Friends (Novelette)

May 2019, New Delhi

A crowd with a large number of people with placards, including media and press, consisting of all news channel reporters has gathered outside the juvenile court. The police is also present there to control the crowd.

Among them, one lady reporter who is reporting live says,

“Today is an important day for the judicial system. A 17-year-old girl is about to face judgement for her crime. She is accused of killing a group of men in a massacre at a night club. Further investigation by the police also revealed that she’s guilty of murdering her parents in cold blood and some other petty crimes as well. It is hard to believe that a teenage girl could be involved in such heinous crimes. But this is all true. The general public has very extreme opinions about this girl."

"Most people want this girl to get a death sentence considering how serious her crimes are. But some people considering her age, say that she should get a lighter sentence. Because of the girl being a minor, the police and the court have not revealed her name or shown her face to the world. Also because of how popular this case has become among the public, revealing her name or face could put the girl’s life in danger. Nobody has seen her or knows about her or her background. Think about it, how could a 17-year-old minor girl be so dangerous?”.

As the reporter was talking through the camera, the police van carrying the convict arrives at the scene. The lady constables bring her out. Her face is covered by a cloth. Seeing her, the crowd shouts at her in anger. The police stops the crowd and tries to control them. The lady constables take her inside the court immediately.

After sometime, the hearing begins. The public prosecutor appeals to the judge not to get carried away seeing the convict’s age or sex, and should give her the death sentence as she’s a danger to society. The defense lawyer makes an appeal to give her a lighter sentence considering her age, sex and mental condition.

After hearing the appeal of both lawyers, the judge gives his judgement saying, “After hearing the appeal of both sides, the court has come to this conclusion that this girl is guilty of killing 14 people, in which 12 were gunned down in a club and other two were her parents. She’s charged for murder and withholding evidence. However, considering that the convict is a minor, the court can’t give her the death sentence. So the court has decided to give her 2 years of imprisonment in a juvenile home. Along with that, she would get whatever medical treatment she needs to cure her mental condition. The convict would also be provided with homeschooling so that her two years worth of education doesn’t get affected. The hearing is now over.”

Saying this, the judge walks away leaving everyone in stunned silence. This girl was supposed to get a death sentence but instead she got away with a slap on the wrist! Two years of imprisonment in a juvenile home is nothing for killing 14 people in cold blood, according to majority of the people. How did she get away so easily? Is it because she is a minor? Or is it because she is a girl? Or is the reason something else?

TWO YEARS LATER

Mumbai, May 2021.

It was 8’Oclock in the morning. A guy was sleeping peacefully in his room. The phone alarm rang to wake him up. The guy opened his eyes feeling irritated. He looked at his phone, turned off the alarm and then again went back to sleep. His mom entered his room and said, “Rahul, for how long will you sleep? Get up now. You have to reach college. Do you want to get late on your first day of college?" 

“Five minutes more, mom,” replied Rahul like any other teenager. 

“Stop procrastinating. You don’t wanna be late on the first day. Get up quickly!!!” ordered his mom.

Rahul finally woke up. Today was his first day in college but 18-year-old Rahul was not excited at all. Instead he was scared of facing ragging by seniors. Apart from that he was wondering how he was going to make new friends in college. It wasn't like he ever had a large friends' circle. By the time he passed out of 12th grade, he only had two friends left, and those two had moved out of the city for higher education. While Rahul was still stuck in Mumbai. It wasn't that he didn’t want to move out but that he couldn’t get an admission in a prestigious college out of town because of his low marks, so his parents had thought it better to study in a local college. Apart from that, he wasn’t fully convinced on the idea of moving out because he was still a mumma’s boy, who couldn't stay away from his parents and the comfort of his home. 

Rahul finally brushed his teeth, had his breakfast, packed his bags and got ready for college. He had never cared much about his looks so he did not bother to look in the mirror before stepping out. He reached his new college on his Scooty. The college had a big campus area with old infrastructure, as the “City College” was built in 1983. Rahul entered his new class, which was a big hall, with a lot of students already seated. He knew he was late. It was tough to find a seat but he managed to find one soon.

While waiting for the lecture to begin, he saw a beautiful girl wearing a short blue skirt, and carrying a small handbag enter the class. The girl was extremely pretty with an oval face, fair skin, silky long black hair and a petite body. Seeing her, all the boys in the class lost their mind and gaped at her in silence with full attention as if a professor had entered the class. Rahul, who was not interested in the girl one bit, was embarrassed at the other boys' behavior. He could tell the girl was uncomfortable. Several boys offered her their seat, and she finally accepted one, leaving the boy who gave up his seat scrambling to look for another empty one.  

The class sat idle for a little longer, as the professor himself was late for their induction class. Rahul wondered if this was how it worked in college, with professors not showing up for a lecture. If that was the case, how could you expect students to study? As he pondered, another girl walked into the class, again drawing the attention of everyone in the room, but for a different reason. This girl was wearing a loose white collarless cotton shirt with black stripes along with baggy half pants, with a college bag hanging on her shoulder. She had pale skin, a heart-shaped face and curly hair cropped short like a boy. Everyone began snickering at her weird fashion sense. Rahul too couldn’t smiling, since the girl looked really ridiculous.

However, the reaction of the crowd didn’t affect the girl at all. She remained unfazed, the innocent look on her face intact. She had trouble finding a seat, and nobody got up to offer her one. Rahul felt sorry for her and wanted to help, but he didn’t want to get teased by his classmates on his first day, attempting to be Mother Teresa. Soon, the girl found a seat and Rahul felt relieved. He also felt guilty for laughing at her. He had been a shy and introverted guy in school, and had faced a lot of bullying and humiliation. He should have been more sensitive to the girl's plight, knowing how it felt to be on the receiving end.

The professor finally arrived, and the induction class was done in an hour. Rahul’s first day of college was done too. At least that was what he thought until a group of about 10 seniors walked into the class, and commanded all the freshers who were about to leave to sit back down. Rahul realized that his worst fear was about to come true. 

“Good morning, first year English Honors students!!!” said one of the seniors with a creepy smile. 

“Why are you guys in such a hurry? The professor’s class may be over but our class is not! You guys know very well what’s about to happen. So why waste time?” said another senior.

