left cheek where Arvika had slapped him a few moments ago, but before her old hand could touch his cheek, he had already held her hand in the air, grasping her hand tightly in his hold.
"No one dares to put a finger on me, you are my teacher, so be one, I am respecting you because of that only," even Mrs. Sarita flinched at Dev's harsh and rude tone which he had used for the very first time for her.
"I'll sue you! Who do you think you are? Do you think you can get away with this? Not this time, Dev, not this time. I'll ensure you're expelled from this school. We don't need troublemakers like you. And that girl, she'll be expelled too. We won't tolerate nonsense from students like you!" Her voice rose with each word, her face flushed with anger, her ego wounded by none other than Dev, the troublemaker extraordinaire.
"Then sue me, I am not afraid of you or either the principal, I am still saying this, I didn't commit a crime by kissing her, go and do whatever the hell you want," and that was the last statement that Dev bellowed at her, shocking and hurting her Jupiter-sized ego more than anyone else had ever done to her.
"Your sister will also be expelled," Mrs. Sarita tried to pull out the last string, trying to trigger the last pulse of Dev's nerve which was just a step away from exploding like a bomb.
"Yeah, expel the whole school, my friends too, my favorite teachers, my mates as well, and teach yourself and study yourself, I don't give a damn," grasping the hand of his sister, he moved towards the resort towards the room where he could find his baby, his Arvika who was furious at him and his unwelcomed gestures of what he had done today with her.
"Whatever you did today, Bhaiya, it's not good, really," Sakshi whispered softly, not wanting to further anger her already enraged brother. Though he had already heard her he remained surprisingly calm, not lashing out at her.
"Arvika!" he called out as soon as he reached her room's doorstep. But the door to her room, and her heart, seemed firmly shut, only stoking his impatience and frustration.
"Listen to me, please," he pleaded, knocking on the door, hoping for just a chance to explain.
But Arvika couldn't hear him. She was confined in the washroom, sitting under the shower, tears mingling with the water, reeling from the dishonouring and degrading incident that had unfolded in front of the whole school. The accusations thrown at her were unjust and shameful.
Why always her? Why always a girl? Why?
She kept crying, bellowing at the God for making her a girl, for fertilizing her with XX chromosome, for giving her a mother she couldn't relate to, for giving her a family for whom she was just a formality to keep up, why God why she sobbed continuously!
No doubt, the incident was horrendous, but her periods were also taking a toll on her mental health.
"Bhaiya, she won't respond. She's probably locked herself in the shower, letting her tears mingle with the water," Sakshi choked on her words, her own tears now streaming down her cheeks. The onslaught of events had shattered her, leaving her emotionally bruised and overwhelmed.
"God, f**k," Dev cursed lowly and sat against the door, keeping his palm on his face, regretting the decision which he had taken in haste so as to save the dignity of his girl which had backfired at him and that too with intensity and repercussions as adverse as the multiple of thousands!
"Bhaiya, what really happened? Please, tell me. Maybe I can help," Sakshi sat beside her brother, her heart aching at the sight of his distress.
With his voice trembling, Dev recounted the day's events in a rush, his inner turmoil laid bare as he explained the circumstances that led to the scandalous kiss.
"I didn't know what to do, Sakshi. I was overwhelmed, all I wanted was to shield her from any humiliation," Dev's eyes remained closed, haunted by the memory of the day's events. "Those men... they're bad news. After what happened last night, I couldn't bear the thought of them leering at her, making crude remarks."
Dev's eyes remained closed as he replayed the day's riotous events in his mind. Each moment weighed heavily on him, his heart laid bare, raw with emotion. He couldn't shake the worry gnawing at him, the uncertainty of what Arvika might be enduring behind the closed door of the washroom. With every passing second, his concern intensified, imagining the turmoil she might be experiencing. The thought of her alone, grappling with the aftermath of the day's events, was almost unbearable. Would she be crying? Angry? Lost in despair? Dev couldn't fathom it, but the uncertainty gnawed at him, driving him to find a way to reach her, to offer whatever solace he could.
"You love her?" Sakshi's disbelief was intense, her shock mirrored in her eyes as she processed her brother's confession.
"Of course. Why else would I be in such a state?" Dev's anguish was evident in his voice, the depth of his feelings laid naked for his sister to see.
"Then don't cry. Let's find a way to get inside before she does something rash," Sakshi rallied, her words injecting a newfound determination into her brother.
"Wait, maybe the receptionist has spare keys," Dev was already on his feet, his resolve renewed as he dashed towards the reception area.
Meanwhile, Sakshi continued to knock on the door, her efforts met with silence from within as the other students watched from their rooms, their whispers echoing through the corridor.
Rohan hurried to the scene after hastily tending to Ashish, who had a bleeding nose from a previous scuffle with Dev. He had barely caught his breath before the news of the scandalous scene reached his ears through the scuttlebutt of gossiping students. With a mix of frustration and resignation, he cursed under his breath, his mind already forming unspoken reproaches aimed at his perpetually trouble-prone best friend, Dev. It seemed that wherever Dev went, chaos followed, and Rohan couldn't help but wonder when their string of misadventures would finally come to an end.
After getting the keys and finally after a lot of struggles against the washroom door, they finally barged inside the washroom where Arvika was lying unconscious, with a pool of blood surrounding her, again!
Dev's heart bled with a searing intensity as he beheld his beloved in such a fragile and vulnerable state, once more!
****
Upon witnessing Arvika's unconscious and bleeding state, Sakshi swiftly ran towards Mrs. Sarita's room for assistance.
And Dev was met with a scene that shook him to his core. There lay Arvika, unconscious on the washroom floor, her once vibrant complexion now drained, replaced by a ghostly pallor. The sight of her blood-soaked clothes and the red pool of blood around her fragile form sent a wave of anguish through Dev's already shattered heart.
