*Shreya's POV*
As soon as Barkha's message popped up, my curiosity was piqued. I clicked on it, downloaded the pictures, and saw a familiar face among them. He was the guy I bumped into the other day, and my heart leaped with excitement as I looked at the picture of the most handsome guy I have ever met. But then, I saw the message below the pictures: "Biggest bullies on campus." Everything Barkha had just told us rushed through my mind, and a scream escaped my mouth. If he finds out I’m a student here, will I become their target as well? My phone fell to the floor.
My excitement turned into confusion and disbelief. A chill ran down my spine as I remembered the accusations Barkha had made against him—stories of intimidation, manipulation, and cruelty. The image I had of him as a charming, gentle person began to crumble.
I remembered how, after that first interaction, I couldn’t stop thinking about him. I started to develop a crush, imagining what he might be like and hoping I’d run into him again.
My face flushed with a mix of embarrassment and anger. I felt so foolish for being drawn to someone who, in reality, was nothing like the person I imagined. I couldn’t believe I was so easily deceived by his looks and a brief interaction.
“Are you crazy? Why did you scream like that?” Megha shouted over the video call.
“N-nothing. I saw a rat in my room.” I felt so stupid that I didn’t want to embarrass myself by telling them that I had a crush—maybe still have a crush—on this guy named Rohit Arora. Even his name sounds so good. Just shut up already.
“You okay?” Maira asked, concern evident in her tone.
“Yeah, I’m fine. See?” I replied, showing them my brightest smile. I hope I’m not overdoing it. “You girls carry on; I’m going to sleep,” I yawned.
“Hmm... Okay. See you in the morning,” Megha said. Barkha waved and reminded us once more to be careful of these bullies. Maira was still staring straight into my soul—even through the video call, her typical way of knowing if I’m lying. I disconnected and hopped into bed with my stupid thoughts.
I’m not sure what I’m feeling right now. It’s twisted. I feel like crying, realizing that the line, "It was nice bumping into you, literally," which I thought was meant to compliment me, was just his way of flirting with every other girl. “How can you be so stupid, Shreya?” How did I end up having a crush on a person I barely even know? Tears started flowing down my cheeks. “And I don’t even know why I’m crying now. I’m not even on my period to have such a mood swing.” I heard a pop-up notification. Wiping my tears, I picked up my phone from the side table. It was a message from Maira.
Maira: Tell me everything when you’re comfortable. You know I’m always here for you.
Me: I know you are ¯_(ツ)_/¯, but tell you what?
Maira: Don’t try to act smart with me. I know something’s wrong. If I’m not mistaken, you know one of them.
What are you, a detective? Gosh.
Me: You’re just overthinking it. Nothing’s wrong.
Maira: Yeah... I totally trust you on that. Have a good night’s sleep.
Me: Why can’t you just believe my words? Goodnight.
Maira: Expressions explain more than words.
Here she goes with her philosophy again. I rolled my eyes and put my phone back on the table. She really knows me so well, but that’s what I love about her. She never forces me to tell her things I’m not comfortable sharing, though that doesn’t stop her from trying to find out in other ways.
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We’re sitting in the garden area, having the drinks I bought on my way to the university. Coffee for all three of us and a blueberry smoothie for Maira. I knew the only way Maira could make friends with someone was if they were already friends with someone close to her. Otherwise, she’s a ‘lone wolf’ who never trusts anyone else, which is what she’s been taught, and it's probably for her own good.
“We have class in 15 minutes. What about you?” Megha asked Maira.
“Exactly 9:00,” she replied, glancing at her watch.
“So you have half an hour? What will you do till then?” Barkha queried.
“I’m going to the library. I have some work to do,” Maira shrugged, picking up her bag. “I’ll meet you guys directly in the canteen at the usual time.”
We spent a few more minutes in the garden, discussing which clothing material could be the best option for our assignment, and then headed to class. As we walked down the hallway of our department building, we noticed people gathered around, wondering what was going on. We went straight towards them. As we tried to peek through the crowd, I saw a boy and a girl standing in the center. The girl was crying, with two other girls holding her from both sides. A guy was on the ground, holding his stomach, panting, with bruises visible on his cheeks. I noticed a guy sitting on a chair in front of them, smirking like an authority figure, with a few more girls and guys beside him, cheering and clapping.
Barkha asked one of the girls beside us, “What’s going on?” She replied, “Manav is bullying newcomers again. That guy is his old target, and the girl is the new one. He’s asking him to kiss her if he wants to free himself, or else they’ll both be bullied together.”
“Oh shoot, we need to call someone to stop this,” Megha said, pulling her phone out of her pocket, but the girl stopped her. “Don’t even think about it,” she said, taking a deep breath and pulling us out of the crowd. “No one is going to help. Instead, if they find out you’re poking your nose in their business, they won’t spare you. If I’m not mistaken, you’re newbies too, so get out of here before you get in trouble.”
“So you’re saying we should enjoy the drama or just leave?” I frowned.
“Yes, exactly that,” she said before disappearing back into the crowd.
We all looked at each other, praying we’d never become their target. “Hey, he wasn’t in those pictures. What was his name again? Yeah, Manav,” I asked Barkha.
“I’m thinking the same thing. Maybe the person who gave me the information wasn’t aware of him. I’m literally getting chills.”
“Same,” Megha agreed, worry clear on her face. “If I’d known one of the best universities had this dark side, I would’ve never come here.”
“True. Is he one of them as well? I mean, that bully group?” I wondered.
“100%. No one would have the guts to do this alone,” Barkha stated.
We went straight to our class, our hearts filled with the disappointment that this incident had created. This university might be safe from the outside world, but not from the demons within. I’m literally thanking God that Maira wasn’t with us—who knows what she would’ve done? I hope she never comes across them, or there will be big trouble.
Picture of Manav Provided ☝️
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Limits: love & Hate
Teen Fiction"In a world of shadows, she hid her true self, while he buried his emotions deep within. They were both running from the truth, yet unknowingly running toward each other." __________________________________________________________________________ *S...
