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"She's coming this way," Tanisha whispered in alarm.

Khushi's eyes opened wide as she saw Sheetal too. "I don't think she has seen us yet. Run!"

The three girls turned on their heels immediately and broke into a sprint to stop only when they had reached a fair distance. Tanisha looked at Khushi guiltily. "Is this right? I don't want to keep you away from your best friend."

"You are not doing anything of the sort Tanisha," Khushi smiled. "I realise that Sheetal might be feeling insecure about me having other friends so it would be better if she didn't see me with them."

"But still," Radha frowned. "It is because of us. You can go with her if you want, we'll be okay."

At that, Khushi gasped. "Haww! Are you trying to get rid of me?" Her friends started to protest but she laughed and shook her head. "I was just joking! But cannot do that, Radha. I had already promised both of you I'd come along when you would have to go see the matron and sweet talk her into accepting Tanisha's permission for a week of leave, hadn't I? And Khushi Kumaari Gupta never backs out from a promise. As soon as I have dealt with you guys, I'll go and see Sheetal."

Tanisha smiled gratefully at Khushi and nodded. "But you have to go and see her. I don't want to be tainted with the sin of having separated two friends."

***

"Why do I feel that you are avoiding me these days?" Sheetal said, pouting her lips.

Why do I feel that you are lying to me these days? The disturbing thought popped into Khushi's mind unexpectedly, sending a sickening wave down her gut. Yet, she smiled and shook herself mentally. Sheetal had been her friend for two years, her best friend who had always been there for when everybody else was shunning her.

"I have not been avoiding you Tallu, I have just been busy."

She saw her friend's eye widen as the girl jumped on the edge of her seat. "What did you say?"

Khushi raised her eyebrows, confused. "What?"

"Tallu!" Sheetal gasped, laughing at the same time. "You called me Tallu!

"So?"

"He calls me Tallu too!" Sheetal shrieked.

Khushi sighed and rolled her eyes, knowing already that she would have to endure an age-long rant about Sheetal and Shyaam's love story.

***

"I know that I love romance, but, Devi Maiyya, don't you think this is going too far? I mean... Look I admit that she is my best friend, but I don't want to listen to her love story with that leech!"

Khushi paused and gripped her mobile phone hard in her hands. She had the crazy habit of talking to herself when she felt the unstoppable urge to talk and no one was around. During the past few days, she had been feeling pretty anxious. The rumours circling Sheetal and Shyaam were only hiking; everyone was saying that Sheetal was a liar but her best friend was carelessly dismissing the rumours, without showing any signs of worry. She simply stated that people were jealous of her. But what surprised Khushi most was that the more she wanted to believe her friend, the more she found her trust ebb.

"Is she lying to me, Devi Maiyya?" she whispered, frowning.

"Who dared lie to you?" A warm voice whispered near her ear. Gasping aloud with shock, Khushi jumped. He was wincing when she turned around and saw him. She awkwardly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I always manage to scare you some way or the other, don't I?" he chuckled.

She blinked, taking some time to understand his words well. Why did he have to be so... What was he exactly? Gah! She didn't even want to forage in that area, because she'd just zone out in front of him and embarrass herself. So, she shook her hear quickly. Mr Mudcake - sorry, Arnav; she had to stop calling him that now before she said that out loud - shot a disarming grin at her.

"You were going to the library?" he chuckled. Dazed, she gulped and nodded. He shrugged pleasantly. "Great. You don't mind if I walk with you, right? I was going that way too. Actually, we have a football match coming up so we're practising hard. Even on Sundays as you can see."

They fell into step together and Khushi shivered, despite the fact that it was a rather warm morning. "You were in the football team? I thought you were in the basketball team."

He smiled bashfully as he glanced at her. "Actually, I love football too, so during my free time I joined the football club. Of course it's not the official team but it still is and we have friendly matches with the other clubs in town or from other universities from time to time."

Her jaw dropped open in silent admiration, although she closed it before he could see. Did he mean in was playing in two different sports teams and studying both that the same time? Where did he get time from? But anyway, that would explain his physique. If she herself were able to run just once around that bloody football pitch without stopping, she would cut her feet off; there was no way she was pulling that off.

"You are working today also?" she heard him ask.

"Huh? Umm... No. I... I..." She could have kicked herself. "I have some homework to finish."

Arnav slowed down, causing her to stop too. "Oh...I have to go that way," he said, pointing to the left. Khushi nodded. "Okay... So... I'll see you around."

"Yeah," she smiled back at him, taking a few steps backwards. He started to raise one hand but the changed his mind and swiftly walked away. She turned back to the way that lead to library too, shook her head, her eyes closed for a second.

***

He smacked the heel of his hand against his forehead as soon as he had turned away. "Idiot!" That had been a pathetic attempt. Really. Luck had favoured him by sending her the same way he had to be going that beautiful morning. He could have asked her out.

But Arnav Singh Raizada had screwed everything up by engaging in small talk. He was officially the most idiotic guy in the entire universe.

***

She nudged Tanisha in the ribs hard, extracting a sharp yelp from the girl. "Stop it," Khushi hissed.

"What?"

Khushi frowned at her friend in warning. This was getting sillier by the day. They had laughed and teased Tanisha about it in the beginning, yes, but things were worsening. The students had started talking about her and it really annoyed Khushi. She had never liked it when people made fun of people she cared for.

On God knows what cursed day, Tanisha's eyes had fallen upon the Physics teacher's son when had lead to a massive crush that had the girl floored. Nearly everyone knew about it since she didn't really keep it secret, and she usually was a courteous girl but her behaviour got odd in the Physics classes. Khushi knew she was already imagining her teacher as her father-in-law. It was funny, but at the same time it was not, because the others were starting to draw the wrong conclusions.

They were starting to think that Tanisha was flirting with the teacher to get closer to his son. They did not know that the girl was a naive and love-struck fool who was perpetually living in a world of her own, where she was married to a loving husband, with a happy family. It was obvious. Khushi was even sure that she had already thought the names of the children too. But it was not proper. People were getting a bad impression and she was not liking it.

***

"LOL! And you remember when we used to annoy Farhan by stomping on his feet during class? The poor guy never said a word!"

"Yeah, poor him. We did trouble him a lot. Hey, Khushi? Sheetal still loves to annoy people around her, doesn't she?"

She gave Leena a friendly smile as she nodded. "It's as if she's paid for that!"

The girl laughed and high-fived with her. She seemed to be a nice girl, Khushi decided. Sheetal had wanted to go out for some shopping so she had pulled an unwilling Khushi along and they had ran into Leena, who had been Sheetal's class mate in primary school. Leena was likeable but there was something odd in Sheetal's behaviour. Khushi couldn't not determine whether it was a figment of her imagination due to all the rumours going around or not, but she had the uncanny feeling that Sheetal had shut her out from the moment they had met Leena. She was talking solely to her old friend and even when Leena was trying to include Khushi in the conversation, she appeared to get annoyed... No, Sheetal was not like that... This was her mind playing a trick on her.