But as he spoke, the girl with the weird clothes got up and began to leave, surprising everyone in the class. The seniors were outraged at this blatant disregard of their authority and began yelling at the girl, but she continued to walk out calmly. Rahul stared at her, wondering what was going in her mind. There was only one door to the class right at the front so it was impossible for her to leave without facing the seniors. The fact that she was ignoring them and acting like they didn’t matter didn’t help either. A senior boy grabbed her hand to stop her just as she was about to walk out and said, ”Where are you going girl? Are you deaf? Can’t you hear?”

The leader of the seniors' group then spoke up and asked the girl her name. When she didn’t reply, he asked her again sternly. The girl still didn’t show any sign of being scared and replied detachedly, “Alex.” 

One of senior girls said in a mocking tone, “So your name and dressing sense both resemble a guy huh?”  

“Don’t worry, we’ll teach you how to become a girl,” said another senior girl, and now Rahul noticed that his classmates were also laughing at her. He felt uneasy and worried for Alex. He wanted to do something but couldn’t muster up the courage to speak in front of the seniors.

The senior girls started to give Alex a 'makeover', applying bad make-up to her face, making her look like a circus clown. When they were done, the entire class burst out laughing. Still, none of this fazed Alex. It didn’t look like she was feeling even a tinge of embarrassment or humiliation. But situation was about to become more grim. 

The leader of the seniors again spoke up, “Why are you wearing such a loose shirt? Don’t you know how to dress like a girl? Come on, take it off!!!” 

Everyone was shocked and one person was so agitated that he protested with a loud 'NO'!  

Everyone turned around curiously to see who it was. It was Rahul. It was a knee-jerk reaction, but that was enough to get everyone’s attention including the seniors. They called Rahul to come out to the front where everyone could see him. Rahul began to regret he had said anything. But he couldn’t help it, watching Alex being humiliated before everybody like that. Maybe it was because he could relate so much to her situation. Rahul slowly walked out to the front and now it was his turn to face the ragging.

“Why were you so bothered if I asked this girl to take off her clothes?” asked one senior. 

“Yeah, are you her boyfriend?” asked another girl, and all the seniors laughed. 

“We weren’t actually going to take off a girl's clothes. We aren’t that bad. But we can take off your clothes, huh?” said their leader and they all laughed again. Rahul was now really scared. This was his first day in college and it seemed like he was going to become a joke here as well like in school. 

“Don’t worry. We aren’t going to strip anyone here. But we still have to do something right?” said the leader, which gave Rahul some relief.

“You like this girl, na? That’s why you couldn’t watch her being ragged? Fine, then kiss her,” said one of the seniors, putting an end to Rahul’s one second of relief. 

“And you have to kiss her on her lips,” added another senior. Rahul was terribly uncomfortable. How could he kiss a girl without her permission? He looked at Alex who had maintained her one unfazed expression until now. There was no change in her expression. She didn’t seem affected at all by whatever was happening. She looked like she was in a dreamy, semi-conscious state. 

One senior whacked Rahul on the back of his head and said loudly, “Can’t you hear? We don’t have all day. Come on… Kiss her!!!”

“Come on. She’s not that bad looking. You can kiss her. Why are you hesitating?” said one of the senior girls mockingly and laughed. 

Another girl hit Alex on the back of her head and said, “What kind of girl are you? This guy is not ready to kiss you even after being given no choice!” 

A hand swiftly raised and hit  Rahul across his face. Rahul couldn’t process the slap fast enough and held his cheek in shock. It was the leader of the seniors who had slapped him. He said, “Why are you making us wait so much? Kiss her fast.” 

Rahul still didn’t make a move. “If you’re not going to kiss her, then we will make this girl strip right here,” warned the leader.

Rahul was now shaking inside. He couldn't kiss this girl whom he barely knew, and neither could he let her face the consequences of him not kissing her. 

“Neha…he isn’t going to do it. Take off her clothes,” ordered the leader to his senior classmate. The girl moved forward and grabbed Alex, but Rahul jumped between them and shouted, “No!!! You can’t do this to her. Haven’t you guys humiliated her enough? Why don’t you leave her alone?”

Rahul was rewarded with another slap for his impertinence, and their leader grabbed his collar in anger saying, “How dare you talk to us like that? Don’t you know how to talk to seniors?” 

Somehow Rahul gathered his courage. “Being a senior doesn’t mean you act like a jerk. You guys are not worthy of our respect.” 

Rahul knew what his insolence would cost him. He was punched in the face and then all the senior boys began beating him up. His own classmates watched in silence. “Stop it!!!”, a girl shouted aloud causing the seniors to stop.

It was the pretty girl in the short skirt that all the guys had drooled over. She stormed up to the front, and spoke sternly to them. 

“That’s enough. Stop your bullying or we will complain to the principal.”.

The seniors began to laugh and their leader grabbed her hand and began to harass her. 

“You’re so beautiful. We were wasting time on these losers when it would be so much more fun to rag you!” 

“Let go of my hand!!!" warned the girl sternly, trying to put on a  brave face, but her voice was cracking with fear. 

“I don’t wanna leave this hand,” said the boy smirking, and brought her hand close to his face. 

“I wanna kiss it.”  Just as he was about to bring it to his lips, the girl pulled away and slapped him hard on his face, stunning him. Everyone was shocked for a moment. Seething with anger at the public humiliation, the boy slapped the girl back in retaliation.

The girl began bleeding mildly from her lips from the force of the slap. Rahul felt a rage overtake him. His logical mind was telling him he would be no match for all these seniors but he didn't care. He began to punch the leader with all his might. The other seniors came to his aid, and now Rahul was the one being beaten up. Alex and the other girl tried to stop them but couldn’t. She pleaded for help from her classmates, but they just sat there like mute spectators. None of them wanted to mess with the seniors. The seniors continued to beat Rahul mercilessly, until a professor showed up. “What is happening here?” he shouted.

He looked at the seniors, then at Alex, whose face was covered with bad make-up, at Rahul whose face and arms were now marked with cuts and bruises, and then at the girl who was bleeding through her lips. After he moment he said, “To the Principal’s office….now!!!” 

They were all marched to the office. The Principal addressed the seniors sternly. “What is going on in my college? Don’t you know ragging is not allowed in our campus? What have you all done to this girl’s face?” he said looking at Alex.

“And fighting in this college will not be tolerated at all. This is the last warning to you all. If I hear any such complaint against you guys, I will suspend you all. Now leave,” finished the principal, leaving the other girl flabbergasted. 

