The Nerd and The Brat ✔️

43. Disney Princess

Hello Fam :)

My wifi isn't working since morning. Hence, a quick update. Sorry for the possible mistakes. :)

Happy Reading...

It was almost a week since Manik and Nandini talked to the principal. Manik's idea, even though people made fun of and a few were reluctant at the extra activity, was coming out well. A few people already started to talk to their friends and have used the empty classrooms over the weekends. Nandini visited the campus because she didn't want to stay at home. Manik, however, had ignored her message on both the days. She didn't give it a thought since the boy hardly had an idea about the whereabouts of his mobile. He might be hanging out with a new book but when the first bench was empty on Monday, she regretted not contacting Cabir.

"Is he bunking the class?", she asked Abhimanyu.

"No idea", he told, shrugging.

"He might be busy", told Mukti. "I talked to him last on Friday and he said he had a lot of work to do over the weekend."

Nandini snorted. "Mukti, if the guy doesn't have work, he would go find for it. Guess, no point in sitting at the front."

They didn't notice initially but there was someone sitting at the back bench with his head down. And there was no one in the entire college who wore formal shirts to college. Manik. Nandini exchanged glances with her friends, who came to the same conclusion as hers, before walking to the bench and taking a seat beside him. The boy hardly moved. Mukti and Abhimanyu were sitting in front of them with their backs turned to Manik. Nandini called him softly but when he didn't budge, she shook him.

Manik rubbed his eyes and looked at her. "Nandini? Is the college over yet?", he asked.

He was looking tired with eyes so red. If Nandini didn't know better, she would have thought he was drunk but then her gaze shifted to his lap and there she found a file resting on his knees. She rolled her eyes and pulled the file away from him, ignoring his weak protests. "Manik, what the hell?", she asked, exasperated. She wasn't exaggerating when she said he would go looking for work. "Don't tell me, you stayed up all weekend to read this."

"Nandini, that's confidential", he told.

"Manik, I am not reading it. And neither are you", she said and stuffed the file inside his bag.

"I don't have time and I need to figure that out", he told.

"You look like you are sporting a hangover", said Mukti.

Nandini had realized, Manik had managed to break through Mukti's walls too. There was always some sort of fondness and concern whenever she talked about the boy which usually is absent when it's others, including her boyfriend.

"I am suffering from a hangover", muttered Manik. "Why is everyone so loud?"

"Bro, did you finally break your celibacy with alcohol?", asked Abhimanyu. He was excited.

"I need sleep", he muttered before his eyes widened. He looked pained to open his eyes as he stared at Nandini. "Nandini, I didn't drink. I don't drink, I promise."

Nandini nodded. The boy looked delirious and probably drugged. It was really new. "Manik, where's Cabir?", sh asked.

"Cabir left me", he told before slumping forward on the table. Even Abhimanyu looked concerned looking at Manik.

Nandini sent a quick text to Cabir asking where he was and why his brother was looking like he drowned himself on drugs. His reply came within a few minutes and it made her groan. She looked at her friends. "Apparently, he feels the hangover whenever he goes days without sleeping and drowning himself in books", she told her best friends. They sighed. "I would really kick him once he feels conscious enough to frame a proper sentence", she muttered.