Chase without fear

Chase without fear.

I received my grades, and secured an 88 percent. Nothing made me feel more elated on that particular day. St Xavier's College at Fort was one of the best colleges in Mumbai, so I decided to apply there.

I remember the joy and excitement I had on that Monday afternoon in 2012. I was bombarded with phone calls from family. My self-esteem skyrocketed, and I felt like a queen.

We went to St Xavier's College to pick up the admission paperwork two days later. As expected, there was a long line. Parents and pupils eagerly awaited the event. Everyone was eager to get their hands on their subjects. Time slots were assigned to us. I was summoned into the previous batch since I had secured a large percentage. Sara and Diwana, the cruel lasses, chose Xaviers as well. However, because their percentages were lower, they had to wait in line after me. I sensed the jealousy, and I'm not one to be suspicious otherwise.

Many kids attempted to enter 'division A' since psychology was available, but I preferred 'division B' because it taught Math. However, due to my misfortune, I was assigned to A, and this is where fate intervened. I made a few acquaintances from division A, and we became fast friends. I had a great time throughout my first few months of college.

My phone started ringing one day during the literature period, and the ringtone was audible.

However, the professor was not antagonistic; in fact, she had me perform a forfeit by telling me that I would have to sing in front of the class. This is most likely what pedagogy entails in prestigious institutions. The first song that sprang to me was Whatsup by the Four Non-Blondes, which I sang for the class. The students adored it, and I gained immediate celebrity status. Sara and Diwana were in the same class at the time. Oh! After that performance, they pretended to know me so well. Of course, I just went along with it since I didn't want to inflame the animosity between us.

I had high hopes for a fantastic college experience. College life as a freshman was something I had fantasized about since I was a youngster. Relaxing in a café, listening to music, dressing up, and going out for late-night vehicle rides and parties. I was ecstatic to begin my new endeavor.

But one fine day, I met a girl named Kris who, back in the day, was the head girl. She wasn't very flamboyant, yet something was appealing about her that drew me in right away. For a time, we talked and walked around together. However, she didn't get along well with my old pals, and as a result, they abandoned me. I only had one buddy at the time, Kris, and it seemed strange to be a loner at that age; nevertheless now, I would never feel strange about solidarity.

I didn't experience any threats throughout my first four months of college. Kris met a girl called Asia during her lunch break. Kris and Asia's chemistry was so strong that I felt like I was leapfrogging ahead of them. Asia's good buddy Gailen, on the other hand, felt the same way. Asia and Kris decided to take a trip to Chowpatys one day.

It was just my first year of college, and my parents were apprehensive about sending me to locations where I may be in danger. Nonetheless, peer pressure is always a strong factor, so I went to Chowpatys with Asia, Kris, and Gailen. The scenery was picturesque, and the sky was clear. There was a surplus of students at the beach, but we took a lot of photographs and had a good time.

Asia's and Kris' relationship developed so strong a week later that Gailen and I were pushed to the background. Gailen, on the other hand, was fortunate that she was unwell. I was alone with these two aficionados. Asia pushed it to the limit one day, telling me to wait for her in the Girls Common Room while she and Kris went to see a guy and would be back shortly. However, they did not return, leaving me alone throughout the interval. Asia continued to do this, and Kris did not appear to be able to stop her. Relational aggressiveness was the first time I had heard of it and experienced it. However, I wish I had confided into an adult about this when I was younger. We did have mentors and an amazing counselor who was a Jesuit, but it was too difficult for me to discuss these things at the time.

Gailen returned to college after another two weeks. There was one serious thing she told me, though. It happened during a break. Asia, she said, was scheming to kick me out of the group. Gailen possessed an agathokakological personality while Asia was a blatant Regina George. On the one hand, she would tell me about Asia's antics, but on the other, she would refer to Asia as a dear friend. In my opinion, the whole situation was quite conflicting.

Gailen,  fell ill again that month and nearly missed half of the semester. Meanwhile, I decided to confront Asia about her actions, and things quickly spiralled downward. I began tormenting Asia, or rather, I began taking her case so that she would become irritated to the point where she would leave me alone. However, this backfired since she began to do the same thing to me, only better. Of course, Kris stood by Asia like a rock, and there was another man, Bryan, who I distinctly recall as being a catalyst in exacerbating the situation against me. After that, Diwana noticed that our group was becoming increasingly tense and decided to join us. I was so enraged and infuriated that I could feel my gut twist. I was kicked out of the clique in the end, and to say that it didn't upset me would be a lie. Of course, I made new friends who were wonderful and took care of me.

In the next semester, our history professor announced a trip to France, and we were all ecstatic. Because I lived alone with my sister, I was unsure if she would be able to handle the expenses of this trip. However, she did send me, but let me tell you what happened before I arrived at Paris. Just as I thought the drama was over, Sara and Diwana had secured my main door from the outside on the day of departure, and my sister was still at work at 5 p.m. There was no way anybody would know I was stuck inside the bungalow because we live in bungalows. My phone was missing, and my sister was not at home.

The travel agent made many attempts to reach me but was unsuccessful. As a result, they ultimately boarded the aircraft to France. My expectations had been dashed, and all I wanted was to see Cinderella's fairy Godmother. Finally, a guy took notice of the matter and broke the lock open, and saw me sobbing. He offered me food, but I got out of there and raced to college after eating something. I was standing near the stairwell of Hogwarts if you know you know! I stayed for nearly a half-day since I didn't want my sister to find out that I had missed the trip. The professor, on the other hand, spotted me and screamed at me for staying out so late. When I described my position to him, he indicated he couldn't take any action against these women until he had proof.

He let me remain in the college dorm for a few days so that my sister wouldn't find out about my missing flight. After a week, I forgot about those two brats. However, the brown eyed French professor had a major surprise in store for me: after seeing how well I did in French that year, he invited me to accompany him on a one-year journey to France to study at the Sorbonne university in an exchange program and the cost was covered by him. I was perplexed as to why my professor wanted to do so much for a rookie. However, he told me that he found me intelligent, strong willed and talented. Today, we are married to each other and reside in Paris.