( 🚨 Long chapter ahead 🚨)

∆~×~∆

"Breaking news!" Surbhi came running towards me, and I stopped her in time before she crashed into me.

"What got you so excited in the morning?" I asked.

"Breaking news!"

"Urgh... You said that already. Now stop acting like a broken record, and tell me what you are talking about."

"Aryan is coming to India this weekend!" she started jumping up and down and hugged me.

I patted her back and started laughing at her.

"You are totally whipped."

"Who's coming?" I heard a male voice. I turned around to see Parth looking at Surbhi amusingly.

"Good morning, Parth."

"Good morning, Sandhya." He smiled.

"Meet my lunatic friend Surbhi. Surbhi, Parth."

I introduced them to each other and Surbhi instantly began rambling about herself, her boyfriend Aryan who was coming to India after 6 months, how she met him etc.

Surbhi was so easygoing, she never had trouble making friends.

After telling him her whole life story, she began bombarding him with questions as we made our way toward the class. By now, he looked totally exhausted.

He pleaded me with his eyes to rescue him but I just shrugged. I was totally enjoying this.

"You are a sadist," he complained and I chuckled.

"Now you understand what I have to go through everyday."

"Hey! I am right here," Surbhi said and I began laughing loudly.

Parth shook his head and sighed in relief as he took his seat in the back row, while we sat in our seats in the front row.

"I think I just lost a friend," I sighed.

"What?!"

I motioned towards Parth and Surbhi glared at me.

"Did I annoy him too much?" She pursed her lips.

"What's new in that?" I replied.

She slapped my shoulder and waved at Parth. He ignored her. Déjà vu. I laughed at her.

She ignored my teasing and began telling me that she was planning to surprise Aryan and how they would go on dates. She was hoping that Aryan would propose to her and if he didn't, she would take the matters in her own hands.

I really admired her. Whereas, I was afraid to even think of boy and friend without 'and'. Arranged marriage, it was for me. I just hoped my parents would find a nice guy.

×~×

"Stop! Where do you think you are going?"

"Hey! You are disturbing my lecture. Get out this instant."

"Where is he? Come out before I find you."

"Calm down, Mayank. Let's deal with this later."

I looked up from my notes to see many people crowded in front of the lecturer's desk. Most of them were students while two of them looked like teachers. They were arguing about something.

"What's happening?" I asked.

"I don't know," Surbhi replied.

"But finally some drama," she said excitedly. It was just the second day.

"Um.. excuse me. The one in the red shirt. Could you please move aside a little? I can't see the board," I said.

Surbhi looked at me incredulously. They were the ones disturbing my lecture.

"If you want to fight, then fight. I got no problem but don't block the board. I am taking notes here. Some students do come here to study you know."

"What did you say?" the red-shirt guy asked and banged his fist on my desk. His muscles rippled and the movement traveled through the desk.

I gulped. He looked like a bouncer. He was so big that he was completely towering over me. I avoided looking at him as he glowered at me with his black eyes. I mentally face-palmed myself. Me and my stupid mouth. Now all the attention was on me.

"Nothing. She said nothing." Surbhi came to my rescue while I was trying hard not to succumb under his glare. I only said the truth.

"It's okay, bro. Chill. You are scaring her."
I turned and saw my knight in shining armor, Parth. The guy backed off but cracked his knuckles and glared at me. He was a bodybuilder and if he hadn't scared me shitless, I would have praised him for his build.

"Thanks, Parth," I said.

"No problem," he replied and went to talk with the guys who were causing ruckus in our classroom.

I guessed he knew them because soon, they started leaving and that bouncer guy bro hugged him and left.

Parth went back to his seat and Surbhi started reprimanding me to watch my mouth. She told me that if that guy had punched me, I would have died on the spot. And how was she supposed to explain the whole situation to my parents?

Seriously? Surbhi and her overthinking. I was not that weak. I could clearly give and take a few hits. I guess.

×~×

"Who were those guys?" I asked Parth as we moved to the cafeteria.

"No one you should bother with," he replied.

"How do you know them?"

"I am friends with some of them."

"They don't seem like good company to me."

"Don't judge a book by its cover," he said and left to join his other friends.

"Come on, Sandhya. I am hungry," Surbhi said.

"You are always hungry."

After filling our stomachs, Surbhi went to her lecture while I made my way towards the library. My paradise.

Only after I stepped inside the library, did I feel at peace. I looked around me and skimmed my eyes over the books in my sight. Fortunately, the place was nothing like the one my school had.

It was huge and could clearly fit more than a hundred people at a time. The walls were painted light blue and had long glass windows allowing a great view of the garden. Study tables were placed inbetween book shelves while there were some private cabins too where one can be alone without any disturbance.

(Images are used for representational purpose only.)

I took an empty seat and began reading the novel I carried with me. After reading two pages, I got bored and shut it closed. I closed my eyes and decided to take a nap. I was about to fall asleep when a loud crash made me jump out of my seat.

