We got your back

Bhuvi's story

"WHERE'S VIRAT, FOR GOD'S SAKE WHERE'S VIRAT, JINKS?" Rohit was hollering down the stairs.

"I DON'T KNOW, CAN'T YOU CALL HIM?" yelled back Jinks.

Kuldeep was wailing loudly, and Yuzi was trying to quieten him at the top of his voice, and Jinks ran up to them and demanded, "What happened to him now?"

"Virat bhaiya disappeared," said Yuzi in an obvious tone.

"He'll turn up, idiot," said Shikhar.

But Jinks took a good look at Kuldeep, beginning to suspect that he might be doing it on purpose to increase the chaos, because he figured that staying with this mad team for so long might corrupt even someone like Kuliya.

The bus was, as happened before every trip, honking at the door.

"Are we all here?" asked Sunny.

"Are you deaf? Virat isn't here yet," said Jinks, losing his cool.

"Go take a look at the expensive components of the bus," Hardik started to say.

Jassi covered his mouth and pulled him away, hissing, "You idiot!"

Virat had been lying in wait in the bus for the last fifteen minutes, crouched behind a seat, unaware of the uproar that was going on back at the hotel owing to his disappearance, and when he finally took up his phone, annoyed at his team's delay, he saw hundreds of 'where are you' messages and missed calls.

He called Jinks and whispered, "I'm in the bus, come quick, and don't tell anyone!"

It took Jinks another ten minutes of hard work to round up everyone and take them to the bus.

"Isn't Virat coming?" asked Bhuvi mildly.

Jinks pretended not to hear and jumped into the bus.

Virat had made great plans of jumping out from his hiding place and scaring everyone out of their wits, but he saw Bhuvi entering with this godforsaken friends of his, and his mood swiftly plummeted.

He stood up and gestured at Bhuvi to sit beside him.

Bhuvi shook his head slightly and Virat saw how genuinely upset he looked, and for the first time considered the fact that something serious might be up.

Jassi slipped beside Virat as he was staring at Bhuvi sitting down with his villainous friends in the front.

"Hi Jassi," said Virat half-heartedly.

"Something is wrong with Bhuvi bhaiya," said Jassi without preamble.

Virat looked around sharply. This kid was nowhere as immature as their team treated him.

"I've noticed it too," said Virat finally.

"He's unhappy with Payal and Sunny, then why is he sticking around with them so much?" said Jassi.

"Don't you think he's avoiding us as well?" said Virat.

"A bit," said Jassi, because he didn't want to blame Bhuvi bhaiya even to Virat bhaiya.

"And there's absolutely no explanation for that, because that's not how you act around childhood best friends," said Virat, frowning.

"Don't worry, Virat bhaiya," said Jassi comfortingly. "We'll ask him today."

Hardik and Rahul had been listening in, and Hardik leaned over their backseats to get closer.

"I'll help," he whispered.

"You're techniques won't work," said Rahul at once.

"His techniques do work on Bhuvi," said Virat, very practically indeed.

Hardik didn't even gloat.

______________

After checking into their bedside hotel, most of the team wanted to go for a swim immediately, and a few (read: Rohit Sharma only) voted for an hour of rest.

"What was the point of coming here if you're going to sleep anyway?" Shikhar asked Rohit.

"Just one hour," begged Rohit.

Payal and Sunny had raced to change into beach clothes already, and they appeared.

Bhuvi grabbed the opportunity with both hands and said, "I'll stay with you, Ro."

Virat caught Jassi, Hardik and Rahul's eyes. There was no way they were going anymore.

The others, who didn't know of their decision, still sensed that something was up, so they waited in silence for Sunny and Payal to leave.

Then Virat grabbed Bhuvi's arm and bolted upstairs, crying, "All of you, come quick!"

In a rare moment of orderliness, everyone followed silently.

They had entered one of the rooms and locked it from inside before Sunny or Payal could come back to investigate.

"Virat--what's going on?" complained Bhuvi.

"You're a fine one to ask," said Virat, severely.

"You tell us what's going on," said Hardik.

Bhuvi looked at his friends staring at him expectantly. Had it been that obvious? Wasn't there any way out?

"Before you try to deny it, don't," said Shikhar, draping an arm around Bhuvi's shoulders.

"You're quiet and sad," said Jinks.

"Also, you've been avoiding us," said Rohit.

"I've not been avoiding--"

"Bhuvi, if you don't tell us the entire truth right now, I'll stop speaking to you forever," said Hardik, his voice rising. "Forever!" he added for good measure.

"Me too," said Jassi unexpectedly.

That was the last straw.

"Sunny and Payal aren't my childhood friends," said Bhuvi finally. "I barely know them."

"Then why--" started Hardik.

Jassi shushed him.

Bhuvi looked at Virat and Shikhar and said, "Remember that party after the final? I don't know what exactly happened, but... I was driving back to the hotel, and then I guess I passed out or something..."

Virat's heart sank down to his feet. Shikhar's face was stark white.

"I must've hit Payal, and when I came around, Payal was crying and Sunny told me what I'd done," said Bhuvi, looking haunted. "But I hadn't drunk that day, I--"

"Bhuvi," said Virat, almost in tears. "We spiked your drink."

"What?"

"Virat and I spiked your drink with alcohol," said Shikhar, unable to meet Bhuvi's eyes.

"Oh," said Bhuvi, surprised by how betrayed he felt. At some point, he had considered the idea of someone having spiked his drink in the party, Warny or someone, but somehow he had never considered it might have been Virat or Shikh.

"That was the worst thing you ever did in your life," Rohit told Virat harshly.

"Why would you do something like that, Virat bhai?" asked Kuldeep, horrified.

"It was my idea," said Shikhar quickly.

"It was both of ours. And we just meant it as a joke, we had no idea, Bhuvi--I'm so sorry!" cried Virat.

Bhuvi's momentary resentment melted away in a second.

"It's ok, Vi," he said. "You too, Shikh. It was just an unfortunate incident, that's all."

"But Bhuvi, are you treating these two so well out of guilt?" asked Jinks.

"No," said Bhuvi. "They said that drunk driving is a crime, and they could report me and ruin my career and everything else in a moment unless I followed their terms."