~His Name Sounds Like BAD NEWS~

It's Day two of college and I already know I'm going to be late. Again.

"Navya!" I bang on her bedroom door as the clock shows 8.30 am.

I hear a scowl from the other side of the door.

"Navya!" I try again and again I get the same response so I decide to dump the manners in a pit and walk right in.

"Navya you better be ready bec-" I gasp in horror as I walk in to find Navya snuggled in her bed, sleeping.

She is still sleeping!

"Get up asshole!" I pull off the sheet from over her.

Navya groans, "Go away, I'm dead."

"I don't know about right now but I'm sure you will be soon if you DON'T MOVE YOUR ASS RIGHT NOW!" I scream into her ear.

"Get away Nandini! I just slept" She yawns and pulls back the covers over her.

"It's 8.30 already Navya and you have a very important test today, if I shall remind you." I fold my arms across my chest and stare at her snuggled up form, irked by her carelessness.

"Test.." Navya mumbles before she jolts right up on the bed. "Fuck. TEST!" Her wide eyes look at me and I pass a sarcastic smile back.

"Oh, so you remember? I thought you said you were dead." I deadpan as she hops out of the bed.

"Shut up Nandini, you could have woken me up earlier!" She yawns again and walks towards her cupboard.

I follow her. "And it just came to me from somewhere that you were still sleeping? Honestly, I thought you were getting ready all this while."

"Well, I was up all night long. I just slept at around 5 and my alarm failed to wake me up!" She turns back and gives me an agitated look.

"Oh, and it's my fault?" I raise an eyebrow.

"Gosh! I don't have time for this." Navya walks past me with her clothes in her hands and steps into her bathroom.

"You better be out in 5 minutes! I shout behind her.

I decide to wait in her room.

After 5 minutes Navya dashes out of the bathroom, fully dressed and throws her towel off on her bed.

"Wow, that was fast." I say.

Ignoring my comment, she stands in front of her mirror and brushes her hair quickly. After that she gathers her books which are all over her bed, and throws them in her bag.

"C'mon let's go." Navya picks up her bag, slips her feet into her flip flops and rushes outside the door.

"I thought you'd never say that." I follow after her.

We both leave the house and Navya rushes towards her car while I make sure to lock the doors.

"Holy freak!" Navya shrieks and I spin around to look at her.

Navya has one of her hands pressed to her forehead and the other on her waist while she looks down.

"What happened?"

"A flat tyre happened." She looks at me helplessly.

"That's exactly something I was looking forward to." I feel like pull off all of my hair. Or at least Navya's.

"Do you have a spare?" I ask.

"Uh.. actually.. it's," Navya plasters an apologetic smile.

"How can you be so fucking careless?! You ought to have a spare one Navya!" I lash out onto her.

I can't be late to the first day of auditions. I want to get into this Dance society because Dance is the only thing that will keep me sane throughout my survival days and I can't miss that opportunity.

"I'll be late to the auditions!" I scowl at her.

"You won't missy, auditions are always after college hours."

Oh, well. I breath in relief.

Navya groans."Ugh! I didn't know this piece of a dork-ass shit tyre would show its true colours today." She looks down at the flat tyre, "I thought you were better than this, flat-ass!" And kicks it. "I thought we were in this together, tyre."

Just the cherry on the top. I've got a maniac for a sister. Goodness gracious.

I shake my head incredulously, "What are you waiting for then? Let's go.. take a cab or something or maybe the auto?" I suggest.

Suddenly she smiles up at me, wide. "Speaking of which..." she hold up a finger at me to wait and digs her phone out from her bag.

"Shall I call a cab?"

"Oh no, I've got this." She gives me a reassuring nod and starts texting.

A minute later, she's all smiles. It's like no frown ever touched her forehead.

"You called for a cab?"

"Yeah well, our ride's on the way." She smiles.

"What?" I frown.

"Oh, well you'll see."

And I do too.

Because 5 minutes later, a shiny black Audi R8 stops just in front of my house.

And this my friend is how my breath comes to a halt.

I am ape-shit level crazy about cars and that's a pretty lady right in front of me.

I'm almost out of air when Navya knocks my capabilities to even think, down.

"Our ride." She points to the car, proudly.