His gaze fixed on her motionless figure, Dev felt a surge of emotions overwhelm him. Guilt gnawed at him, knowing that it was his impulsive actions that had led to this moment of vulnerability for Arvika. Anguish gripped him as he realized the extent of her suffering, both physical and emotional. Seeing her in such a fragile state shattered him, stirring up a turbulent whirlwind of regret, sorrow, and helplessness within him.
Without a moment's delay, they rushed Arvika to the hospital, their hearts gripped by fear and urgency as they prayed for her well-being.
In the van, which carried a dazed Dev and Sakshi, Mrs. Sarita wasted no time in contacting both Dev's and Arvika's parents, urgently summoning them to OOTY in light of the scandal involving their children as well as the current medical emergency. She stressed the gravity of the situation, urging them to arrive as swiftly as possible to address the matter at hand.
As Dev stood lost in his thoughts, and Sakshi in her own reverie, his parents' arrival at the hospital broke through the haze of his daze. Their concerned voices brought him back to reality, grounding him in the present moment.
Meanwhile, Sakshi wasted no time in informing Arvika's parents about the unfortunate incident that had befallen their daughter. With tears in her eyes, she recounted the series of events, sparing no detail in conveying the gravity of the situation.
As the truth of Dev's actions began to sink in, Devika, Dev's mother, felt a surge of fury and disappointment. The revelation that her son had misbehaved with Arvika, especially during such a vulnerable time, filled her with outrage. Without hesitation, she raised her hand and delivered a resounding slap across Dev's cheek, the sting of her palm serving as a harsh reminder of his wrongdoing. "How could you do this Dev? Tell me. Is this what we had taught you? Tell me?" Devika slapped her son for one more time for what he had perpetrated with an innocent girl.
Amidst the storm of accusations and anger, Dev found himself drowned in a sea of voices, none willing to lend an ear to his side of the tale. Mrs. Sarita's relentless pursuit of justice left him defenceless, stripped of any opportunity to plead his case to his parents or Arvika's. Their silence spoke volumes as they gazed upon their daughter, her delicate form resting on the hospital bed, besieged by fever and despair, her innocence a stark contrast to the turmoil that surrounded her. With her body wracked by illness and her spirit broken, she seemed to stagger on the edge of existence, her will to live hanging by a thread.
The combination of sitting under the shower's chilled water and experiencing heavy bleeding led to Arvika's sudden loss of consciousness. The coldness of the water may have exacerbated her already weakened state, while the significant blood loss likely contributed to her fainting spell. Now, she lied in a hospital bed, receiving medical attention to address both her physical condition and the underlying cause of her unconsciousness.
"What will he say Mrs. Kapoor! Kids these days have started thinking of themselves as some big hero and heroines, they take inspirations from dirty films only," Mrs. Sarita left another nasty remark, invoking Dev's mother more and more.
"Devika, stop it, he's already resentful about his deeds, don't make him more guilty and he's just a kid," Karanjit Kapoor tried to intervene between the mother and son duo, not wanting his son to be beaten and insulted anymore for a thing as small as a kiss, at least for him.
"Shut up! It's because of you that your son has become like this. You have spoiled him. Now, I'll make sure you won't stay with us in Mumbai, Dev. You'll be sent to the strictest boarding school in India. I've had enough of your dramas and scandals," Devika sobbed in Sakshi's arms, her heart heavy with distress. Before them, Arvika lay motionless, her body feverish, visible through the small glass window on the door. How much she had adored that beautiful girl like her own daughter! Devika couldn't believe that her son was such a tormentor!
"Ma, I beg you, don't send me there," Dev's voice quivered, the mere idea of being separated from Arvika wrenching his heart.
"There's no place for you in our school either," Mrs. Sarita declared with authority, her gaze piercing through Dev, who had dared to challenge her just moments ago, igniting her indomitable teacher's pride.
"I am talking with my mother, why are you coming in between," he roared at his vice-principal making her flinch more towards the chair on which she was sitting like a king, earlier.
"See how he speaks, utterly lacking in manners," Mrs. Sarita remarked, her resolve firm to make Dev pay for his actions, a testament to her towering ego.
"Yes, he must be sent away to a boarding school immediately," Devika murmured as she made her way toward the room where Arvika lay unconscious.
"Don't you dare step inside," Devika warned Dev sternly before disappearing behind the door along with Sakshi.
Inside, Sakshi remained by Arvika's side, her grip on her friend's hand unwavering, her worry etched deeply on her face.
"How is she? Any improvement?" Sakshi inquired anxiously of the attending doctor, who still worked tirelessly to bring Arvika back from the brink of unconsciousness.
"She's lost a significant amount of blood; perhaps it's best to move her to the gynaecology ward," the physician admitted, his hands tied in the face of Arvika's critical condition.
As Arvika was transferred to the specialized care of the gynaecology ward, her family and Mrs. Sarita anxiously awaited news of her condition, unaware of the life-altering announcement that would soon come from Arvika's stepfather.
"Arvika will be sent to some boarding school as well," Mr. Srivastav announced, opening his mouth for the first time after their arrival here in Ooty.
Dev felt the weight of despair pressing down on him, crushing the last glimmers of hope he held dear. Like a ship lost at sea, he found himself adrift in a vast expanse of emptiness, where the promise of a future with his beloved had vanished into the abyss of nothingness.
Sakshi stood standstill too, the thought of losing Arvika, her confidante and closest companion, felt like a cruel twist of fate, plunging her into a whirlwind of emotions. She stood there, speechless and stunned, grappling with the harsh reality of their impending separation.
~**•°•**~