Till The Count Of Five ✓

Chapter 59

Chapter 59

No one has to understand, just your own mind and heart.

Ash

11th April 2019, Thursday
22:10

My head. It hurt. I moaned and got up. The stoned stairs underneath my head were gone, replaced by a soft cushion. I rubbed my eyes and looked around. I was in my room. But how did I come here? Where was Shay? I hurriedly got down the bed, the sudden movement interfering with my eyesight and everything began to revolve. I blinked and grabbed my head. Breathe. Breathe till five. I took a deep breath and blew out. In and out. In and out. Something fell. I turned slowly and opened the door.

"Sameer?" I called. "Sam?"

He was nowhere in sight. Rather, as I stood in front of my room and looked over the railing down in the living room, I saw Rishab. He stared up at me with the corner of his lips turned down, quite unlike a frown.

"What are you doing here?" I said. "Are those my gifts? Are you trespassing?" I knew it wasn't. He must have been here with Sameer.

"You were lying outside your door on the entrance with your head bleeding."

"It is my head, I know," I said with a scowl. "Where are my parents? Had they still not returned?"

He shook his head. "I came to meet Sameer. He went to the hotel because your parents called. There is some problem there."

"I didn't ask you," I snapped, then flinched. I had not meant to snap but Shay's words poisoned my veins again. My hands curled in fists. She was right. She had always been right.

The woman had still not called about the prize. April has just started, I assured myself. She would call soon and then everyone would see the reality. I was not a mean child. I was just a stupid girl who was still stuck on her seventh grade where the badge she had drawn for the class, the badge that was supposed to beautify her name and title had been given to her for a month was snatched off to give to others because Ashiamma, sweetie, you're too soft for a rank holder. Stick to painting. No one can beat you at that.

No one was supposed to beat me at that. But I had forgotten the only thing I was a rank holder of, was being beaten by others to the trophies. It did not matter if the trophies were prizes or guys.

"Should I call them?" Rishab asked.

I snapped out of my thoughts. "What are you doing here? I thought you had left by now."

He frowned. "Why are you being angry? I'm just asking you. It didn't look like you fell."

I walked to the stairs. "It is none of your business if I fell or I was pushed."

"So you were pushed." His tone reminded me of Nolan's. Nikhil. I had called him something else so that he'd remind me of Rishab. I touched my forehead. He must have thought I was a stupid girl with a stupid crush. Staring at Rishab, it sounded stupid to me. I cursed my luck for not being able to consider Nolan's case stupid. It wasn't even close. Rishab trying to imitate him was a laughable sight. I snickered.

He looked at me with confusion. "Are you okay?"

"Better than I have ever been. No thanks to you. Why are you even here, pretending to care? Go to Sameer's room and wait there."

I turned back but he grabbed my arm. "Why do you hate me so much?"

I snatched my arm away like it was on fire. "I don't, Rishab. I did, but now I don't. I hated you because you had intoxicated my system. I failed to focus on anything else because of you. But guess what, I've found someone better because of you, you and your stupid bike. Unfortunately, I will have to drop the one person who stood by me."