And Mother-Mary-Holy-Santa Claus! That's one heck of a cab.

I am so proud of Navya today, I haven't ever been so proud of myself ever.

But that's not all, because being proud of her proves to be an understatement a moment later when the door of the car opens and the driver of this beautiful car comes to light.

My breath gets caught in my throat. I can't breathe.

A lean guy, with not a lot of muscle but just enough for me to be perfectly okay with, stands in front of me, wearing an irritated look.

But I don't let that bother me. Because I see that he is so cute. And hot.

Cute face, hot body, sexy black car equals deadly combination ladies and gentlemen.

This guy is Francisco Lachowski level cute and trust me that-is-fucking-huge!

Ever since I saw that guy in a commercial on T.V back in the States, I have been super crazy about him.

I didn't know someone up there manufactured people like this guy for India. I thought cute guys were off limits to us. I thought cute guys were only supposed to be in your heads and not in front of your eyes.

Is this how cab drivers look like nowadays?

Okay, Nandini. You're drooling.

A voice inside of me snaps me back to the real world. And in the real world my friends, I get ignored by cute guys. And that happened again.

"This is the last time Navya." Cute-hot guy/driver looks at Navya with the same hopeless expressions that I always wear around her.

Well, somethings never change.

"I'm sorry but we're late. Nandini, move your ass and seat it in the car." Navya tells me and that's when the cute-hot guy looks my way.

And smiles. And I smile back. And I can feel the butterflies in my stomach creating a ruckus.

He walks up to me, "Hey, I'm-" and a horn blows.

We both look at the source of it and it's of course Navya, honking for the guy and me to come in the car and it pisses the hell out of me.

Can she not see we're about to have a moment right here?! God, get a hint already!

The guy turns around to look at me again and his lips twitches into a side smile, "Sorry for that, she's-"

"An asshole. Yeah, I know." I smile.

"I'm Karan, her unfortunate best friend." He laughs and brings his palm out for me to take it.

"I'm Nandini." I take his hand and he shakes it before dropping it. Goodness gracious, his hands are tough.

"The unlucky cousin?" He pops a brow up.

"Rightly identified." I laugh and he joins in.

And might I say his laugh is musical.

I'm not like smitten by him or something but I know when to appreciate when I see or hear good things and this is really good.

And okay, I'm kinda smitten at first sight here.

"You can flirt with each other all year long! Just get in the car you two, I'm getting late!" Navya shouts again.

Karan and I do a eye roll at the same time.

"She's pathetic." I say while walking towards the car.

"I couldn't agree more." Karan laughs.

I open the back door and slide inside the car. Karan takes the drivers' seat, starts the engine and get's us going for college.

"How many more last minute pick ups do I have to do for you?" He asks Navya.

"As long as you're my best friend, you're enslaved to me. So keep shut and drive fast." She says while she flips pages of her notebook.

"By the way, what the hell were you doing outside his house?" Karan asks Navya and then drops his eyes at me through the mirror.

And by the emphasis on "his" I very well knew it was Manik, cause duh, we were outside his house. And mine.

"I live there. We're neighbours." I shrug and then he looks at Navya.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. I'm living with her until her parents return back from the States."

"Sucks for you, Nandini." He gives me an apologetic expression and I laugh.

"Yeah, I'll make sure it sucks for you too, cookie." She smirks at Karan. He picks her notebook off her lap and slaps it on her face.

"Don't "cookie" me."

I try to keep my laugh in my stomach but I fail badly and it erupts out filling the air in the car.

"You're lucky that you are driving me to college today otherwise I would have castrated you until you were choking!" Navya slaps his arm.

All of a sudden, looking at them like this.. something stings right in my heart. They remind me of Manik and me.. of our friendship that once was just as fun filled as of these two.

"But seriously though, sucks for you to be his neighbour as well Nandini." Karan again looks at me through the mirror.

"W-why would you say that?" I find myself getting nervous under his stare.

"Because he's bad news, Nandini. Steer clear from his path." He warns.

And something about how he says it, causes me to consider it for once.

That's all everyone has been saying about him ever since I came here.

"He's bad news."
"Stay away."
"He's not right."
"He's changed."

And I've seen how they are right but I think there's more to it.

"Ow!" I am snapped out of my thoughts as I'm attacked with a notebook right on my head.