A guy landed on my table, skid across it and fell on the floor. I blinked and saw the librarian rushing towards the fallen guy.

What was going on today? I just needed some sleep. Soon, I saw some guys appear with hockey sticks in their hands. They were the same guys who had disturbed my lecture earlier.

Gang war in the broad daylight? So many against one person? Were these guys nuts? The one who I supposed was their leader, shoved the librarian out of the way and began punching the fallen guy. Blood. So much blood.

He would kill him. Why wasn't anyone helping? I looked around and saw that everyone had fled from the scene including the librarian, except the boys with hockey sticks, their leader and me.

What? Then what was I doing here?

I got up to leave too but my legs had a mind of their own. Instead of going towards the exit, they made their way towards the action scene and soon, I found myself pulling the guy who was landing punch after punch on the fallen one. How could someone be so brutal?

"You will kill him. Stop!" I yelled.

"You again?" I was pulled away and thrown aside. I looked up and saw the bouncer guy. He was glaring at me so intensely.

"What are you doing standing around? Stop him."

"Mind your own business," he spat.

Oh right. They were on the same team. How was I going to stop this? Think. Think. Think. By this time, teachers should have arrived here.

"It's better if you run. Now," he seethed.

Sandhya, do you want to be killed on your second day of college? No. Do you want your parents and friends to cry on your untimely demise? No. Do you want to die unmarried? No! Of course not!

Then why the heck are you still here?! You should listen to his advice. But have I ever done the right thing in such situations? Of course not.

I tackled the guy whose name was Mayank to the ground. Aha! You didn't see that coming, did you? I got to know his name because others were chanting his name continuously.

"Who the fuck are you?" Mayank pushed me off of him. He adjusted his leather jacket and ran his hand through his raven hair, which were styled in a side-part hairstyle. He was quite handsome with a strong jawline and straight nose.

Focus, Sandhya.

I stood in front of the beaten guy while the other guys-who had hockey sticks by the way-stared at me wide eyed. I should have called Surbhi before jumping in.

"Leave him alone," I shouted.

"Do you know him?" Mayank asked taking a step towards me.

"No. I don't but that doesn't matter." I stepped back a little.

"Don't stick your nose in someone else's matter," he warned. Where was Parth when I needed him?

"Oh. So, you want me to just sit by and watch you murder an innocent guy? No, thank you." I tried to keep a straight face but my knees were trembling.

"Innocent? The guy you are trying to save is far from that. So I would advise you to back off if you know nothing and keep your mouth shut."

"What's going on here?"

Finally! The librarian had returned with the Dean and security. I sighed in relief. All hockey sticks were confiscated and the injured guy was taken away.

"Mayank Sharma, in my office right now. Rest of you go back to your classes," the Dean commanded.

I quickly picked up my bag and started to squeeze myself out but the Dean stopped me.

"You too, Miss Rai. In my office," he said and marched off.

What?! Why me? I groaned and noticed that Mayank was talking to the bouncer guy.

"You spoiled everything," Bouncer shouted at me.

"Let it go Rajeev. We will deal with her later," Mayank said and they pushed past me, walking toward the Dean's office.

So, the bouncer had a name after all. Mayank lacked a bit in the muscle department compared to his friend but that didn't make him any less scary.

I quickly followed them and waited for my doom. Whose face did I first see in the morning to have such a bad day? Oh wait, mine. Damn.

I called Surbhi to tell her that I was called in by the Dean and will explain everything later.

"Sir, I did nothing wrong. He is the wrong one." I pointed at Mayank as soon as I entered the office.

"How old are you? Four?" Mayank smirked.

"Calm down, Miss Rai. First of all, please take a seat," the Dean requested.

I quickly sat down and glanced at Mayank who looked like he had no care in the world.

"I would like to know what you saw. Would you please tell me?" the Dean asked me.

I told him what happened and he kept nodding his head in between. When I finished my story, he let out a long breath, intertwined his fingers and rested his arms on the desk. He asked Mayank about it.

"Copy paste," he replied.

"This is a serious matter Mayank and I would appreciate if you would co-operate. Otherwise, I will have you suspended," he warned.

Mayank narrowed his eyes at him and they stared at each other like that for a few minutes. The suspense was killing me.

"Why are you asking when you already know, old man?" Mayank mocked.

Old man?! I stared at him, my jaw almost touching the ground.

"Language, son. Don't forget you are in college and not in your home."

Son?! I think I will faint. I had enough for today. I would like to leave.

Mayank chuckled but when he saw my face, he went into a laughing fit. I glared at him.

"Sir, if I am done here, can I go back to my lecture?" I fidgeted in my seat.

"I am sorry to keep you waiting. Thank you for your time. You may go now." He smiled.

I got up and ran outside. I turned a corner but bumped into someone and fell down.

