CHAPTER 2
No sooner does the college begin than you can feel the pressure seeping in your veins. Its tragic, its hectic, it nearly sucks all the fun from your life. Now, in a situation like this, you can simply sit back not give a damn about it, or like me, be a regular one. I don't really mind staying up late nights and complete journals, it gives me a sense of satisfaction; satisfaction that at least one thing is right in my life. Other than that, loads of new friends are made, and we have our fun, as much we're allowed to do. Due to my regularity, I had gained the name of a 'good girl' in my college. Not only the students, but the professors too blindly believed in my due to my sincerity and good behavior. I was content, very content, not happy though. Today was one of those another hectic long days. I walked passed the huge crowd in the canteen and sat on a table in the corner and looked around. And my friends, I could bet for a 100 bucks, if you could ten centimeters without being pushed, pulled or dropping your plate. I looked around to see my friend, Rahul, approaching me.
"Hey!" Hurriedly, he placed his bag near me and sat down.
"Phew! This place is packed today." He looked around.
"Tell me about it." I stuffed the delicious parantha in my mouth and nodded.
"So, done with the assignment? I've a question left." Rahul, like me, was one of the regular ones. And I liked it. He was caring, sincere, and a true gentleman. He made me comfortable, and these few days I had bonded with him well.
"UH-HUH!" I stuffed another lot of parantha in my mouth and pulled out the file.
"Thanks."
"No problem." I smiled at him, and suddenly felt conscious of myself when I found him eyeing me. Who? Some of you'd ask; others would have guessed it. The only guy I disliked in this entire campus, Armaan Malik.
Personally, I have no problems with him. But its just that seems so arrogant. He's the only one capable of back answering all the teachers in the class. All the girls seemed to be bee's, constantly buzzing around him and flirting with him. And it seemed to please him, not that I cared.
"So, when are you leaving for your sisters marriage?" I would rather focus on Rahul, than his annoying little best friend.
"Hmm?" As if pulled out of his tranced state, Rahul looked me and then mumbled a, "Oh!"
"Um, next month. Its set." He beamed.
"Wow, that is great!" Rahul was a single guy, sharing flat with Armaan Malik. Although, both had been known had each other since childhood, none of their habits seemed to match. It was amazing how Rahul could make you smile, make you laugh, console you! He is a great, great friend and I considered myself lucky to have him as my friend. Having said that, I thought about the time he would be gone for 2 weeks. And honestly, the thought of it made me sad. I will definitely miss him.
"Hey, I'll be back." Saying so, I got up to get myself some coffee.
It made me curious, when I saw Armaan walk past me, whistling and looking in the other direction. Odd.
And the next moment, I felt a rush of pain up my hips and found myself staring at the ceilings, with a roar of laughter enveloping me. I picked up the banana feel near me, realizing that I had seen it in Armaan's hands moments ago. And then I found him there, leading the crowd, who were busy laughing at my plight. Ass.
"Malik, you're so dead." I thought to myself, glaring at him, while he gave me his annoying smug smile.
"Riddhima? Are you alright?" Rahul came to my rescue. One of his hand caught mine, while he placed his other hand around me shoulder.
"I think so."
"ARMAAN! What is wrong with you?" Rahul yelled at the ape, going gaga with uncontrollable laughter.
"What? What did I do?" He threw his hands in the air, and I rolled my eyes. Loser!
"I saw you throwing the banana peel, okay? Seriously Armaan, IT IS NOT FUNNY, okay?" Rahul told him sternly, and I smiled. The serious look on his face, while he scolded Armaan was adorable.
"If she can't see properly, that is not my fault, okay?" And he flipped the switch just like that. That is all I could take!
"Oh, so this is my fault huh?" I pushed Rahul aside and spoke to Armaan myself, nose-to-nose.
"Of course! I mean, seriously? Why can't you watch where you're going? Huh? Tell me!"
"YOU! You think you're very smart, huh? Well, let me tell you, you're just lame."
"And you're just BORING!" He shouted back at me.
"At least I'm better than you! I mean just look at you! You look like a gorilla!" I heard Rahul giggle near me, and so did Armaan. Armaan glared at him for a second and then looked back at me.
"And you think you're pretty? Well, you're the most horrendous looking chick in this entire campus. I mean, ugh!" And this time, he shouted a little too loudly. I kept mum, staring at him. The amount of silence in the room suddenly caught my attention. I turned around to find everyone staring at us. Tears welled up in my eyes, but I manage to push them back.
"Yeah, you're right. I'm horrific looking. So maybe I should just spare you from look at my 'disgusting' face." I rubbed the tears that had just escaped and walked out of the room.
