"Bhoomi, don't forget to take an umbrella with you," Dhara Di reminded.

"Okay," I replied.

I counted the fifty rupees and hundred rupees notes that I had earned in two days. I already had some previous savings, so I calculated that if I reduced one day of work, I would still be able to buy a lot of stuff on my shopping list.

I happily opened my savings' steel box and moved my hand to put the notes in it when the shiny empty inside laughed back at me.

"Where are my savings?!" I screamed in horror.

I rotated my box in every angle, but my lost money never appeared. I ran to my sister.

"Di, did a thief enter our house last night?" I asked.

Dhara Di shook her head. I told her about my money being absent from my savings box, and she didn't say anything.

"Di, was our house looted?" I panicked.

She sighed. "Mom took your savings."

"What?! Why didn't she tell me then? And why did she need to take it? She didn't even ask me. What will I do now?"

"Calm down, Bhoomi. Mom must have taken it for something important only. She will return it soon."

"That's not the point, Di. I am asking why she didn't inform me. You know I have to buy new clothes. I don't have much time."

Dhara Di pursed her lips. "I am sorry, but I don't know everything Mom does. I just sleep all day, so I can't keep an eye on every activity."

I accepted my defeat. There was no use asking my sister because she was hardly awake due to her heavy medicine dosage. As for my mother taking my savings without telling me, I needed to have a word with her.

I picked up my bag pack and said goodbye to my sister. Before I left, she reminded me about the umbrella, and I hurriedly rummaged through the cupboard.

Luckily, I found my three year old umbrella. I dusted it off and put it inside my bag. I left my home, and as I had earlier gone to work at Urmila Aunty's house, Akshay had already left by our regular train.

I had Arushi to tutor me, so I wasn't much worried about missing the lectures, but I was curious about Akshay going to college so early because he was also a defaulter like me. Moreover, he didn't even join me and Arushi in the library yesterday.

What is he so busy with exactly?

I was walking towards my station and had just rounded a corner of the street when I noticed Akshay's younger brother, Rahul, dashing off past me.

He went ahead of me but applied brakes like a cartoon. He turned around and began jogging alongside me, his crocs making spongy sounds on the wet road.

"Why isn't Srishti coming in the autorickshaw, Didi?" Rahul asked.

"Your autorickshaw uncle refused to take her because we didn't agree with his raised fees," I replied.

Rahul shot his eyebrows up. "When did he do that?"

"Just a few days before. You don't know about it?"

Rahul bobbled his head. "Nope. He didn't mention anything about raising the fees. In fact, he daily asks about Srishti and why she is no longer coming with me in his auto."

"What?!"

Rahul shrugged his shoulders when I asked him to explain more.

"That's all I know," he said.

I let him go as he already told me everything he knew. Mom had told me the complete opposite of what Rahul had just told me.

Why did Mom lie to me yesterday? And today I found my savings gone. What's my mother doing exactly?

Ring, ring, ring!

It was Mom's call. I instantly picked it up.

"Bhoomi, I will be late tonight. If you reach home early, prepare dinner. Srishti has half-day, so I have asked her teacher to drop her off near our chawl as that teacher lives nearby. If possible, try to come home early," Mom said.

"Okay, Mom, but why did you-"

"I am busy, so I will hang up first. Take care," Mom interrupted me and cut the call.

I dialled her number, but she didn't receive my call. I hurried to catch my train, pushing the huge storms of suspicions at the back of my mind.

She is my mother. She must have lied to me for some reason, so I shouldn't doubt her. I will clear my queries once I get back home. For now, I have to reach Sarthak's studio on time.

I reached my destination, and as soon as I landed outside the station premises, a heavy downpour announced its presence.

There was quite a distance to cover for reaching the sharing-rickshaw stand, so I took out my umbrella from the bag.

The button on the handle took me around ten pushes to get it working, and when it did, its rusty metal stick cranked. I sighed in relief as it began opening up its legs like a spider, but before it could open up completely, the top part shot up and flew off like a rocket.

What the fuck?