"What the hell is your problem? Can't you keep your belongings to yourself?" I scowl and throw the notebook back at her.

"You spaced out." She says, "Don't think too much because there are more of those warnings to come from all the right people Nandini." She says.

Karan looks at Navya and then frowns at me through the mirror. "Why would she space out on that?"

And before I can speak for myself, Navya does. "They were best friends, since birth straight till 9th grade but then she moved out and he never talked again."

Wow. Thanks for that Navya. Didn't help with the misery of that though.

"It's good he never did. You're safer without him. All he's good for is that basketball and trophies for college. He can't be good for anything more than that." Karan says.

I don't know. I'm starting to believe a lot of what they've told me. Especially after over hearing his conversation with that Rhea girl last night, I don't know what I've been holding on to for all this time.

"Keeping aside the douche,"Navya speaks, "You're ready for the audition, kid?"

I totally forgot about it for sometime. "I guess I am." I shrug.

"What did you choose?" Karan asks.

Navya pats his arm, where his bicep bulges, "Your thing, big boy."

"You're gonna audition for dance?" Karan again looks at me through the mirror.

"Yeah." I nod.

"Are you good?" He asks me and I stifle a laugh.

"I'm as good as they come." I say with just the right amount of confidence.

Dance is my thing. I'm strong at this game of mine.

"Well then consider yourself already in." He smiles and I return the gesture.

"He's the president of the dance society." Navya fills me in with the detail.

My eyes widen and I stare at Karan through the mirror. "Don't let me in if you think I don't deserve it." I tell him.

"Don't you worry about it." He smirks.

A few more words are exchanged between us and the car comes to a halt outside the college gates.

Navya rushes out of the car and bolts in through the gates and vanishes.

"All the best..." and it dies out in the air without her hearing it.

"Well she could do a great job as Flash." Karan says and parks his car. I laugh.

We both get out of the car and make our way towards the college gate.

"Thanks for the quick ride." I say.

"That's okay. I'm her official chauffeur." He laughs.

"She's a total pain." I laugh.

"Can't agree more."

We walk inside the gate there are not much people around because I assume they're all in their classrooms by now.

Thanks to Navya we are late by twenty minutes.

"How is she going to give the test? We're so late." I ask.

"She can manage." Karan says.

"Okay so, this is where we part ways I guess." I shrug as we near the corridors. "See you later then." I say half heartedly because I don't want to leave this cute guy and go away but again, I can't miss a class on the second day of college. They might just tell Dad and dad will ground me forever.

"You seriously want to attend that class? You can skip. I am." He says casually because I'm sure it is a casual thing for him to say but not for someone who has never bunked a class.

"I don't think that's a good idea, I should go."

"There's twenty minutes of class left. The professor won't anyway let you in because you're late." He says.

But no. I know what this can mean. I know that maybe this nice guy right here who is a just so cute in a really hot way and I could have some great time together right now, but I can't build up the courage to bunk.

Fine. I am a little nerdy after all

And I don't know if Karan is actually a genuine guy or he's just the 'typical boy' guy who let his amazingly smooth looks get to his head and flirt till he find someone better to flirt with.

And I'm not head over heels over his looks so my head works fine and perfect right now.

"I think I'll pass." I smile and walk the opposite side, towards my class.

"See you later then?" Karan shouts in an empty corridor and his voice echoes.

I turn around and nod at him and find my way to my class.

The entire day goes by just like that, attending classes, taking notes, sneaking into the library during a free period and thinking about Manik.

I can't let the idea of Manik being hated by people, slip through my mind.

What did he even do?

But if I consider the conversation that I had overhead last night, Manik could be exactly what Navya and Karan have been telling me. Bad news.

I don't know. But I have to know.

My phone vibrates in my pocket and I take it out to find a text from Navya.

Meet me in the canteen in 2 mins. -N

Just as I read the message, the period bells rings and it's break.

I leave the library and walk my way towards the canteen.

The first thing I see when I enter the canteen is Navya and Karan, arguing over something because I can see Navya passing glares at Karan which could pierce him.

"Hey guys." I pull out a chair and sit in front of them.

"Nandini, tell me. What do you think when you look at this guy?" Navya points towards Karan and Karan, crosses his arms across his boyish chest and grins at me.

