Chapter 12
Jinxed
You stare at the emptiness, for a long time.. Happiness and peace filling your life in every way humanly possible. You rejoice as you keep staring, when suddenly the coin flips and the darkness gulps you in your entirety.
**
Some things are inevitable.
So many questions, so many lies, so many unknown facts..
As Khushi changed the gear of her car, millions of questions chased her on their own accord.
She wished she never came to Verman Hills.
She wished, her Dad was there with her today.
She wished, she had all the answers to those zillion questions, which made her life turn into something she had never even thought of in her worst nightmares.
"I wish, life was easy.."
As she increased the volume of the Bon Jovi track being played on the radio of her Chevy, she could give up anything to get rid of the thoughts that her mind was clouded with.
It continued raining like cats and dogs, and that added more to the monotony of this day.
.
8.40 am'
Taking a glance at her wrist watch, she hit the steering wheel with her tiny fist.
Of course, she was being dramatic, but effortlessly so.
She realized that she had already missed the first period of the day.
.
Perhaps, she needed to discuss everything with her mother.
Everything.
But she was too apprehensive about it.
Telling her even about a mild cough and cold meant staying in the house for days, resting and strict medications.
If she were to tell her about all the weird, uncanny things happening with her, Adrienne would probably consider making her stay at some asylum?
Or even worse, house arrest!
Or get into some serious psychological counseling.
Khushi cringed at the mere thought of all the hypothetical situations and their consequences.
There was no way she was risking anything by telling about it to anyone.
Some part of her even felt reluctant to discuss any of it with her best friends.
At least, not until I get a proper answer.'
She thought.
.
As she drove through those isolated roads covered with dense forests on either sides, her eyes fell on the wrist of her right hand that touched the steering wheel of the car.
.
The bracelet, perfectly fit, sat quietly yet regally on her wrist.
It seemed as if it was made for her.
Designed for her.
.
She smiled for no reason sighting it for a while, as she continued driving.
*
Seeing the familiar building of SEV, which once she thought would be the best part of her life, she pulled over and got out of the car.
.
Though it was hardly some days since college started, but it had already started to take a toll on her, her life and her emotions.
Had she learnt the future earlier and foreseen it, she would have never wished coming here.
But that's what life's about.
You don't get a forewarning for anything.
Good
or
Bad.
.
.
"You are late!"
She turned around to see Ree standing behind her on the corridor with a pouting face.
.
"I know."
Khushi shrugged.
These days a lot was changing around her and within her, and one of it was the fact that she didn't feel the urge of giving explanations to anyone anymore.
.
"So what made you late, Miss. Punctual?"
Rebecca teased her.
.
"Well, I'm a nocturnal person. So morning business doesn't fascinate me."
Khushi winked, teasing her best friend back.
.
Ree burst into giggles as she held Khushi's hand and took her to the Common Room.
"Since when did you have such a good sense of humor?"
She asked sarcastically.
.
"Ever since I got a bunch of two morons as my best buddies." Khushi replied instantly.
.
Ree hit her on her arm at Khushi's comment. She was thoroughly enjoying her best friend's newfound dark humor.
That was so Ree.
Drama Queen.
.
"Well, I have got a surprise for you."
She said enthusiastically.
.
"Really? What is it?"
Khushi raised her eyebrows as she inquired.
.
"Come on! You need to guess. What's the fun otherwise?"
Rebecca added nonchalantly.
.
That was really the worst part about surprises for Khushi.
Guessing.
That's why surprises never appealed her.
But to Ree, it meant the essence of life, topping the charts of hype.
Even more than a Prince William and Kate Middleton wedding.
.
"Umm.. Okay, let me guess."
Khushi tried sounding interested and at that, Ree's face lit up, as she sat on one of the desks looking at Khushi, eager to hear her theories.
.
"..You.. You got some new shoes, perfume or ear rings? Versace, Lacoste or something?"
Khushi asked, as the usual thoughts about Ree's fashion obsession floated in her mind.
.
"No!!"
Her face dropped.
"Next?"
.
Khushi thought for a while, as her mind suggested another possibility.
"You and Joe got laid?"
.
Rebecca blushed at that statement but shook her head in disapproval.
"Not so soon babe, next?"
.
"You got knocked up?"
Khushi said without thinking much. This game of guesses was so not her thing and above that she already had so much on her plate to even participate in something as trivial as a guessing game. But then, best friend priorities, they always bite you in the ass.
"Khushi!!"
Rebecca's yell brought Khushi out of the distraction as she stood straight and looked at her.
.
"REWIND!!"
"I did not get laid."
"How am I supposed to get knocked up??"
She tried to reason with Khushi, while Khushi bit her lower lip and pouted, helpless at the fact of being busted about not paying attention to her.
.
"Oops, I'm sorry!"
"I.. I.. "
"Forget it."
"You know I don't like suspense and surprises. So now, tell me fast. What is it?"
