Chapter 27

She did not have the one thing only I could possess, and in that thought was my victory.

Kiara

6th May 2019, Monday
14:30

My jaw dropped when I saw what Shay had done. She managed to 're-create Ash' as everyone was talking at the school. Re-create. I scoffed. It was a great thing, what she did but had I known her plans, I would have kept one eye open all the time.

"Wonderful, isn't it?" Nolan muttered. "Despite your actions."

I scowled at him. "Do you seriously think I have any role in this?"

He had been awfully scornful since Saturday. I told him he could return the paintings if he felt burdened. It wasn't that, he had said. Now I knew it was this. We'll, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't impressed or angry. My ego was bruised. I took all this effort to get Ash's paintings only for Shay to replace them so soon. In less than a day, she did it. I applauded her for that. Half of the paintings here were not even there with me. I would also like to thank her for ruining my friendship with Nolan, the one thing that wasn't intoxicated with her.

"I didn't do it," I said.

Nolan said nothing, his pace slow, a step behind me, his gait a signal of how sick he was of me, how disappointed. I stopped and turned around.

"Why are you even here with me?" I mumbled.

He looked at me. "I want an explanation. Why would you do that?"

"Nolan, don't you see? I took those paintings. Any sane person would stop and question others, not replicate the paintings."

He shook his head and took a step back. "I really don't understand your talks anymore. I get it. Shay might have played a role in that washroom thing. But this...they can't really do anything without Vicky knowing, the club, I mean. He's the President."

"There's no way he would have known, no way. I could hardly tell the difference. Shay's manipulating him. Don't you get it, Nolan?"

He sighed. I was tired of these sighs. He thought I was a liar, all because of her.

"Nolan, pl-"

"Shh." He looked over my shoulder.

I frowned and followed his gaze. Vee walked down the stairs with his bag hanging on his shoulder. I was surprised he hadn't left already.

"What did you do?" He asked, approaching us.

Nolan and I exchanged glances.

"What did she do?"

Vee narrowed his eyes at Nolan. "Stay out of this."

"No," he replied back. "You stay out of this. Hasn't Shay done enough?"

I suppressed a groan. He had to say that, didn't he?

"What do you want, Vee?" I said, my voice full of strain. "Just say it. I'm already exhausted."

"As if I am surviving on Red Bull."

"I don't doubt that," I said.

Nolan glanced at me and I shut it right there. He was tired of this and shit hadn't even started.

"Do you have anything to do with the paintings?" Vee asked.

I played dumb. "It's your club who did the brilliant work."

He snickered. "Is that sarcasm or truth? I won't beat around the bush. They're not real. Someone changed them and I have a strong feeling it's you."

I shook my head. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I didn't even know they're fake."

He was quiet for a minute. Relief swept over me at the thought that he was convinced. But it dissolved pretty quickly as he spoke his next words. "Did you know Ashiamma made me sign them at the back? Shay knows that."

Nolan stepped in. "Vicky, you can point fingers once you have a proof that Kiara did it, not a proof that defends Shay. We get it. She didn't do that. You suspect Kiara. But this isn't going anywhere. Even if she did it, do you think she'll simply say yes?"

Vicky gave him a lopsided smile. "Would you, Kiara?"

My gaze fell to the ground. Vicky grabbed my chin and pushed it up. Looking into my eyes, he repeated, "Would you, Junior?"

Nolan shoved him away from us. "Go and ask Shay what she did." He turned to me. "This guy used to be your friend? This oblivious guy?"

I opened my mouth but nothing came out. This felt like a dream, Nolan reminding me Vee used to be my friend, Shay framing me, Vee calling out on me. My head spinned. I felt vulnerable and exposed.

"Your Vice-President trashed the washroom, had cut outs of your dead friend and you're calling out Kiara?" Nolan said in a rather calm tone.

Why was no teacher around? Where the hell had everyone gone? I tried to hold his hand and pull him away but he raised his hand, telling me to stop.

Vee laughed. "You made that up, Junior. Wow. Nice story-telling skills. I guess it's my turn now." He stared at Nolan. "Your new friend here trashed Shay's bag with the same magazine."

I gasped.

Nolan turned to me.

I shook my head. "She's framing me."

"Lie. Lie all you want," Vee said.

"Shut up, Vicky," Nolan said. "Kiara-"

I shook my head. "I swear. I swear on Ashiamma's soul."

"She's already dead. How many times will you kill her? Hadn't she had enough of our bullshit?"

Something shifted in Nolan's eyes. He jumped at Vee before I had a chance to process anything. They fell on the ground, Nolan on top of him. He whispered something to Vee in response to which the drunkard grinned. I breathed out in relief. They were just threatening each other.

"Nolan, leave him."

He released his collar and began to rise.

