Running Hearts

Chapter 10

Avantika

“Will you now tell me what happened?” Nivedita helps me, carrying my luggage till the living room with her. We both sit on the couch. “Can I please get a glass of water first?” I ask, out of breath from carrying all these bags. She immediately leaves while I look at my bags, all kinds of thoughts roaming in my head. I ponder on what my parents told me. They had warned me, but I went against their will. I can see their eyes filled with disappointment when they learn about this, even though this time was not really my fault.

I hear footsteps on the stairs. I don't have to turn my head to know it's Rajvir's. Instead of approaching, he changes his path and moves towards the kitchen. Nivedita brings a glass of water, which I accept politely. Lowering my glass on the table, I take a deep breath before starting, “Do you remember my roommate Stacy, right?” Nivedita nods in acknowledgment. “When I spent the night here yesterday, she brought someone in the dorm, and they made the place look like pigsty. I asked her to clean up the place before grabbing lunch outside. And she did.” I sigh, “But when I was lying on the bed, I heard a noise from her drawer. It was a rat. A RAT, NIVI”

She gasps just like I did, “No way. Eww. Please tell me you ran from there.”

“Of course I did. Do you think I was gonna hang out with a rodent in my room?” I look at her questioningly. However, I can feel a new pair of eyes watching me. I know Rajvir has been listening to us. It does not matter who is listening because I have a bigger issue on my head. “So then, I went to the person in charge to ask her another room. There was none. She told me to either find a temporary place or live there. I could not be in that room. That’s why I called you. Your face just came through my head that time. I hope that I’m not a trouble to you. I'm sorry if I came a bit abruptly.” I trail off with my story.

“Are you stupid? That’s the best choice you've made. I’d been upset if you asked another person other than me.” Nivedita puts her hand on my shoulder. “They are doing a pest control right now?”

I nod, “For two weeks.”

She sits quiet for a while in her own thoughts before airing out her thoughts, “You know you are still going to be stuck with Stacy, right? There is no other room, and I’m pretty sure no one will want to live with someone like her after this ‘scandal’.”

That did not cross my mind until Nivedita brought it up. Thousands of different scenarios are swarming in my mind, each more horrifying than the other. Frantically, I start blabbing, “Oh my god. Nooo. I don’t wanna live with her, Nivi. I really don’t want to. What am I going to do? This is so bad. My parents will view me as a screwup.” A frown has now appeared on my lips. I finally let out a strangled cry that I had been holding since I ran off my dorm room. Nivedita scoots closer to me and rubs my back, asking me to stop crying. I can tell that she is a bit awkward with consoling people, but I appreciate her trying for me. I wipe off my tears swiftly, refusing to lose hope this quickly. “Do you think I can move to Lia and Maisie's dorm?” I turn towards Nivedita.

She hesitates, “Sure. You can try, but didn’t you already pay six months in advance to secure a place in the dorm?” Shit. That really slipped out of my mind.

“I can try to get it back, though. I've been complaining about Stacy to the matron since I’d pretty much moved in that horror of a place. They barely did anything. And I'm sure that they are supposed to arrange a room for me in a situation like this. I can actually sue them.”

Nivedita smiles at my quick thinking, “That’s my girl. I knew you'd figure something out. The perks of being a law student are finally catching up to you.”

Mirroring her expression, I excuse myself to go to the washroom to freshen up. I probably look a mess, considering I just bawled my eyes out. My face immediately flushes as the embarrassment is palpable. On my way to the washroom, I peek a look at Rajvir, who is now taking a sip of a drink from his mug, typing on his laptop on the dinner table.