(🚨 Long chapter ahead 🚨)
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Have you ever felt like murdering someone and then doing it again and again?
No? Well, I also hadn't, but someone had a death wish. Unfortunately, I was too afraid to even say a cruse word to him while he enjoyed his time by annoying me.
"Wow. Look at this. So many notes. Are you planning to study all the syllabus of three years in one day?" Ved mocked as he picked up my Physics notebook and made a weird face.
"Please, give it back," I said lowly and moved my hand to grab the book.
"Did you just say 'please'? I should have recorded it."
"Ved, please give it back. I need to study." I tried to keep my voice stable, but it came out as a squeak.
I was studying alone in the library to cover up for my poor performance in the first semester. The results were not out yet, but I knew I didn't do well in the exams. I was too lost in Nikhil and Shree's matters that I neglected my studies.
But my mortal enemy had to make sure that I didn't do as I had planned. I never understood what his problem was. He had told me to stay away from his friends, and that's what I was doing; finally. Then why did he had to come and trouble me everytime?
Didn't he had other things to do? I never saw him study in college, so how did he manage to score good marks in the mock tests?
I asked him to return my notebook once more, and he refused. He kept hitting me on the head with a pen and kept asking me irrelevant questions; like who I was waiting for at the bus stop on Sunday, or why I hadn't yet saved his number in my phone, or why my handwriting was so sloppy.
When I realised that he wasn't going to return my notes any sooner, I packed my bag and got up from my seat. He called my name, but I continued on my way. I heard the chair screech behind me, and I increased my speed.
"Sandhya, stop! I am talking to you!" he yelled.
I acted like I couldn't hear his voice, but he soon caught up to me and grabbed my hand. He handed me the notebook, and I kept it in my bag without looking at him.
I motioned for him to leave my hand, and he just tightened his grip. I felt like he would start beating me up any second, so I took a step back. I told him in the most polite way as I could that I had a lecture to attend, but he was just shooting daggers at me.
"Are you scared of me?" he asked and stepped closer.
"You should be happy," I mumbled under my breath.
"I heard that," he said.
"Are you done? I need to go," I told him and moved my feet.
He pulled me back and flicked my forehead. I fisted my hands, and a very colourful cuss word was on the tip of my tongue, but I swallowed it back. I glanced at him, and he had mixed expressions on his face; I couldn't pick out one.
"Look, Ved. You told me to keep my distance, and that's what I am doing. So, why are trying to irritate me? I already told you I won't trouble Ayush or anyone else, then why are you bullying me?" I asked without raising my voice.
He looked away for a minute and then snapped his eyes back at me. His eyes darted around my face, and I kept my expressions stoic. I was feeling sad on the mention of my friends, but I didn't want Ved to see my vulnerable side.
I was trying to be civil, but he was making it really difficult to do so. I had promised myself that I would follow his advice, hoping that he would ignore me, but I was wrong. He kept pulling pranks on me and would make fun of me in front of his friends.
"Can I go now? I have a class," I repeated, and he left my hand slowly.
He mumbled something under his breath, but I didn't wait to hear what he was saying.
On my way, I saw Ayush along with Nikhil and the rest of the boys. I averted my eyes and continued walking. I slowed down my pace just as I registered the image of Karthik who was coming from the other side of the corridor.
He looked so different. And worse. His face was pale and he looked sick. There were large dark circles under his eyes and his cheeks were sagging; making him look ten years older. His tattoo filled arms resembled sticks, and his tank top hung loosely on his once strong build, indicating that he had lost a lot of weight too.
All of the students were looking at him, but he acted like he was unaffected. I scrunched up my nose as he went past me. He was stinking of alcohol and cigarettes. I waved my hand in front of my face and looked back at him.
He joined the other guys, and Nikhil looked at him in concern. He put a hand on Karthik's shoulder, and the way Nikhil was reacting, it meant he was scolding his druggie friend.
I saw Karthik after a lot of time, and even though he wasn't my friend, I felt bad for him. While Nikhil had managed to get over his bad habits, Karthik was still lurking in the darkness.
I didn't know much about him, but I was sure he was struggling with something. Or else why would he do drugs when he had such good friends who cared for him? I knew there was a bigger reason behind his actions, and I hoped he got back on track again.
And you should also get back on the way to your class, Sandhya. Stop worrying about others.
I went to my lecture and after that, I went to the clerk's office to deposit my form for the volunteer work. A lot of students were already there, so it took me half an hour to get the work done. I met Surbhi and Parth in the cafeteria, and we had a peaceful lunch.
Just like that, the days went by in a blur, and it was Sunday again. A lot of things happened within the last week. Shreyas came second in the music program 'Rising Stars', we attended Parth's birthday party which was on Wednesday, and I gifted him a soccer shaped pendant.
