For Infinity

Part 3: The Face Off

It's easy to forgive the mistakes from others. But, it's hard to rebuild the trust that has been destroyed.

"You know Chachi, S.P.A.C.E is way amazing. Maine kabhi socha nahi tha ki ek din mujhe uss college main padhne ka mauka milega. It feels so unreal. Thank you so much for allowing me & Rishu to come here." It was early in the morning and Nandini was sitting on the Verandah with her Chachi, sipping on her favourite filter coffee. In the absence of a mother and a sister, it was with her Chachi she gossiped and shared all the little secrets. Being a shy and introvert person, she was the closest thing to a best friend.

"Chup kar bacche. You both are my own children and this is your house. You don't need anyone's permission to live here. Aaj ke baad aisa kabhi mat bolna. Thike?" She caressed her cheeks with a glint of tears on her face. The glimpse of her Mother in her features, always reminded Chachi of her late sister in law and she would always end up getting emotional. Nandini realized it and she wiped off the stray tears with a smile. Though from inside her heart ached at the thought of her dead Amma she never let it reflect it on her face. She had learned to be strong at the mere age of 12.

"My dear Chachi. Aapke face pe yeh frown acchi nahi lagti. Aap bass smile karte rehne. You know it makes my day."

"Jaise tu kahe. I love you mera baccha" She kissed her head and went inside with the empty mugs of coffee, leaving Nandini in her own chain of thoughts and before you knew it, tears started streaming down her face. She cried till her tears dried and there was no sign of her pain. While mending other's hearts she never realized that her own heart was bleeding.
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Location: S.P.A.C.E

Nandini and Navya had decided that they will meet near the gate by 10.30 and then together they will go for the lecture. But, it was 11 and still there was no sign of Navya. Nandini tried calling her but she didn't pick up which worried her more. She decided to check the classroom thinking that maybe she must have reached already.

Nandini's POV:
I was walking through the corridor looking for Navya when I heard loud noises somewhat like hoots echoing from the canteen. I was getting bad vibes so I decided to check it out and what I saw stunned me to the core and made my hair stand on the end. A group of 5 people were pushing poor Navya here and there as if she was a ball. She was drenched in sauce and egg yolks. The smell in the canteen was unbearable and she was crying her eyes out but nobody gave any heed to it. Enough was enough. I needed to take it into my own hands.

"Stop it! Who do you think you're ha? Don't you all have a heart? She is crying aur tum log hass rahe ho? You heartless people, leave her right now!" I heard few gasps and the room came to a stand still. The only noise that could be heard was Navya's silent sobs. I pulled her out of the clutches of a tomboy girl who seemed so rude and cold. I could sense the anger within her rising. "You stupid girl! How dare you come between this? Do you have any idea who we are!" She was spitting fire which made my stomach churn in fear.

Meet Mukti Vardhan. A girl with a dark side, the ultimate bully and electric guitarist of Fab 5. She was cold as ice and hot as lava at the same time. Messing with her was never a good idea.

She raised her hands at me and I closed my eyes knowing what was coming my way. I was too shocked to defend myself. But, even after a long minute which felt like a lifetime, I didn't feel anything. Thinking that I was shown some mercy, I opened my eyes to a shocking revelation. No, it was not that she had felt pity on me but, she had stopped because her hands were held by a strong arm. My eyes travelled to the owner and it stopped on a familiar face. It was the same guy whose music had made my heart happy. I didn't want to believe that he was a part of all this. But, to my dismay he indeed had a role in my best friend's torture.

Manik's POV:
Another day meant tormenting a new fresher. Fab 5 was known for it's dominance and that's how we maintained it. We instilled fear so that no one could stand against it. We had caught hold of a dumb girl who herself had come to us with a pretext of being our fan. And that's how we had ended up in canteen. I knew nobody had the guts to stop us. Nobody. But today I was proved wrong. A girl's defensive voice struck my ears and I turned to look at her. She was going to face my wrath I thought. But, I was shocked. She was the same gorgeous girl I had felt a connection with. For the first time in my life I cursed my friends for pulling out this prank. I didn't want to be in her bad books. I never cared about this before because I was always oblivious of how I portrayed myself. But, this time I knew I didn't want to be the bad boy.

I saw Mukti raising her hand on her and before she could create another blunder I held her hand. My heart went out to her when I saw fear in her eyes. But, it got replaced by pure disappointment. She studied my face with a hope that it wasn't who she was thinking but I crushed all of it. This shouldn't have happened. I wanted to explain but, before I could she left with her friend. I wish I could make her stay but, I guess it was too late.

Nandini's POV:
Judging by his expressions I knew he wanted to explain everything. But, I was so angry and disgusted that I left from there with Navya before he could speak. I cursed myself for having any kind of feeling for that monster. He and his group of friends were inhumane. I knew that from this day I had to stay a thousand feet away from them especially him. I took Navya to the washroom to get her cleaned up. She looked so worn out and scared. I hugged her with a promise to protect her always. It was a beginning of a long lasting friendship. After making sure she was fine, we left for my home. We both were not in a mood to attend the lectures. I felt this weird pain whenever I thought of that monster. I locked away all those feelings even though it was small, into the darkest corner of my heart. I couldn't make myself vulnerable.

Is this the end of a love story which had not even started? Stay tuned to find out.
-Ashkins