The Zeroth Law

CHAPTER 7: THE MASTER PLAN

"Shayoni, I am stuck here. It's been only two pages and I don't know what to add else", Aisha said sitting by Shayoni's side on Friday evening with their assignment.

She and Shayoni belonged to same branch - Metallurgy and Material Science, so they shared classes and practical sessions. Sharing classes means spending a lot of time together and no matter how much you try to get rid of the person, you cannot because wherever you go, they are there. I know that very well as I still hadn't been able to rid myself of Rudraansh. And a look at Shayoni's face told me she was going through the same suffering I had gone through the previous year, at the end of which I had finally dropped my weapons and accepted Rudraansh's presence saying he would be like my appendix, an useless organ you don't get rid of.

"Do you think we should interfere?" Arpita whispered in my ear from near me.

"What can we do anyway even if we do interfere? It's not like Aisha's shooting her with nail gun", I whispered back as I watched Shayoni explain Aisha some steel making stuff in a buzzing voice.

"I know but we have to stop this for Aisha's well being", Arpita joined her head with mine, "before she gets shot by a nail gun. It's been four days and they go for lectures together, come back together and I heard Aisha suggesting even sharing a seat in class with Shayoni from next week. She's been stalking Shayoni like Edward stalked Bella. We have to stop this before this Twilight turns into Van Helsing."

"I haven't watched Twilight yet", I was distracted from the topic of discussion momentarily and looked at Arpita, "should we watch that first?" My question earned me a death glare from her so I mumbled, "Let's watch Elsa for now, I can look at Bella later."

We were seated on Arpita's bed side by side with one plug of earphone in her ear and other in mine to watch Frozen. I still hadn't watched this movie which had created such a hype and Arpita had looked at me like I might have been raised by a pack of wolves when I confessed to that; so I decided to give it a try but to Arpita's dismay I wasn't that invested in it because this was seventh time Aisha had called Shayoni's name since the start of the movie and I didn't want Shayoni to snap. She still hadn't told me the reason behind her discomfort around Aisha despite of my heart warming speech of the other day. And I know I had promised Shayoni that I would be patient and I believed that she must have a justifiable reason for her emotions but after spending a week with Aisha I was finding it hard to maintain my belief. Aisha had been extremely easy to adjust with, if one excludes the fact that she had hogged our room with her cushions and clothes; bright, cheerful and easy going to the point of being a push over. I was finding it hard to not like her any more but I know I had to.

"Why do we have to hate her?" Kritika said to me and Arpita during dinner. Shayoni had been stuck with Aisha in the study room as it was submission week for them.

"Well, isn't it a given that you don't concern yourself with people your friends don't like", I explained and Arpita nodded ardently.

"I thought you said Zeroth Law doesn't apply to friendships", Kritika said cleaning her plate.

"You know the law?" I asked her amazed.

"I was curious when you mentioned it so I gave it a glance", she turned around to face me and Arpita properly, "Adira, you know Shayoni the best amongst us three. So why are you putting up with her antiques?"

"She must have her reason", I cried at Kritika's accusation, "Shayoni has never shown such strong feelings for anyone before."

"But we also know she has baseless worries", Kritika lawyered her side, "I am not saying that we neglect her wounds, I don't know squat about it for me to pass any judgement on that. But I am saying one of us has to behave rationally here."