𝐓𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐔𝐬

7

I stood outside my apartment building waiting for the cab. It was taking a bit longer than usual. Lifting my wrist, I checked the time when an emerald green BMW stopped in front of me.

The car window rolled down, revealing a girl in the driver's seat. Her hair, a lighter shade of brown, was tied in a messy bun. She wore a loose T-shirt and shorts.

"Hey! Heading to college?" Priya asked, raising an eyebrow.

What is she even doing here?

"Actually, I'm waiting for my cab." I replied looking at the direction where my cab was supposed to come from.

"Don't worry, You can come with me." She unlocked the passenger door for me.

"No, I'll take-" My sentence was cut short as she spoke, "It's okay, Ayra. We study in the same college. You can come with me."

I didn't remember introducing myself to her. Brushing my thoughts aside, I reluctantly sat in the passenger seat, and we headed to the college.

She took a short glance at my foot and shifted her gaze to the road ahead of us.

Her hands gripped the steering wheel and words finally came out of her mouth, "What happened that day was terrible. Getting caught in the middle of Ahaan and Karan's fight..."

I remained silent as she finished her sentence. I didn't know how should I respond to that.

She sighed,"Ayra, Karan isn't a bad person, at least not at heart. He is just having a tough time."

She glanced at me for a second, trying to read my expressions then continued, "Anant Sir will call you in the office today to talk about the incident. They're looking for a reason to expel Karan. This might be their chance, and as selfish as this may sound, I don't think he deserves expulsion."

Usually, I'm a very calm person. I don't lose my temper easily, but hearing this my anger sparked.

Here it was. The real reason for her sudden appearance at my house. "So that's why you came to pick me up? To convince me to lie for Karan?"

She flinched, surprised by my bluntness. "Well, yes. That's part of it. Karan's my friend, and if I can help him, then why not?" Her voice trailed off.

"No matter how wrong he is?" I interrupted, my voice tight. "Because of his tough time Ahaan could have been seriously hurt!"

Her gaze flickered to the road, then back to me. Her voice was low and stern. "Karan isn't entirely to blame. And whatever's happening with Ahaan, he brought it on himself."

My head spun. How could she defend Karan after what he did?

"Even if I lie, how will you convince Ahaan to not say anything?"

"Ahaan won't say a word, you'll see" She said with a tight smile on her face.

By then, the college loomed ahead. Priya pulled into a parking spot, the engine sighing to a stop. She leaned towards me and asked,"What do you say? What's your decision?"