~First Day Revelations~

Today is Monday.

It is finally the day when I have to start my college. My first day, and I don't want to be late. But I think I surely will be because of certain someone.

"Navya!!" I scream as I stomp my feet entering her room and start banging on her bathroom door.

"What?!" She shouts back.

"Navya, come out right now! You're making me late! Is this why you offered me a ride?!"

The past weekend Navya and I settled on a peace treaty. We both decided that we won't irritate the other person and would mind our own business. We will try to be polite at most times and try to let this one month pass in absolute peace.

But I am afraid that is not bound to happen if Navya keeps getting on my last nerve. Just like she is right now.

"Is this how we decided on talking to each other?" She says and even though I can't see her face I know she is doing this on purpose. She obviously has to. Because I am the one in need right now. "Nandini, I don't think we can do this if you keep talking like that to me."

I am seriously about to lose the last ounce of cool that I have inside of me right now but somehow I control my outburst.

Beggars can't be choosers Nandini.

I really need Navya to be my ride for at least a few days. At least until I get a new car. I just hope dad could somehow let me have my car while he is still in New York.

Okay Nandini, you can do this. I take a deep breath in.

"Navya," I start talking in the sweetest voice that I can talk in, "Just please make it fast, I don't want to be late. Please." I stress a little on 'please' and just then the lock of her bathroom door clicks and she comes out fully clothed.

I thought she was bathing.

"I thought you were bathing." I stare at her in annoyance.

"I was. 10 minutes ago." She smirks and walks out of the room. I follow.

"You cannot be kidding me right now Navya. I am so late already and you have to be your silly self just now?!" I follow her down the stairs.

"You're not going to get late Nandini, chill out for a second and stop being the nerd that you are." She walks into the kitchen and comes out with an apple. Her car keys hanging from her index finger.

"Shall we?" I am losing my temper and the day has just begun.

"Yeah. So what did you say, what's the name of your college?" Navya walks towards her car as I make sure I have double locked the doors.

"I never said anything about my college to you." I roll my eyes and walk towards the passenger seat.

Navya just gives me a look and sits inside the car.

"Wh-"Navya begins.

"Wait a sec." I cut her off and start taking out the necessary documents out of my backpack just to check if I put in everything.

"You've got to be kidding me." I look at Navya, baffled, as she speaks.

"What?" I notice her staring at the documents on my lap.

"You've got to be kidding me. That is my college."

Whatthefuckeven. Why.

I am so close to pulling all my hair out.

"I can't do this with you everywhere Navya. I do not like your presence at all." I say dropping my head back and closing my eyes shut.

"You have some nerve to say that while you're sitting in my car." I hear her annoyed voice.

"You have some nerve saying and doing all sorts of things to annoy the crap out of me while you're living at my house!" I give it back to her.

And for sometime all we are doing is stare at each other.

I am the one to break the hot glaring silence.

"Okay, look. We decided something, right? We've gotta try being okay with each other's presence now. We'll be seeing each other all the time and we need to accept it that we are sisters no matter what and I may need you at so many points in that college. I have no clue how I am going to survive because I have always been an introvert nerd." There. I admit it. I have am a nerd. But just because I score well on my exams does not mean I stop doing my dance for even once.

"Are you telling that to me or yourself? Because that felt like you needed to assure yourself more than you needed to say that to me."

And why do I feel like she is right. But I anyway ignore her.

"Whatever suits you Navya. I do not want to fight everyday. I can pull it off sometimes but today is definitely not the day for it." I look at her meaning everything. I am tired of this bickering already. It has been four days since we've been living together and I can't handle this tension every time we're in the same space.

"I think we can do this." Navya nods in agreement.

"So.. let's go? We're late." I look at the watch. It's already forty minutes past eight and we have to reach by 9.

"We won't be late." She chuckles.

-----

After twenty minutes of driving in silence, we finally arrive at the college. Navya finds a suitable parking and parks her car.

I am not scared, just nervous.

"Chill out, it's not going to be as horrible as you're picturing it in your head." Navya stands besides me and chuckles.

"Is it that obvious?"