"Does he look hot?"

Yes.

"No." I shrug.

The grin just falls right off Karan's face and he frowns at me.

"I thought I had you on my side." He gives me a deceived look and I can't help but laugh. "You bruised my ego, Nandini."

And this time I laugh aloud.

"Why are we even having this conversation?" I ask.

"Okay so, according to the stupid girls of our college, Mr. Karan Kapoor, is a cute-hot treat for eyes just because the guy has moves."

I couldn't agree more to that. The guy is actually cute and I bet underneath that shirt of his are some treat-for-eyes worthy abs.

Karan is borderline lean. The guy definitely has muscles and did I say his jawline is on point? Yeah, it is.

I'm not fawning all over him but I can find myself attracted towards him, in a little more than friendly way but that's just because he looks that good. Other than that I know nothing. The guy can be a douchebag.

"Great moves are a huge turn on for girls Navya. How would you know since you're quite at a lack of great taste in men." Karan says to her which earns him a rough pat on the shoulder.

"Ow!"

"Eat your sandwich." Navya stuffs the sandwich right into Karan's mouth.

"There come the losers." Navya points behind me and I stand up and turn around to find Manik along with his group of four, entering the canteen in all pride.

My eyes land on Manik and my heart accelerates a little when I find him staring back at me but with a little more intensity and... rage.

And suddenly there's silence for a moment and it is broken by the murmurs of people around us which turn louder as their group walks further in.

They're all talking about the party last night.

"What a disaster." Someone says.

"I heard the lights went out."

"The worse Manik Malhotra party ever."

"It would have been more fun if I had gone to-" and the guy who started that sentence swallows his words back as Manik's eyes dart away from me to over him.

I find myself to be able to breath as soon as Manik lifts his eyes off me but in another few seconds I am again in the same position as I was earlier because Manik averts his gaze back at me and keeps it fixed.

He takes small steps towards me.

The air around me gets denser.

It's like he has caught my breath with just his eyes.

My heart paces faster than it ever has.

Because something about that look in his eyes tells me he's trouble.

Something about the way he walks towards tells me, I'm in for trouble.

Something about his newly formed smirk tells me, he is the bad boy I had been warned about.

He is just literally three steps away from me and my breath is stuck right in my throat and I can die of suffocation any second.

I would have died of suffocation any second if someone hadn't blocked Manik away from my view.

I breath heavily as I find a white shirt standing in between me and Manik. I move my eyes up and see Karan blocking my view.

Thank god for him, I could have fucking suffocated. I can kill Manik for doing this to me. How can he strip me of my abilities to think straight by just one look of his?

"Don't ever try." Karan grits.

It is now that I notice his face is just inches apart from Manik's and the air is getting denser around us. Manik is looking straight into Karan's eyes and Karan isn't backing away either.

"I see what you're aiming for. So don't even try." Karan speaks again. Manik moves his eyes from him and once again land them onto me.

He smirks.

"They're not worth the time bro," A hand falls on Manik's shoulder and pulls him back a little.

For once I think that he's not going to go away and just swallow whole of me just with his stare but he does completely opposite of that.

Manik backs a step away from Karan and gives him a sly grin before turning away and walks towards a table at the end of the canteen.

And soon the silence fades away and people get busy in talking about last night's party and how much of a disaster it was.

I feel a hand resting over my shoulder and I look sideways and find Navya standing besides me. I hadn't noticed she had been here at all.

But my eyes find their way back to Manik and I'm afraid to say he was still looking at me. It's like he's telling me something. Something like he wants me to be scared of him.

Like he wants me to never come near him.

For a moment earlier, I was scared of him.

Scared of how he looked at me, scared of how he could have that hold on me.

We were best friends. I was never scared him. I never saw him like I saw him today.

He has changed. For bad. For the worse. I can feel it in the air now.

"Nandini, you're okay?" Karan asks me and I shift my eyes to him.

I gulp the lump formed in my throat, "Yeah.. I guess." My breath is starting to get steady again. I sit back on my chair, not looking at Manik for even once.

"What just happened?" Karan asks as he takes his place besides Navya.

"Do you think he knows?" Navya ignores her best friend's question and looks at me.

"I don't think I can think right now." I say.