Bouncer-I mean Rajeev was standing there towering over me. He yanked me up by my arm and started dragging me towards hell knows where.

I struggled but his hold was too strong. I fished out my mobile phone to call Surbhi but he grabbed it from my hand and dumped it in his jeans' pocket.

"You are manhandling me. Let me go!" I yelled.

"Keep quiet," he warned.

After passing a few empty hallways, we reached an empty spot behind college. No one was here. The place was like a small garden, only it wasn't maintained properly. What was he planning to do? I panicked and my eyes darted around for an escape.

"Relax. I am not going to do anything to you." He picked up a branch and threw at me, hitting me on the forehead. This jerk!

"You brought me to a secluded place! What am I supposed to do? Dance around?" I yelled.

"Are you always this loud? Calm down, woman." Mayank appeared and Rajeev offered him a cigarette.

"So you want me to just sit here and become a victim to second hand smoking? FYI, I am not interested." I started walking away but Mayank pushed me back.

"Listen here, Miss whatever your name is. Do you know why we were beating up that guy earlier?" he asked.

"No," I replied.

"Cool. I will tell you why, because I don't want you running around college spewing nonsense and damaging my reputation."

"Do you even have a reputation?" Shut your mouth Sandhya. I will if I could.

He narrowed his raven eyes at me.

"For starters, keep your mouth close. I don't like interruptions," he warned and Rajeev nodded in agreement.

"You can start your story session," I mumbled.

"Okay, so the guy you were trying to protect is actually a convict under rape attempt charges."

I snapped up my head and opened my mouth to say something but nothing came out.

"Yes, you were trying to save a criminal," Rajeev confirmed.

Say what?! Will I ever do a thing properly in my life?

"He had fled from the police station and was on the run. The victim is from our college. She discontinued her studies because of fear. She even wanted to drop the case but we convinced her to continue with the investigation and assured her that we had her back. There's no way I am letting those motherfuckers roam around freely," Mayank said and took a puff of his cigarette. He exhaled slowly and continued.

"They tried to gang rape her when she was returning home from her evening classes. She was alone and wasn't expecting the attack, since she had been to her home late at night earlier too. She somehow managed to escape them and reached her home but that incident left her traumatized."

"How many were they?" I asked.

"8."

Eight?! Are you serious? I can't even imagine what she must have gone through.

"But he looked so harmless. The guy you were beating up," I said lowly.

"He was her ex. The mastermind," Rajeev said and threw his cigarette on the ground, crushing it with his shoe.

I wanted to crush that guy the same way. How dare he?

"Why are you telling me all this?" I asked.

"To make you realize that things aren't always they seem to be. It was brave of you to get into the fight but you should think before you act," Rajeev explained.

"I helped the wrong guy," I realised.

"Exactly."

"But why me? There were other students too who saw you."

"They all know who I am and if they don't, they better do," Mayank said.

"Aren't you misusing your power?" I complained.

"Not when it's for a good cause," he smirked.

"Oh."

"Now get up and go to your class. The lecture is over," Mayank waved me off.

I got up hurriedly and started walking away.

"Take your phone with you." Rajeev threw my phone at me and I caught it in time. I nodded at him and ran towards my class.

I met Surbhi in the hallway. She asked me where I was and I dragged her to the cafeteria. I needed a coke to calm down my senses. Should I tell her? Of course, I should.

I trusted her but I also knew that she couldn't keep a secret no matter how big it was. She would go berserk if I told her that I almost got myself killed.

I calmed down and came up with a false story. I told her I fell asleep in the library and was summoned in the Dean's office regarding some paperwork.

She narrowed her eyes at me but in the end bought the lie. I was feeling guilty for lying to her but it would be better if I kept her out of it.

I realised Mayank and Rajeev were good guys but I wouldn't want to get on their bad side now that I had witnessed their wrath.

Just imagine what they will do to me if they got to know that I had been going around spreading rumors about them. No. I don't want to think.

"Don't judge a book by its cover."

Parth was so right.

"Think before you act."

I sighed and sipped on my coke. Two more lectures and I would be off to home.

"I think I will join self defense classes," I said.

"That's great," Surbhi replied.

"You should too," I suggested.

"Nah. I have Aryan to protect me," she said dreamily.

I shook my head. "He isn't here right now."

"Whatever."

"You are coming with me and that's final." I paid for my drink and we started walking toward our classroom.

If someone tries to take advantage of us, we should be able to protect ourselves. We can't always depend on guys to come to our rescue. I wish that girl gets justice or I am going to join Mayank's gang and beat the shit out of those criminals.

"What are you thinking now?" Surbhi nudged me.

"How about I join a gang?"

She stared at me and checked if I had a fever or not.

"You didn't fall on your head right?"

I began laughing. Me and a gang?

"I am kidding."

"I think all that studying has messed with your head."

"But you love me."

"Come on, we will be late." She chuckled and smacked me playfully.

"It's college! We are supposed to be late."