LOVE AND DHARMA

29. BAD AT EXISTING

The day had been a parade of disasters. The group's collective dignity had been stripped, stomped on, and left for dead in the streets. Now, gathered at Maya's apartment, they sat nursing their bruised egos and their caffeine-filled drinks.

"Okay," Maya said, sitting cross-legged on the couch, still wrapped in the absurd flowerpot outfit that had now started shedding petals. "Let's just agree that today never happened."

"Agreed," Vrushali said, absentmindedly wiping dried frosting off her cheek. She caught sight of the frosting blob on the carpet and shrugged. "But if this keeps happening, do we invest in... I don't know... better clothing? Like maybe clothes that don't fall apart on a slight breeze?"

Riya, still stubbornly wrapped in her superhero cape, scoffed. "Forget better clothing. We need armor. Custom, bulletproof, indestructible armor. I'm done being the local 'accidental streaker.'"

"You mean like the time you went undercover and ended up in your underwear in front of that crime boss?" Smriti teased, sipping her coffee.

Riya glared at her. "I don't want to talk about it."

Anjali leaned back, an air of confidence about her. "The issue is simple. We lack strategy. Next time, we don't just rely on clothing. We have backups. Extra pants. Emergency tarps. Maybe a portable changing booth. I can design-"

"NO!" the other four yelled in unison. Anjali's "designs" had already caused enough chaos today.

As they argued, the doorbell rang.

Maya sighed, still clutching her makeshift outfit, and shuffled to the door. When she opened it, there stood Raj, her boyfriend, holding a pizza box and a confused expression.

"Hey, babe," he said, his gaze drifting down to the cascade of leaves she was wearing. "Nice... uh... costume?"

Maya's face turned crimson. "It's... not what it looks like," she muttered, grabbing the pizza box and yanking him inside.

Raj stepped in and was immediately greeted by chaos: Vrushali was still trying to peel frosting out of her hair, Riya looked like a budget superhero, and Anjali was fiddling with some mysterious contraption on the coffee table.

"Why does this place smell like frosting, soda, and regret?" Raj asked, raising an eyebrow.

Before anyone could answer, Maya's towel-turned-tablecloth slipped, sending the pizza flying. In a frantic attempt to catch it, Maya lunged forward but tripped over the coffee table and went crashing to the floor. Her flowerpot outfit scattered across the room, leaving her in nothing but her underwear.

"Really?" Maya groaned, scrambling to grab a couch cushion for cover.

Raj blinked, biting his lip to suppress a laugh. "Are you cursed or something?"

Trying to lighten the mood, Anjali grinned. "Okay, everyone, I've got this under control. Time to demonstrate my new and improved disaster-proof system."

The group groaned in unison.

"Anjali, don't," Smriti said, eyeing the bizarre contraption on the coffee table.

"It's fine," Anjali assured them, setting the trap on the floor. "This baby's foolproof."

Moments later, Anjali accidentally stepped on the trigger. With a loud snap, a net shot out and hoisted her into the air. Her sweatpants and hoodie caught on the rope, leaving her dangling upside down in her polka-dotted underwear.