#EXPOSED

CHAPTER - 22

'Zombie in streets.'

Sambhavna

2020

I didn't want to get out of my bed let alone get out for college the next morning. I dragged my feet, one after another as I walked to the campus. The morning air didn't help me and the hum of city noises hammered through my head and my eyes were fixated on my feet-one step and then the next.

My mother barely noticed my existence, I knew she wouldn't care if my hair was on fire and my father was so excited for my first day I had to put on a show and make stories of my grand success. I barely slept through the night and I was certain I looked like a zombie in the streets of Colaba.

There weren't many students around when I made it to the lecture hall. I decided to grab a seat in the middle row instead. I didn't have the mental energy to face those girls again or cross them for that matter. Setting my notebook on the desk, I browsed through the digital library on my tablet and began to read the course details silently for the next few minutes.

There were another couple of minutes for the lecture to commence so I shut my tablet and placed it back in my bag carefully. "Good morning." A man sauntered into the hall and I averted my gaze on him. "I wasn't expecting anyone yet." His smile was contagious-so...full of life.

"Well, I don't like being late for the sessions so..." I fidgeted with a loose strand of my hair and looked away. "Good morning though." I looked at him and he nodded. "Oh, by the way, you don't wanna sit in the front row," I told him and leaned back to my seat. "But you probably know that since you're in this class."

He held on to his messenger bag and stepped forward with a frown. "Why? What's with the front row?"

"Except some mean girls with egos bigger than this hall, nothing." I shrugged offhandedly and he arched a brow in realization. "It's nothing. You're probably friends with them." Shit. I shouldn't have said anything. I was only stirring shit even further. "They are cool though." I decided to sidetrack to sew things up instead.

"If they are so cool then why do you look so out of sorts?" My attempt had backfired remarkably and I was jittery all over again. I remained silent and bowed my head down to hide my wince. I was so freaking stupid. "Did they hurt you?"

"No." I snapped my gaze at him. "It's nothing. They don't hurt anyone." Trouble was the last thing I wanted to invite and rehashing any of the events from the last day was only going to drag me in further. "They are nice people. Just a little...I don't know rude, I guess."

"Bullying is a serious offense, you know that right?" he asked and I looked away. "More like harassment. If things go out of control and they get violent then you'll have to do something about it." Why did it feel like he already knew about things? Probably because he was friends with them and maybe he knew what they were capable of.

"Have people around here often been violent?" I asked him curiously and he backed away from the front row. I waited for his response and a fellow student wandered into the hall.

"I wouldn't know," he told me and shrugged. "It's my second day here." That seemed interesting. I wondered what was his reason behind a mid-season transfer.

More and more students started to show up and I smiled at him. Maybe I did have a shot at friendship. The goth queen was the last one to make it to the hall. Her hazel gaze landed on me and I ignored her as she took her seat in the front row.

"Alright, guys." The charming man set his messenger bag on the professor's desk and I gulped the tight lump in my throat slowly. "I'm Mayank Saxena, your new professor for this semester." Shit. Oh shit! All the while I was speaking with the goddamned professor? He didn't even look like one.