Chapter 16

Your touch is sharper than their tongues and I flinch from all the things it does to me, except for changing me. I'm still my incorrigible self.

Kiara

26th April 2019, Friday
9:50

The noise in the class would increase until somebody would come to ask the teacher to maintain silence who in turn showered us with her wrath. That had been the scenario since this period started.

"Can't you see I'm trying to find your tests?" she said. "Is this a class or a fish market?"

I snickered at that signature line.

She turned back to the monitor and continued to look around the screen.

"If anyone sees a folder marked as 'Class XI', point it out," she said, pointing at the projector. "This is why I don't understand the purpose of these computers if the work is still on your shoulders."

I leaned on the desk and waited for the period to get over. There was no way she was going to find the tests. I sighed and drew patterns on my arm with my finger. After a long time I was able to give a satisfying test. When we got the question paper two days back, I had rapidly written the answers, my energy increasing with every word I wrote. It was that good.

"There it is," a student said.

I raised my head as everyone stopped talking. There was a folder marked as 'Classes'.

"That is not what mam said," another said.

"It doesn't hurt to open and see," I said.

The teacher nodded and clicked on it. There was a picture in it. We all grinned. After a click, nothing happened. Then came a string of clicks from the frustrated teacher. Finally it opened. I was ready to look for my name but I never got the opportunity.

"What is this?" someone asked.

Those who hide aren't necessarily liars.
My name is Rishab and I am gay.

Below the text was his picture. I sat glued to my seat. Somebody hooted, another snickered.

"Shut up!" the teacher shouted. She hurriedly shut the computer off and rushed out of the class.

"Is this serious?"

"Looks like it."

"But he dated Ashiamma."

"Wasn't she drawing naked portraits of her best friend?"

Laughs followed that.

I turned around. "It is surprising you say that as if it is sinful, especially when your browser history is nothing but links to naked models if not the videos."

They looked away.

The one that made the last comment said, "Or maybe she refused to draw you. Is that riling you up?"

I grabbed his hand and shoved my pencil in his palm. "Now that's a sight worth drawing."

He yelped in pain and pulled his palm away. "Take that out. Take that out of my hand."

I pulled my pencil out. "It is not even in, just the lead is. Take it out with that mouth of yours."

No one dared come near us. I turned back in my seat, settled back to my composed posture and adjusted the pleats of my skirt.

11:45

I stayed inside the washroom cubicle and heard the girls, all talking about Rishab. The unsettling feeling at the pit of my stomach refused to go. My lunch box lay in my bag, untouched.

When I had come to throw up, all I had heard was the same thing over and over again. It was further twisted by Ash's mentions here and there. While few lunatics, like my classmate, chose to speak lies, many did not try to connect this with that. I did not understand the point in exaggerating it. He was a gay like someone else was straight. He liked a guy like anyone else would. This is where the sick case of Shay hit me hard. Ash was never labelled gay. She was labelled as a perverted girl who hid drawings of naked women, specifically hers.

I opened the door when the washroom emptied and washed my hands before cleaning my mouth. As I looked at my reflection, I wondered if I could clean this mess Dandelion Presidency had become.

"Should I take you to the infirmary?" Nolan asked when I got out.

I shook my head.

He offered me my bottle.

"When did you bring this?" I asked, taking it.

"I checked the water cooler. The switch was off. So I brought your bottle. Your class has gone somewhere."

I nodded. "Chemistry lab."

I had caught Nolan's eye at the worst time when I was walking towards the washroom. He had rushed after me and waited outside.

"I know," he had said.

I failed to figure out how everyone found out. Was every teacher planning to show the students some test reports? It all looked planned.

"Stop stressing yourself," Nolan whispered.

I was enjoying his company so far but now I was scared. He was just like any other student, had no connection to anything that was happening and here I was dragging him everywhere with me. A glance at his face told me he was worried for me more than he should be.

"You need to stop worrying about me," I said. "Instead I should be worrying about you."

"Leave my worrying to me and I'll leave yours to you," he said.

I was suddenly reminded of yesterday's meeting. It was all fun until the depth of the situation began to sink into my mind. We both were invested into each other but while I was more worried about other things, Nolan's main concern was me. He was pulling himself along with me and it felt good to him, like something he had wanted to do all these months. I wondered how long it would last until he realized that the palace he was walking in was standing on pillars that had already burnt.

"I saw something. Roy is downstairs."

"You should not be telling me that when you know what I'll do," I said.