She spoke up. “That’s it? You’re going to leave these guys with a warning? Look at this girl’s face,” she said pointing at Alex. “Look at this guy…how badly they have beaten him,” she said pointing at Rahul. “Look at my face. This guy tried to sexually harass me, threatened this girl with things I'm ashamed to repeat.. and you’re just letting them off with a warning? No punishment? Nothing? I mean, what kind of a college is this?” The girl was having a near breakdown.

The Principal looked at her for a moment and then said, “Miss…what’s your name?” 

“Lalitha…Lalitha Prakash,” she answered after few seconds while trying to compose herself. 

“Listen Miss Lalitha….don’t tell me how to run this college. I know how to do that very well. okay? Now leave. All of you!” 

Defeated, they left the office. The seniors smiled gloatingly at Rahul, Alex and Lalitha, and the leader made a threatening gesture indicating that they were not done with them.  

After they had left, Lalitha said to Alex, “You should wash your face.” 

“It’s okay,” said Alex softly. “I’m not embarrassed by it. 

“And you should get yourself checked in the sick room…by the way, thank you for standing up for me,” said Lalitha to Rahul, smiling. 

“You don’t have to thank me. It was you who first stood up for me,” replied Rahul.

And this was the beginning of their new friendship. Rahul, Lalitha and Alex became friends despite being so different. The next few days  were smooth sailing for Rahul, since he had made two good friends on his very first day, when he had thought that he would have trouble finding even one. He had never had a girl as his friend. Being close to Lalitha made other male students jealous of him, even though he was just her friend and nothing more. 

“So why did you come from Delhi to Mumbai for higher studies?" Rahul asked Lalitha one day when the three of them were sitting in the college canteen. This question made Lalitha uncomfortable, and Rahul immediately regretted asking her.

After a long pause, Lalitha said, “I was tired of mom and dad’s constant fights. I just wanted to leave home. I didn’t have great marks in my 12th that I could change cities to go to college. I could’ve studied in any local college in Delhi, but I just wanted to move out and live on my own.” “And your parents were okay with it?” asked Rahul nervously. 

Lalitha smiled and replied, “Trust me. They really don’t care about their only daughter being in a big city all alone. Our relationship has never been great. My father is a big businessman but he’s not ready to give my mom a divorce because he doesn't want to part with half his assets in alimony. My mom also doesn’t want to give up her luxurious lifestyle. It’s all a compromise."

“Didn’t your mom and dad have a love marriage?” asked Alex.

“Yeah, how did you know?” asked Lalitha, surprised. 

“I figured it out with your dad being from the North and your mom from the South,” answered Alex. “Most of the times such marriages are a result of love.” 

“Yeah, it was a love marriage. But I guess only love is not enough to sustain a marriage. When they fell in love they didn’t care about money or their background. Love brought them together. Now its money that holding them together,” said Lalitha. 

They fell silent.

After a minute or two, Rahul turned to Alex. “Alex…what about your parents? Where do they live?”

“They’re dead,” answered Alex without any hesitation leaving both Rahul and Lalitha stunned. 

“What???” Lalitha asked in shock. 

“Yeah, I’ve lived my whole life in foster care. Never had any parents or relatives to take care of me,” she said softly, but this time there was a tinge of sadness on Alex's face. Rahul and Lalitha wondered how they hadn't guessed it. The girl had no surname.

“Oh Alex…I feel so bad to hear that….”, said Lalitha, trying to console her. 

“It’s okay. You don’t have to. I never felt bad about not having a family,” said Alex. 

“I’m really sorry. I didn’t know,” apologized Rahul who was feeling helpless about his friend's background.  

“It’s okay you guys….you don’t have to say sorry. We don’t get everything in life. That doesn’t mean we should live our life in self-pity. I never cared about not having parents because if I had, then I would’ve never figured out what can be life without them,” said Alex. 

By now, Rahul and Lalitha were used to hearing Alex’s pearls of wisdom. It felt like she was beyond the social trappings of this world. She was a girl who didn’t care about anyone or anything. Students would mock and joke about her all the time but it didn’t bother her. She was always in a dreamy, aloof state. Alex was the quirkiest girl they had ever met.

The heart-to-heart talk brought Rahul, Lalitha and Alex closer. As months passed, they became the best of friends. Rahul and Lalitha realized that unlike them, Alex was actually good in studies. She would always have top grades in tests, while Rahul and Lalitha slogged, and would borrow Alex's notes. Being a topper improved Alex’s image in college, where most people thought her weird because of the way she dressed, and her short hair. Lalitha tried to convince Alex to have a make-over, so she would look more 'like a girl', but Alex refused. She said make-up made her uncomfortable and that she was happy with how she looked.

Alex, being the way she was, never got asked out on dates. On the other hand, Rahul, who was actually good-looking according to Lalitha, also had trouble getting dates, because he just didn’t consider himself good enough to try. On a few occasions, Lalitha did try to set him up with a few girls, but he always messed it up by acting all nervous and bored during his dates, which meant no girl ever called him again. That only left Lalitha, who had no trouble making boyfriends, but she always dumped every boy after a few weeks in the fear that the relationship would turn serious.

One day the trio decided to go and watch a movie together. Lalitha got tickets for a late night show, as all other shows were full due to it being a very popular movie. Rahul wondered if it would be okay for the girls to go out so late at night, but Lalitha convinced him saying that she had her own car, and it would be fine if they drove together and back. Rahul and Alex agreed and all three arrived at the multiplex around 9:00 pm. Even for the late night show, the multiplex was crowded. Everyone was waiting outside for the show to start. Rahul went to buy popcorn and drinks. While Lalitha and Alex were waiting for him, some eve teasers arrived at the scene.

“Hey beautiful,” said one creepy dude to Lalitha. “Came here to watch a movie, huh? Why don’t you watch it with us instead of this dorky friend of yours?” said his friend. 

“Who are you guys?” yelled Lalitha in anger. 

“We were admiring your pretty body from a distance, and couldn’t resist talking to you,” said another guy among them. 

Lalitha sternly warned them saying, “Leave right now or I will call security.” 

“Why are you feeling so uncomfortable? We are not going to harm you?” said the same guy as he touched Lalitha on her arm, only to get a tight slap from her, which attracted the attention of everyone around.