"I am lost." Karan states.

Navya explains to him about our little prank last night.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" Karan whisper-shouts.

"I didn't think he'd come to know. I'm sorry Nandini.."

"He didn't say a word about it.. he probably doesn't know. He's just doing that because.. I don't know.. "

"He knows." Karan pipes in. "If you had to take your freaking revenge you could called me up. Why did you throw her into the fire?"

"She knows his house in and out and there was a black out at his place. I don't think he saw her.. he's just doing that because.." Navya struggles to find a reason.

"You see there's no reason! You can't handle him alone Navya. Just one day I wasn't there and you just created a mess!"

"I know. I'm sorry. I should have waited for you." Navya apologizes but Karan looks away.

"Is there something I need to know about this rivalry between you guys?" I raise a brow.

Just when Karan is about to say another word, the period bells rings.

"Let's just say, we can't breathe the same air within 30 foot distance." He says.

"I witnessed that." I nod.

"Nandini, he's just trouble spelt in the boldest letters." Navya gets up and walks towards me. I pick my bag up and we start walking towards the exit.

I steal a glance at the table Manik was at but there's everyone but him.

Sharon gives me skin piercing glare and I look away.

I'm not in the best condition right now to give her a piece of her own shit. But someday soon. Someday when I know what I have been missing out on all these years.

"Why do people never stand up to him?" I ask.

"Because they're the typical Bad Guys of this college, Nandini. People steer clear of his way. The only one who can stand up to him is this tough cookie right here." She points at Karan and I stifle a laugh.

"Tough and cookie are both antonyms." Karan says and walks faster, away from Navya.

Navya stops and looks at me, "I gotta handle this cookie." She smiles and I laugh again.

"Your cookie is incredibly cute" I hush into her ear, "and hot as well. If that helps on to bruised ego."

"It sure will. See you later." Navya trots away behind her "cookie" of a best friend and I make my way towards my next class.

The classroom is at the end of the building and the canteen is at the other polar end of it. By the time I reach halfway, asking people to guide me the way, the corridors are empty and I am lost.

After walking for a long five minutes when I fail to find my classroom, I start to look for even a ghost of a student to help me but the corridor is eerily empty.

I think I should text up Navya and ask her if she knows the class where I am supposed to be at.

I type a text to Navya telling her my class and asking for directions.

I stop outside an empty classroom, waiting for her to text me back and my phone vibrates.

I take it out from my pocket again, hoping it is Navya but I am stopped from doing so.

Suddenly my mouth is covered under a sweaty hand and I am being lifted off the ground with another hand sweaty over my waist. The hand is pressed tight against my mouth and is effective in stopping me from making a shout for help.

The person leaks of sweat. I can't even breathe without wanting to empty the contents of my stomach right outside.

Within another few seconds I am airlifted by that person into a dark room.

I struggle to breathe and try to swat away the hands of the person but they're strong enough to manhandle a person as little as me. But I keep struggling.

The person drenching in sweat is too strong for me. From the touch of it, it's definitely a guy.

He pushes me right against the wall and tears of fright start leaking through my eyes.

Is he going to rape me?

The horrendous thought crosses my mind and with all the power inside of me, I push the guy away from the middle of his chest but the son of freaking hulk doesn't budge even the tiniest bit!

Tears flow through my eyes in continuous streams as I find myself unable to see around in the darkness of the room.

I stop struggling when the guy removes his hands from my body and I find my voice back.

The lights are switched on, blinding me for a second. I shut my eyes tight and wrap my hands around myself. I am shaking terribly. Shivering.

As the blinding effect of the lights subside, I open my eyes slowly. My kidnapper hasn't touched me since he left me a few seconds ago. But I feel him standing right in front of me. The heat of his body is reaching me.

I manage to open my eyes and blink tears away, sobbing every 2 seconds. The person standing in front of me, puts his hands on the wall on my side and blocks me in between.

I finally gather the courage to look up and that is when I meet his eyes.

A weak whimper escapes my mouth as my breath hitches, "Manik.."

-------

Ooh. Intense. Freak.

And oh, give whatever face to the characters.. I really didn't think of a specific face besides Manik and Nandini.

Ps: Karan doesn't look like Aryaman or is related to him in any manner.

Do vote. (: