Chapter 17 (Part 2)

Vee

26th April 2019, Friday
15:10

Fools, sometimes, got those things done which intellects failed at. I just was not sure who the fool was, Rishab or I. I would not entirely call him stupid, he had his reasons to shout my name but his current flustered state agitated me. What kind of boyfriend was he if he could do nothing but stand in a corner as this girl accused Sameer? I was taken by surprise by her claim.

"He won't." Ashiamma twisted her face at the sour taste. "Your mother needs to cook more often. This is too good."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, she is-"

"No." I shook my head. "Are you sure Sameer will not leave?"

"He throws a tantrum every time he comes, threatens to leave but when I go back at home, I see him munching onto something. He is all bark and no bite."

"He didn't do it," I said despite his promise to do it in the morning.

Rishab spoke, "Did you not hear him?" His watery gaze met mine.

"I know he did not do this. You've known him better than me. You tell him if he is capable of doing this." I said, looking at Shay's phone.

I avoided looking at her because if I as much as glanced, God help me, nothing would stop me. She had barked shit and had walked out on us, yet here she was defending me.

"I am not saying Sam-"

"Did you read her note?" I asked her, making her stop in between.

"She did, Vicky," Roy replied.

"What did it say? I don't remember exactly but I'm pretty sure she wished you a good life. I am not sure if I can allow that to happen."

"You are threatening somebody in the police station," Mr. Singh reminded me.

I turned to him. "Me? No. I'm simply reminding people of the things they're forgetting." I wanted to pounce on this man. What does he know about us? The fact that Shay looked everywhere but at me further infuriated me. Just like the last time, and before that, and before that.

Shay sighed. "Look, I have no intention of interfering with your affairs but I thought this was necessary. Kiara kept on replaying the tape. It did not look like she was going to hand it over to you."

"What were you doing in her house in the first place? Last time Ash took both of your names together, she said you pushed Kiara out of your house," Rishab asked.

Shay did not reply but stared at me. "You'll see. All of you will see."

She got up, picked her phone and walked out. I had seen just enough, Shay. Just enough.

"Is it safe for her to walk around?" Mr. Singh questioned.

"Why don't you record that from her phone?" Roy said.

Mr. Singh nodded and went after Shay.

Roy turned to us. "What is the possibility that this is connected to Ashiamma?"

"What happened with Rishab? No, it is not connected to her. Shay? I don't have to answer that," I said.

Rishab stayed quiet in his seat. He was most probably thinking of Sameer. My chest felt heavy from various emotions. I had the chance to warn him after Sameer's clear words that luckily did not come on the CCTV but I chose to let it slide. At the same time, as half of me was sympathetic to him, the other half of me wanted to ask me how betrayal felt. Did it spread through his veins in less than a minute or did it take time, creeping its way? Maybe he would go home half dead, would eat and drink but not feel it. Everytime he would look at his reflection, he would want answers. His heart would scream from revenge but it would secretly forgive Sameer. His ego, that fed on the fact that somebody was enchanted by him, would roar and claw at his skin and leave wounds that only Sameer could heal.

I wanted him to feel that way and I wanted it to happen right in front of my eyes. When he would get close to healing, I would want Ashiamma's voice whisper in his ear that she had too felt this, not once but twice, from two people. I sounded sick but I sounded like a guy who saw his friend push herself down.

"I think we should call Sameer here," Roy said, walking towards the door.

I nodded. Rishab looked up momentarily before slumping down again.

I decided I felt more rage and less sympathy, for sympathy was just for him but rage for myself, him, Sameer, Shay and somewhere even Ash.

'Where are you, Ashiamma?' I asked myself. I knew I had no right to demand her presence.

Rishab got up and left the room. It had been almost an hour since school got over. I was surprised Mummy did not send Raj looking for me or Papa didn't bother calling Roy and asking him if I was in trouble. Footsteps approached the room and I groaned at the sound of those squeaky Nike shoes.

"Did Roy call at the house or did he call-"

"He called Madam," my father's previous little investigator said.

I needed to thank Roy for that.

"And did you not call Papa?" I asked.