Everyone went silent looking at them which made Rahul realize something was up and he hurried back to them. Lalitha continued shouting at the guy for trying to harass her, when security arrived. The goon who got slapped was about to jump on Lalitha in anger but the security stopped him and took him and his friends out. 

“Lalitha, are you all right? What did they do?” asked Rahul. 

“I’m fine Rahul…Let’s not ruin our moods over this….Let's go.,” replied Lalitha, and the all three entered the movie theatre. 

After the movie was over, all three were on their way back home in Lalitha’s car. 

“Lalitha, will you be fine going back home alone after dropping us?” asked Rahul for the nth time. He didn’t like the idea of leaving her all alone.

“Uff…I’ll be fine Rahul…you don’t have to worry.”

“Lalitha are you okay….after…what that guy…. did with you?” asked Alex hesitatingly. 

“Yeah, I’m okay," replied Lalitha firmly, while she stopped the car. A van was parked in the middle of the road in a secluded street blocking their way. Lalitha said, “What the heck?” 

“Should I go and check?” suggested Rahul. 

“No…don’t do that….it’s dangerous….I’ll turn around,” replied Lalitha, but before she could turn the car around, some guys appeared out of nowhere and broke the car's front and side window glasses.

The next moment all three were dragged out of the car by the goons. Lalitha realized they were the same guys who had tried to harass her at the movies. They were forcefully taking her and Alex into their van. Rahul tried to stop them but the goons beat him up brutally. The goons were just pushing Alex and Lalitha into the van, when they saw three police constables running towards them. The goons immediately let go of the girls and ran. The constables gave chase for a distance but the goons had disappeared. They returned to the three who were still in deep shock.

Rahul was bleeding from his head and also had other major injuries on his arms and legs. Lalitha and Alex had minor scratches on their faces from when the goons had broken their car windows. The police called an ambulance and all three were taken to the city hospital. The doctors admitted Rahul who was severely injured. As it was a police case, a constable was called to do the questioning. The girls told him everything, and he assured them that he would soon find those guys, as they also have their van in custody. Lalitha and Alex waited outside Rahul's room after he was treated, since the doctors recommended that he needed to rest. Lalitha was still in shock.  

“It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have made you two go out so late at night with me. Because of me, Rahul got injured. If something happens to him, I will never be able to forgive myself,” said Lalitha to Alex as she broke down. 

Alex put her hand on Lalitha’s shoulder to console her. “Why are you blaming yourself? It’s not your fault. You’re thinking about Rahul. Did you think about what those goons could’ve done to you? To me? Rahul will be fine in few days…but imagine if the police hadn't arrived in time? What could’ve happened to us?”

“You don’t have to blame yourself. Women don’t need to blame themselves for the fault of men,” said Alex, seething in anger. It was the first time Lalitha saw Alex so angry. The first time she was this bothered about something. It felt weird to her. Alex then walked away to make a call. After some time, Lalitha and Alex were allowed to meet Rahul. He smiled faintly looking at the girls. Both sat beside him. 

“How are you feeling now?” asked Lalitha.

“I’m fine,” he replied. 

“Your parents will be worried about you,” said Lalitha. 

“Yeah…I called them a while ago to tell them I’m staying in a friend’s house,” replied Rahul. 

“Why did you lie to them? They should know what happened to you,” said Lalitha. 

“I’ll tell them in the morning. If I tell them now at midnight, they will be really worried and won’t be able to sleep. Besides I’m fine,” assured Rahul. “Are you two alright?” he asked. 

“Yeah…we’re fine,” answered Lalitha half-heartedly. “We have lodged the FIR. The police will soon catch the culprits.”

"We were lucky that the police were patrolling the area. Otherwise I don’t know what would’ve happened,” said Rahul.

“I’m sorry, Rahul. It’s all because of me this happened,” said Lalitha as tears started flowing from her eyes. 

Rahul wiped her tears gently. “Hey hey hey…don’t cry…it’s not your fault at all. Don’t blame yourself.” 

“I shouldn’t have forced you all to go out so late at night. You were telling me it’s not safe. But I didn’t listen,” she said, sobbing. 

“Lalitha, you shouldn’t blame yourself. Whatever happened, could’ve happened anytime,” said Rahul. 

“No, it wouldn’t have. I should’ve known better,” replied Lalitha. 

Rahul put his arms around Lalitha to console her and said, “Lalitha…don’t blame yourself for what those guys did. Don’t do it even for a second. It’s not your fault…I’m telling you…It’s not.” They hugged each other tightly. While Rahul was comforting Lalitha, she ended up kissing him without thinking.

“Whoa!!!” said Alex finally breaking her silence. Rahul was shocked at the kiss. Lalitha instantly realized what she had done and was drowning in embarrassment. “I…I’m really sorry…. I shouldn’t have done that,” she said awkwardly. 

She ran out before Rahul or Alex could say anything. Alex joined her once visiting hours were over. She tried to ask Lalitha about the kiss but she refused to say anything. The girls slept in the hospital’s waiting room all night. In the morning, Rahul’s parents arrived at the hospital and admonished him for lying to them. Then they thanked Lalitha and Alex for taking care of him and asked the girls to go home since they were here now. Rahul was discharged from the hospital in a few days, but he still needed to rest at home so he could recover completely. Lalitha and Alex began visiting him at home to hang out with him, which made his parents happy, since they had never seen their son being friends with a girl before. Rahul insisted they were just friends, but it seemed they, especially his mom, had already started planning his wedding to Lalitha.

All this while both Lalitha and Rahul were avoiding talking about that kiss that had happened at the hospital. But seeing Lalitha’s behavior towards him change, Rahul finally brought it up. 

“Lalitha I want to talk about something,” he said one day while they were sitting on his bed in his room. 

“Yeah…what?” she asked, guessing what he was going to say. 

“Lalitha…you’re my friend, and I want you to always stay my friend. I don’t see you as anything more than that….and I don’t want you to expect anything more than that,” he said. Lalitha's smile disappeared. She arose and in tears, asked, “But why, Rahul? Why don’t you like me?” 

“I like you…but as a friend. I don’t want to ruin our friendship,” he said, also getting up. 

“I really love you, Rahul…..give me one chance at least,” pleaded Lalitha. 

“No!!!” he said harshly looking away from her. Lalitha wiped her tears and left in silence. 

Rahul began coming to college after few days but he and Lalitha avoided each other. Alex was torn between them. 

