Against All Odds

i want to fix this

Liza was walking with her friends to the canteen when Kabir suddenly stopped her.

"Liza, wait a second," he said.

"Yeah? What's up?"

"Liza, you need to stay away from Kartik," Kabir said, his tone serious.

"What? Why?" she asked, confused.

"His intentions aren't good. I don't know how else to explain it to you, but just trust me on this."

"Kabir, what happened? Will you tell me?"

"Nothing specific, just... stay away from him."

"You're making no sense right now," Liza replied, frustration creeping into her voice. "At least tell me why you're saying this. How am I supposed to trust you?"

"Just trust me for once, Liza! I'm not always wrong."

"What if you are?" she shot back. "I want to trust you, but you have to give me a reason."

Kabir sighed, his frustration building. "Liza, why don't you get it? Kartik is my friend, and I can tell when he's not being himself."

"I really don't have time for this. If this is just one of your pranks, I'm not in the mood," Liza said, turning to leave.

Kabir's face hardened. "You know what? I'm done. I'm tired of trying to help you when you don't even trust me. No wonder you don't have many friends."

"Excuse me?" Liza stopped in her tracks.

"What's with the 'excuse me' act?" Kabir snapped. "After everything I've done to be friends with you, you can't trust me when I'm trying to protect you?"

Liza was confused, and before she could respond, Kabir stormed off.

Feeling uneasy, Liza went to room 205, the place where Kartik and his friends usually hung out. As she approached the door, she overheard a conversation.

"We can get Liza drunk at the fresher's party and take some embarrassing videos. She's been getting too bold. She needs to be put in her place."

Liza froze, her blood running cold. What the actual...?

Bursting into the room, she confronted Kartik. "I had so much respect for you, but you've lost all of it. You're disgusting. Wait till I report this."

"Liza, wait! It's not what you think!" Kartik stammered.

"Like I'd believe you now," she spat, walking out before he could say anything else.

The weight of the betrayal hit her hard as she left the college. The one person she had pushed away had been trying to protect her, and now she felt trapped. She hurt the only people who cared, all because she couldn't trust anyone, a defense mechanism born from her past.

Liza sat down, tears silently falling as she thought about everything she'd lost.

The next day, Liza had made up her mind. She was going to make things right with Kabir. He was the only one who truly cared about her at that college, and she was ready to finally let him in.

Arriving early, Liza sat outside, waiting for Kabir. When he finally arrived on his bike, she saw him in a different light. His black t-shirt clung perfectly to his tall, well-built frame. His hair was neatly styled, and for the first time, she noticed just how well-groomed and attractive he was. He had a quiet confidence about him that she'd never paid attention to before.

But Kabir, noticing her, didn't slow down. He acted like she didn't exist, his expression hard as he stormed past her into the class without a glance. The guilt in Liza's chest tightened. She wanted to fix things, to talk it out, but it felt like she had already lost her chance.

Later that afternoon, Liza was still thinking about how she could approach Kabir when Akshara rushed over to her, practically shouting.

"Lizu! LIZA! Did you hear what happened?"

"Calm down, Akshara," Liza said, barely paying attention.

"Dude! Kabir got proposed to!"

"What?" Liza asked, her attention snapping back.

"Yeah, Dhriti proposed to him in front of everyone! He looked so shocked, but... he said yes! So they're dating now!"

Liza's heart dropped. Dhriti and Kabir are dating now. The words hit her like a punch to the gut. Kabir... dating Dhriti? How? When?

She hadn't even realized it, but over time, she'd started to like Kabir. The thought of him with someone else was a sharp, unexpected pain she didn't know how to handle.

Liza tried to keep her cool, telling herself, He's just another guy. These feelings will fade. But deep down, she wasn't so sure.