Currently, I get anything between ₹300 to ₹400 if I work for eight hours, and Urmila Aunty gives me around ₹100 to ₹200 depending upon the amount of tasks I complete, but I never worked continuously before. Only when my mother gets sick, I act as her substitute and make just about ₹2000 to ₹4000 per month approximately.

Mom works daily with only one holiday in a week. Her income keeps fluctuating between ₹12,000 and ₹15,000, but she also keeps falling sick frequently, so all of her wages get spent on Dhara Di's and her own medicines. As for Dad's salary, apart from managing to save a few thousand rupees monthly, everything else is spent on rent, mine and Srishti's requirements, and other necessities.

So, in a month, we save around ₹6000 to ₹7000 in total, and if we calculate it for a year, then we get only ₹72,000 to ₹84,000. And all this money needs to be earned again because we have already ended up giving our last savings to Shailesh.

For now, we can only manage our household expenses. In our current situation, we will never be able to pay off Shailesh even if we work twenty-four hours a day. I need to contact Eknath Uncle and beg him to get me jobs with the highest pays. Also, I have to search and apply for part-time jobs with long-term benefits.

After I returned home from the dance studio, I went to Urmila Aunty to enquire if she had work for me. Getting a positive response from her, I called up Eknath Uncle from Mom's phone, and he had a few upcoming events where he could employ me. Fixing my spot temporarily on the workers' team, I made a rough plan for the rest of the months left in the current year.

If I wanted to avoid Shailesh from coming to my home again, I had to earn a significant percentage of the promised amount within this year. I had to be consistent to show him that we weren't fooling him.

Since I had to work at Urmila Aunty's place both in the morning and the afternoon, I decided not to attend college and made a schedule to study at Arushi's place in the night.

For now, I had to work slowly and steadily, so I could strengthen my trust in my employers. Earlier, I did jobs according to my liking; now, I had to get out of my comfort zone.

Keeping my schedule in mind, I woke up really early and reached Urmila Aunty's place. She had just taken a bath and was very amazed to see me so early. As I had already arrived there, she told me to get started after reading the day's menu. I worked for four hours in the morning, and for the afternoon, I again came to help with cooking as I had to go to Sarthak's studio next.

I knew I was going to be late, so I had planned on staying late to catch up on my missed dance sessions. I had told Akshay to inform Kshitij and Tanmay Sir about the same.

After finishing off my work, I left for the dance studio, and as expected, KD was practicing some moves with Tejas, while Akshay and Suhana were busy having a duet by themselves.

"I am sorry for coming late," I apologized to everyone.

Tanmay Sir was teaching Jolina, so I didn't disturb him. I kept my bag in the corner and started stretching myself. My right shoulder was throbbing in pain since I woke up in the morning; I had taken a painkiller, but the ache hadn't subsided.

Shit, whenever I try to rotate it backwards, my whole arm starts aching badly.

"What the hell are you doing?" Tejas asked with a frown.

I jumped back before he could grab my arm.

"Come here," he said.

I shook my head. "I can do it myself."

"Then do it properly."

"I am doing it properly. You have to find a flaw in everything I do, don't you?"

"Your improper warm-ups are only going to hurt you, Bhoomi."

"Oh, is that so?" I retorted. "You are not my partner, so don't bother; KD and I will manage by ourselves."

"I think you need to take your medicine again," Tejas said.

"Guys, what's going on here?" Tanmay Sir asked. "We have to do a romantic sequence, not a warfare."

"I am sorry, Sir," I apologized.

"I am not sorry though," Tejas replied plainly. "She is not even doing her warm-ups correctly. How can I be confident that she will follow the choreography also?"

I glared at him. "You can't blame me before we even started. You are not the team leader, so why are you ordering me around? Focus on your own dance partner."

"In case you forgot, we are in the same team. If any of us messes up, it will affect everyone - I don't think I need to explain it to you, do I?" Tejas fired back.

I nodded. "Okay, I get it now. You are not getting to scold me for coming late anymore, so you are trying to make me look like a fool in other ways."

"Excuse me? You think I scold others for fun? If you had so much problem with me being your team leader, you could have just gone and complained to the mentors. I am just trying to help you, Bhoomi; why are you losing your temper over such small things?"

"I didn't ask for your help!"

Tejas raised his eyebrows. "Please take your medicine."

Ugh, he keeps taking the conversation back to the starting point.

"What medicine?" Tanmay Sir asked in concern. "You are not well, Bhoomi?"

"I am completely fine, Sir," I replied. "Please don't listen to Tejas."

"Yes, Tanmay," Tejas said in a mocking tone, "don't listen to me, or else Bhoomi won't be able to sleep in peace tonight."

"Why are you trying to-" I started arguing, but Tanmay Sir stopped me.

"Bhoomi, you have already missed the exercise and dance session, so go and complete that first. KD, go and help her. And, you, TJ, go and concentrate on what your partner is doing. I don't want any more fights, got it?" Tanmay Sir ordered.

"Okay, sir," I replied.

I told KD to guide me. It took me an hour to learn all the new moves Tanmay Sir had come with up for the first part of our rough choreography.

It had portions of waltz, so I warned my partner beforehand since I was going to end up butchering his toes. After informing Tanmay Sir that I was ready, he told all of us to give him a demo.

We took our positions, and I ignored Tejas's stare. I knew he was waiting for me to mess up, but I was not going to give him any chance to prove himself right.

The music started, and in the beginning, all of us were alone, but after two lines of the song, we went to our partners. According to the lyrics, the duos were enacting a push and pull to show their conflicting emotions.

As a part of the choreography, Kshitij moved me away from him, and the girls had to close their eyes and return back to their partners to portray their blind trust. And the boys had to turn around and catch the girls at the end moment.

I closed my eyes and held KD's hand tightly as we were still learning and I didn't want to make a mistake. The important part arrived, and I moved back towards KD.

Yes, with this, the demo will end, and I can proudly- Ouch!

"KD!" I cursed as I crashed into the floor.

I winced as I landed on my right shoulder, the pain from earlier exploding like a volcano.

"Bhoomi, you okay?" Tanmay Sir asked and helped me.

Akshay, Suhana, and Jolina also dashed to pick me up, but Tejas didn't move from his spot.

Why am I thinking about him?

Once I got up, I slapped KD on the back.

"Why didn't you catch me?" I complained.

His eyes were stuck outside the window. When Suhana kicked him, he blinked and looked at all of us as if he had seen a ghost.

"Were you distracted?" Akshay asked KD.

Kshitij cleared his throat and looked at me sadly. "I am sorry, Bhoomi."

I was fully confident in him, but this idiot dropped me. My eyes were closed, but he still failed to catch me with open eyes.

I wanted to scold him, but after seeing how concerned he looked, I didn't want to make him cry.

We started again, and Kshitij seemed a bit disoriented, but he didn't drop me again. He kept glancing out of the window, so I asked him what the matter was.

"I think I saw Arushi," he told me.

"What? Are you sure you are not imagining? Why would she be here?" I queried.

"I don't know... Maybe she came to meet me?" he suggested hopefully.

I was doubtful, but what KD had said wasn't completely impossible.

"I won't question you if you really saw her. Why don't you go and check? I will take a break till then," I told Kshitij.

"Thanks, Bhoomi."

He lied about taking a loo break and went outside to confirm his doubt. Till then, I took a rest and checked my arm.

Why is it aching so much? I can't keep taking painkillers.

I squeezed my fingers as they kept getting numb during practice. While doing so, my eyes began drooping, and I yawned.

I punched Akshay when I felt his finger under my teeth. He laughed and pushed my forehead when I yawned again.

"Didn't get proper sleep?" he asked.

"What do you want?" I questioned as I was feeling really tired and just wanted to take a nap.

He showed me his phone, and I quickly grabbed it from his hands when I saw my mother's call ongoing.

"Maa, what happened?" I asked her and moved to a secluded spot.

"Eknath Bhau had called and told me about a vacancy for a week-long event staring today. It is on an urgent basis and the pay is ₹500 a day. We need to confirm our participation immediately and the location is in the same line as your studio's city. What do you say? If you want to get this job, you need to reach the venue before 7 pm and meet Eknath Bhau," Mom informed.

"Tell him I am coming."

₹500 X 7 = ₹3500. That's not enough but a good start.

I cut the call and gave my phone back to Akshay. I quickly packed my bags after checking the time.

If I hurry, I can catch a fast train and reach before ten minutes the due time.

Akshay asked me if it was some emergency and I needed him to come along, but I told him not to worry. I went to Tanmay Sir, and he looked at me in confusion when I asked for an early leave.

"Is everything okay, Bhoomi?" he asked.

"It is just a small thing that I need to take care of. I am sorry I am going early after I arrived late in the afternoon. I promise I will make up for it. Please allow me to go," I told him.

He smiled. "You already have your bag hanged, so I don't think you will stop even if I tell you to. Go."

"Thank you, Sir!"

I dashed out of the practice room and waved KD bye when I saw him entering the studio with a sad face. I didn't wait to exchange information and ran to catch an auto.

Fortunately, I got one and within minutes, I was in the railway station catching my train. I got the fast train I needed and reached the venue one hour before 7 pm.

I located Eknath Uncle and landed in front of him. He instantly pushed me towards the backside of the hall and showed me my uniform and gave all the details. He warned me to be on my best behaviour because he had fought with the supervisor to get me on the team.

I thanked him and promised to not ruin his reputation - even if I got scolded every second, I wasn't going to quit.

I threw all of my sleep away and took a painkiller as my shoulder had started acting up again. I started on a good note, but as the time passed and pressure increased on us, I started getting slower in my work.

My mind was telling me to sleep, and my body was trying to follow the advice. I washed my face a lot of times to keep myself awake. Luckily, I tread through the difficult time and didn't mess up on my first day.

The event started at 8:30 pm, and three hours later, we were done, and since I had Eknath Uncle to drop me home, I didn't worry even if it was 12 am in the night.

On my way back home, I ended up dozing off in Eknath Uncle's van, and he had to shake me up from my sleep. I absentmindedly reached my home and dropped like a dead log.

I already had dinner at the event, so I wasn't hungry. The moment my head hit the pillow, I went in a deep slumber. In the morning, I didn't want to wake up, but I had to.

Forcing myself out of the warmth of my mattress, I dragged myself inside the bathroom, and with closed eyes, I got ready. I completely opened my eyes only when I reached Urmila Aunty's place.

Following yesterday's routine, I did work till afternoon and rushed off to reach Sarthak's studio. I apologized for coming late, and unlike yesterday, Tejas paid me no attention.

I cursed to myself when I bent my waist sideways during warm-ups. I noticed Tejas glancing at me, but he didn't say anything.

Since I was already inducted in the workers' team, I didn't need to reach the event's venue by 7 pm.

Therefore, to fill up for my missed practice, I stayed back. As it is, I had to go to my work from there only, so after my teammates had left, I watched the recorded dance lessons of Tanmay Sir and practiced as much as I could.

This routine continued for the rest of the week, and after the event got over, I gave the earned money to my mother to keep it safely in her account. I was continuously missing my dance sessions, so I had to make up for it, or else my whole team would have suffered.

It was Friday, and after the daily practice was over, one by one, my teammates left. Tejas went with Tanmay Sir to his cabin, and when the whole practice room became empty, I took a small nap before I started my solo rehearsals.

I had one and a half hour before I left for my work, so I utilised each second of my time. Because of me, KD was also getting left behind. I had to cover up everything I had missed.

"Bhoomi, you haven't left yet?" Tanmay Sir asked.

"I will, Sir," I replied.

"It is 7:45 pm right now. I know you live very far away, so why are you still here?"

"Don't worry, Sir. I will reach home on time."

"Okay, but stop practicing now."

I shook my head. "I am lagging behind, so I have to practice as much as I can."

Tanmay Sir pinched his nose bridge. "Bhoomi, you are pushing way beyond your limits. Go home and rest."

"If you are getting late, then please go ahead, Sir. I will also leave soon."

"Why don't you kids just listen?"

Tanmay Sir placed his bag on the floor and stretched his arms.

"I can't leave you alone like this when I am your mentor," he said. "I will help you speed up your lessons, but when I tell you to stop, you have to stop."

He didn't allow me to argue and taught me. With his support, I was able to clear out my doubts, and after forty minutes, we took a break.

"Are you trying to break your arm?" Tanmay Sir asked me.

"Oh, this," I glanced at my right hand, "please don't worry about it. It will get better soon."

"And what if it doesn't? Bhoomi, I have noticed how much you are trying to fake your shoulder being alright; if you keep ignoring it, it might turn into a bad news soon."

I was going to convince him that he was worrying unnecessarily, but he stopped me and showed me his left knee.

"Watch carefully," he said and rotated his knee up.

I looked in confusion as his knee normally went up, but it stopped before it could bend completely. He tried a few times but couldn't bend it to its full angle.

"Sir, your leg was injured?" I asked in surprise.

He chuckled. "Not just leg, but back too. I was also young and hot-blooded like you kids when I was your age; I was totally absorbed in my dancing, and once I started getting work opportunities, I stopped taking rest. I kept working and working, and with that, I kept getting injured. Some of them were minute, but injuries like these," he patted his knee, "take revenge when you ignore them."

"Did it hurt a lot?" I asked in concern.

"That time it did, but of course, I was also stubborn like you. I continued with my job, and soon, the injury turned so severe that I had to get a surgery. As a result, I lost a lot of projects because I couldn't even move. That's why, I am really serious about such things, Bhoomi. I know these evaluations are very important for you all, but don't risk your health."

"Thank you for the advice, Sir. I will remember what you said."

"Then what are you waiting for? Leave now."

I thanked him again and left for my home. After hearing his story about his own accidents, my shoulder started hurting more. By the time, I reached home, my whole torso was burning up.

I took a cold water bottle from the fridge and rolled it all over my upper body. The ache reduced a bit, but it didn't go away completely. I was not able to sleep, so I distracted myself with studies.

I knew Tanmay Sir was serious, but I also knew my body - I was sure this pain was going to go away soon on its own.

For a few more days, we practiced the rough choreography, and to show us a new segment, Tanmay Sir gathered us all around. Like always, we were ready for him to call Suhana to partner with him, but he didn't do so this time.

"Bhoomi, please come here," Tanmay Sir said.

I and Jolina exchanged glances. She teased me and faked jealousy. I high-fived with KD and moved beside our mentor. I thanked him for trusting me, and Akshay gave me a thumbs-up. I was all ready to have a duet with Tanmay Sir, but my happiness was ruined because of none other than Tejas.

"Excuse me, dear mentor," Tejas said. "Don't you think you are really partial towards girls?"

What is he trying to say? Oh, who am I kidding? Of course, he has to interfere whenever I get attention. He can't digest me getting spotlight, can he?

"TJ, how can you blame me of discrimination?" Tanmay Sir asked in return.

"You prove that every time," Tejas replied confidently. "You always partner with Suhana, and now you chose Bhoomi. What about us guys?"

Tanmay Sir laughed. "You wanna join me then?"

I fisted my hands. "No, Sir, you can't do this."

Tanmay Sir grinned at me. "Make way for TJ, Bhoomi. I can't allow him to accuse me of discrimination."

Our mentor forwarded his right hand towards Tejas, and Tejas took Tanmay Sir's hand. He smirked at me when I looked at him angrily.

"Bhoomi, didn't you hear what Sir said?" Tejas teased.

I narrowed my eyes and went back beside KD. Everyone laughed as Tanmay Sir and Tejas started dancing like a couple; it was very weird because both of them kept changing their roles. One moment, Tanmay Sir twirled like the female partner, and the next moment, Tejas let our mentor catch him.

I know Tejas is doing this just for fun. He couldn't handle the fact that Tanmay Sir asked me to be his partner. He had no problem when Suhana did duet with Tanmay Sir.

When both guys were done, they teased each other about how they could improve. As Tejas moved back to his spot, he glanced at me and pursed his lips as I glared at him.

"Okay, guys, let's get back to practice," Tanmay Sir announced.

I gulped down my whole water bottle to calm down my anger. My whole body was on fire. Even after two rounds of rehearsals, my head was throbbing, and I kept shooting glares at Tejas. Unlike me, he was happily dancing with his partner, and whenever he glanced at me, he acted like he didn't know me.

We took a twenty minutes break, and after that, we got ready to practice again. We took our positions, but before the music started, Tanmay Sir stood like a commander and pointed his finger at all of us.

"Let's swap the partners for this round now," he announced. "Jolina, go with Akshay, Suhana will be with KD, and Bhoomi, please go and join TJ."

Wait, what?!