Forever: The phone call | Part 2 | Complete

Chapter 1

I woke up in the morning with a sickening feeling. College life seemed so desirable until I put a foot in this hell. How difficult is this thing!!! There is cut throat competition, unknown faces and unknown behavioral tendencies. Ugh! I'm so done with this change.

There are too many faces, well there were always too many of them but in scholl I knew most of them. Here, the number of healthy teeth in my mouth is more than the number of people I know and I've had 3 root canals with no wisdom tooth out yet.

Contemplating my future in college life, I realized was already late. Yep, the early riser in me was dead. I spent nights completing assignments and days yawning my glory off.

In a hurry I got down the bed and into the shower. Minutes later, I was out. With a cream coloured shirt and brown pants, I was good to go.

I packed my lunch and water bottle, locked the house with the same old keys, and left. As I came out of the main gate, I saw the bus stop. The same one where I had met Abhaas for the first time. With slow steady steps like everyday, I went to stand there. Every step of the every day for the last eight months down this pavement and all I wished was the old times to return back.

The cool Tuesday breeze of lovely winter caressed my cheeks. I'm already done with Christmas break and I soo need another. Studies are tiring when there aren't people around you love. With Abhaas gone our group has just disintegrated. None in contact with one another. Life is dryer than Sahara and icier than Arctic. This is life for me, forever.

While my mind was still wandering in the past, a couple of kids showed up at the bus stop.

"I can be a really good friend that keeps all of your secrets." I heard the boy talking.
"Do you promise?" The girl asked, visibly nervous.
"Yes, promise. I'll never break it." It was very disturbing to hear him say that. How can he be so sure? What if he suddenly disappears in the future and the girl is left with no hope than just busy herself up with studies because she's unable to fill that hollow in her heart! He might betray her, mine one betrayed me too.

Out of nowhere, I spoke.
"Don't, make promises you can't keep." Both of them turned towards me. They were confused and the guy looked alert. He pushed the girl behind him and stood like a wall between us.

I continued,"You make promises that you know you can never keep. So stop telling lies."
I craned my neck to look at the little girl and said,"Remember, never trust guys! They may appear like 'Peter Pan' but inside is a very scary boogeyman. The kind that even captain hook is scared of. They say they want to be your friend but they break your heart and soul. They show you they care but they don't!!!"

I could feel my eyes sting and my throat constricted. There was heavy weight forming in the cavity of my heart and it was unbearable without my life jacket around to save me. I looked at the empty space next to me and said.

"He said he'll be there for me, he said he will stay forever but is he? Is he here!!! Can you see the empty space? See!..." I waved my hand in the air next to me.
"This guy here will do the same, he will leave you helpless!!! It's better you don't be his friend." They both looked terrified, the girl reflected my past, the same naive face ready to be sacrificed in the fire altar.

That boy turned his back towards me and protectively placed his hands over her shoulders.
"This girl is crazy. Come on Sanskriti, the bus is here. Let's leave." The boy helped her inside and the school bus left.

I could feel tears rolling down my cheeks. He still has so much effect on me. His mere mention crumbles me down into a heap of helplessness. Does he feel it when I cry in his memory or is it just me crying all day long? All the days that I felt like I wanted to jump down my window and land on the flower bloom, screaming ' I can't believe I'm the sperm that won' and getting a reply 'Neither can I' with his enchanting laughter in the background...
It has been so long since I heard him speak.
A long time since I spoke to him,

The phone in my pocket buzzed with notifications. I fetched it out. I guess I should call him, I'll just ask him how he is and then it will be over. There is peace in his voice and I need it for survival. I opened my phonebook and clicked on his contact. I was about to click on the call icon but my thumb never reached there. The bus had arrived. Time has passed, what we hard is a part of the past. My heart may want him but as of now, brain is the only thing controlling me. And maybe that's why I am sitting in the bus. I left my heart at the bus stop. Heart or no heart, future awaits and I go for it, no turning back.

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I reached my classroom and sat on my usual bench. In an effort to avoid any possibility of friendship because well I'm afraid of making friends; I placed my bag next to me on the seat. It isn't my fault that the friends I made aren't there anymore. Not that I make an effort to contact them or anything but I have learned to be self reliant and not expect much from others. Life is a strict teacher and we are all it's students we like it or not. It's better if we follow what it orders or get ready to face the consequences.

With a huff and puff that disappeared into thin air, I busied myself in scrolling through Instagram feed when someone lifted my bag and placed their ass on the seat instead. Why are humans trying hard to get on my nerve?

I turned towards the figure. It was a girl, not very tall but pretty thin, she was wearing a black hoodie. She had a don't mess with me expression on her face but then, she was standing before me who was already holding a bare sword ready to kill any person coming my way.
I said rather rudely,"The seat is taken, it belongs to someone."
She looked at me and said," I don't see anyone's name written over here. So technically it doesn't belong to anyone."

She isn't supposed to mess with me! Just take go away and save your life. I pulled out my verbal weapon and hit her hard for once.
"Now that you are sitting here, we can say that the seat certainly belongs to satan."
She didn't expect me to lash back at her. Well even I didn't expect myself to be so rude either. I'm angry at life, no need to pull stunts on her. I think I should apologise for my behavior.

"Look I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that."
"Don't be. I must admit you are a tough nut. It's difficult to find such people in this crazy world of ours. I really like your expertise at insults." I was dumbfounded. She is pretty unpredictable. "Hi, I'm Sampriya. Nice to meet you."

Am I supposed to introduce myself or think about how stupendously devilish she is or just sit here and do nothing? As a matter of fact, she's staring at me expecting an answer, I'm staring at her thinking about the answer and I'm pretty sure there are one too many pairs of eyes looking at this little skit of ours.

"Do you not like me?" she asked. Oh god Ahana, open your mouth, say something!
"Nothing like that! I'm Ahana, Ahana Kulkarni. Nice to meet you."
Her eyes lit up with a certain kind of thought. I am really bad at handling people I don't know so it's better if I make myself clear and draw a line.

"Look we just met and this ain't any silly fictional story to randomly get friends. I'm very uncomfortable with unknown people so if you don't mind.--"

"Oh in that case we better get to know each other." She knew how to get her way through the maze of my conservative mind. In no time, I found myself giving up to her digging, she went deep and deep into my mind.

We spoke a lot that day. While she continued to explore the depths of my mind, I made a conscious effort of concealing the sensitive memories because they weren't made for sharing, they were to be preserved in hopes of a better future.

It was great to have company, especially when we're stuck in the middle of a sea of unknown creatures. It's like being back to playschool where you have to start from square one to find friends. I can't tell how long or if this will last, but to have someone new is a lot better than not having anyone at all. It's a deep, infinite ocean of college life. I don't have a boat of mine, but until then I'll use this raft. Who knows, maybe this very raft will become my boat one day. Until then, let the waves decide my destiny.

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So what do you think about this chapter? Drop in comments so that I can improve if needed and know if you are in for this book.