Kuch Keh Na Sakein || DROPPED

Raaz

"Hey, Kartik! Was that Anirudh? He ran so fast, you beat him or what, huh?" The guy chuckled.

"Shut up," Kartik said with a deadpan look in his eyes, leaving the two guys shocked.

Anirudh entered the class, panting heavily. Shruti, observing his stressed state, sensed that something was not good. "W-w-what happened?" she inquired, concern visible in her broken words. Anirudh simply shook his head in response.

The classes continued, the mass of unspoken words hanging in the air. After their classes came to an end, Anirudh and Shruti made their way to their respective locker rooms. Out of nowhere, Kartik appeared behind Shruti, catching her off guard. "On the first bench of the garden," he whispered into her ears. As his words reached her, a shiver ran down her spine.

Shruti followed Kartik's instruction, leaving the school campus and settling on the first bench in the garden, waiting for him to pop out again.

"Hey, Shruti!" a voice called out, and she recognized it immediately. Her feet began to tremble, fingers fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. "W-what do y-y-you want?" Shruti fumbled, feeling annoyed. Her eyes dart nervously around the surroundings.

"I want you to read this letter," replied Kartik, handing her an envelope. It was the same anonymous love letter that Anirudh found in his locker. Shruticouldn't process why Kartik would show her something like this. She assumed it must be from a girl who had feelings for Anirudh.

As she unfolded the envelope and read the letter, confusion clouded her thoughts. The situation seemed bizarre, and she couldn't figure out the motive behind Kartik's actions. "It's n-n-none of my bu-b-business," Shruti said. Kartik, clicking his tongue, said, "Nope! It IS your business." Shruti was left with more questions than answers.

"The thing is, Anirudh wrote this himself. And he's plotting something. He's going to frame it as if YOU wrote this to HIM," said Kartik with a fake sympathetic face. Shruti sensed that he had some evil intentions but decided to hear him out.

"W-why would An-an-irudh do something like this?" she asked.

"To defame you. To embarrass you in front of the whole school. To gain attention," Kartik replied immediately, his words carrying a tone of 'worry'. Shruti was not sure of the truth. "Anirudh wants everyone to see you from a different perspective, to make them question who you are. It's really a... what do you call it? Coup de maître! A masterstroke. Don't you think? People love spices and scandals, and he is willing to paint you as the villain in his silent story." Kartik explained, hypnotizing Shruti. She felt as if she was stuck in a spider web.

"And h-h-ow do you kno-o-w this?" asked Shruti, her voice dipped in nervousness.

"Well, I found this letter in his bag, and trust me, I know every girl in this school. Nobody wrote this. And FYI, he is not a good guy," his words oozed.

Shruti felt a wave of cringe wash over her, a knot forming in her stomach. The intricate details of his accusations cringed her out. With a mind bustling with confusion, she got up and left the place.

"Cute." Kartik smirked.

As Shruti lay on her bed, Kartik's words echoed in her mind, forming a hurricane of doubts. "What if he is speaking the truth? What if Anirudh is a bad guy?" The questions trapped her, testing her trust.

Suddenly, a memory struck her mind. She quickly got up to get the note she received from Shubham, the guy who had shown her around the school on her first day. With a sense of urgency, she retrieved her phone and quickly composed a text.

Shruti: Hey Shubham! Shruti here. How are you? (19:07)

Within a few minutes, a notification popped up on her screen, and she quickly opened it.