The pendant was custom made, and Zoya helped me in picking it up as Parth's gift. The locket could be opened in two parts, and I had already put the pictures of Parth and his girlfriend on one side and his parents' pictures on the other side. As a return gift, he gave me a bear hug and pushed me in the swimming pool.
Such a good friend he was.
I got to meet his girlfriend Kasturi, and I was really impressed by her. She was not just beautiful, but smart also. Parth looked totally smitten by the short haired girl, and it was vice-versa too. I enjoyed the party and clicked a lot of pictures with them.
Meanwhile, I kept in touch with Sahil and Gauri. He asked me to meet him, but I told him I had a lot of work at hand. He wasn't happy, so I promised him I would make it up to him. I was glad there was someone with whom I could talk about useless things without worrying about anything else.
My gym classes and work were also going fine, and I made sure to check on Faiyaz and his family whenever I had free time. After the threat I received from Ishaan bhaiyya, I wanted to make sure he kept his end of the deal.
A few times, I saw some men lurking around Faiyaz's house, and I recognised them as Rashi's brother's goons. But I wasn't scared of them. I had decided that if any of them laid a single finger on Faiyaz, I would call the police and then tell everyone about Ishaan bhaiyya's affair.
Within these seven days, I got in a routine. College, home, work, Faiyaz's house and then back to home. I spent a lot of time with Zoya and her family, and they also never minded my presence.
Also, after I told Ved off that day, he stopped bothering me, but I could sense him staring holes through me during lectures or during lunch break. A lot of times, I saw him walking towards me and then return back with an annoyed expression.
He tried to tease me a few times indirectly, expecting a reaction from me, but I kept my cool. I understood his tactics. He just wanted to have fun and bother me one way or another. I controlled my anger as I didn't want to get in a fight with him for no reason. I was tired of it.
I knew he must be really surprised to see me minding my own business and doing as he had told me to do. I was surprised too, but I was really happy.
I didn't have to worry about my foolish friends nor have to hear their taunts. Life was going really well for me, minus Faiyaz's issue. I tried to help him as much as I could, and he was really grateful for that.
So, today I took a break and spent some time with my parents. As I had promised mom last Sunday, I took her to the spa and we went shopping. Nikhil's mom also joined us, and I avoided her questions related to Nikhil.
She kept asking me why I no longer visited their house and told me that everyone missed me. I gave a lot of excuses, and in the end, she seemed to be convinced. I told her about my part-time job, and she left me off the hook.
I also missed her and uncle, but I couldn't do anything about it. Nikhil didn't like me coming to his house, and I also didn't want to argue with him every time, so me not going there was the only solution.
Lakshya bhaiyya (Nikhil's elder brother) called me a few times asking me about my well being, and everytime I lied that everything was fine, and he believed that Nikhil and I were still friends.
I felt a little bad about it, but I had stopped keeping expectations. I was content with whatever I had and wishing for something more would be tiresome.
Just like the packing I had to do for the trip.
I had already packed my bags for the four-day trip and set the alarm for 7 am. I just had to wake up on time and leave for college after getting ready.
The clock was showing 6 pm, but I was already feeling tired. So, I had an early dinner and went to my room. I plonked down on my bed and closed my eyes. I had started drifting off to sleep when my phone buzzed.
I ignored it as my eyelids got heavy. The phone rang again, and I again ignored it. In the end, I had to get up when it kept buzzing without a break. I picked up the call without looking at the caller ID, and all of my sleep flew out of the window when Zoya's panicked voice landed in my ears.
"Sandhya didi! I need help!" she yelled.
"Are you okay, Zoya? What happened? Where are you? Is Faiyaz safe? Did something happen?" I asked in one breath; fearing for her safety.
"Everything is fine, di, but there is a huge problem," she cried.
"What is it? Tell me," I said and sat up on my bed on full alert.
"Can you please come to our house?" she asked in a low voice.
"Right now? What's the issue?"
"Yes. Actually.... please don't scold me, and don't tell this to Faiyaz bhaijaan. He will kill me."
"Tell me, Zoya. Stop with the suspense."
"I forgot to do my Physics project. And it is due tomorrow."
"What?! Are you serious right now? How could you forget that? You know it carries a lot of marks, right? Zoya, I kept reminding you but still you forgot?" I scolded her, and she started crying.
"What.... what to do now? There is no one who can help me. Bhaijaan is in the office, and mom doesn't know anything about it. My friends won't come at this time. That's why I called you. Please, didi. I need your help....." she said through sobs, and I pursed my lips.
