How's the book cover? 😉

Anyways, Onwards!

"Words in double quotes" - Talking

'Words in single quotes' - Thoughts

(Words in braces) - Telephone conversations

Chapter 6 - Trouble in the Library

#Next Day#

Bulbul and Pragya were about to enter the college, when Tanu appeared before them. Tanu and her friends surrounded Bulbul and Pragya.

"Hello Pragya." spoke Tanu, with a devious smile.

Pragya and Bulbul looked at each other in confusion. Pragya decided that it was no harm in greeting Tanu.

"Hello Tanu."

"Oh. So you know my name." Tanu circled around Pragya "Then you must also know that I like Shabbir. After all, the entire college does."

"Tanu, if you are here to tell us to stay away from Shabbir, then you should know that Di is not interested in him"

"I know that Bulbul. Besides, Shabbir wouldn't fall for such a middle-class, average looking girl anyway"

Bulbul was about to answer back, but Pragya held her back.

"Why are you here Tanu?" asked Pragya.

"I'm here to make you pay for how you treated my Shabbir yesterday. I didn't like the tone you used."

"He deserved it. He was being unfair to me."

Tanu looked at her in anger "So what? He is Shabbir Mehra. He can do what he likes. But you are a nobody! You had no right to talk to him like that" she slowly let out an evil smile "Which is why I need to show you your rightful place, which is on the dirt!" She grabbed Pragya and pushed her towards the ground.

"Di!" Bulbul tried to grab her so that she doesn't fall, but she saw someone catch Pragya's arm and prevent her from falling.

"Are you ok Pragya?" asked Aliyah.

"Yea, I'm alright. Thanks"

Aliyah turned to Tanu "I never thought you would stoop so low and reduce yourself to the level of a bully"

"Stay out of this Aliyah! This does not concern you. Besides, since when did you become friends with such middle-class people?"

"Since I realized that one's riches do not define a person. But its worthless telling you all this. Someone as arrogant as you would never understand"

Pragya was busy glaring at Tanu, while Bulbul looked at Aliyah wide-eyed. 'Why is Aliyah helping Di? She hates me. Shouldn't she be enjoying the fact that Tanu is misbehaving with us? What game are you playing Aliyah?'

Tanu glared at Aliyah "Watch your mouth, Aliyah. Or else-"

"Else what? You and your cheap friends will bully me? Hahaha... You really think you can scare me? Scare Aliyah Mehra?"

Pragya turned to look at Aliyah 'Is it me, or does all the Mehras have a habit of speaking their names in such an arrogant manner?' 😅

"Aliyah, I'm warning you. Leave, or else there won't be anyone worse than me! If you have even a little bit of intelligence, go away!"

"And if you had a brain to begin with, you would not mess with me!"

"What's going on in here?" spoke a voice, as he approached them. They turned to find their Math teacher glaring at them.

"Prasanth Sir! Good morning sir. We were just-"

"I don't want to hear any excuses Bulbul. All of you head for your classes right now. Move it!"

His phone rang. He checked the caller id and turned to face them "I don't want to see any of you standing here, understand me?" saying that, he moved away from there and received the call.

'His name is Prasanth, which means calm. Yet, he acts like an angry dictator. I'm surprised no one named him Hitler' 😒 thought Pragya.

"This isn't over. Mind you!" Tanu warned and left with her friends in anger.

"Bye Tanu" shouted Aliyah in an extra sweet voice, taunting her. She turned to Pragya with a smile. "Lets move from here. Or else Prasanth Sir will come shout at us again."

"You're right. Come on Bulbul" Pragya grabbed Bulbul, and the three of them walked inside.

Bulbul couldn't hold her curiosity anymore "Alright, Spill! What game are you playing Aliyah?"

"Game? I don't know what you're talking about Bulbul"

"Don't even try to act so innocent in front of me. I know that you helped us for some selfish reason of yours. Otherwise, there is no way you helped us out of the goodness of your heart."