“For how long are you two not gonna talk to each other?” Alex asked Lalitha while they were sitting in an empty classroom one day. 

“I don’t know what you are talking about,” replied Lalitha feigning ignorance. 

“You know what I’m talking about. If Rahul doesn’t love you, that doesn’t mean you shouldn't be friends! It’s not right at all!”  

Just then, Rahul entered the classroom. “Hey, Alex. I was looking for you. Wanna go grab a snack at the canteen with me?” he said while ignoring Lalitha.

“Yeah sure…c’mon Lalitha,” said Alex, getting up. 

“I only asked you, Alex,” said Rahul. 

Alex was now becoming impatient which was not actually an emotion she usually showed.

“Yeah you go, Alex…I don’t need to eat. I’m on a diet,” said Lalitha nonchalantly. 

“Okay…seriously…enough you two….What is the problem with you guys?” yelled Alex in anger. 

“Me? I don’t have any problem. I’m totally cool,” said Rahul.

“So you think I have a problem?” said Lalitha finally speaking to Rahul directly. 

“C’mon Lalitha? Why are you so angry with me? Because I rejected you? Is it because your ego is hurt? A beautiful girl like you being rejected by a guy? Is this about that?” asked Rahul. The argument became heated.

“What the…you think so low of me? I’m angry with you because you just didn’t give me a good reason why you don’t like me,” said Lalitha. 

“I already told you. I don’t want to ruin our friendship by dating you,” replied Rahul. 

“Oh is that it? I don’t think so. I think you’re lying,” said Lalitha. She continued. “Not just me…you run away from every relationship. Why are you like this? Do you think you’re not worthy of me? Not worthy of any girl? Or are you gay?” 

She had done it. Lalitha had finally broken through Rahul's facade. He rushed out of the classroom, breaking into tears.

The girls tried to catch up with him, but he had disappeared. They looked for him everywhere, only to find him sitting all alone at the lake by the college building. They noticed he was still sobbing. 

“Rahul?” called out Alex. Seeing her and Lalitha, he made a move to leave. 

“Rahul…I’m sorry…I shouldn’t have said all that. You were right…I have no right to judge you for rejecting me….I was being egotistical,” said Lalitha as an apology.

“No, Lalitha…you were right….the reason I run away from relationships is not because I don’t consider myself good enough…Well, that’s true as well…but the reason I have no interest in girls is because I’m gay. I was always like this. But I have never told anyone. Not even my parents or my close friends. Actually, you two are the closest friends I’ve ever made in my life, and that’s because you two are not guys. I stayed away from girls all my life, and to avoid being labelled as gay, I put on the nice guy act, that everybody thought was a loser….and guess what?…I actually ended up being a loser,” said Rahul, making this startling revelation.

Lalitha and Alex were silent. “You’re a great girl, Lalitha. But I only see you as a friend, because I could only see you as a friend. Nothing more,” finished Rahul, and walked away, leaving the girls in deep shock and confusion. They didn’t know how to react to this revelation. 

In the next few weeks, Lalitha tried to mend her friendship with Rahul. The three finally ended up hanging out together, but they never talked about Rahul’s revelation again. Even though Lalitha and Alex discussed it between them, they didn’t dare to bring up that topic in front of Rahul because they were afraid it might hurt his feelings.

“How about if we set up Rahul with someone? Like a blind date?” suggested Lalitha. 

“Blind date? Don’t you think Rahul will be angry if we do this?” asked Alex, worriedly. 

“He will be angry no matter what we do," replied Lalitha. “But I really want to do something for him. He went on dates with so many girls for me and our friendship. To make me happy. I can’t imagine how frustrated he must be feeling. To hide the biggest secret of his life out of shame. He shouldn’t feel like that,” said Lalitha. 

“Lalitha, I understand what you are saying. But we can’t set him up on a blind date. He has trusted us with his secret. We can’t break that trust,” said Alex.

Lalitha realized that Alex had a point. “So what do we do?” she asked. 

“We’ll ask him first,” answered Alex. 

“No way is he going to agree,” said Lalitha. 

But Alex assured her saying, “Be positive. He might agree. He might be dying to date a guy.” 

“No!!!” replied Rahul immediately on hearing the girls' proposal. 

“But Rahul…what’s wrong in checking out the scene? There are gay dating websites on the internet. You could find like-minded guys there,” said Alex. 

“I said no, and I don’t wanna talk about it anymore,“ said Rahul firmly. 

“Rahul…please listen to us…you went on so many dates with girls for me…even though you blew all of them off but that’s not the point….you still did it for me…..why can’t you do it again?” asked Lalitha. 

“I just don’t want to go…and I don’t want you guys to pity me. I’m happy as I am…..you guys just leave me as I am. Don’t try to change me,” said Rahul.

Lalitha was silent but Alex spoke up. “We’re not pitying you, Rahul. We care about you because we’re your friends…and we don’t want to change you…you want to change yourself but you fear doing so…we just want to help you overcome that fear!” 

Rahul stayed silent, not knowing what to say in response to Alex's deep analysis of his behavior. Then Lalitha said, “Rahul please do this…for our sake…please?” She made a cute puppy dog face. 

“Okay, you know that’s not going to work on me,” said Rahul. 

“Please do it Rahul….for us,” said Alex softly. Rahul rolled his eyes and then said, “Okay, but only for you two.” 

As soon as he spoke, Lalitha jumped with joy and Alex grinned widely.

Rahul went through a lot of profiles on dating sites, checking out guys, and while he was okay with almost any guy, other guys were very choosy. Finally, a guy agreed to go on a date with him. The time and venue were set. 

“Why such a big fancy restaurant? And why did you book the whole restaurant for us?” he asked Lalitha on the phone while he was getting ready. 

“Arre…you wanted this date to be a secret right?. You wanted no one to know about it, not even your parents. So I booked the whole restaurant for you two. So nobody will know that you went on a date with a guy….except the hotel staff, but I’ll pay them to keep their mouth shut,” replied Lalitha.

“No, you don’t have to pay them to do any of that,” he said, realizing it had been a bad idea to ask Lalitha to set him up on a date. 

“Okay, as you wish. Now leave or you will be late,” replied Lalitha. The date was set at 9:00 pm. Rahul arrived at the restaurant on his Scooty wearing a tuxedo, which he knew would’ve felt weird to everyone who saw him. But his mother was very happy seeing him all dressed up. He had to tell his parents that he was going on a date, but didn't specify with whom. He entered the restaurant and saw that all the tables were empty, except the one where his date was sitting.