She laughs. "Your face says it all."

"I am not scared. Just.. nervous. It's a new beginning. I'm kinda excited." I tell her.

She laughs, "Freshers." And starts walking towards the gates.

"You took English Honors?" She confirms.

"Yeah."

"Well, you need to go get your details the front office. And the first period will start any second now so I will be going. Find me right here in the break, I'll show you around maybe." She says and giving a pat on the shoulder, she starts walking away from me.

"Hey, Navya!" I call out. She turns around. "Thanks." I smile genuinely and receive the same from her. "Oh, but I don't know where the front office is."

"Oh, walk straight along the corridor and take the second left. It's just there." I watch Navya take long steps away from me towards wherever she has to go to.

"It's a long day, Nandini." I breathe out in the air and start walking along the directions that Navya told me.

------

"Join any of the one society. It'll keep you busy and interested." Says Navya as she sits in front of me with her plate of sandwich.

I found the front office just where Navya said it would be and from then on, I focused in all my classes. As I had joined in a month later, I sure have missed a lot of stuff and I somehow need to catch up.

"Societies?" I take a sandwich that she offers me.

"They're like clubs.." she elaborates.

"Oh, but nobody mentioned them yet."

"I did, just now. Take it up. It'll help you get socialised. Take up the dancing one or the drama one.."

"Which one are you in?" I ask simultaneously thinking of signing up for the dance society already.

"Debate is my forte." She says proudly.

And well yes, can you ever win an argument against her? I know that very well. No, you can't.

"I think I will take up the Dance society..." I say.

"You better hurry because the auditions are just about to end any moment."

I look at her all panicky, "Like.. today?"

"No dummy. In about a week or so but you should get yourself enrolled by tomorrow I think. You sure do have a routine already, you're always dancing." It's like it's in the newspapers.

"You keep an insight about my life." I smirk.

"You've gotta know when your mom keeps bragging about how amazing her niece is." She says rolling her eyes.

I laugh. She sure does adores me.

And I am so damn surprised at how Navya and I are keeping up a conversation without clawing each other's eyes out. Impressive of us.

"So how was it until now?" Navya asks me, taking a bit of her sandwich.

"I honestly don't know.. it just passed somehow."

"Yeah, well-"

"Look, who's here!" Navya gets interrupted by the girl whose words come from behind me.

"Ugh." Navya groans lowly and looks at me. And from what I can make out is that she means to say 'let's go'.

"Not today assholes." Navya tells the person or maybe the people behind me. I do not even dare to look behind because for some reason, I can feel trouble just through their presence.

Probably the typical bad guys of the college.

"Why? Today our little Navya is on saviour duty?" Speaks a guy.

Navya just turns a deaf ear to him.

"No fiery comeback today?" Says the girl again.

"I don't have time for your bull-shit right now." Navya says, giving them all a look that could pierce holes through their bodies.

"Hey guys!" I hear another voice but this time it's not a girl but a guy. It's coming from a distance so I think we still have time to escape trouble.. because I definitely sense some.

I look at Navya to start walking away but instead she just freezes at her spot for a few seconds.

"Navya?" I wave my hand in front of her.

"Oh, shit." I hear her mutter under her breath.

"What?" And then suddenly a hand comes across my shoulder and rests itself over it. It is really heavy so I can say it is a guy and I am so not liking this. I look at Navya telling her I am going to throw his hand away from his body.

"We've gotta go." Navya looks at me with dead serious expressions and that is my cue to drop my plan.

"So soon, Navya?" The guy who has his hand over my shoulder speaks.

"You are trying to hide this new meat from us?" says the guy.

"Find someone else to annoy." Navya tells him.

"Just found." I sense a smile through his way of talking and his grip over my shoulder tightens saying that I was that 'someone else'.

The nerve of this guy. He can't really touch me for so long without me breaking his arm. I have to tell him off right now.

I take a deep breath and Navya looks at me. She knows what I am going to do. So without waiting another second I remove that hand from my shoulder and throw it backwards with a jerk.

