𝒜𝐹𝒯𝐸𝑅 𝒴𝒪𝒰

Chapter 5

"I think there's something wrong with my eyes?" I turned to the guy sitting behind me.

"I'm sorry?" I said.

"Cuz I can't seem to take my eyes off you."

My cheeks seared, as soon as he smirked finishing it. I was in the auditorium with a few girls and they burst into giggles instantly.

It was my closest feeling to high school. They were gossiping the hell out about their life, like in the films. Except, it was Yale and these girls were a lot more intelligent. They have been telling me their stories because I was the new one in the circle.

The guy walked a few steps down, settling beside us with an untamed grin— "Would you mind loaning me a quarter?" he said again.

"A quarter?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I want to call my mother and tell her that I just met the woman of my dreams."

I turned away my face shyly. Jesus! It's so strange.
I looked at the girls for help, where Erica was smirking at me, and Lexi mouthed—try it.
But I didn't want to. And neither I want to break someone's guts. He was far from our type— athlete, messy, weirdly —snug in a black jacket, metallic headbands, and chains like a punk; my grandmother would faint seeing him. And the Queen of the Netherlands fainting is definitely not a good thing.

Above all, my family always said that I'm so much like Her Majesty—and I don't like this.

The brown girl beside us, who had fallen quiet and was almost slipping away from us as soon as I sat with them, somehow understood my mind.

"Get off, Justin. She's not interested."

"Poor me." Justin shrugged carelessly, shifting his attention away from me and back to the stage.

I looked at the girl and smiled. It is the first time, I saw someone of the color. I don't know why dad always said— Netherlands can't be filled with them. So it always made me a bit skeptical around them. But she somehow looked—normal.
And her eyes were—hauntingly beautiful.

"Thanks." I smiled, not knowing what else to say.

Finally, she smiled back at me, oddly looking so kind all of a sudden. I thought she hated me.

Classic Narsscist stealth—his voice still echoed in my mind.

Apparently, I checked the dictionary; how is it possible that I can't think about others? Half of my life is spent wondering what to say to others and what they might think of me. Then why?

"Are you from India?"

"Yes." she nodded her head, still with a small trace of smile.

"You won't believe—" Erica told me, glaring at that girl, "Nimrata nationally ranked 18th in her country."

My eyes widened as I stared her. Something was seriously wrong with. When I stepped here—it never crossed my mind that I might have something lacking. Everyone was over the top.

Dad said they were necessary for keeping up the diversity percentages and even people like Dominic were required to keep up the incredibly.

I have seen Nimrata, Raj, Hanhua—they were so groundbreaking. These days Asians are giving me vivid nightmares.

"What's your plan for the New Year's Eve?" I asked.

"It's still a month away." Lexi said.

"Still." I said.