"Yeh waqt pe vapas kaise aa gaya? Maine at least 10 minutes intezaar kiya until after the tow truck left with his scootyaur uske baad usse bataya....How could he have gotten his scooty back and attended class on time?" Tina asked. They were all sitting in their favorite booth at the cafe that was on campus.

"Maybe he didnt go to get his scooty...I mean khatara tha so...." Rey said as he propped his feet up on the table.

"What ever it is...humare agle plan se nahi bachega." Yug replied.

"Ab kya plan?" Payal asked.

"Dikhati hoon....chal." Nandini got up walked out the cafe and down a hall. When they saw Aryan standing infront of a locker.

"Ooh...we're just in time." Rey got his camera out and started recording. Aryan unlocked his locker and then....

POP!

"Aah!" Aryan yelled as he got covered in green slime.

"What the hell!"

"Hahahaha!" Nandini & her friends laughed. Aryan turned to glare at them.

"You...you did this. Didnt you? You- Aah!" Aryan started towards them only to slip on the slime and fall backwards.

"Oh! Tum thik to- aah!" Nandini stopped laughing and went to help Aryan but also slipped and fell on the slime.

"Nandu! Tujhe lagi kya?" Payal asked as she reached forward and helped Nandini stand up.

"Nahi...Im just...Euck!! Im covered in slime now." Nandini said as she looked at her clothes in disgust.

"Jaisi karni vaisi bharni...You deserve this." Aryan took his books and left. As he went outside, he saw Karan sitting in his car waiting. Aryan walked upto Karan's car and knocked on the window. Looking a little startled, Karan tried shooing Aryan away but he just knocked again. Finally Karan rolled down the window a bit.

"Sorry bhaisaab...mere paas paise nahi hai."

"Wha-Karan bhaiyya! Main aapko seriously begger jaisa lag raha hoon kya?" Karan's eyes widened in recognization as Aryan said that.

"Ab Chote? TU? What the hell happened?" Karan laughed.

"I met the worlds most annoying girl! Ab pls....mujhe gadi mein baithne dijiye....sab ghur ghur ke dekh rahe hai."

"Haan haan ok." Karan unlocked the car and Aryan sat down. "Gadi ka pura interior dhulwana parega ab."

"How mean Bhaiyya."

At that moment Nandini came out with her friends, also covered in slime but not as much as Aryan is. Karan noticed her and figured that she was the girl Aryan was talking about.

"Im guessing that is the worlds most annoying girl, you were talking about." Karan motioned towards Nandini who's back was facing Karan so he didnt see her face.

"Yes...and her equally annoying friends." Aryan growled.

"So all in all...tere college ka pehla din kaafi mazedaar raha." Karan smiled.

"Mazedaar? More like the opposite....acha bhaiyya....did you get my scooty?" Aryan asked.

"Of course...ghar pe hai."

"Thanks...pls Ma aur Papa ko mat boliye. They are already worried about so much."

"Chill, kuch nahi bolunga main." Karan said, driving away with Aryan.

"Argh...my seats will get ruined now." Nandini complained as she stood by her car. "Main bhi pagal hoon...paata nahi kyun uske girne pe mujhe burra laga aur main madat karne gayi. Nahi jaati toh I wouldnt be covered in this stuff."

"Tujhe kapre badalna hai?" Tina asked, "I think I have some extra clothes in my locker."

"No..main seedha ghar jaake shower karne wali hoon. I made sure this slime would be hard to get out, ab mujhe jhelna hoga."

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

"Haha! Hahahaha!" Sagar & Karan laughed. They were hanging out in Aryan's new room with Meher, Simran & Trisha.

"Shut up." Aryan grumbled glaring at Karan.

"Kya?" Karan looked at him innocently, " Tune bola Ma aur Papa ko kuch nahi bolna...you didnt say anything about not telling the others."

"I cant believe ek ladki ne itna sab kiya tere saath." Sagar laughed high fiving Karan.

"Ok ok...Bohot hua!" Meher interrupted, "Ab isse tang karna band karo tum sab."