Khushi said to her with a serious face, reasoning out.
Unexpectedly, Rebecca seemed to understand her point and her face once again lit up as she held Khushi by her shoulders and with a big smile said-
"I will be singing a solo in the upcoming charity event!"
Khushi's lips curved up into a big smile as Rebecca told her about her singing in the event.
Music had always been Ree's passion, and Khushi was so glad she was selected to sing the solo for the occasion.
.
"Wow Ree! That's such an amazing news!"
Khushi said and hugged her best friend instantly out of overflowing happiness.
"Thanks babe. And the most important thing now..."
Khushi looked at her in confusion, thinking what could be more important than being selected for such a thing.
She took her huge bag and pulled out something from it.
.
"LOOK AT THIS"
She put emphasis on each of the three words as she said them.
.
Holding a black colored ultra short A-line Dolce and Gabbana dress, Rebecca posed like a model, standing in front of Khushi, as if the corridor of the college was her brand new modeling runway.
.
"How does it look?"
She asked, mimicking a seductive voice.
.
Khushi couldn't control her laughter, seeing her crazy best friend and she couldn't control her bewilderment seeing the amount of clothing she would be actually covered in when she would be wearing this dress for real. The fabric was way too minimal, way too low cut, and would barely cover her frame.
.
"Its.. It's nice.. "
Khushi spoke incoherently, as she continued analyzing the dress.
.
"Just nice? Isn't it G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S?"
Khushi covered her lips with her palm, stifling her chuckles as Rebecca went on a spree of going gaga over the new dress.
.
"Whoa! Hey there! You should endorse for Victoria Secrets!!"
They both turned around to see Mason standing with a grin on his face behind them.
.
"Hey Mase!"
Khushi smiled at him, as he approached them.
.
"So, it's decided! This is my outfit for the event!"
Ree exclaimed in joy, as she folded the next to impossible dress and kept it back inside her bag carefully.
Khushi sighed in amusement and Mase continued giving her the Rebecca- is -a -complete- psycho look.
.
"Don't worry! She won't wear it at the event. I will pour brains into her mind before that."
Khushi being the sensible girl she always was, assured Mase, whispering the words to him softly.
.
.
"By the way, why did you miss the first period?"
Mase asked, as they walked out of the room.
"Umm.. I got late."
She replied softly. Although it indeed was the truth, but never could she tell anyone the reason for her getting late for class.
.
"Oh! Never mind. It wasn't anything important, anyway."
Mason smiled at her.
.
"Guys, I will catch you both in an hour. I have a class."
Ree said as she waved her hand, bidding bye to her besties and went into another direction.
.
"And.. Oh yeah! I forgot to tell you."
Mason's statement instantly grabbed Khushi's attention as she looked at him, perplexed.
.
"ASR..Umm"
"ASR was looking for you."
And once again, that name brought her back to reality as she tried her level best to avoid him and his thoughts since the previous day.
It appeared to her that somehow he was some Jinx, responsible for all the misery in her life.
Ever since she met him, nothing had been good and everything that gave her strength earlier, now appeared to be completely opposite.
It seemed as if she was jinxed by the essence of knowing him, meeting him and yet there was no way she could evade him..
No matter how hard she tried, no matter how much she wished, but she was trapped.
"But.."
She heard the soft voice at the back of her mind, which always kept raising ifs and buts whenever her conscious mind brought her to believe that Arnav indeed was the wicked devil whose very existence in her life was enough to destroy her completely, since it had already begun to cost her a lot.
But her heart never wanted to believe it, as it kept repeating that come what may, he was never going to hurt her. Never going to ruin her.. Never going to get anything of hers, tainted.
And to that thought, her reality whispered,"Only time will tell."
.
Devastated with the conflict of her own thoughts, she felt her fingers curling into fists and an unusual, unrecognized energy brimming inside her.
.
"Hey! Are you all right?"
Her trance broke, as she heard Mason's voice.
.
It felt as if for a moment she became a stranger to herself, unaware of her new strength, unknown of the real truth.
.
"..Ye..Yes.. I'm fine."
She stuttered, suddenly bereft of speech.
.
"Khushi, you sure?"
Mase asked, confused at a nervous Khushi
.
"Yeah! Yeah! Very much. Don't worry I'm fine Mase."
She replied, trying to sound confident.
.
.
"Okay then. Go to the rehearsal hall. The Drama Club President told me that ASR was looking for his dance partner."
.
Khush slightly nodded at that statement.
She had never been a girl who would want things to be deferred, especially when it were things which she liked the most.
But this time, despite loving Salsa so much, she was ready to procrastinate the rehearsals for a long-long time.
The reason?
Ofcourse..
Arnav Sciarrone Ray.
No doubt, he was changing all the facts, which she once thought would remain unchanged in her bio data.
"Both my best friends performing at the event and here I am JOBLESS!"