"She asked me not to," Raj mumbled.

I smiled at the scene - Mummy standing in the living room, asking him twice to keep his mouth shut and threatening to take away his phone if he tried to tell.

"She sent your phone." He handed it to me. "I'm waiting in the car. What should I say if Sir calls?"

I gave him a crooked smile. "What did Mummy say?"

He sighed. "I'm going. Ring me if you need something."

He picked up my bag and left. Once he was out of sight, I looked through my phone and stopped at the name I once swore to stay away from.

"Hello?" She answered in a sleepy voice.

"Deleted my number or couldn't read the phone in your sleep?" I asked.

"Vee," she said. "How did you remember me all of the sudden? I thought you deleted my number."

"Don't use my line on me. You're in trouble, Junior. You saw me being taken by the police."

"You're still there?"

I was surprised she missed the part where I said she was in trouble. I was scared of the way my heart skipped a beat at the worry laced in her voice. I reminded myself that she was not my Junior anymore. "Shay came and brought some audio which she claims to get from your house. It was -"

"Sameer."

"Hmm. Any comments?" I asked.

"Shit."

I smiled and played with the buttons on my shirt. "That's a nice comment."

I stared at her, sprawled on Ashiamma's bed throwing my chips at me. "You failed a test. How are you feeling?"

She groaned and rolled over her stomach. "Shit. But I swear I prepared."

I had my doubts on that.

"I'm coming there," Kiara said.

After a few minutes, I got up and stretched a bit. Sameer planned on getting it done through me but I refused. The possibility that he asked someone else was slim to none because then, he would have to explain everything to the person. He was fine with saying who he is but I highly doubted if he was equally proud of dating his sister's boyfriend. Everyone in the school had known when they dated, everyone had laughed at the news of the breakup, connecting that to Shay's pretty lie.

To say I was wary of Shay would be an understatement. I was afraid of her sketchy looks. Whatever she was trying to say, I had no idea. I looked outside through the window. Kiara was standing there, frowning at my car. I went outside.

"Explain," I said.

"No, you explain," she said and folded her arms.

"We won't get anywhere this way," I replied. "Why did you have the audio?"

"I got it."

"How?"

"I gave my word to shut my mouth but I got it from the school footage." She looked around, stepped closer and whispered, "I wasn't going to give it to Roy. I was going to show it to Sameer. He did not do it."

I snickered. "Shay is so sure I didn't do it. You are sure Sameer didn't do it. Who did it, then?"

"I don't know about you but Sameer cannot do it." Her pursed lips told how much of a criminal I was in her eyes. I smiled but straightened my posture as soon as she looked at me. "Even if he did, he needs someone's help. I guessed you already knew about them. Did he, by any chance, ask you?"

I nodded. "He did. I refused. I doubt that he would ask someone else."

"Who did it then?"

I shook my head. "If you got it from the school's camera, is it possible someone else did it?"

Kiara frowned. "No one has access to-" Her eyes widened. I looked at her expectantly.

"The school authorities tampered with the security system before."

"Before when?"

Silence.

My eyes widened as I remembered. Yeah, back then.

She waved it off. "If someone got access to it before I did, they could h-. Oh my God!"

I gave her a weird look.

"Remember Rishab's picture?" she asked. "It was in the school uniform."

Then it hit me. Students of classes eleventh and twelfth had a different uniform than the students of lower classes. It was the same colour but the design on the collar and cuffs varied. Rishab wore the uniform of class tenth, which was two years back.

"We are going to have another group photograph done as the photograph lost all data of the past one year," Kiara said.

"The latest photographs in the school's record are two years old," I concluded. "Shit. Are you saying the school did it?"

"Are you not saying it?" I could not argue with that.

"Vicky?" We both turned around and saw Sameer as he got off his scooter.

"What is he doing here?" Kiara asked.

I gestured around, hoping she'd understand. This was draining me.

"Right, Shay."

I nodded at her guess, unable to not focus on the snarl that escaped her lips when she took Shay's name.