Aliyah made a shocked face, but inside she was thinking something entirely different 'I should have known that Bulbul won't easily fall for my deception. Its no use trying to apologize to her and try to be her friend, as I had planned. She won't be convinced. I guess I need to improvise.'

"I didn't help you. I helped Pragya. I still don't like you Bulbul" Aliyah smirked.

"But why would you help my sister when you hate me? This makes no sense!"

"Because I am a singer and the way Pragya sang yesterday really impressed me a lot. In fact, I've become a fan of her"

"Thank you." Pragya smiled at her. 'Maybe Aliyah isn't so bad. I don't see why Bulbul hates her so much"

"Anyway, my friends are waiting for me. See you around Pragya. Bye" Aliyah waved and went away.

'My first step to become Pragya's friend and a step towards separating Purab and Bulbul. Soon Purab will be mine' thought Aliyah with a smirk, as she joined her friends.

"I still doubt her" Bulbul spoke, narrowing her eyes at Aliyah as she entered the classroom with her friends.

"Bulbul, you're just over thinking."

"Whatever Di! You should stay away from her."

"Okay okay. Now go to your class or you'll be late." Bulbul nodded and moved towards the stairs to get to her class. Pragya entered her own class.

#Recess#

Pragya packed her bag as the bell went off. She was about to head towards the canteen, when she remembered something.

'Yesterday, I found Abhi in the library. Maybe he's there now. Today, I will apologize no matter what!' she nodded to herself and moved towards the library.

#Library#

Pragya looked around the library in hopes of spotting Abhi among the students. However, she was disappointed when she couldn't find him there. A thought struck her 'He said that he and Karan sit at the table which I had occupied yesterday. The table which is at the secluded section of the library'

Pragya rushed towards that part of the library and indeed Abhi was sitting there, peacefully, with a book in front of him.

She approached him "Hi!"

Abhi looked up from his book 'Oh. Its Pragya'

He closed his book and smiled at her "Hello b-e-a-u-tiful" he teased.

Pragya blushed "You heard me singing I guess..."

Abhi nodded "I must say, you were amazing."

"Thanks. I always wanted to sing that song in front of a big audience."

"I guess you will mesmerize everyone at the College Fest."

Pragya shook her head "I'm not participating"

Abhi looked at her shocked. "What? But why? There is no way they would reject you. You were fabulous"

"I quit myself. Besides, your evil twin would never select me" 😑

"I don't see why he would do that for no reason. Did you praise me or talk about me in front of him?" he joked.

"Well, actually..." Pragya proceeded to tell him everything that happened the previous morning and how she and Shabbir became enemies.

Abhi chuckled 😁 "So that's why you were being rude to me yesterday. Because you thought I was Shabbir?"

Pragya nodded, embarrassed "I...I couldn't apologize to you properly for how I behaved to you. And also, talking carelessly about your family- "

"Hey, its okay. You didn't know. And as for what happened, I'm glad you showed Shabbir that he can't boss everyone around." he crossed his arms in front of him and looked at her pointedly. "Pragya, if you still want to participate, I can ask father to put your name in."

"No no. I'm firm in my decision not to participate. Besides, taking such favors from the Principal wouldn't be fair."

"I myself can put your name on the list. The college keeps every record and information in the computers at the Principal's office. I can easily hack into it and enter your name in that list on the computer."

Pragya looked at him in awe "You...you can do that?" 😮

"I'm Abhishek Mehra, a master programmer. It's a piece of cake for me"

'These Mehras really like to praise themselves. Its like they have some sort of superiority complex' 😅 thought Pragya.

"Its ok Abhi. I really don't want to participate."

He nodded in understanding. "So, what brings you here?"

"Well, actually, I came to apologize to you"

"Since that issue is already solved, you may as well grab a book from the shelves and come sit here to read."

Pragya knew that Bulbul might be looking for her. But she just made amends with Abhi and found a new friend in him.

'It would be rude to just up and leave. I'll just text Bulbul that I'll meet her after college is over.'