He was wearing casuals. Rahul looked at his watch to see whether he was late. No, he was on time. Actually, he was early, but his date was even earlier than him. The guy looked at him and smiled. He rose to pull a chair for Rahul, but then realized how awkward it was. 

Rahul sat down. “Hi,” he said to Rahul. 

“Hi….Philip? Right? Philip Gomes?” asked Rahul. 

“Yeah,” he replied awkwardly. 

“I’m Rahul Jaiswal,” he said.

“I think we have chatted enough about our names, right?” asked Philip. Rahul realized his idiocy and said, “Yeah….you’re right.”

“So…you’re not that chef Philip Gomes right?” asked Rahul. 

“No…and I mentioned that on my profile as well,” replied Philip impatiently. 

“I’m sorry I’m asking such dumb questions. I’m just nervous,” said Rahul seeing Philip getting annoyed. 

“It’s okay. I can understand,” said Philip. 

“Actually this is my first date…I mean the first date that counts…maybe I shouldn’t have told you that,” said Rahul awkwardly. 

“It’s okay…It’s my first date as well,” said Philip. 

“Really?” 

“No…I just said that to make you feel better…and then I thought I shouldn’t lie…and now I think I shouldn’t have told you all this,” said Philip.

Both men realized that they were really amateurs in the dating scene. 

“Uh…so, you’re doing B.com from St. Xavier’s college?” asked Rahul. 

“Yeah,” he replied. “That was another dumb question,” thought Rahul. 

The waiter came for their order. Rahul wasn’t used to eating continental food, but the menu was filled with it and seeing the prices he thought he might get a heart attack. Phillip seemed more familiar with the dishes, so Rahul asked him to order for him too. After the waiter had left, Rahul asked, “So…you told me this was not your first date…so were you dating or were you in a relationship with someone? ”

“Actually…I’ve only gone on dates with a couple of guys before, and I blew all of them,” Philip said shyly.

“Blew them? How?” asked Rahul. 

“I had a tough time initiating conversations, not knowing what to say, guys got bored and left,” said Philip. 

”Yeah…there is so much dating advice we get from our friends when going out on dates with girls, but none when going out with a guy,” said Rahul. 

“You went out on dates with girls?" asked Philip in confusion. 

“Yeah, my friend set me up, before I came out to her,” said Rahul. 

“Oh!!!” replied Philip with a sigh of relief. 

“When did you come out?” asked Rahul. 

“When I was 15…had a crush on a guy….and I told my mom about it,” said Philip. 

“So your parents know?” asked Rahul, surprised. 

“I told mom. Then she told my father as well. My parents are cool so they accepted me, but they still had to be mindful of society, so they couldn’t tell anybody else and told me not to tell either,” said Philip.

“I…still can’t think about telling my parents…But I ended up telling my friends…they care about me a lot ….they’re the ones who encouraged me to go on a date,” said Rahul. 

“You're lucky to have such friends,” said Philip. 

The waiter brought in the food. The food looked good, but only 'looked' good to Rahul. He wasn’t used to eating European food. Like any other Indian, he wanted his food to be spicy.

But since Philip seemed to like the food, Rahul pretended to like it too. The date finally came to an end. The couple walked out of the restaurant. 

“You came in your car?” asked Rahul looking at Phillip's car. “Yeah,” replied Philip. 

“I wish I had a car,” said Rahul, wistfully.

“Maybe I should drop you,” suggested Philip. 

“No…I actually have my transport,” said Rahul pointing to his Scooty. 

“Hmm…maybe I should’ve picked you up and then dropped you,” said Philip. 

”Maybe I should’ve done that?” said Rahul, and they burst into laughter. 

“Maybe we should take turns,” suggested Philip. 

“So you will go out with me again?” asked Rahul in surprise. 

“Yeah, I will….I had a good time,” replied Philip with a smile, and then left. Rahul felt a strange emotion like he had butterflies in his stomach. This was the first time he felt this way.      

Rahul and Philip started going out frequently and soon were a couple. But Rahul insisted on keeping it a secret. Philip understood and agreed with it. Lalitha and Alex also became friends with Philip as he started hanging out with them. 

After a month, Philip invited Rahul to his house for lunch with his parents. Rahul was hesitant but Philip, Lalitha and Alex convinced him. He wore casuals this time since he now understood that wearing a tuxedo was a dumb idea on his first date. When he arrived at Philip’s house, his parents gave him a warm welcome. He had expected they would be nice, but hadn't expected it to be real. So it was a surprise beacuse it looked like Philip’s parents were genuinely happy about having him over.

Rahul still felt awkward and shy in front of his parents, as it was the first time he was coming out in front of people he didn’t really know. He had a good time in Philip’s house but from the next day, he started avoiding him. He didn’t reply to his text messages nor did he respond to his calls. He began making excuses about having a busy schedule. Lalitha and Alex also noticed that he was avoiding Philip. They tried asking him why, but he denied it and said everything was fine between them. 

One day when Rahul was coming out from his class, he saw Philip in the corridor searching for him. Surprised, Rahul went to him. 

“Philip…what are you doing here?” asked Rahul.

“I just came to meet you,” replied Philip. 

“Yeah…let's go and talk near the lake,” said Rahul.

He took him to the lake where nobody was around and then said, “You shouldn’t be here.” 

“But why?” asked Philip. 

“You could just tell everyone that I’m your friend. Why are you so worried?” said Rahul. 

“Yeah…I could….but I don’t want to. What happened, Rahul? You’ve been avoiding me since the day we had lunch at my place….did my parents offended you in any way?” he asked. 

“No, Philip….your parents are great…and that’s what made me feel bad….you can tell your secret to your parents, but I can’t do that….and that makes me feel guilty….I feel hesitant telling my secret to my parents or to the world because I come from a middle-class family…the society I live in is regressive and they won’t ever accept me…and they won’t accept you either,” said Rahul.

Philip said, “Rahul, why are you so worried about what happens in the future? You can tell your parents when you feel you’re ready.” 

“No, I could never. I’m their only son, and they have expectations from me to take their family lineage forward. I would never be able to tell them. Even if I tell them and they agree, the humiliation they would feel in society because of me ... I would never be able to take that,” said Rahul. 

Philip was silent. He didn’t know how to respond. 