The top half of my umbrella landed on the road while the handle was still left in my hand. A new umbrella would have costed around 200 to 300 rupees, and I really didn't want to spend even a penny.

I moved to get the broken part of my umbrella, but before I could touch it, I got pulled back forcefully. I received a strong smack behind my head as a tall figure loomed over me.

"Do you have a death wish, Boom Boom Boomer?"

I rubbed the back of my head. "Chill, Akki."

He looked at me in accusation. "You just got run over by a car, idiot. What the hell were you thinking?"

I pointed at my broken umbrella lying on the road. Akshay told me that he would get it, but as soon as he took a step, a speeding car went past us, crushing the broken part of the umbrella under its tyres. And after the first hit, a lot of other vehicles followed suite and completely butchered my poor umbrella.

Akshay and I just kept staring helplessly at the horrific death.

"What will I do now?" I asked. "I don't even have a raincoat with me."

Akshay gave me a side-hug. "Stop whining. I have a umbrella, and it will be enough for both of us."

I nodded, and Akshay opened up his umbrella. I got under it, Akshay pulling me closer to protect me from the vehicles splashing water as if we were in a water park.

We started moving towards the rickshaw stand when the tubelight in my mind lit up.

"Akki, weren't you going to college? How come you are here? And how are you still at the station after two hours?" I asked in confusion.

Akshay blinked rapidly and scratched his eyebrow. "Well... I... I left early, but I couldn't catch the connecting train. There were a lot of signal stops too, so... why are you asking when you already know that missing even one train wrecks our whole schedule?"

"It took you four hours then?! And where were you yesterday?"

Akshay pursed his lips. "You ask a lot of questions, Boom Boom Boomer."

He glanced to his right and kept staring in the distance. I opened my mouth to question him, but he pushed me inside the rickshaw. As soon as two more people entered, the rickshaw started.

In order to shield me and adjust his umbrella to my level, my best friend had ended up getting wet himself. He wiped the water off his jeans and took out his handkerchief from the jacket's pockets.

With the white cloth coming out from his pocket, my eyes caught a shiny purple thing sliding down along with it and dropping near our feet.

"Akki, you dropped something," I told him.

Akshay checked his pockets and widened his eyes. He instantly looked down and sighed in relief when he found the lost thing. He picked it up, and my eyes widened.

"Is that Dairy Milk?" I asked, my mouth watering instantly.

Akshay flinched, and his hand movements became slower. He was busy cleaning the wrapping, completely oblivious of me ogling at the sweet delicacy.

The Dairy Milk he was holding wasn't a small one that we occasionally had, but a large one; it was calling me towards it like a siren.

"I think you won't be able to finish it by yourself." I stressed my words.

As if on cue, my stomach growled, and Akshay glanced at me.

"You didn't have breakfast?" he scolded.

My eyes were still on the chocolate. "The morning was a bit hectic, so I couldn't get the time to have breakfast. If I eat my tiffin now, I won't have anything left for lunch."

Akshay puffed his cheeks and scratched his head. I looked at him expectantly, and he seemed to be having an inner dialogue with himself.

I knew he was a bit hesitant to share with me because we both liked sweet stuff a lot. I promised him that I would buy some candies for him later.

Akshay sighed and moved the treat towards me. "Your stomach sounds like it will explode soon."

I grinned, and in a second, I tore off the wrapper. Within the big bar of brown chocolate, sat a coin-sized pink heart. It was so lovely.

I offered Akshay to eat with me, but he refused. Though he said no, his eyes kept shifting towards my hands. Even after we reached Sarthak's studio, I still wasn't done eating.

Akshay took my bag and held his umbrella over us. I thanked him for the princess treatment, and he just shook his head at me.

Once we entered the studio premises, he put his umbrella to dry off in the hall and ran a hand through his hair.

I told him to get his clothes changed because his jeans was dripping water. He agreed, and took out his locker keys from his wallet. While doing so, a lot of coins fell off too, and I snickered.

"What's with you continuously dropping things today?" I teased.

"And what's with you not helping your friend?"