"Okay. Let me get a good book" Abhi nodded and watched as Pragya moved towards the shelves.

He reopened his book and continued reading. However, his mind diverted to thoughts involving Pragya.

'Why did I ask her to join me? I hate it when anyone else, besides Karan, tries to sit here with me. It distracts me a lot. But.... But I myself invited her to sit with me! ' he looked towards the girl occupying his thoughts.

Suddenly his eyes fell on the shelf behind her and his eyes widened. That shelf was about to fall on her. Abhi abruptly got up and ran towards her.

Pragya was too busy searching for a book. 'All are either romantic novels or academic textbooks. Ugh! Isn't there any-' suddenly she found a book of her taste 'Aha! This looks like a good one'

Pragya was about to reach for the book, when she felt someone grab her hand and pull her away from the place she was standing in. She looked up to find Abhi's face really close to her.

She could clearly see his beautiful brown eyes and the emotions passing through those eyes. They seemed to see through the very soul of hers.

Abhi was lost in Pragya's eyes. He looked into those eyes filled with innocence. Her eyes were filled with life, with so much emotions. It was as if they had their own vocabulary and was speaking to him. He wanted to learn that beautiful language.

They were completely lost in each others eyes and it was as if the rest of the world had disappeared for them. However, they were broken out of their trance by a loud crash from behind. They looked behind to see the shelf upside-down on the ground.

Pragya gasped 'If he hadn't pulled me away, it would have fallen on me!'

She looked at Abhi gratefully "You saved my life. I-"

He shook his head "No need to thank me. Anyone would have done the same. Its ok" he smiled at her and she smiled back.

"Oh my! Pragya Di, are you alright?" they turned to find Vivek and Kriti there.

"I'm fine Kriti. But what are you two doing here. And where is Bulbul?"

"Bulbul and the rest of the selected participants were called to the auditorium. As for me, Vivek wanted to see the library and so we are here."

She pointed to the fallen shelf "We were standing in the other row, behind that shelf and you were here. That's why we didn't see you"

"Pragya, are you alright?" Asked Vivek in concern.

"I'm fine. Abhi saved me" she looked at Abhi with a smile.

Abhi simply shrugged "Meh... It was nothing"

"Are you students alright?" asked the librarian, as she approached them, followed by their Math teacher, Prasanth 'Ugh! This guy appears out of no where. Mr. Hitler' 😤

"Shouldn't you be more careful about how you keep the shelves? What if it injures a student? My father didn't appoint you to be so irresponsible." spoke Abhi to the librarian.

"I.... I'm sorry. I never expected such a thing to happen." Said the librarian.

"More importantly, how did it fall? Me and Kriti were standing right on the other side and didnt see anyone push it."

The librarian looked guilty "That shelf was one of the old ones. It had two wooden blocks balancing it on the bottom, but one had been damaged recently. That's why it isn't balanced properly."

Abhi looked at her in anger "You mean to say that it was not placed firmly, yet you kept it here. Someone could have been hurt. In fact, Pragya would be lying in the hospital right now if I hadn't pulled her away on time."

"I'm really sorry. I'll make sure it never happens again"

"I'm sure it will never happen again, as you won't be working here anymore. As General Secretary, I will speak to the Principal about your ignorance regarding the welfare of the library and the students." spoke Karan, as he came near. He had come to meet Abhi, when he heard them and guessed what the matter was by listening to their agruments.

"Please, no! I'm sorry. Please give me another chance" pleaded the librarian.

"I will be reporting this to the Principal. He will decide what to do next." Karan spoke and turned to the rest.

"Are any of you hurt?" They shook their heads. He nodded at them and looked at Abhi.

"Abhi, I need you to help me with the algorithms of the new programs. Lets go." with that, he strided out in a calm manner, like royalty.

"How does he do that?" 😍 remarked Kriti.

"He's so awesome, isn't he? Too bad he's already taken 😍 " answered Pragya.

Abhi and Vivek looked at each other and rolled their eyes. 'Girls will be girls.'