Mase exclaimed as he led Khushi through the corridors to the rehearsal hall.
Khushi simply laughed at his humor.
.
"Well, why don't you be the chaperone for all of us then?"
She winked at him, and they both burst into laughter at her statement.
.
"Well, actually on a serious note, I might not be able to attend the event."
He said with a serious tone.
His words got Khushi concerned.
"Why? Is something wrong, Mase?"
She asked him.
.
"Kinda."
"Well, uncle needs my help there."
"So maybe I would go to L.A. that time for a couple of days."
He replied.
.
"Hmm.. That's thoughtful."
"But, you can go after the event, right?"
Khushi inquired, hoping he would agree, but to her disappointment, he didn't, or rather, he couldn't.
.
"No silly. It has to be soon."
.
"..And anyway, it's better to go to L.A. and help my uncle for some time, rather than seeing you dance with someone else."
He added.
His last statement, garnered all her attention as she looked at him with bewildered eyes.
.
"Come on! Don't give yourself too much importance now, Khushi. I was kidding. Uncle seriously needs my help, so I have to go during that time."
He chuckled as he tried to ease the sudden tension between them with his words, but somehow it didn't work for Khushi. She could already guess the seriousness with which he said those lines and immediately tried to cover up.
But there was no way she wanted this discussion or even the thought of it to prevail, so she feigned a big smile as she hit him on his bicep with her notebook.
.
"Ow! You are too violent, Krazyy Khushii."
"You bet?"
And levity was restored, Khushi thought.
She managed to settle the ambiance to the very normal way, like it always used to be between them.
.
"Anyway, you go ahead with your rehearsals then, I shall go to library now."
He finally said to her, as he escorted her to the hall.
.
"Sure"
Khushi waved her hand at him, as he left, while she could only let out a deep sigh.
.
.
She sat on one of the chairs and bent down to undo the laces of her sneakers.
She wore the black stilettos kept near the chair and started fastening the belts, when suddenly her eyes saw him standing some feet away, facing her.
She instantly stood up from the chair, determined to flood him with her questions, headstrong to get each and every answer from him by hook or crook. She hadn't been able to put her restless mind to rest ever since last night, when she had witnessed his unprecedented outburst, for which he definitely owed her an explanation.
He couldn't get away today like every time.
.
As she took a step ahead, she noticed something strange which brought her steps to a halt and refrained her from walking ahead.
.
His hypnotic gaze remained fixed on her, and she suddenly felt weak in her knees.
Why the hell is he looking at me like that'
Is it one of the million tactics that he uses to get people under his wicked tricks?'
She contemplated.
She gasped for breath as she looked back at him, drowning in the pool of intensity that those mystic eyes held.
.
It's not time for this.
Don't lose yourself.
Not now.
She heard her inner voice say to her, as she regained her composure and decided to walk up to him, to get her answers, but once again something stopped her.
And this time it was something else.
A frown appeared on her face, as she found his gaze shifting towards her hand, and he wasn't looking at her face anymore.
But he was looking at her wrist.
"At the bracelet."
.
Waves of confusion hit her, as she tried hard to decode what was he thinking.
Without a second thought, she abruptly turned back so that they couldn't see each other's faces anymore.
She pulled down the sleeves of her sweatshirt, taking the full view of the bracelet and that is when she realized how pathetic that antique piece looked with such a casual outfit she was wearing!
Stones and gems- precious jewelry paired with sweats-jeans and sneakers, yuck!
Perhaps, he was laughing at my miserable fashion skills.'
She felt stupid.
Her mind diverted for a while as she considered herself lucky enough for Ree not seeing this ornament on her wrist, with the jeans and top she was wearing.
Undoubtedly, it was the worst match ever and Ree would have blasted her for being such a bummer.
"But being fashion conscious is the last thing you need to worry about, at the moment."
Her conscience reminded her again.
.
She quickly slid the bracelet out of her wrist and kept it inside her jeans' pocket carefully.
Taking a deep breath and gathering the lost strength, she turned back to face him once again.
But to her surprise, he wasn't there anymore.
.
Perplexed, she looked at all the directions but like always, disappointment hit her hard.
.
"Are you searching for Arnav?"
She heard a guy say to her all of a sudden.
She quirked her brows as she looked at him and spotted that he had a weird dragon tattoo on his forearm.
"Umm, yeah."
She replied.
"Well, he just left."
He said as he darted his finger towards the door.
.
"Left?!"
"How dare he?"
Khushi could feel her insides burning as his departure left her infuriated.
She felt her muscles tighten as her fingers clenched into fists and she got into the grip of a severe adrenaline rush.
.
"Enough is Enough!"
She gritted through her teeth, as she removed the stilettos from her feet roughly and threw them at one corner of the large hall, attaining confused glances from some people around her, who too were there for their rehearsals.
She quickly wore back her sneakers, fastened the laces and without a second thought, lashed out of the door.
CONTINUED BELOW
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