Suhana's voice landed in my ears as she trudged towards us. I shrugged as Akshay bent down to pick up his coins.

"My hands are full," I told Suhana and moved the Dairy Milk towards her. "Wanna eat?"

She quirked an eyebrow, and even if it was just for a fleeting moment, I noticed a strangeness in her attitude.

"No, thank you," she replied.

She bent down and picked up a few coins that Akshay had dropped. She put them in his palm, her stare burning into him.

"Who eats like this?" Akshay reprimanded me once he stood up and wiped my cheeks with his handkerchief. I knew I was eating the chocolate like a barbarian, but I couldn't help it. It was so tasty!

I gobbled down the remaining part and burped. Akshay flicked me on the forehead when I burped two times more.

"Go and wash your face, idiot." He laughed. "You look like Joker."

"And you are a clown," I replied.

"Hurry, or flies will start having a party on your face."

"You should hurry too because those worms on your jeans surely look like having the time of their lives."

I burst out laughing when Akshay jumped in fright. He was a big guy, but he was totally afraid of tiny worms, especially the ones that crawled very fast.

When he found nothing, Akshay grabbed my neck in a headlock. He pulled my hair, but I continued making fun of him.

All this time, Suhana was observing us. I noticed that whenever she looked at Akshay, she had an intense curious look, but whenever she glanced at me, her gaze seemed unsettling.

"Udit Sir is looking for you, Akshay," Suhana announced and left before Akki could reply.

He stared at her retreating back, his hold on my neck loosening.

"I guess I am in trouble," he mumbled.

"What?" I asked.

He lightly pushed me away and threatened to throw me upside down when I tried to bite him with my chocolate stained teeth. Even after his warning, I chased him till the locker room, almost tripping on my feet. He hit me on the head before heading off to boys' washroom, and I also made my way towards the girls' restroom.

I washed my face, and my smile faded as soon as I remembered that I had a meeting with my mentor.

I entered Fatima ma'am's cabin and pulled my lips inside as I almost laughed at her. She motioned for me to come forward and wiped her nose with a tissue.

Her nose was shining bright red, making her look like Rudolph.

"What is it now, Bhoomi?" she asked and applied balm on her forehead.

"You look unwell, ma'am," I said.

She waved her hand in dismissal. "It is nothing new. The weather change is always a pain in the ass for me."

"Take care, ma'am. We all need you," I said very politely.

She narrowed her eyes. "If you are done buttering, then get over with what you want to say. My headache is getting worse."

"Ma'am, I want to know why you approved my rehearsal video," I enquired.

I ducked when she threw her balm at me.

"Why do you kids always complain? Just leave already!" she yelled hoarsely.

I shook my head. "No, I won't. You can hit me all you want, but I want your honest opinion."

She let out a slow breath. "Fine if you are so adamant. What you presented is not bad, but it is also not up to my expectations, and honestly, when you will get evaluated, your chances of getting eliminated won't change much."

She played my video on her laptop. "I know you are ambitious, Bhoomi, and you think I can't or don't want to push you further? I totally can, but will you be able to handle it?"

I furrowed my eyebrows. "Why not?"

She gave me a once-over. "What will you do if I increase your training difficulty level and your health suffers? No, don't interrupt me and try to lie that you will manage it. Before you doubt my decision, please have a look at yourself and tell me confidently that you are physically fit for what you are demanding. I also know you can do it, but not in your current state. I won't take a risk on your health."

I pouted. "Ma'am, please..."

She shook her head. "If you want to prove yourself, just go to the nurse's office and get a fitness certificate. I want everything in detail. Don't disturb me till then. I have other kids to mentor too."

I left her cabin dejectedly. I thought of bringing up a fake certificate because I also knew that I wasn't going to get good results.

You have no option, Bhoomi. Just do what Fatima ma'am suggested. You want to change your choreography, but she won't allow it now.

Damn, I celebrated too early.

I dragged my feet towards the nurse's office and noticed a few dancers going in and out of it. Some had clinical bandages wrapped around their arms and legs, while some were complaining about getting frequent cramps.