"Yes Brit boy, leave me. Listen to-"

I facepalmed, trying not to strangle Vee myself. He couldn't just keep his mouth shut. Nolan's hand went around his throat, his fingers not too keen to stay loose. He pushed him back and hit him on his head. Vee, being Vee, did nothing.

"Nolan, stop," I said. I hadn't realized my blurry vision and shaky voice was this dominating. They both turned to me. "Stop."

He finally left him. I kept my distance from Vee but grabbed his hand to pull him away. There was blood oozing out of the tiny scratch. Nolan grabbed my bag and walked away.

"I'll be waiting," he said before going.

With a heavy heart, I turned to Vee. He lay on the floor with his head resting on his hands.

"Wonderful, isn't it?"

"You're pathetic, just like her." I shook my head, taking a step back to increase the distance between us. "You're just like the rest of them, Vicky."

I didn't wait for his response and turned around, tears already falling down. My vision clouded with Shay. I blew out a long breath and wiped my cheeks. Nolan stood patiently next to his car. I inspected his face. No bruises. At least someone got out without any damage, physical or mental. He opened the door without saying a word and I got in. At the same time, Vee stepped out of the school. He glanced over to us. I turned my head away.

"I hate her," I murmured. "I hate her so much, Nolan. You called me out for stealing those paintings. Did you see that? Did you see how badly she has manipulated Vee? First Ash, now him."

Nolan removed my specs and wiped the wetness from my cheeks. I wanted to push his hands away. Did he not know what happened when one tried to wash the water away from a grass blade? I tried it once and got a cut on my fingers. They made the helpers bled to insanity.

"Ash always went on, look Kiara how good Shay is, isn't she pretty, she's the most amazing thing I have ever seen."

"Amazing thing?" Nolan said.

He was right. Thing. Ash was crazy about her being a good source of ideas and inspirations. She looked at Shay like a souvenir, beautiful and mystifying, incomplete, incomprehensible. All I ever was a friend, sidelined childhood friend meant to listen to her tales, meant to be forgotten and left out because she was busy with Shay. I knew I was being childish, stamping my foot, desperate for attention, irrational.

Then there was Vee. Shay swept Ash off her feet but he stayed. While Ash was busy singing her praises, he actually sat next to me, even if it was simply to irritate me. At least he was there. Now, he wasn't. I couldn't believe how easily he blamed me. Shay's bag was trashed, poor her. Kiara's reputation got torn, well, it was fine. She was probably faking it.

"Hey, stop those gears of your mind. Or atleast slow them down," Nolan said.

I looked out when Vee's car passed us. His hands over his face, probably inspecting that scratch over his head, his lips moved in an inaudible monologue.

"He always mumbles something," Nolan said. "I've noticed before as well, continuously saying something."

My eyebrows rose in surprise. I never knew that. Instead of thinking about him, I said, "I'm sorry I dragged you into this."

"You didn't. I jumped in myself," Nolan replied. "I should have just stayed back."

"You caught us both off guard. I didn't take you for a fight picker," I said, wiping my eyes.

"I'm not." The corners of his eyes slid downwards. "It just happened. He was saying all those things and...Forget it."

His head bent down, fingers adjusting the dislodged hair. I touched his shoulder and he sighed, his skin beneath my fingers hot, his posture tensed. Hesitantly, I pulled my hand back as if it weighed a ton.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

He nodded and rested his head on the palm of his hands. I felt awful for bringing him to this position. We were all having a rough day, yes. Just a rough day. It was nothing else. It would be over soon. I shut my eyes and counted till five, not without thinking of Ash. When I opened my eyes, Nolan stared at me.

"I'm sorry for doubting you," he said.

A small smile touched my lips. Payback couldn't always catch up with the present. Whatever Shay had planned, I was a step ahead with him, the one person she could not take away. She could drop as many notes and good luck wishes as she liked.

7th May 2019, Tuesday
12:00

I sat patiently on the sofa and stared out of the window, my hands wrapped around my skirt. The school magazine lay a few inches away from me on the table. I kept my distance. The reception was thriving with parents who pushed their little ones to smile at the receptionist while they filled a form. I felt sorry for them. All this time I mocked Dandelion Presidency for its lavish ways but today the necessity to warn the hopeful parents made me feel guilty, guilty because I was supposed to be loyal as a Samaritan but I wasn't, guilty because my mouth stayed shut. The humiliation I faced was my responsibility but the fact that nobody paid any heed to it agitated me.

"Kiara," the receptionist called. "You can go in."

I nodded and walked inside. Nidhi Ma'am stood outside her office. Her face did not wear the usual mask of exaggerated happiness. Then again, I was no teacher or visitor that she'd be chirpy. I was nothing but a worker who played in dirt at the snap of her fingers.

"To what do I owe this pleasure of being called by you?" I asked with a smile. My insides twisted because I knew, if she didn't, I was not really feeling that smile.