He shook his head. "I should not but I told you so that you decide yourself - others or you." His tone betrayed his words. He was afraid of my answer but still latched onto hope.

"I'm going to the lab. You should go to your class too." I began to walk.

A ghost of a smile touched his lips. "It is a substitution period now and the next one is sports."

"I am jealous that you're free."

"I feel like a loser wasting time." He stopped at the entrance of his class and gestured at me to go.

At the staircase, I looked back. He had gone to the class. I stood there, waiting if he came out. He didn't. I changed my route and took the stairs that led me to the ground floor. I should not have lied but I did. The more I showed him my interest, the more he would stick by my side.

Was he here for me or if he thought I was sick and simply needed company? I could not decide which was worse. I felt sick and trapped but I did not want to leave the cage. If he was here for me, then he needed to admit that I was using him for his feelings, that I was putting him and everyone else over myself. I did not think I could focus on me.

Near the infirmary, Roy sat on a chair in front of the reception. There was no one else around. Just as I opened the glass door, he looked up.

"What are you doing here, Kiara?" he asked.

I pointed at the second door. "I was going to the infirmary. Instead of walking through half of the school, I am taking the short route."

"Are you fine?"

I nodded. "Just a stomach ache. Nothing to worry about."

He turned in his chair and looked inside the reception. Only then I realized that there was another officer inside with Rishab.

"Why are you sitting here?" I asked.

"Not my case, not my worries. The school has its own appointed officer. I just came by as a helping hand. I heard it first happened in your class."

"It did. It happened so suddenly that I could barely register anything. How did it happen in the other classes?"

He shrugged. "They're calling it a glitch which it clearly is not. Someone placed the folder in all the computers through the main server."

"That's obvious but how did we find out about it? It means whoever did it knew that the teachers will be using the computers."

"Do you know it just happened in the classes of twelfth along with one section of eleventh?" Roy asked.

That one section was my class.

"I think only a handful were supposed to see it and the rest of the work was to be done by gossips," he said. "What do you think about it?"

"You're always asking others what they think."

He smirked. "It gives me a nice perspective that I may not have considered plausible."

"How did he react?" I asked, glancing at Rishab.

"How did Ashiamma react to Shay?" he asked. "I bet that you had already compared the two scenarios."

"Haven't you?"

"They are a lot different. Rishab demanded that someone should look into this. He knows this is cyber crime."

I scowled at him. "It was her choice."

"And she chose to stay silent and let this cycle go on."

"I am sure she would have told her parents if Shay had refused to take it down," I said with bitterness.

He raised his hands. "Don't pounce on me now."

"Do you think Ash found it entertaining?"

He shook his head. "I think we're missing facts."

"I know he did this. Take him!" Rishab came out with the other officer, shouting and cursing. Few teachers gave him weird looks but continued with their work.

"Who did this?" I asked Roy.

Then I saw him myself. Vee was following both of them, maintaining his distance from Rishab.

"He thinks Vicky did it," Roy replied. "The first thing he said was Vicky."

He ignored Rishab's angry bursts and kept his head straight with a calm stance. His slow strides made the officer stop in between while Rishab glared.

"No," I said. "I don't believe this. There has to be a reason." I knew Vee. He did not even have a bad temper.

"He threatened him. Vicky found out a few days ago and had openly threatened him."

I scoffed. Just like that, they were blaming him.

"What are the chances of Shay having something to do with it?" Roy asked. His raised eyebrow did not suggest what he had said. He was simply testing me. I also remembered Shay's voice in the background during our call.

"You'll pay for this," I said to her.

She laughed and shook her head. "I already have. It's time others start to."

"Kiara?"

I saw her face just like that evening when I had gone to her house to make sure she removed the story. Her sadistic smile when she pushed me out flashed in front of eyes. My legs trembled.

"Kiara."

"I'm fine," I replied with a shaky voice, leaning against the wall for support.

Vee stopped at the entrance and glanced at me. I glanced up at him. Did he know about her? Did she tell him? I gulped and looked away.

"Why would she do that?" I asked Roy. "Did you start questioning her about Ash?"

As much as I was afraid of her, if this was her work, she needed to stay away from here.

"Why would Rishab tell her that?" I mumbled.

"He wouldn't. She could have stumbled on it. Wait, Kiara we are not even sure she did this. You need to go to the infirmary. You can barely stand."

Roy stepped ahead but I waved my hand.

"I'll manage," I said and walked to the second door.