I stood near the door, my hand stopping before it knocked. I was debating whether my earlier idea was better.

I can still run. Yes, maybe I should-

"What are you doing here?"

I got goosebumps when Tejas's voice drummed my ears. He was standing just a few steps away, his strong gaze sending shivers down my spine.

"I-" I began, but he interrupted me.

"You got hurt anywhere?" he asked, his demeanor suddenly changing.

Before I could even reply, he darted his eyes all over me and continued. "When will you change your shoes, Bhoomi? I wouldn't be surprised if you are here for a broken ankle or a pulled hamstring. I was going to mention this a lot earlier, but I thought you would have minded me intruding.

"And what's with your careless attitude? I saw you almost tripping on your own feet while goofing around just moments ago. With your build, it wouldn't have taken much effort to get your nose broken or forehead fractured. Do you even care about your own body? I really never imagined you were so unbothered about your own health. Excuse me, Bhoomi, I am talking to you. Why aren't you replying?"

How would I when you won't let me? And what's with this strange lecture?

I never heard him speak more than a sentence before, so why is he dropping so many words like bombs on me? I can't differentiate if he is just scolding me or actually showing his concern. Maybe both? But again, I don't want to misunderstand even a single alphabet when it comes to Tejas.

"Bhoomi, you here?" Tejas waved his hand in front of my face.

He poked my forehead when I still didn't say anything.

Before I made a fool out of myself, my brain finally started working.

"Fatima ma'am sent me here," I said.

"I can guess the reason," he said. "Go ahead then."

I nodded and waited for Tejas to leave so I could make a run, but he was stuck on his spot, and his piercing gaze was stuck on me.

"What are you waiting for? Feeling weakness in your legs? Need help?" he asked.

I shook my head and cursed myself for trying to outsmart him. He knew I was just delaying, so he didn't move at all till I opened the nurse's office's door and entered inside.

"Hey, TJ, you busy right now?"

I noticed one of the trainees approach Tejas.

"Thank you for suggesting those exercises and lending me the ointments. It was a great help," that trainee said.

Tejas smiled in return. "No need to mention that. What about your elbow having trouble rotating?"

That trainee began explaining about the query, and I closed the door.

Happy now, Bhoomi?

Shut up.

I am just looking out for you. Don't blame me when your heart starts singing songs and you dive back into your old memories, resulting in building unrealistic future dreams.

You don't need to remind me every time. I assure you I know Tejas is like that with everyone. He just can't stop himself from helping others. And don't worry, I already decided what my role in his life is. So, just let me be.

Don't go back on your words later.

I crushed my inner voice and asked the attending nurse about my physical test. She took just one glance at me and wrote down a list of tests for me to take.

"Get these done," she said and handed me the sheet.

She directed me towards another nurse who was already prepared with the equipment. She told me to stand on the weight scale, and I scrunched my face as the needle flickered between 38 and 40kg, finally settling on 39.

After that, a lot of other tests were taken, and I was allowed to leave. The final reports were going to take around five to six hours, so I had nothing to do till then.

I didn't want to continue with my current version of choreography after getting so much criticism, and until I got my physical test certificate, Fatima ma'am wasn't going to let me make any changes too.

I guess I don't have any other option.

I took out my phone and messaged Hriaan on Instagram. He read the messages but didn't reply. He kept leaving at 'seen'.

As he wasn't responding at all, I ran to Akshay to get Hriaan's number from him. I called him up, and Hriaan picked up the call.

"Who is this?" he asked.

"It's me, Hriaan," I replied.

"I really don't have time for stupid introductions."

"It's me. Bhoomi."

"Full name?"

"Bhoomi Devarkar."

"Ohhhhhhh," Hriaan stretched his voice. "Thank you for calling me, Shorty. Bye~"

"Wait, Hriaan, I need to-"

Beep, beep, beep....

He hung up the call, and when I called him again, he didn't receive any of my calls. I knew what he was doing.

Okay, Hriaan can ignore me today, but I will surely catch him tomorrow at college. And, I am ready to face any challenge he will bring.