"Come on Di...bade bhai hone ke naate yeh humara janam siddh adhikar hai." Karan replied.

"Aryan....ignore kar inn dono ko, thik hai? Aur chinta mat kar...aisi cheezein hoti rehti hai college mein." Simran told her youngest devar, "Paata nahi Dehradun main kabhi hua nahi but this is Mumbai, bada shehar hai, aur bada college....im sure kuch din mein they will get bored with these pranks aur phir tujhe pareshaan nahi karega."

"I really hope so bhabhi....anyways I got back at her before leaving college."

"Kaise?" Trisha asked.

"Well..."

*Flashback*

"Chill, kuch nahi bolunga main." Karan replied as he started driving away.

"Wait! Bhaiyya pls uske gadi ke paas rukhna!" Aryan said as he saw Nandini who still talking to her friends.

"Why? Kya karega tu?" Karan asked, stopping the car. Aryan just got out and watched carefully to see that Nandini was not looking. Then he went under her car and cut a pipe from which the fuel started dripping. (I dont know how cars work so...lets just imagine)

"Ok ab ghar chalo" Aryan said as he sat back down.

"Aryan yeh kya tha?!" Karan asked.

"Kuch nahi bhaiyya....lets just go now."

*Flashback End*

"Aryan...tujhe yeh nahi karna chahiye tha." Meher said.

"Dont worry Di, I just made the fuel leak sothat thodi der mein uski gadi rukh jayegi. Kuch burra nahi hoga.....and she deserved this."

"But-"

"Acha leave that....bhaiyya you guys went to that guy's office right? Woh jisne humse sab kuch cheen liya? Kuch paata chala? Kyun kar raha hai woh yeh sab?"

"Nahi...kuch paata nahi chala....Papa toh police station bhi gaye they but he seems to have lots of connections. Police walon ne toh complaint sunne se bhi inkaar kar diya." Sagar said.

"He was so rude to Papa....Agar Sagar ne punch nahi kiya hota toh main hi kar deta, I definitely would have." Karan added.

"What! Bhaiyya you seriously punched him?" Aryan asked Sagar in shock.

"He deserved it."

"Di?" Trisha called out to Meher who had zoned out, " Kya soch rahe hai aap?"

"Nothing its just....Kuch toh hai uss RV ke baare mein. He is....wierd. Bina koi reason itna kuch kaun karta hai?"

"Mmmn aur hum toh kabhi iss RV se mile bhi nahi.....Aaj pehli baar aap sab ki mulakat hua hai." Simran said.

"Mumma! Mumma!" Muskaan, Dhruv & Amaya came running in.

"Arre arre...dheere se....kya hua?."

"Bua....humme abhi mall kaani hai!" Amaya demanded cutely.

"Kaani nahi jaani Amu. Humme mall jaani hai." Muskaan corrected her.

"Acha?" Meher chuckled, "And why is that?"

"Mumma humme school ke liye naye backpacks, notebooks aur pencils chahiye." Muskaan replied.

"Oh yeah....main aaj jaane wali thi." Simran said. "Lekin ab shayad time nahi milega."

"Koi baat nahi, Main Amu ko Muskaan aur Dhruv ke saath leke chalti hoon" Meher told her. She then turned to the kids. "Ok bachon, hum mall jayenge par SIRF zaroori samman khareedne ke liye. Ok?" 

"Ok!" The kids agreed.

"Thanks Di." Simran smiled.

"No problem." Meher smiled.

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

At the Mall...

(Meher's look)

"Wow Mumma look!" Muskaan excitedly pointed at a display in the window of one of the stores, "Kitni pretty dress hai....Can you buy me that dress pls?"

"No Muskaan, maine pehle hi bola tha na...hum sirf zaroori samman lenge. Nothing extra." Meher was holding onto Amaya with one hand and Dhruv in the other while Muskaan walked beside them.

"But Mumma...."

"Muskaan no means no okay? Zid mat karo."

"Meher?" A lady walked upto them at that moment.