Vee was talking to the officer and Rishab kept on interrupting. Vee glared at him and turned back to the officer. At that moment, Rishab's gaze met mine.

"What are the chances that Rishab is not with Shay?" Ash asked.

I pushed the door and left them behind.

12:30

"Is this fine to take?" I frowned at the tablet the nurse gave me. "The expiry date mentioned is of the last month."

"No, it is not." She snatched the bottle from my hand, took out a tablet and gave it to me.

"It is not Combiflam," I protested.

"It is better. Go and have it now."

I placed it back on the table and filled the details in the register.

"You took the medicine. Why did you write NA?"

I pointed at the table and placed the register back. Muttering a 'thank you', I stepped out of the infirmary. Bell had rung a minute ago which meant the chemistry period was over. I had no energy to go to the class. The clock told me we still had two hours to dispersal. Instead of climbing stairs to the second floor, I pressed the button of the elevator. It was off limits for students, teachers could use it but they did not. That left it with no purpose. The elevator chimed and I got in. Leaning against the mirror, I held my stomach and prayed for the horrible day to get over.

When the elevator doors opened, I stepped out. From around the corner, a group of girls came. I identified them as twelfth graders. Then I realized that Nolan had told me this was his sports period. More students emerged and fear grew inside me. I could simply tell him that I went to see Roy but his fallen, disappointed face flashed before my eyes. My class had still not returned from the Chemistry Lab. Without thinking, I stepped back into the elevator and went one floor up.

When I got out, I asked the lab technician who stood near the wash basin, "Is the class still going on?"

He nodded. "They're in the 3D Lab. As the burner was not working, no experiments were performed."

I swiftly moved to the 3D Lab, my gaze fixated below at Nolan's class.

"I'll do it."

I stopped at the voice.

"Yes, I am sure. He needs a push, then everything will be fine." That was undoubtedly Sameer's voice.

I gulped and pushed open the door to the Resource Room. It was just next to 3D Lab. Inside, Tushar, the head boy, sat on a chair going through the computer.

"What is that?" I asked.

I must have startled him because he jumped in his seat. "Kiara, what are you doing here?"

"I have my chemistry class in 3D-"

"Okay, okay. Come in. Lock the door," he said in a dim tone. "Is anyone out?"

"The technician."

"Don't lock it then. Just shut it."

I did as he said and went up to him. "Will you explain it now? I heard Sameer's voice."

His fear stricken face was covered in beads of sweat. The window behind him continued to blow hot air and further thickened the atmosphere.

"I came up to take the records of all those who stood for elections," he said, averting his gaze. "Nidhi Ma'am wants to replace you fast. So she wanted to see who can be chosen."

I nodded, letting him know I did not mind it one bit. I told her that I was resigning. I was not going to do things according to her anymore.

"What happened in the morning... someone added the file to the computers. I was sure he or she must have left a trace behind. It should have been here. It is not. I was just curious and began to check the CCTV footage."

I gave him a flat look. We might be Samaritans but we did not have access to the cameras. He knew that just as well as I knew.

"I know I should not have done this but the school authorities did not do that either. Do you know when police came to enquire about Ashiamma, the school blatantly refused to show the camera recordings? They said cameras aren't functioning. Does that not sound..."

He did not need to finish it. I sat on the stool and gazed at him, not saying anything.

"It was excruciating to stand by while they lied on their faces. I was the only one present there from the students. The police asked the Principal thrice. She shook her head."

"Why did you not tell?" I asked, wary of his words.

He scoffed. "Do you think I was allowed to? I tried to stop you yesterday because I know they can get dirty when it comes to school's reputation. Nobody needed to warn me. I had seen teachers resigning or fighting closely. Dandelion Presidency wins every time. I was surprised they let you go easily. Then I figured it out that you were just a Samaritan, I am the one that does their work."

I made no comments but asked, "What do you think about resigning?"

He shook his head. "For me, resigning will be the day I'll graduate. I'll simply be an alumni."

"They can't refuse you your resignation."

He propped his head on the palm of his hand. "I'll tell you a fun fact. Nidhi Ma'am used to work in C.A.L. School, the one in Shanti Nagar. She worked there for a month before she joined our school. It has been around five-six years. She says she left. She was fired."

Now that was something I didn't know. "And our school hired her?"

"She is, for the lack of better word, competitive. We both know the meaning of that word in association to Dandelion Presidency. The school cashed her competitiveness and now look where we are."