“So…what about us?” 

“It’s all over,” replied Rahul after a moment of silence. 

Philip turned around to leave, but then he stopped, turned back and kissed Rahul passionately.

Then he left without saying anything. 

The next day when Rahul arrived in college, he saw a group of students around the notice board. There had been no exam recently to have any results put up, so he wondered what they were looking at. To his dismay, he found it was a picture of him and Phillip kissing. Somebody had clicked their picture and posted it here. Rahul was shocked and embarrassed. Thankfully, the other students didn’t notice him. He hid his face in his hands and was about to get the hell out of there before anyone saw him when somebody blocked his way. It was the same group of senior students who had ragged him on the first day.

“Hi sweetheart," said their leader mockingly. Rahul went cold with shock. 

“I had my doubts about you on the very first day when you refused to kiss that girl, but then I thought you’re just one of those losers,” he continued. Other students also started gathering around once they recognized Rahul’s face. 

“Why you did this?” asked Rahul in rage. 

“What?... Oh, we didn’t do it… We got to know about it just this morning when somebody posted your picture here on the notice board. Trust me, it wasn’t us,” said a senior girl. 

Lalitha and Alex arrived at the scene. “Rahul…what happened?” asked Lalitha. 

“Nothing….we just got to know his big secret,” said another senior and they all burst into laughter. 

“Are you two girls his beards or what?” asked another guy mockingly.

All the seniors were laughing. Other students also joined them. Rahul’s head hung down in shame. He felt miserable. 

Lalitha said, “Rahul…come on let’s get out of here.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him away. As they were leaving, one of the seniors called out, “Yeah…go him some bangles.”

“What’s your other secret, dude? Are you impotent as well? Maybe that’s why you don’t feel anything for girls,” said one guy as the crowd again burst into laughter. Lalitha pushed Rahul into her car and directly took him to her flat along with Alex.

“Rahul….listen to me…are you listening?” she asked as he was sitting on her sofa. Rahul hadn’t spoken at all on the way. He was in complete shock, feeling great embarrassment and shame that he would never forget in all his life. 

“Rahul please talk to us," pleaded Alex. 

“Rahul…you don’t have to worry…we’ll complain to the principal…we’ll get those seniors expelled,” said Lalitha trying to console him. 

“And what would that do?” asked Rahul finally speaking up, which made both girls go silent. Rahul rose and paced the room agitatedly, then turned around and looked at Lalitha and Alex saying, “My secret is out…now everyone knows I’m gay…I won’t be able to go to college now….Everyone will make fun of me….Those seniors will post those pics everywhere and everyone from my parents to relatives will know.” “Well, this secret had to come out someday,” replied Lalitha, to which Rahul shouted, “No!!! I didn’t want this secret to come out….My whole life I’ve been ridiculed by people, and I don’t want more of that humiliation.” He burst into tears.

Lalitha hugged Rahul trying to console him but she knew it was no use. There was nothing she could say that would make him feel better. She was feeling as helpless as Rahul. Rahul cried for hours, letting out his emotions. Lalitha was so busy trying to console him that neither she nor Rahul realized that Alex has left long ago. 

The same day, the seniors who had bullied Rahul were walking on a secluded street. It was dark by now. As they were walking, someone approached them. They couldn’t see who it was in the darkness. Before they could react, the person pulled out a gun and shot them all, killing every one of them.

The next day, the trio did not go to college. Instead, all three were called to appear at the police station, to identify their culprits. After more than a month, the police had finally caught the goons who had assaulted them and tried to rape Lalitha and Alex. As they looked at their faces, the terrible scenes from that night flashed in their minds. They recognized them all. The Inspector told them, “We would soon file a charge sheet in the court. But these guys are professional criminals and are connected with local politicians, so they might get released on bail. We will try that they don’t get bail. You guys should get a good lawyer.”

As they walked out, Lalitha said, “I can’t believe these guys might get released on bail…after what they did…it’s pathetic. I'm disgusted. But you guys don’t worry….I will hire the top lawyer in the business. They won’t escape justice,” she assured them. 

“Even if these guys get punished, that would be a maximum of five years in jail…considering they don’t get out on bail, when they deserve worse than death,” replied Alex. 

“Rahul…you won’t say anything?” asked Lalitha. 

“No,” he replied and left. Rahul did not go to college for the next few days. Lalitha and Alex didn’t ask him to go either because they knew it would be really difficult for him.

Lalitha got too busy getting a lawyer and building a case against the culprits to check on Rahul, and Alex too was busy on her own, so the three friends did not see each other for a while. One day in the evening, Alex got a call from Lalitha. 

“Yeah, Lalitha?”

“Alex, I just got to know and I thought of telling you. Those 6 criminals who assaulted us have got released on bail.” 

Alex's expression changed on hearing this. “What…all of them? How is that possible?” she asked in disbelief. 

“Their lawyer got them released. I don’t know what to do. They shouldn’t be out. Our lives could be in danger, that’s why I thought of informing you,” said Lalitha. Alex cut the call began taking deep breaths in anger.

She looked into her mirror and broke it with her hand in anger. 

At the same time, Rahul got a call from a police inspector. 

“Hello…is this Rahul Jaiswal?” asked the police inspector. 

“Yeah.. who are you?” asked Rahul. 

“I’m Inspector Khan from Andheri police station. I needed to talk to you about a case. A few students who used to study in your college have disappeared more than a week ago. The police are searching for them,” he said. The inspector told him that these were the same senior students who had bullied him by posting his picture with Philip on the college notice board. They had disappeared the next day never to be seen again. Half of those students lived as paying guests, so nobody had bothered when they had gone missing.

When they hadn’t show up after 3-4 days, some parents had begun to worry and had filed a police complaint. The police had begun a search but hadn’t found any of them. During their investigation in college, they had got to know about Rahul from a few students. They had told the police that Rahul had been bullied by those seniors on the last day when they were seen. Now, the police suspected Rahul's involvement in the students' disappearance and he was asked to appear at the police station for questioning. Rahul was confused. “Where could those students go?” he thought. “And why were the police doubting him?” 

He couldn’t tell his parents about this so he thought of calling Lalitha and Alex. He told Lalitha everything but Alex didn’t pick up the call.