"Alright then, see you" saying that, Abhi followed Karan.

"We should be going to. The bell is about to ring"

When they left, Prasanth called someone and told them what happened. He promptly took away the phone from his ear when he heard loud cussing and cursing on the other end of the line.

After sometime...

Pragya bid bye to Kriti and Vivek and headed for her class. Pragya smiled to herself recalling how Abhi saved her. 'My knight in shining armour! 😊 '

"Hey you! I need to talk to you" Pragya looked towards the voice to find that it was Abhi's twin.

Pragya's mood instantly became bitter. "But I don't want to listen to anything you gave to say" she moved ahead.

Shabbir walked up to her and grabbed her hand "But I asked you to wait and listen"

Pragya looked him in the eyes with anger "And I said no! Now leave my hand!"

"I'm here to offer you a deal."

"I'm not making any deals with a jerk like you!"

"Not even if it concerns your little sister's future?" 😏

Pragya paused.

"Yes, that's right. If you agree to this deal, I will select your sister to help me with my next album."

"What kind of deal?"

"You need to participate in the College Fest and be my partner in the duet that I plan to perform."

"Work with an arrogant jerk like you? No way!"

"Look who's talking. You're a prideful, bossy and an arrogant girl yourself!"

Pragya glared at him "Now you can be sure that I won't ever work with you, you jerk!"

"Don't you want your sister to become famous? I'm giving her a once in a life time opportunity. You'll reject it just because of your pride? Never thought you were so selfish" Shabbir tried to manipulate her by playing with her emotions.

"You really think that you can manipulate me with your words?"

"Think what you want. But the truth won't change"

"I don't get it. Why don't you go ask someone else to sing with you?" asked Pragya.

"Because my father wants the best singers to sing, and the best among the selected singers in Aliyah. I would rather work with you than her"

"So I'm just someone you're using to keep Aliyah away!?"

"Think what you want, but I'm giving you a chance to make your sister famous. If you really want her to become someone great, you should be able to keep aside your pride. Even I'm keeping my pride away and came here to ask you to join"

Pragya looked down in thought 'I would rather go and listen to Tanu's insults then work with this guy! But on the other hand, he's not wrong about Bulbul's future. She would become famous, and I know how much she yearns for fame' Pragya looked up and nodded at him.

"We'll work together for our individual profits. You'll take Bulbul in your next album in exchange for me replacing Aliyah. Keep that in mind"

Shabbir snorted 😤 "Don't worry about that. I'm not interested in becoming friends with the likes of you! We're partners in the deal. Nothing less, nothing more. Once the deal is over, we'll be back to being enemies."

They both shook their hands to finalize their deal and went the opposite ways.

'Once the deal is over, I'll start making your life miserable again' thought Shabbir.

'Once the deal is over, I'll make sure to break down your arrogance and ignorance, and make you apologize o me. Mind it!' thought Pragya, determined.

#Elsewhere#

A man opened his diary and started writing. The way he was gripping the pen showed how angry he was.

Day 1 : Mission failed.

*phone ringing*

He put the phone on speaker.

(I thought you said that you would finish the job today.)

"She was as good as dead. But that Abhishek Mehra came and ruined everything! She would have been crushed under the book shelf and everyone would have thought of it as an accident, since no one had seen me push the shelf. But Abhi interrupted!" he threw the glass in anger and it shattered into pieces.

(I just gave you the simple job of killing the girl and you couldn't even do that!)

"I don't get it. You said you need her eye scan and fingerprints. Then why do you want her dead? You could just kidnap her and take them, then release the girl."

(That might lead to people finding my identity. Its safe if she won't brought alive as it would lead the police to me. The device that I gave you can easily create a realistic replica of her eye scan as well as her fingerprint, enough to by pass the security systems. Then the Pratap treasury will be mine!)

"I'll get them for you. Don't worry."

(You better! I don't pay you for nothing)

***********************************

To be continued...

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Thanks! ~ 🌹 Mona 🌹