"Riddhima! Wait!" I heard Rahul shout behind me, but I did not stop.
I ran inside the washroom and locked the door behind me.
I could feel my cell vibrating, but was in no position to pick it up. I knew who it must be. Rahul. I needed a moment of myself.
Balancing my body against the wall, I let my body sulk on the floor, tears rolling down my cheeks. Never in my life had someone gone this far to insult me. I hate Armaan, I decided.
After a few moments of silence and sobbing, I realized that I was wasting my time on someone, who really didn't mean that much to me. So I fiercely rubbed the tears, stood upright and walked out of the washroom.
"Riddhima! Are you alright?" Rahul ran to me, as soon as I walked out of the washroom.
"Yes. I'm good. Thank you!" I plastered a smile on my face, pretending as if nothing had happened.
"Are you sure?" He looked into my eyes, and I avoided his gaze.
"Damn sure. Now lets go!" He caught hold of his hand and dragged him with me.
"Go where?"
"We were having the day to ourselves! A day outside the college. A day to ourselves. Just us. Okay?" I looked at him expectantly and saw him smile.
"..If that is fine with you, I mean."
"Why not? Lets go!" His hand on mine tightened and we walked out of the college gate, hand-in-hand.
Armaan doesn't matter to me, I thought to myself. I hate him, I decided. But the truth was that I had decided to take a day off because of Armaan's comment about me being 'boring'. He, afterall, did matter to me the most. Only, I was going to realize it afterwards.
I missed the next few days due to ill-health. Staying back at home, without nothing to do depressed me. All the unwanted memories came flooding back and depressed me. But there was nothing I could do. My fever didn't seem to come down and I didn't bother to tell my father about it. Me and my father rarely spoke. The only family member I was in touch with, was my sister, Anjali Gupta, my best friend. But right now, she was on the other side of the world, sharing her life with the one person she loves. "Don't worry, someone will be there for you too." She would tell me, when I'm upset.
"When?" I would a question I knew she could not answer.
She would simply smile at me and cup my cheeks. "Soon." She would simply say.
I looked at the picture kept on the bedside and smiled amidst the tears. It was a picture of me and my sister, when we're young. It was a picture of us cuddling a pick little teddy bear. Father had bought it when he had returned from his one month long tour. Of course, he had got it for Anjie Di. It saddened me, when he told me that he had forgot to get me something.
"Its okay, daddy. Don't forget next time, okay?" I smiled at him, although it hurt a lot, knowing that he will forget about it every single time. It was as I was non-existent, invisible; as if I didn't matter to him. I missed mumma a lot. But Anjie di could never see me upset, not for a second. She simply came up to me and handed me the bear.
"You take this. I don't like teddy bears." I knew she loved them, but she loved me more.
"We'll share teddy." I told her in my cute little kiddy tone. From thereafter, we've been sharing every. Memories.
I heard the door bell ring, which pulled me out of my thoughts. Pushing the tears away with my thumb, I placed the picture back on the bedside.
It must be Rahul or Muskaan, I thought.
But I was shocked to see Armaan standing at my door, guilt filled in his blue eyes.
"Hey" He whispered softly, and all I could do is stare at him.
"Hey" He mumbled.
"Hey!" I didn't show any signs of affection, for a single reason that he didn't deserve any.
"You're pissed with me?"
"Uh, not you have please me a lot by insulting me in public. I look forward to stuffs like that everyday." I said sarcastically and I saw him biting his lips.
"Look, I just came here to apologize. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."
"Oh, so you put the banana peel there on purpose to entertain me?" I asked him, my tone rude and sarcastic again.
"Look, I didn't mean to end it, the way it ended. I'm sorry and I really mean it."
"Who gave you my address?"
"Rahul did."
"Of course." I smiled sarcastically.
"Can you give me chance to make it up to you?"
"Like, so that we're even?" I eyed him curiously.
"Yeah, something like that." He looked at me expectantly. Yeah, surely I'd love to make it even, I thought.
"Hm, okay." I mumbled, still stern with my expressions. Inside, my brain was churning with wonderful and sadistic ideas. WAYS TO RUIN ARMAAN MALIKS LIFE!
"Can I come inside?" He asked me next. And my friends, I know I should be polite, but you should understand that I wasn't in a mood to do so.
"NO!" Saying so I shut the door on his face. A rush of sadistic joy overwhelmed me, but it was only half of what I wanted.
Hoping that he would wait downstairs, I ran to the bedroom to change my messy attire; hoping that I could get my ruined life back on track.
Cricket
Hindi TV Shows
Kumkum Bhagya
140