She opened the door and I followed her in. "Sit down."

My eyebrows rose. This was highly unusual. She simply called me, ordered around and let me go. I pulled the chair and sat down.

"Last time, I invited myself in. Now you're doing it. I'm really concerned."

She turned her laptop and said, "You should be."

There was a picture of Rishab displayed on the screen. I leaned forward to get a better look when I saw another folder of Ash's name. Yet the next one surprised me. It said First Year projects. I did not bother looking around. This was Sameer's pen drive, obviously.

"What is this doing with you?" I asked.

She turned the laptop back, unplugged the pen drive and threw it at me. I caught it and scowled at her.

"I found this in my drawer today. The drawer had been locked for at least a week, the key lost. When I plugged it in, look what I found." She folded her arms and leaned back.

"What does this have to do with me?" I asked.

"This has everything to do with you." She smirked. "What did you say the last time? People questioning my motives. Tushar told me you heard the footage. He caught you leaving the room."

I would have acted impulsively and barked out the truth but surprisingly I stayed quiet, enjoying the fact that she considered Tushar as her puppet. I didn't blame him for turning against me. We stood on a platform that could accommodate one person. Of course he had to push me off when I was already on the verge of falling.

Nidhi Ma'am stretched her neck, her fingers beating on the table. "Listen Kiara, you already know what happened. I'm afraid this pen drive is as much of a threat to you as it is to me. Now I don't know why it was here but you go and fi-"

I raised a hand. "No, wait. I'm not doing anything for you anymore. Maybe you should've thought that before you cut Ash off the list."

"Stop pretending," she replied. "You would have had no problem if it was someone else. Certainly, you'd be suggesting it. Now do us a favour and take that pen drive away. Ask Sameer. I don't care but if you did this or if the person who did this knows a-"

"No one does," I replied through gritted teeth. "Tell me, Ma'am, did you do it? Rishab's photograph matches the one in the school record. Someone picked up the pen drive before anyone else could reach it. And co-incidentally the camera also happens to not work."

Her sudden high pitched laugh threw me off guard. "Do you seriously believe I'll engage in a petty issue like this? But I see your point, convenient circumstances for the planner."

Lion. Murderous, psychopathic lion.

I scoffed. "I don't see why you would not do that. You've done great things to help the school ace, without really letting them know. For example, the disappearance of a guard, tampering with the cameras but I believe the former has more impact."

She got up from her chair and opened the door. "You may leave, Kiara. Find who did it because I surely didn't. It's quite fun to watch you sweat over things, which reminds me of that note. Did you find who wished you good luck?"

I gave her a tight smile. "Why? Are you in the waiting list of 'People wishing Kiara Good Luck'?"

"Is there a list?"

I got up and leaned against the door. "There should be."

12:30

This was harder than I had thought. My feet refused to work in coordination with my brain, taking a step ahead but going two back until the edge of the pillar hit my mind. If I continued lingering around the corridor, I was sure some teacher would come and teach me my Nursery lectures again, and I could not even use the excuse of a Samaritan. I took a breath and tried to avoid looking at the class board that read XlI FMM.

I cleared my throat. "May I come in, Sir?"

The hushed whispers stopped and the teacher nodded at me. I stepped in, careful to not look at the third bench in the central row where Nolan sat.

"Can you please send Rishab out for a moment? Nidhi Ma'am had a message for him," I said. He narrowed his eyes at me and I added to the layer of lies. "It's about his club."

He pointed at Rishab and said, "Two minutes."

I sprinted out of the class before Rishab could get out of his seat. When he came out, I grabbed his hand and pulled him away from the door, away from Nolan's sight.

"Someone placed this pen drive in Nidhi Ma'am's room. It's the same that Sameer had," I said without missing a beat.

"Didn't I tell you I don't want more of this?"

I wiped my forehead. "Rishab, please. I'm trying to come out of one thing but another one throws itself on me. The older lies aren't clear and here I am being framed into new. Listen, I need you to be careful. Think if someone threatened you. Or-"

"Shay," he said as if I was dumb.

"Are you not bothered by that then, if Shay is doing all this?" I asked. I would have tore her reputation down by now if I were him. "You attacked Vee like a madman."

"I can't do anything. Everybody knows about me. If Shay orchestrated it, then I deserved. I helped you ruin her friendship. In fact, if I remember correctly, you blackmailed me."

I clenched my jaw.

"You knew about Sameer and I. You could've saved Ash some tears but you didn't. I'm not afraid anymore. You, on the other hand, should be hiding right now since Shay is not going to buy any more empty promises from us."

"She's not capable of doing anything."

And she wasn't. I knew it. Shay was living in a town I had built. She better pay a good price.

Over his shoulder, I saw Shay step out of her class. Our gazes met. Her lips lifted in a lopsided smile.