At the same moment, having an awful timing, Rishab came. He looked at Sameer and stood still. Sameer stepped ahead at the same time as Rishab took a step back. Kiara turned to me and I was sure my helplessness mirrored hers. We could do nothing about this. The only person who had a chance of mending this for these two guys was nothing but ash spread across various rivers flowing in our country.

"Rish-"

"I hate you," Rishab spat. "Stay away from me. It was my choice. How could you do it? I begged you. I begged you to not tell Ash." By now he was shouting. "You did not listen. You said I should break up. I did. You said to her we liked each other. She took a step back."

Few passersby had stopped to listen.

"I asked you to give me some time. I wanted time, Sameer! How could you be so selfish? What were you even thinking? You may be comfortable telling people you're gay, I'm not. I am not. Do you hear me? You wanted me to tell everyone. I'll do it then. I'll shout from the rooftop, I'm gay. Will that be fine?"

"Ri-"

"Leave. Please leave." Tears streamed down his face. He coughed a few times, choking on his saliva.

"Stop," I said. "Breathe. Give yourself space."

"This guy...this guy told me it is okay for boys to cry. I think he meant this day." He sobbed. "You called Ash selfish. It is you, it was always you."

"He didn't do it," Kiara murmured. "Sameer did not do it."

I stared at Sameer and wondere if he stopped because I refused to help or because his mind changed.

"I realized what I was doing," Sameer said with a strained voice. "I went back after sometime. I don't know what I was even thinking. I just went there to...I don't know, talk to you. You tell me Rishab, even if I wanted to do it, I could not get inside the school. I'm not a student."

He was keeping me out of it. I opened my mouth but Kiara grabbed my hand and nodded towards Rishab. He was already bad. I did not know if I was going to make it worse or better. I felt the former.

Despite the disagreement from Sameer, I said, "I was there."

Rishab stopped sobbing.

"I met Sameer on my way inside. He asked me to do it. I refused and told him to think about it." I glanced at Sameer. "He was quiet for a while but threw the pen drive and left. He said it was your decision."

All of my teenage life, I lied. It was time I lied for good.

"You convinced him to stop?" Rishab asked.

I shook my head. "I told him to get the courage to be a good partner and leave the decision to you. He was riled up, Rishab."

Rishab nodded. Sameer stepped forward but he raised his hand.

Roy came out.

"I don't want any further investigation into it," Rishab said.

"Bu-"

"I said I don't want anything to do with this. They found out. Big deal."

Kiara gestured at Roy to stop.

"I want to go home. I'll have to explain to my family too," Rishab said.

Sameer flinched at that. The only vehicles were his scooter and my car. I said to my driver, "Take him home. Pick me up later."

"Thank you," Rishab said and I rubbed his shoulder.

Once he left, Roy raised his hands at me.

"Tell the other officer that Rishab doesn't want this. Also, don't let the school know anything about this. Keep this confidential." I pointed at us all.

"Can I ask why?"

Kiara answered him. "The school did this." Her voice held venom and remorse, like she had lost another war. "It was right in front of me. He said so. I didn't hear correctly."

"Who said what?" I asked.

She shook her head. "Nothing." After a long breath, she said, "This is why I wanted to show the audio to Sameer. Look what happened. I knew they would break."

Sameer was standing near his scooter, immobile, still staring in the direction where my car drove off. I doubt he heard what we just said to Roy. From behind Roy, Shay emerged.

"How is your leg?" Roy asked her.

"Fine. My parents are coming. We'll see Dr. Singh. The file kept on failing, so I couldn't help you there."

"There'll be no need for that. Rishab closed this for once and for all," I said, folding my arms.

Shay's face went from my face to Kiara's. "Oh."

I clenched my jaw and stared at Shay, her injured leg and her mouth that just said the most annoying thing. Oh. Oh, my foot.

"We've seen," I said, referring to her earlier comment. "Congratulations." I made sure she heard the same bitterness she had been giving me.

"Sameer," I called him. "I'll drive you home and Raj will pick me up from there."

He nodded and gave me the keys.

When I turned to Kiara, she said, "My house is just three minutes away. I'll manage."

I nodded, wanting to get home. I desperately hoped I'd get home, not just a house.