(Arjun's)

Jiggy and Farhan ran off to the playground when we reached the apartment, and it turned out that Suhana and I had to take the elevator on our own.

"Had so much fun after so many days..." Suhana was saying.

But I was not in the mood to laugh with her.

"Right?" She asked.

"Don't you think you went a bit too far?" I had finally snapped.

"What?" She asked, looking clueless.

"What else? The prawns' case. You already knew that Adithi does not eat it, and yet you had to order that...That too, two times. Don't you think you are a bit too selfish?"

"Selfish?" Suhana asked, "Me?"

Ah... Irritating, seriously. She does not even get that she is being selfish.

When I was younger I really did not know and did not have enough wisdom or knowledge to figure out what is inside this beautiful angel, and really did like her. But I am not 8 or 12 anymore. And I can see... and feel... that Suhana was more than her beautiful face.

Ishan, Farhan and Jiggy were too blinded in the love for her to notice. But I can see... The Suhana was not an angel or something... She can be mean and selfish sometimes. And I really do feel sorry for Adithi sometimes.

"Do you really think I am selfish?" Suhana asked me as if she still can't believe that I called her that. Because well yeah, two or three years back, I would not have. And still, the other three boys would not have said that. Even if they might have felt that they surely would NOT have said that. The worst thing is not the fact that Suhana was being selfish or being mean to Adithi, it was the fact that none of the boys talked back to her about that. Not even one of us will ever yell that this girl for anything she does...

Back there in the restaurant, see how Ishan kept silent. He is supposed to be Adithi's best friend... And then...he did not speak up. You know why...because no matter how much he cares about Adithi, he won't dare speak against Suhana and make her sad. That's the power Suhana held against the boys...

And I was included inside that power circle... But no, not anymore.

I want to grow up. I could see her mistakes... I did not just want to ignore it and pamper her... Not anymore.

"Are you not?" I asked her.

She seemed to consider that for a second... I expected her to deny it. With her princess syndrome, she might deny the accusation.

"Yeah, okay... I am. I could be." She said. "So?"

"So?" I asked.

"Yeah... There is no rule that everyone should be nice and caring. And no human can be perfect." She said.

The elevator door opened on our floor. But we did not step outside.

"Ah...people should see what miss angel's real face is like," I said. Okay...now I was in inner conflict with my older self who used to have a crush on Suhana. That older self was cursing me and hitting me for being this rude to Suhana.

"In the first place, it was you boys who put me up in the angel place, right? Did I ask you all to like me or treat me like a princess...? I just wanted to be normal friends with you. And I never claimed to be an angel - or a nice person. Okay. I am just a human. A mere human. But..."

Her words were making sense weirdly...

I saw that Suhana's eyes were a bit wet...

"I know I am not exactly such a nice person. And I don't claim to be okay... But...I don't think I need to get criticized for that. Especially by you guys. Because it's you guys who idolized me and want me to be a perfect person... I am not. I just am not. So what? What's the big deal?"

"Being selfish and disregarding your sister is not a big deal?" I asked.

She was just staring at me angrily now...

"Okay if you hated my behaviour so much, why didn't you speak up at the restaurant?" She asked. I was tongue-tied. "You or any of the other boys... Why didn't you all scold me back then? Actually... I am just a human. It's you guys who are making me into a bad person... Don't you think so?"

I could really not understand her point. But she really looked hurt...

"I agree that we are at fault for not speaking up as well," I said. "But what you did today went too far. You knew that we boys won't speak up against you and you used that for your advantage, right?"

"It's just a meal. Why are you making so much of it?"

"Because I hate the way you behave nowadays."

She just glared at me. Still, she is not saying that she will change herself. Arrogant and think-skinned.

"Okay... if you hate it, then just stop being my friend anymore."

She walked away...

"I was saying for your own sake," I said after her. She paused...

"Just so that you know," I said. "I know we boys have no right to criticize you over this because we spoiled you in the first place. But...I would like to set things right, even if it's a bit late. I hope you at least apologize to Adithi."

She turned to me, with bitter eyes. "Arjun, I used to think you are my friend. I guess I was wrong."

I could not understand what she meant. She just walked away...

I went to my house.

I felt a bit crappy... And Angry. Angry that she was not admitting to her mistake. Yeah... I admit that wit was indeed we boys that spoiled her. We always pampered her and fulfilled her wishes like commands. And I was one of them. So maybe I have no right to criticise her now. But... Sometimes I just hate her. Suhana... Because she feels cold, evil. I know she is not that much of a bad person. Perhaps my own imagination is making her seem like a mean girl in my eyes. Even then... these days, I sort of started to dislike her.

Or...not. I was not sure. I really liked her in past. She was my first love or more than that. And because of that, it feels irritating... I was scared if I actually liked a person who was not worthy to be liked. And maybe that's why nowadays I tend to find faults in her...

Even then...after fighting with her like this... I feel angry and bad. And I was surprised that I was angry at myself. I felt...like...Like I had messed up something. Like something had gone wrong.

What was the meaning of the tears in her eyes...? She had really looked at me as if she had got really disappointed in me as a friend. Like I do not understand her feelings or her point of view at all.

And she was right... It was us boys who gave her angelic persona. And treated like a princess... And we spoiled her. And Adithi is our accomplice. She always lets go of her importance and her wishes for Suhana. Perhaps Adithi has just got used to it, and think that the best way to solve cases. Even from the time we were kids, Adithi who loves outdoor games was forced to play in-door games with Suhana and us, because Suhana wanted to play indoors. She grew up getting used to that...

Today at the restaurant too, she gave up so easily...

And Jiggy and the rest were being really disregarding towards her as well. If we look it one way, it was actually not a big deal. Adithi did not starve or anything. She did get to eat... And it was because none of the boys spoke up against Suhana that the incident actually occurred. Like Suhana said, if any one of the boys strongly opposed, and stood with Adithi, then...perhaps...

But I felt Suhana knew pretty well that the boys will support her. Because it had been like that always.

What she said was right. She was a human... And it was the tiniest selfishness on her part. And it was us boys that lead to that.

Still...

I actually would not really have cared if it was some other person.... But Suhana's slight meanness bothers me. It's like... I don't want her to be like that. I hate Suhana being mean or selfish. I get concerned... I can't help being angry with her over it. And wishing if she changes...

Feels a responsibility to be angry with her.

It's wrong to just overlook it and behave like the rest of the guys do. It's not a healthy practice. Even if they like her. If they like her, they should try to like her as a person... Not just her good looks. The like they have for her, do not have much depth. If they really liked her, they would have been angry at her behaviour of today.

A couple of years back, Suhana was my first crush... But now, she is like a bothering headache, that I can't make go away from my head or my thoughts. Like a constant bugging issue...

Can this also be called love??

But... you know, when she had said all that, that she was just a human and all, that it was us who made her into an angel... with that anger... for the first time in the 9 years of knowing her, she actually felt really... I don't know how to describe that. Earlier, she used to feel a bit far, like untouchable... Like an angel in the sky. But now, she felt close, like a normal girl, with flesh blood and bones and emotions.

That she can also have flaws, and bad emotions like selfishness, anger, hatred etc...

Somehow, that made that brat feel a bit more closer...

And because of that... I feel my heart getting a bit tighter at the thought of her. Like something is pressing down on my heart. Weird...!