"Shivani!" Meher smiled and hugged the woman, "Hi! Kitne saal ho gayi hai yaar! Kaisi hai tu?"

"Im great.."

Seeing her mother busy, Muskaan decided to go take one more look at the dress. Walking back, she pressed her nose against the glass and looked at it longingly. Sighing deeply, Muskaan turned away when she realized her Mom wasnt there anymore.

"Mumma?" Muskaan called out looking around. Tall adults were walking by, some looked at Muskaan as they passed and some just ignored her. "Mumma?"

Muskaan walked in the direction she last saw her Mother, Dhruv & Amaya getting a bit scared. "Mumma! K..K...Kaha hai aap?"

"M-Mumma!" Muskaan started crying as she couldnt see her Mom anywhere.

"Hey...are you okay angel?" Muskaan looked up and saw a man smiling at her. "Tum kho gayi ho kya?"

"I- (Sniff) can't tell you. Mumma bolti hai strangers se baat nahi karni hai." Muskaan replied.

"Ooohhh....you know what? Tumhari Mumma bilkul sahi bolti hai. Strangers se toh baat nahi karni chahiye....so how about....I introduce myself?" The man smiled and held his hand out, "Hi...Mera naam Purab hai. Tumhara naam kya hai?"

"Muskaan." Muskaan replied shaking Purab's hand.

"Muskaan....thats a pretty name." Muskaan smiled a little as he said that. "Well ab jab humme ek dusre ka naam paata hai....hum strangers toh nahi ho sakte na?"

"Ummm...nahiii..." Muskaan shook her head after thinking about it.

"So now tell me...kya tum kho gayi ho?"

"Haan..." Muskaan sniffed, "I cant find my Mumma...woh abhi yehi thi par ab nahi hai..."

"Aww...dont worry, Im sure tumhari Mumma bhi tumhe dhund rahi hogi. Chalo, mere saath chalo, we can go to the help desk." Purab stood up and held his hand out for Muskaan to hold.

(Purab's Look)

Purab took Muskaan to the second floor where there was a help desk and tapped on the desk to get the man's attention.

"Excuse me? Yeh choti bachi apni Ma se bichar gayi hai, pls make an announcement so her mother can come get her."

"Of course....Ma na naam?"

"Beta tumhari Mumma ka naam kya hai?" Purab softly asked Muskaan.

"Meher Malhotra." Purab's eyes widened as he realized who's daughter this girl was.

"Meher Malhotra pls come to the help desk on the second floor, we have your daughter here. Meher Malhotra pls come to the help desk on the second floor, we have your daughter here. " The man announced through the mall speakers.

About 5 minutes later Meher came running with Amaya & Dhruv, "Muskaan!"

Meher hugged Muskaan tightly and kissed her all over. "Where were you? Kitni baar sikhana parega ke mall aur bade jaga mein mujhse door nahi jaana hai?"

"Sorry Mumma..." Muskaan apologized.

"Didi...humne puwi mall mein aapko dooda!" Amaya spoke up.

"Haan...Mumma was about to call Mamus." Dhruv added.

"Mumma...Iss uncle ne meri help ki." Muskaan pointed towards Purab.

"Tha-" Meher turned towards him, "Aap? Aap toh..."

"Purab Desai....hum aaj subha mile, in RV's office."

"Right...thanks." Meher said.

"No problem..." Purab and then was about to leave when Meher stopped him.

"Woh....aisa laga ki aap aur Rv kaafi ache dost hai."

"Haan, mera sabse kareebi dost hai woh."

"Phir...kya tum bata sakte ho....why is he doing this? Kya bigara humne uska?" Meher asked.

"It seems like he is the villian....lekin uske paas vajah hai....." Purab replied, "Sooner or later, you will find out."

"Bye uncle!" Muskaan said.

"Bye Angel." Purab waved at her before he left.

"Muskaan....now you will stay with me okay? Varna bohot zyada dant paregi tujhe." Meher warned her daughter.

"Ok Mumma."

"Lets finish the shopping now."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

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