Summary: Life can be cruel sometimes. You welcome your victories…even when they're probably your biggest defeats, in disguise of course! Yes, life can be a cruel irony sometimes.
Author's Note: It's the post-pool epi scenario(Pool scene: In which Robby kisses an unconscious and drunk Diego who later half confesses and half kisses Robby and talks his heart out about his problems and his guilt over the cheating in the elections) which was so hottt in Rebelde but was never shown in Remix(damn you SA!). Hope you realise!
PS- Somehow I can never get over the pool scene!😆
He gazed blearily from his half closed eyes. He could see yellow and little black and blue and red blobs in between the yellow. H e blinked his eyes and the view cleared just a little bit. He recognized now…he was in his hostel room, probably lying on his bed. No, make that, actually lying on his bed. He groaned and tried to get up; immediately his world turned topsy-turvy and he started feeling dizzy. He shook his head trying to get a grip on things, and then fell back on his bed with a groan.
Fifteen minutes later, his room started becoming something more distinctive than black and blue blobs, which looked like mucous resting on yellow bread. But then again, maybe he had watched way too many "Amoeba Boys" cartoons.
"Stop thinking like Ashi" an irritated voice inside his head told him. Ashi…well she probably hated him. He felt a sharp pang as the thought crossed his mind. He shook his head once more and this time he got up with all the force that he could muster and succeeded in tottering his way to the bathroom where he threw up. Jeez…this was the worst hangover he had ever gone through. He was never gonna drink again.
"Ok Ok boss…don't make promises you'll probably never keep," he muttered to himself. After what felt like eternity, he finally exited his room, after bathing and shaving and cleaning up all the mess. He didn't really want to go to the cafeteria or to classes…or hell…he didn't want to go anywhere. But he didn't want to remain in one place for longer than 2 seconds. And his room made him sick anyways.
Suddenly his phone started ringing. He flipped it open to see his father's name displayed on the screen. Furious, he closed the phone and lobbed it at the wall where it crashed violently. Swearing he stalked past it without bothering to see its condition and after stalking past furiously…found himself halfway into the cafeteria.
"Heeeey Yuviiiiii…congooo!" someone shouted and before he could react more than blink twice, someone gripped his rib cage hard. Choking, it was only a few minutes later that he realized it was a small girl who was causing severe damage to his breathing process.
"Uhm….thanks…err….?"
"Rina…Rina! Hi hi…I finally met you! Have been waiting to congo you since ages! Since the time you entered the elections actually. I so knew you would win!" she yammered on. Yuvi blinked. He nodded at her, thanked her again and turned around.
And found himself face to face with….Anvesha. Well not actually face-to-face….she was seated at a table a few feet away. But it was still too sudden for him especially after he had practically lost all his pride in front of her the previous night. And maybe her respect too. Probably thinks I'm one big joker from Timbuktu, he thought ruefully. He sat down a few tables away from her…staring into space until jarred by another happy "fan" of his came up to congratulate him. He got rid of him in record time…much faster than Rina. But then again, Rina was probably an antique piece. As more and more people came over to his table to congratulate him (and hug and kiss him in the process-the female quarter that is), he became sicker than ever before of being Yuvraj Dev. For once, he wished he were ignominious unknown trash like Raghu. Raghu would, in no way have even thought entering elections.
'Hah Raghu had better get decent clothes first' he thought amused. Then he sobered. He really was a selfish sleaze-bag…no wonder he didn't have any friends…well real friends…friends who mattered…who were honest…ones who didn't cheat to make him win, he thought bitterly. And his father had proved that he was just another politician.
'He's just a politician…not my mom's husband…never my dad….but just, always a sodding neta.'
"A bloody damn sodding neta! Bloody hell!" he said angrily.
Well, his politician "dad" and his damn friends made a fantastic combination if someone wanted to win elections. Even if they had to "add" extra votes to his name in the process. He wondered dully how many people had actually, really voted for him.
Probably 2 people…and he knew who they were…his girlfriend (whichever girl he had been seeing during the elections…he had lost count and her name as well) and Sid. Shit….that's what it all was. Bullshit. It was all fake. His victory, his dad, his friends. Hell, he was fake. His whole life was fake. It was filled with nothing but lies.
"Hey bhaggu MP! Agar tumhein uss chappal walley ke saath pair up nahin kiya nah toh mera naam bhi Anvesha Bannerjee Ray nahin!"
"Toh naam badal daalna Ashi. Chappal wala kya…mein toh ussey mere sports shoes se marungi." He looked over at Ashi's table. It was erupting with laughter and half the people there were clashing their glasses together, mock honouring Ashi.
Ashi….she was perhaps the only person who had been really truthful and frank and honest with him. She had entered the election bids honestly and campaigned fairly. She had even called for a truce. And what had he done? Thrown it all right in her face….jeered at her…taunted her…mocked her. And he had been brutal on the result day…insulting her…mocking her, while she maintained a dignified silence even when she rightfully wanted to kill him.
And still she had helped him….and probably saved his life in the pool yesterday. She had listened patiently to his mindless drunken slurred nonsense and hadn't said a word. And that too, after going through his "winners dance party" where most of his girlfriends (or aspiring ones) said nasty things about her. But Ashi had always been the one and probably only one good thing that had come into his life. The only truth in his fakeness…the only fresh air in his staleness.
"Hey dude!" He looked up from his reverie to find Sid sitting down opposite him.
"Isn't it great dude! You're the winner! Yo! Yo! Ab tum uss crazy Anvesha ko order de sakte ho! Aur phir imagine bro, you can even set up wild parties aur koi tumhein kuch bhi nahin bol paayega abhi coz you're THE President!" Something in Yuvi just snapped. He had been enduring the same special treatment since morning but something in the way Sid said it or maybe because it was Sid, his supposed best friend, who was saying it (after he was the one who had cheated), snapped him out of his passiveness.
"Sid, kya tumne voting box mein mere naam ke liye extra votes dale the?" He watched, a bit amused, a bit annoyed as Sid's face changed colours faster than a traffic signal. As Sid stammered his way into some sort of apology, Yuvi stalked out of the cafeteria as fast as he could before he was completely suffocated.
*
She was sitting on the park bench, supposedly trying to enjoy the fresh weather but really…she was just confused. Everyone said, "You do things just on your instinct! What spunk, man!" And there would a little bit of awe and admiration on their faces. Well, she had never really thought back on all her "instincts". It wasted a lot of time anyway! So why the hell was she questioning herself now. Why was she questioning her innate intuition when she had really enjoyed using it all her life?
No…she thought…that wasn't it. It wasn't that she was questioning it…she was just surprised that it was there…still there…
But how could it be…for the past six weeks she had conditioned her hatred for him…and now her instinct had made her kiss him. Damn. She really should listen more to Saint Vrinda's preachings about thinking before leaping. Double damn.
The only consolation (and the thing which saved her from being humiliated probably) was that he didn't know it. He was knocked out and unconscious at the time. So really, she thought, there was no damage repair required…she just should start thinking more…and doing less.
Easier said than done, she thought rolling her eyes…especially when he was standing right in front of her. She stood up suddenly, startled. "Whoa," she muttered under her breath as she fought to keep her face neutral.
"What're you doing here?!" she stammered. "I mean…well…you should probably be inside…with your fans" she couldn't help but add.
"We-ell, my fans probably must have got tired of me. You see they much prefer Spiderman now." It took her 3 seconds more to get the last sentence. She raised her eyebrows (dammit she could never ever raise just one) at him. He shrugged his shoulders, making a face.
"I thought shy people were the new in-thing?" He winced as she rolled her eyes.
"Actually…I just came to say…err…well…thanks," he said offering his hand, "for…well…yesterday…you know…" he added awkwardly at her puzzled glance. She took the proffered olive branch.
"Um, you don't have to say thanks for?" she was cut short as he pulled her closer and kissed her on the cheek. Then he ran a hand through his hair, smiled and turned away, leaving her…eyes half-closed, to murmur, "?for…for anything."
***
Life could be so cruel sometimes, he reflected at his open window. Here he was, the President of Maurya High, the popular, cool, musician from the cracker of a band 'Remix'. Here he was, feeling betrayed, guilty, regretting, useless, and hopeless.
And there she was…the runner-up…smart, spunky, funny, happy and cheerful and full of life…probably pranking her friends.
Here he was…the resident school heartthrob, Casanova, with a bunch of girls after him…here he was…yearning for his rival…his "enemy"…his redhead…like a pathetic fool. And there she was…probably kicking the watchman on her way out of the school…carefree and careless and probably thinking of her next victim…never once giving him a thought.
Life can be cruel sometimes. You welcome your victories…even when they're probably your biggest defeats, in disguise of course! Yes, life can be a cruel irony sometimes.
________________________________________________________ ___
Anupamaa
