The Mute And The Reader [#YourStoryIndia][#Wattys2015]

Four

As I stare into my reflection the next morning I'm thankful to be alone in the restroom of my college. I didn't sleep well last night and the morning lecture was painfully boring. My eyes look puffy and I wonder if I should bunk rest of the college. I pull out the little bottle of face wash from my bag and take five minutes to wash my face, thinking that it might make me feel fresh. But it doesn't help. I'm only a second away from deciding what to do when I hear the restroom door open. And only a second after that I hear a voice, a voice inside my head.

-Shit shit shit shit shit. Oh god!

My eyes automatically bulge in surprise as I immediately turn around. There's a boy of about my age standing in front of me. He's panting and sweating badly and his back is pinned to the door of the restroom. It's clear that he's hiding from someone. And what's a better place to hide, for a boy, than a girls' restroom? He's incredibly thin and is wearing those nerdy glasses. I think I've seen him somewhere.

"What the hell are you doing in the girls washroom?" I ask in a slightly higher voice.

He says nothing.

-Those guys are gonna kill me!

I look at him with slight interest. He's probably being chased by Karan and his muscular group of friends. He's frightened as shit.

"You look scared." I say softly.

There's no reply.

-It'll be so embarrassing to hide inside a cubicle in front of her. Can't she just go? I don't want to make a fool of myself in front of a beautiful girl!

My cheeks start burning. God! Sometimes it's so damn difficult to handle what guys think about me. I pretend to not know what he thought.

"Umm...what is wrong with you? I...I am going now. Do whatever you feel like!" I say, pretending to be indifferent and quickly leave the washroom.

"Weirdo!" I mutter to myself after exiting.

As I walk towards my next class, I see Karan with some other huge boys, running towards me.

"Anushka!" He yells on reaching me.

I don't respond. I just look at him.

-Where is that asshole?!

"What?" I ask.

"Do you know where is Aryan?"

-He's so fucking dead today.

"Who's Aryan?" I ask which is technically the truth. I don't know who is Aryan but I do know who is it that Karan is after.

"He's that asshole, skinny, fair geek."

-Where the fuck is that asshole, skinny geek?

"I don't know who that is, Karan." I say.

"You know what he did today?" He says, anger radiating from his voice, as if I'm really interested in knowing.

"What?" I ask.

-He stuck a chewing gum on my bench, hacked my facebook profile and changed my status to 'I'm gay', wrote HIS name on MY bench and told everybody that I have a small penis.

"He stuck a chewing on my bench!" He says.

I'm not able to control my laughter. A giggle escapes my lips.

"Why are you laughing?" He asks with a confused expression.

"Nothing," I say, still laughing, "That's all he did?"