Micky's POV

The test results at our coaching have been declared. I couldn't make it to the Super FC batch. Actually, I was amongst the lowest scoring students at our coaching.

When Nicky came to me after seeing the list pasted on the verandah, I said, "Come, Nicky, let's celebrate not getting into the chosen ones' batch."

He simply replied, looking for someone else, "W...when did I s...say anything about m...me not get...getting into the Sup...sup...super FC batch?"

"This means, you..."

A tall, beautiful girl in Salwar Suit came running towards Nicky, and screamed, "Congo Nikhil! We made in into the Super FC batch. Now we'll get access to all those exclusive questions from foreign university text books. It'll be so helpful..."

"But, Nicky is not going in Super FC without me," I said.

Nicky said, "Who tol...told you I won't j...join super FC? I'm not go...go...going to leave such a great opportunity..."

"Who's Nicky?" The tall girl aka Simran asked. She looked better with Nikhil's height than me who was just 5' tall.

"Someone I used to know," I left the place.

And since then, the mention of Simran was in every talk of Nikhil. One day I saw Simran and Nikhil sharing a plate of noodle in a stall near our coaching. In the coaching, the timings of our class differed as I was in the common batch.

One day, in a family wedding, I was ignored as if I didn't even exist and my cousin was glorified to lengths just because she cracked Medical Entrance exam. Why don't you learn something from your cousin?- An aunt asked me- She lives in a village where there's not even proper coaching centre whereas your father had got you admitted to the most prestigious coaching centre, still you are wasting your parents' money. I bottled all my tears, only to break down at night when I was alone.

I called Nikhil. He would understand me, but when I told him the case, he replied, "So w...what was wr...wr...wrong in your aunt's words? She was merely sta...stating the truth. You procras...pro...tinate everything, act la...la...lazy, run away from hard work, and yet f...f...feel you're entitled to suc...success. I mean j...just because you're b...born to a r...rich family."

"My father is just a government official, and we are not Tata Birla. We could afford our Maruti 800 just this year, Nikhil," I said softly.

"But you are more privileged than many others. And add to it, you have to act jealous to Simran. She's succeeding because she's worked hard for it? What have you done besides cribbing and being jealous?"

Nicky's POV

The phone was disconnected. Hell! What had gotten into me? Micky felt so alone and I just made her feel even worse. I was getting frustrated at how Micky was not hustling as much as was needed and I didn't want Micky to lose her dream of becoming a software engineer. And to be honest, Micky couldn't handle being an average person. She always wanted to be the topper otherwise she lost her joy and cheerful attitude. And I couldn't see Micky like that. But at least I should behave like her friend when she needed me. I think of calling her, but she didn't pick up the phone. Next day was Sunday, so in the morning itself, I took my cycle and went towards Micky's house.

But my path was blocked by Deepak and gang.

"N...not t...today," I told them firmly.

They kicked at my bicycle and Sharad and one other boy held my hands and Deepak gagged a cloth inside my mouth. They took me to a dark godown. I was sweating so much. It reminded me of the dark night my parents were murdered. It felt as if there was a rock lodged in my throat.

Deepak brought a cigarette near me and lit it with a lighter.

"No," I wanted to scream but my voice wouldn't come.

They each took turns in burning me with cigarette one by one at my face, arms, shins, knuckles, everywhere you could think of. Then Deepak lifted a rock and crushed my legs below it.

....

After three months

My legs still had plaster on them and I had lost three months of school and coaching studies. Everyone knew what had happened but Deepak and Sharad were suspended only for a week and we're making lewd signs at me. I hoped Micky would ask me how I was but to my surprise, Micky entered the class, without looking at me, she went straight to Deepak and kissed him on the chin.

Micky's POV

It was not as if I didn't know what Deepak had done to Nikhil but I was so broken after the day I called Nikhil, I got my first panic attack. Each day was so difficult for me and nights were full of terror. And it was all because of Nikhil. If he liked Simran, I too didn't have any place for him inside my heart. The day I called him, next day was his birthday for which I had planned a surprise for him but he said I was jealous of Simran. He dared say those words to me who was always there for him when he was bullied. I hated Nikhil with my everything and was ready to go to every extent to hurt him. So I proposed to Deepak even after knowing what he did to Nikhil.

When I kissed Deepak, there was no expression on Nikhil's face. So it didn't mean anything to him whether I was with Deepak. He was so deep in love with Simran.

Nikhil held my hand when I was passing near his desk, hissing, "What do you think you're doing, Micky? Deepak will only hurt you. Don't you look at yourself at what you're doing?"

"Have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror, Nicky? You would get spooked yourself on realizing how ugly you look. Your teeth with braces, that champu oiled hairstyle, your thick glasses and your crybaby face! And add to it, your absolutely bland personality. Always acting like a damsel in distress. You should be thankful to me because you only survived the higher secondary as I protected you. You know how everyone in school makes fun of me for being friends with a loser like you! You deserve everything you get, Nicky! You are and will always be a loser! I must have kept mind in a dustbin for four years that's why I helped a good-for-nothing person like you at each step. Get out and don't you dare cross my path again!"

"Thanks for everything you've done for me," Nicky said and left the place.
And it was the last time I saw him.

What do you think of this chapter? Who's more wrong here- Micky or Nicky? What do you think Deepak deserve now that Nikhil is the CEO and he had to work under him?