He picked up a file lying there and showed it to me. "Dandelion Presidency, ranked the best e-school in the North Chain for three consecutive years, spreading education since 30 years," he read aloud the text that was printed on every notebook, every file, everything that our school owned. "Just look at those trophies. Wonderful, aren't they?" He sighed. "I have promised myself to never return once I leave, never."

"Don't you think if you still tell the police about the CCTV we may find something about Ash?" I timidly asked.

"I checked myself. There was nothing. But then, I don't rule out the possibility of deleted footage. There has to be a reason behind their lie. If there was nothing, why not just show them? They took too much effort to simply cover the lie which could have been avoided."

I knew what he meant. All the cameras, or at least most of them, were replaced with new ones. The ones which were the old ones have been interchanged so it should look as if they were different than the previous one. I knew it was a cover over the grave.

"I decided to check the cameras, thinking if they again erased the footage. I found this. Now I am waiting for the police to ask for them. Let's see what excuse they give this time. If they do not, then for sure there is something they were hiding then."

"What connection can the school have to Ash?"

"I honestly don't know. There may be something else. The school is not speaking much about Ashiamma." He blew out a breath and waved his hand, dismissing his thoughts.

"That's something else but this," he gestured at the screen. "That is Sameer's voice. Unfortunately, the camera is actually not working there. Look at this, coincidence or irony or whatever."

"Wait, why is his voice recorded by the school's security system?" I asked.

Tushar laughed. "Security system... that's a nice way of putting it. Answering your question, I don't know. This recording is of the front gate which explains why the camera has not been replaced. There are guards there all the time. It is possible that Sameer was outside the school but that still does not explain how he managed to put the file in the school's computers."

I spluttered. "He what?"

"Hear the audio. It'll give a better picture." He plugged in a headphone and gave it to me. "I'm playing it."

I nodded and braced myself.

"He is driving me crazy. It was fine, yes. But all he thinks about now is the things people will say. People don't even care. They're busy hiding their secrets through their shadows." After a long pause, he said, "I will do it. Yes, I'm sure. He needs a push, then everything will be fine. Look, I don't see what's wrong if I tell on his behalf. Rishab will have to come out one day. Aren't I risking it too?"

I removed the headphones. "That makes no sense."

"It will." Tushar gave me the headphone and replayed the audio.

"- I'm risking it too. Once he is confident, which he will be, I'll tell my parents about us."

"That's it," Tushar said. "I'm shutting it down before someone else comes."

"What if they delete this too?" I asked. "Give it to me."

He paused and shuffled through those files.

"I'll put it in a pen drive but you won't give it to the police. Talk to Sameer first," he instructed.

"Why not? Is it because it's Sameer or you wouldn't have given it no matter who it was?" I asked.

"I wouldn't have given it no matter who it was. Sameer was outside. Either someone did it on his behalf or someone is framing him."

"He can be framed only if somebody knows about them both," I concluded. "Rishab says Vee knew."

Tushar raised an eyebrow. "Only Vicky?"

"I don't know." I rubbed my face. "I am exhausted facing something new everyday."

"There is nothing new, Kiara. This has always been here. We're just seeing all the bad things right now and that is camouflaging the good things."

"Who else is to be blamed but us?" I said, picking up the pen drive. "You should go now as well. Nidhi Ma'am must be waiting for you."

He nodded.

"Thank you for your help. And thank you for letting me know this," I said.

"You're the only one who I could trust with it. You're Ashiamma's friend. You have the right to know. Just don't tell anyone that I helped you. And I'm sorry for yesterday."

I dismissed the apology. Yesterday's events didn't even bother me. "You have my word."

Just as I left the Resource Room, I saw the last of my classmates going down the stairs, chatting among themselves. I followed them but kept my distance. By now, Nolan would have left his class.

As I walked to my class, he stepped out of his own and smiled at me before going after his friends. I was in the lab with the rest of my classmates, I repeated in my head. The pen drive shook in my pocket with each step I took.

I did not believe Vee did it but I could not comprehend the fact that Sameer was into Rishab just as much as Rishab was into him. I stopped dead in my tracks.

"You do not blame Rishab," I pointed out.

Ash shrugged. "I don't."

"But you still like him."

"I do."

"He was supposedly taking Shay's side but you don't blame him," I concluded.

"Stand still. You're ruining the picture."

I rolled my eyes as the camera flashed at us.

She knew. Ash knew all along and she approved of it too.

Roy said it could have been Shay. Even if he was wrong, Shay did not need to do anything. We had surrounded ourselves with withering roses which had more thorns than any cactus she might be planting.