I looked at the time; 6:25 pm. I rubbed my forehead with my fingers and asked Zoya how much she had completed the project.
"One third is done....." she informed, and I facepalmed myself.
"Do you have all the equipment?" I asked, and she replied in positive.
I took a breath of relief and told her I would be there in half an hour. She thanked me and began rustling around her. I cut the call and ran downstairs after changing into a t-shirt, a sweater and jeggings. I grabbed the scooter keys from the hook and rushed out of the house.
"Where you going now?" Mom yelled from the kitchen window.
"An emergency! Will be back soon. Don't worry," I shouted back.
"This girl. Be safe!"
"Yes mom! Gotta go now!"
Mom told me to call her once I reached my destination, or I would not be allowed entry in the house if I got home late.
I nodded as I put on my helmet and started the scooter. It jerked a few times, and I almost kicked it in impatience. Finally, the old junk started, and I zoomed through the heavy traffic. I reached Zoya's house after forty minutes and rang the doorbell.
She instantly opened the door and pulled me inside the house. She had spread everything on the hall floor, and her mom was sitting on the sofa with a stern look.
"Hello, aunty," I greeted. "Sorry for arriving here like this."
"Why are you sorry, beta?" she waved me off and then motioned towards Zoya. "I am tired of scolding this girl, but her mind only works when it comes to gossip or movies."
Zoya ignored her mom and told me how much work was left to do. She had already prepared the digital presentation, so only the manual work was left.
I sat down beside her, and we worked non-stop to complete her project. Meanwhile, aunty kept giving us snacks and kept scolding Zoya for her tardiness.
Zoya had chosen to make the representation of XNOR logic gate, and I complimented her for doing it on her own. But she forgot to do the documentation too, so we had double the work. While she wrote down her theory, I played with the wires and LEDs.
I managed to complete the circuit, but it needed to be tested, or else everything would go down the drain. I switched on the plug, and one of the LEDs lit up. Zoya smiled in joy, but the bulb went off after a few minutes.
She panicked and looked at me with worried eyes. Aunty was angry, but she was also concerned about her daughter's project. Faiyaz was also not here to help us. I looked at the time, and my eyes widened when I saw the hour hand struck 9.
"Didi...." Zoya cried, and I glanced at her.
She was on the verge of crying. If it was any other day, I would have told her to bunk the class, but it was related to her 12th board exams. And if she didn't turn up her assignment on time, she would fail. Aunty told me to go home, but Zoya was giving me her puppy eyes.
I couldn't leave her like this. She trusted me to help her. I called up mom and told her I might be a little late. I received a good scolding, and mom promised me a lecture when I returned home. I told her I would be back as soon as possible, and she warned me that if I didn't do so, I could kiss my laptop and WiFi goodbye.
I instantly hung up the call after assuring her and got back in action. Fortunately, after one more hour, we managed to build a proper logic gate without any defects. I checked it ten times and told Zoya to keep it in a safe place.
The moment the clock struck 10 pm, I rushed out of their house and mounted the scooter. I waved Aunty and Zoya goodbye and wished her all the best. She thanked me, and aunty told me to go game safely. I nodded and drove off.
I kept checking for any dangers and luckily, I didn't get in any trouble and reached home in time for Mom's lecture.
She scolded me for my reckless behaviour and that I had started to ignore her words a lot these days. I listened to her patiently, and she asked me the reason why I had to run off in a hurry.
I told her everything, and she cooled down a little. She called me to sit beside her on the sofa, and I followed her command.
"Sandhya, I know you like to help others, but sometimes think about us too, na? We are your parents. We always keep worrying about you, and nowadays, you don't tell everything to me. I am your mother, beta. You don't need to hide anything from me," she said and caressed my hair.
I laid down my head on her lap and relaxed. "I know, ma. There are a lot of things I haven't told you, and it is not because I don't want to tell you. It is just because I know you will worry unnecessarily. It is nothing serious."
"Are you sure, Sandhu? You know you can share your secrets with me." She patted my head.
"Yes, ma. I will tell you myself if I get in any serious problem. For now, everything is fine," I assured her and she sighed.
"Okay, then. Next time, be careful and don't give me a chance to scold you. Now go and sleep. You have to leave for the trip, right?"
"Oh, right! I almost forgot. Good night, ma." I hugged her, and she kissed my forehead.
We both got up and went to our respective rooms. As soon as I saw my bed, I jumped on it and spread myself like a starfish. I didn't have any strength to change my clothes, so I just closed my eyes and traveled to the dreamland.
In my dreams, I could only see electric wires, resistors, bulbs, papers and cardboard.
Argh! When would I stop seeing useless dreams? Maybe after I died? Well, college work can surely take care of that.