Love In The Shadows

2 ~ Aruns First Day In College Hostel

My heart raced as I stepped into the Coimbatore College of Engineering, it was a world away from the comforts I knew of Mumbai.

I used to visit my hometown in Tamilnadu during summer breaks sometimes. However, it was my first time coming here alone. I had one of my cousins pick me up at the Coimbatore Railway station.

It's blazing hot outside! We reached the entrance of the college and were on our way to find my hostel. "It is a huge campus, Arun. Do you know it's around 350 arches, 3 engineering, and 2 MBA colleges in total? You know what it means right?" My cousin started providing me with information about the college.

"Haa! Yes it's huge and it means that much walking for me"

"Can't you see it's a big campus filled with too many girls, you lucky asshole I wish I was in this college"

Me giving a side eye to my cousin "As if I would score one here, you know what let's just concentrate on finding the hostel first"

 looking around the campus's imposing buildings made me feel like a small fish in a vast ocean. 

My Cousin showed me my hostel room and completed all the entry formalities before leaving. He was blabbering the whole time so I had my headphones on and just kept nodding my head to everything he said until he finally left.

I entered the hostel room covered in sweat and just as I was trying to settle in, a guy dressed in messy clothing walked into my room. 

He was wearing a dirty white T-shirt and black track pants which were torn from one side. He was sweating and had a bit of dirt on his body. I assumed he was a worker seeing his appearance. Being on edge due to the heat, I asked him to leave "No need to clean now, come after some time"  I really needed some peace and time alone to wrap my head around that this is it. I have to spend 4 years here. 

The guy walked out of the room watching me up and down.

I didn't know the dynamics of hostel life It was my first day.

He returned with two more boys, one of them had a volleyball in his hand accused me of being arrogant, asked me to apologize, and mocked me about my clothes and the headset I was wearing.

"Who do you think we are? And what's with your clothing and headset, Junior?" 

"Do we look like workers to you dumbass? Show some respect to your seniors..." the guy with the dirty white t-shirt said in an intense voice

I realized I misjudged him by his appearance"Sorry, didn't mean to offend you. It was just a misunderstanding." I replied with a low voice. I was not looking for a fight on my first day.

"You think a simple apology will suffice newbie?" one of them sneered. "You need to learn respect. And obedience." 

I stood in silence....

"Do one thing write these records for us, and we might consider forgiving you," another one taunted, tossing a stack of notebooks at me 

"We will come back tomorrow to collect them and you better have them ready by then"

In shock I asked myself "What going on here?"  it went so fast I didn't have time to process my thoughts.

I stacked the books on one of the shelves and sat on the bed thinking "What the fuck just happened?"

"Arun's steps, into the unknown land
College hostel, a new world to stand
Unfamiliar faces, a daunting sight
First day jitters, a heart full of fright

Records to write, decisions to make
Arun's heart races, his future at stake
Will he falter, or find his ground?
In this alien land, will he be found?"

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Question from Author:

1. How was your first day expired of school or college?