Mrunali found her sister and cousins chatting outside a café, sipping chilled colas after their marathon shopping spree. One glimpse of her downcast face, and Meera was on her feet, cola forgotten.
"Mrunu?! What happened?" She gripped her sister's shoulders, peering intently into her eyes for a clue behind her obvious distress. Mrunali quickly described her encounter with the jewellery shop, including the hurtful boy's untimely reappearance. As expected, her confession sparked instant outrage from the group.
"Why, that arrogant, useless coward!" Neha slammed her drink onto the table, cracking the plastic cup. "I ought to march right back there and give him a piece of my mind!"
Anjali readily agreed, halfway out of her seat before Mrunali raised a weary hand. "Please, it's not worth it! We're leaving soon anyway." Though touched by their indignation on her behalf, she hardly had the energy for another confrontation.
Meera's sharp gaze bored into her. "Mrunu, that's twice now that you've let those fools get away with publicly insulting you! I don't understand - where is that fierce streak I grew up with?"
Mrunali sighed, suddenly feeling every one of her eighteen years of rejection and loneliness. These girls could never comprehend the daily blows to her self-worth over things as trivial as clothing sizes or unattainable beauty standards. Some battles weren't worth fighting.
Reading the defeat in her sister's eyes, Meera wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders. "I'm sorry people are so cruel, Mrunu," she murmured. "You deserve so much kindness..."
Mrunali patted her twin's hand, regaining some of her spirit. She refused to crumble under the weight of strangers' thoughtless words. Straightening her glasses, she nudged her drooping companions.
"Come on, enough misery for one day! We still haven't picked a place for dinner!" At the promise of food and lighter conversation, the group perked up. Linking her arm through Neha's, Mrunali followed the lively chatter, the perfect pearl ring fading to a bittersweet memory.
YOU ARE READING
Uncaged
Mystery / Thriller"Uncaged" follows the tumultuous journey of Mrunali, an 18-year-old girl battling deep insecurities and societal pressures. She starts as an underconfident teenager constantly belittled by her peers, but through a series of harrowing experiences, Mr...