It was almost midnight. A group of goons were at Andheri station which was deserted at the time of the last local. When the train arrived, they got in. As the train started moving and picked up pace someone ran and jumped into the train. It was Alex, wearing long jeans, with a white tee covered by a black jacket, looking presentable for a change. She entered the compartment where those guys were sitting all alone. The goons looked at her and realized it was the same girl who had sent them to jail along with her two friends. 

“Hey…..what are you doing here?” asked one of the goons. 

“I’m here to send you all to hell,” she replied while seething in anger.

The goons laughed at her. “You always looked like you’re crazy, now you’re talking crazy as well,” said one of the guys as he walked towards her. “But it’s good you came here. What we were unable to do that day, we could do it today,” he continued while moving towards her, but before he could touch her, Alex pulled out a dagger and stabbed him in his stomach. The other guys were in shock and moved towards her, but she pulled out a gun and shot everyone down. Alex returned home and washed her face, changed her clothes and lay down on her bed. She went to sleep and woke up after two hours, feeling a big headache coming on and feeling nauseous.

She went to her bathroom again but seeing a dagger and her washbasin covered in blood, she froze in shock. She tried to recollect her actions, but couldn’t remember anything. Her headache was getting worse. She finally decided to call someone and said, “Doctor…I did it again.” 

The next morning Inspector Khan called both Lalitha and Rahul to Andheri police station. What he told them when they arrived was beyond shocking to them. Alex was the one who had murdered all those senior students. She had also murdered all those criminals who had assaulted and tried to rape her and Lalitha.

Not only that, they got to know that Alex was a history-sheeter, who was previously charged with killing her parents and a few other men in a bar. She was released from a juvenile home 6 months ago. This morning, after killing all those men, she had surrendered herself and was in police custody. Rahul and Lalitha went through multiple emotions. Shock, disbelief, confusion and so much more. How could their friend Alex do all that? She was so innocent like a child! How could she be a cold-blooded murderer? They both thought that it couldn't be true and that Alex was being accused of a crime she didn’t commit. When they were allowed to meet Alex they asked her whether it was all false, and wanted to hear a resounding yes from her, but what they heard was “It’s all true.”

 14-year-old Alex, or Divya Sharma, her real name, belonged to a middle-class family in Agra. Her father was a government officer, and her mother was a housewife. Her parents had a very regressive mentality regarding girls. They didn’t allow her to talk with boys or with anybody. Neither they were happy with her because they had wanted a boy and instead they got a girl. They couldn’t have another child because her mother had a lot of pregnancy complications while having her. Due to which she was resented by both her parents despite being their only child.

Since she wasn't allowed to talk to boys, she made a lot of girlfriends, and one day she kissed her best friend in school in front of the teacher. This led to her parents being called by the principal, who gave them a stern warning that this shouldn’t be repeated or their daughter would get expelled. Divya got a beating from her parents that day, and she ended up revealing that she was a lesbian. She knew when she became a teenager that she was only sexually attracted to girls and not boys. She had a crush on her best friend and that was why she had kissed her. Hearing this, her father beat her so brutally that he broke her arm. Her parents were afraid that if people in their family and community got to know about this, they would have to face extreme humiliation.

Because of her parents' warning not to pursue this any further, Divya began suppressing her sexuality, but the kids in school knew she was a lesbian and teased her mercilessly. A year passed and Divya was now 16 years old, when one day her mother found a love letter in her bag. It was from a girl. Knowing that their daughter was in a relationship with a girl, her father again beat her brutally, and banned her from going out of the house. They consulted a baba to cure their daughter and what he suggested was disgusting.

Back in the present day, Alex burst into tears while telling her story halfway. Lalitha wiped her tears and tried to console her through the bars of the jail cell. 

“What happened next, Alex?” asked Lalitha. 

“My father used to call guys to have sex with me,” said Alex, feeling ashamed. “That’s what that dhongi baba suggested my parents do,” she continued. ”And that’s why I killed my parents one day and ran to Delhi, thinking that I could hide in this big city, but what I couldn’t hide from was myself. The trauma that I faced because of my parents was still there, making me so angry that I turned to a life of crime.”  

“Those guys you killed in the nightclub?” asked Rahul. 

“That was just the final nail in the coffin. I saw those men harassing women at that club….couldn’t control my anger and I killed all of them. The police caught me and I was sent to a juvenile home for two years,” said Alex. 

“But why did you kill so many people now? Did you never change?” asked Lalitha. 

After a moment of silence, she replied, “No I didn’t….The Alex you met wasn’t the real me. Because of my trauma, I began to have a split personality. Alex was my other personality, not the real me, she was a beacon of hope. During my treatment in the juvenile home, doctors thought that I’m better being someone else than the real me, so they treated me in such a way that my other personality of Alex took over.”

“But the real me was not gone. She was still there,” she said after a second. 

“Who are you?” asked Lalitha. “Are you Alex, or are you Divya?” 

“I’m your friend,” Alex replied as tears fell from her eyes. Inspector Khan showed up and told them that meeting time is over, telling Lalitha and Rahul to leave. He also told them that Alex was being shifted to an asylum as she had a mental illness that needed treatment, but she would face punishment for her crimes. Alex asked for a moment with her friends. She said, “I don’t know what to say to you guys. I don’t know how will see me now. If I come out of prison one day, if I'm completely cured. Turning to Rahul, she said, “Rahul…you should embrace your sexuality….don’t hide from it…don’t suppress it….don’t end up like me.”

These were her last words before the police van took her to an asylum in Pune. Lalitha and Rahul said nothing, and later they regretted their silence. They hadn't told her that they understood her. That they still loved her. That they were still her friends.

ONE WEEK LATER

Rahul and Lalitha were missing their friend Alex. They went into a kind of depression, as they didn’t even talk to each other. They just lay in their beds all day thinking about Alex. One week later, Rahul finally decided to do something.

Rahul stepped out of his house where Philip was waiting for him. 

“What happened? Why did you call me here?” asked Philip. 

“Come with me,” said Rahul, as he took Philip’s hand and led him inside his house. Rahul called his mom and dad while he still holding Philip’s hand. 

“What happened, Rahul? Who is he?” his father asked. 

“His name is Philip. He’s my boyfriend,” replied Rahul.

Rahul finally decided to fully accept his sexuality. Not to hide it from his parents or the rest of the world. He knew that he would face many problems in future because this world was still not ready to accept him or his kind. But Rahul accepting himself was good enough for him for now.

- Beta-read by LizzieBennett