"Listen you shit-head-" I am half way in turning around when Navya jerks my arm and pulls me along with her.

"Not now." She mutters to me and pushes me ahead of her. I have this urge to turn back around and at least look at the face of the jerk-head but Navya doesn't let me.

"Shit-head, huh?" God, I am dead serious his voice is so amazing but the words that comes out of his mouth make me hate his voice. He sounds like bad news to me already.

And oh, to confirm his query, Shit-head. Yes.

"Don't look behind. Just stay here." Navya says.

"Why not?" I frown.

"Nandini," she says my name in hushed tone, "There is something I forgot to tell you and you do not look or even say a word to them. Not until I explain it to you." She says and turns around.

Explain what?

"Not today. Okay? Please." She says to those guys. I don't know what is she hiding and why doesn't she want me turn around? Like hell, I care who that guy is. I would surely break the arm he kept on me.

"Our fierce cat is scaredy today." A bark of laughter escapes from a few people.

"Take it as you may. You all are just another bunch of losers and I have no interest dealing with you today. So if you would get out of my line of sight.. please.."

"You're such a whore." I hear that girl say probably with a clenched jaw.

"And don't we all know how much of a hypocrite you are, Sharon." Navya says back.

"We know that's a fresher you're protecting but Navya didn't we come to terms on this?" Says another amazing voice but then again, these are bad guys for me already.

"She's my sister. You don't get to ridicule her with your shitty ways." She spats at them.

You go girl! Today's a new day and Navya is trying to protect me. Wow. My bully became my protector.

"Whatever. A deal's a deal." Says the same voice whose owner had his hands on my shoulder.

"Back o-" and she was interrupted by the period bell.

Thank goodness.

"You're lucky you saved your little hoe, loser." Says the girl.

And that was it. Why was I not speaking until now? Like hell Navya had any control over me.

"You're the lucky bitch that got her ass saved today." I remark and turn on my heels to face the group ganging upon us.

But before I can see them, Navya turns me to face her. "Nandini!"

"What?!"

"You don't know shit just don't look that side, look away. Or better go to your class."

"Navya, I can handle this." I assure her.

"Nandini just please look away. For once just listen to me. Please." There is nothing but seriousness lacing her voice and her eyes.

Something tells me I have to quit. So I listen to her and start to turn away but something stops me.

Rather someone.

"Nandini."

That voice. The guy who had his arm on my shoulder.. he calls my name and I am suddenly compelled to look in his direction.

It's my only dream in front of me in the form of a nightmare right now.

"Manik.." I gasp.

Though I haven't seen him in person for five years now but I sure have seen his pictures and for a second I think I see him stiffen a bit.

A smile just places itself on my face on its own but it fades soon when I don't really receive the same from him. Instead his lips form a tight line. His facial muscles tighten for about just a nano second before he completely ignores my presence and smirks at Navya. And it's like he never said my name.

Navya frowns at him and then looks at me apologetically. Of course she knows. She knew all along yet she didn't tell me until now.

Everyone knows about Manik and my friendship. We were always together. I went to his family functions and he came to mine. Even the very distant cousins of mine knew exactly who he was. But Navya also knew about our fallout and now that I think she can also know the reason behind all of this... Can she? I mean.. she can know what went wrong, right?

I want to talk but I can't seem to even speak a word. I am dumbstruck enough to even make a noise forget about speaking clear sentences.

"We'll settle this later, loser." says Sharon to Navya. They all start to walk away and without glancing even once towards me, Manik too walks off.

He just... did he just.. he just completely ignore my presence?

Does he really not recognize me?

And within just seconds of seeing him again, I feel like I should have never come back again. The awful and terrible feeling comes back rushing into my heart and I feel like I should give up already.

But not now. Not without answers.

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Okay, I will update again in time, if I can. Do vote and comment.

P.s I know nothing about the system of DU so just go along with my inventions if possible or correct me when I go wrong (:

P.P.s I am hella bored with Manik and Nandini so if you'd like to read this book woth fresh names and faces let me know. I obviously will have to choose Indian faces because ugh, I don't want to go change the entire story once again.

So thank you!