Then:
Hear ye, hear ye! Election week draws near, and tensions are mounting between the Blue Tide, and Red Army. Unless you've been living under a rock for the past fortnight, you should know that the two opposing panels for Student council VP's are strategizing political affiliations as we speak! There were rumors that a third unprecedented "Rainbow" panel was being organized by one Mr.A.M. We hounded him for details, but he refuses to comment...

(Nitty Gritty, issue Number 345, Sept' 14)

It's been two weeks since I made my first "Friend" at University To say that the concept is bizarre, is putting it too mildly. I honestly don't make friends with people my age. I tend to avoid them like the plague. When I was seven or eight, I was friends with my maid's daughter. Her name was Sultana, and she was a year older than me. Then Mom told the maid to stop bringing Sultana around, because it distracted me from my gymnastics practice. I missed her for weeks afterwards.

I was homeschooled until High school/College. When I did finally go to a regular place with people my age, I realized that I had no desire to be around them. Thier petty school dramas, and teeny boppy infatuations with rock stars, and boy bands never appealed to me in the slightest.

They gushed over supermodels, and lusted after movie stars...most of whom, I had grown up around. The whole experience was aggravating, as a lot of school kids just wanted to be my friend for the 'perks' that came with me. To avoid becoming a High School Disney Drama, I kept quietly to myself, until most people forgot who I really was.

The closest thing to an old friend that I have is Maria. I can count on my older brother for support too, I suppose, but Zaif is never home long enough for me to claim this anymore.
Pareeshay is very, very unlike me. I'm just one friend of the hundreds she has made over the course of a fortnight at University. In a way, I'm glad she has an abnormally large "Circle". It distracts her from accosting me in Management and English class (The two slots that we share).

I'm eating my cheese pizza slice, alone, at a bench in the foyer, when she arrives with a bunch of her "Besties".

"Layla! My lovely! Why so lonely huh?" She pounced on me with a hug. I awkwardly patted her back. Refusing to meet eyes with the chattering group of guys and girls.

"Guys. Meet Layla. My smart-ass friend from Ghani's class." She started pointing out people, "Layla, meet Syra, Daniyal, Priha, Fatima, Rahul..."

I nodded silently at them. Recognizing a few faces from some of my classes. They greeted me back with handshakes, and smiles.

"Layla, you have a longer break right now, right?" Pareeshay (or, as she preferred to be called; Shay) inquired.
"Yeah." I tapped my toes nervously. This sounded ominous.

"Well. A bunch of us were heading out to Roaster's for lunch! I totally want you to tag along. Pretty please!" She pouted prettily. I groaned inwardly when I realized how much my Mom would love Pareeshay. With those exotic, perfect looks, and long model-esque limbs, she was nothing short of gorgeous. With the added Queen Bee type attitude, and the awesome style sense, she'd be the perfect daughter for my Mom.

Ick. Even subconsciously, I'm attracting people my mother would approve of. Damnation!

"I'm almost done with lunch." I gave her a tight smile, nodding towards the pizza slice, I had barely nibbled on.

"Oh, baloney! You're so skinny, you should eat meals five times a day!" She exclaims over my petite figure. I self-consciously tugged my red kurti loose. Mom's designs were favoring a more loose cut nowadays, so I was in luck. Slim-fits made me look almost child-like with my midgetness.

"I'm not in the mood, Shay." I told her plainly, but she was adamant to bring me along. I've no idea why someone would do that to a reluctant introvert.
Eventually, I gave in to the group's pestering, remembering the promise I had made to Maria.

We were hitching a ride with five other people. I ended up squished between a quiet head-scarf wearing girl called Priha, and a not-so-quiet, Pareeshay. It was the weirdest thing I've done in a long time. A guy named Daniyal was driving, and Syra (His girlfriend) was riding shotgun.

"Change the music." Daniyal grumbled at the Gwen Stefani song blaring from the speakers.

"No bleeping way." Syra leaned forward to tweak up the volume.

"I'll drop you at that footpath!" He threatened.

"Do it. I'll hitch a ride with that hot dude following us on a bike."

"It'll probably be the last thing you ever do..."

I cursed Pareeshay for bringing me along in this awkward trip. She didn't look fazed at all, witnessing the bickering couple in front of us.

I was glad to get out of the car once we reached the trendy grill house.

"Don't mind these two." Shay whispered to me, "They fight like cats and dogs. But they're head over heels in love."

Huh. Okay.

In my book, when a couple fights so much, it usually doesn't matter if they're 'head over heels' in strawberry icing. They end up hurting each other, and people close to them.

I made polite conversation with the rest of our group. They were actually a nice bunch of kids. Priha offered to make a study group for Psychology with me, while Syra urged me to join the Blog team she was a part of.

The lovebirds fought on and off, but with time I could sense an underlying comfort to the bickering...if that even makes sense.

I ordered a mexican steak along with an oreo milkshake.

"What? Mommy doesn't let you drink soda?" Shay grinned at me.

"Nah. I get sugar rushes from soft drinks. You people will probably leave me stranded on a curb if I drink it." I smiled back, enjoying the lighthearted bantering, and teasing around the group. It felt good to be a part of something. It felt different.

"I used to get sugar rushes from eating Jolly Ranchers. My Ma used to coat the candy in chilli powder, to discourage me..." Daniyal quips in.

All of us groaned at the mental image that created.

The arrival of a bunch of other customers at the next table gave me pause. Daniyal yelled out a surprised greeting, and Shay squealed in delight.

I just wanted to squeeze myself inside the barbecue sauce bottle in front of me.

It was him.

Fake Khizer Butt/Azaan Malik.

"Hey hey! Check out the freshies wetting their feet already." He grinned as he approached us. "Didn't anyone tell you? that you're supposed to eat moody Biryani from the school Cafe for atleast a month, before you can head out for lunch?"

He was wearing a pair of faded Levi's, over a grey T-shirt saying: "I know H.T.M.L. (How To Meet Ladies)"

His ear stud was missing today.
His dimples were not.

Daniyal got up to give Azaan (and two guys accompanying him) a bro-hug. He ignored the fourth guy, which made sense.

"This here's my older brother Faris everyone." Daniyal's announcement was kind of superfluous, because the two brothers were eerily similar in looks. Faris was taller though, even taller than Azaan. His dark hair fell slightly in his eyes, and his tanned chiseled jaw was set. He didn't seem all that friendly.

"You people know me already. These are my buddies; Omer, Asad, and Faris." the jackass pointed out each of his friends. Shay responded by chirping out introductions from our side.

Please don't remember me. Please!

"Aha! I remember you!" He pointed at me.

Dang!

"You're Night Life!" He chuckled at my rapidly turning crimson face, "The only girl who refused to bow for an A."
"Your prank was juvenile." I shrugged, ignoring the sweaty palms I suddenly had. "Hardly college standard."

His eyes brimmed with laughter, ignoring the sharp gasps and snickers from our group "Think you could give me some pointers, Night Life?"

I snorted, "Pointers are for serious people. Why would I waste my breath on the likes of you?"

Ugh! Smooth comeback!

"Hmm. A serious prankster? Wouldn't that be an oxymoron?" He dragged a chair from a nearby table, to sit next to me. I lost my pluck when I encountered his hotness from so near.

"Uh...what?" I blinked, breathing in a mix of soap, and...grass? Hmm. Weird.

"I just confessed my undying love for you." He quipped. I made a sound that fell somewhere between a squeak and a gasp. "Marry me. Pliss?"

"Don't tease her man. She doesn't know you're Johnny Bravo in the flesh, yet." His friend Asad punched him on his shoulder.

I just shifted my chair away from his. His friends laughed at that, while he sniffed dramatically, and started humming an appropriately melancholy breakup song.

The rest of our meal was one big chattering, laughing party, with the sophomore boys (minus Faris, who was busy pulling off the Tall Dark, And Silent stereotype) recounting funny incidents about our teachers, and giving survival advice for IBSA.

"Why does Ghani hate you so much though?" Pareeshay asked Azaan.

He chewed his steak, perplexed, "What are you talking about? He loves me!"

I snorted at that. And I am five feet three...

"He nearly had a cow when you showed up for that prank...he couldn't even continue his lecture without shuddering repeatedly, and praying Ayat-ul-kursi." Shay informed him.

"Oh pish posh! He is just, y'know... a little easily overwhelmed by intelligent students. I didn't even have to take his course, because I'm a software major. I just used to sit in his classes during last semester, because I thought his accent was funny." He swallowed his meal before continuing, "He acts like he is descended from a divine race or something. I figured, we should start treating him like the royal that he is..."
"He hacked into IBSA's website and changed Ghani's name in the faculty list to His Royal Highness, and photoshopped Kermit the frog in place of his face." Asad pipes in.

"Allegedly, dude. Allegedly." He breezily swiped a french fry off my plate. I just gritted my teeth, and ignored the urge to jab my steak knife in his neck.

"He also ALLEGEDLY, put up an OlX ad with Ghani's contact details." Omer smirks at my food stealer.

"What did the ad say?" Daniyal asked curiously.

"It was a car ad. He was basically giving away his Mercedes for under Two Million Rupees. Aw man! Ghani flipped his shit when he was bombarded with emails, texts and phone calls." Asad chortles. "He started banning Azaan from his lectures. He knew it had to be him."

"Ya Allah! Why do you hate the man so much?" Syra is indignant. "He is still a teacher. He deserves respect."

"He is a slimeball. And I'm an A-hole, so let's not talk about respect and shit." Azaan calmly snatched the salad bowl in front of me. He waved it under my nose; "You're not eating this? Eh Night Life?"

"As if you'd care." I muttered, "Stop calling me Night Life. I feel like a stripper when you say that. Or a DJ."

"DJ NightLife. Has a nice ring to it!" He scarfed down my salad. I just pecked slowly at my steak. It was extremely spicy, and I was getting dizzy just imagining the prospect of finishing even half of it.

When I pushed away my serving tray, Azaan Malik was horrified.

"Holy shit girl! That's a thousand bucks worth of steak on your plate! You're gonna leave that?" He scowled at me.

"I'm sure they'll dispose it off." I shrugged at the waiter guys handing out bills.

"This is just disrespect to good food!" He slid the tray towards himself, and dug into my leftover steak. I just gaped at him.

"Are you like...poor or something?" I asked bluntly. I couldn't fathom anyone stuffing thier face so much, without good reason.

"Nope. Not poor. Just hungry." He said between bites. "We came here from football practice. I usually lunch at cheaper places, so I can eat more."

The waiter arrived with our bills and two huge take-away bags. Syra and Daniyal had another spat over who'd pay, apparently, Syra wanted to pay for them both. I thought I heard something about, 'Fucking patriarchal societies!"

"Who ordered take-out?" Shay asked.

"That would be me." Azaan slurped his 7UP, making the rest of us groan with anguish. Daniyal mimed throwing up.

"Relax babe. This is for my Ma, and sisters." He grinned his dimpled grin. "I always eat with my family."

"That's actually kind of sweet." I blurted out, drawing shocked stares from the group. "I mean. For an A-hole..."

"Oh yeah?" He smirked deviously, making my neck heat up, "Don't get used to it."

Well. Can't say he never warned me...

Author's Note:
Okay. You have to admit, this update was fast! Slightly unedited....so do point out typos.

I still don't have characters for Pareeshay, and Maria. So suggestions are welcome.

Don't forget to Vote and Comment! :D lemme know what you think!