Revenge or Revolution?

28.

The dance event was a success. Everyone were with their significant others dancing and those who weren't also got partners on the spot. There was no worry if someone danced with someone. Everyone was swapping partners, it was a reunion and everyone wanted to talk with each other. Dance was just one excuse of talking by being close to each other. And no one minded if their girlfriend/boyfriend danced with someone else. Everyone were enjoying the dance and taking advantage of this moment, Brian took the chance and started dancing with Kate.

'I thought you were going to call it off with Sandra,' Kate was angry, 'I can clearly see you coming down here with her.' she felt betrayed.

'I was. But I thought it would be wrong to do before the reunion. She wouldn't have a date for the day and I can't see her sad.'

'Then you should be with her.' Kate started walking away.

'You didn't let me finish my whole sentence,' Brian said as he ran after her, 'I can't see her sad but she definitely can. You can clearly see how she is not dancing with me, right? She feels embarrassed to be with a loser like me.'

Kate stopped.

'I think you are the right person for me. If you don't believe me, I am willing to be with you for the rest of the night. I say, let's go on the second floor and have some fun. There's too much noise here.' Without listening to Kate, he just took her by her hand and ran towards the stairs. For a moment, Kate hesitated but she also was getting bored of just dancing.

Steve was seeing everything on the video screen. They can't come on the second floor right now. If they came on the second floor, Brian would definitely want to come in the storage room. Steve couldn't reveal his identity in front of Brian yet. His whole plan will be ruined. He had thought that Brian would try to hook up with some girl but he thought he would go to the far end of the college on the ground floor. Why was everything falling apart? Steve was getting stressed which was not good for him. At that moment, he saw something on the camera.

'You can't go beyond this point.'

An old man was mopping the floor. He was short in height and was wearing a blue cap.

'Why can't we?' Brian tried to be composed.

'Because this part of the college is not paid for. The reunion rules strictly suggest that only that college part can be explored which are paid for. And this wasn't paid for. Besides, there are only storage closets and rooms for us cleaners here. You have no reason to go here.'

Brian was getting impatient. He was going to shout at the old man when Kate placed an arm on his shoulders.

'Brian, you shouldn't get angry with this kind old man, he's just doing his job. May we know which floors are available for us, sir?' Kate was polite.

'If you both are together, I suggest you should go to the library on the ground,' the old man said, 'it is the cleanest place we have.' He winked at Brian as he said it.

Brian was disgusted. He just groaned and went away. Kate thanked the janitor and went behind Brian.

Steve saw the whole thing with bewilderment. He couldn't be just saved. Who was that random stranger? He deserved his gratitude. When he was thinking this, the old man removed his cap and looked straight up to the camera.

'MR.PATRICKSON!' Steve exclaimed. What was he doing here? He was not supposed to be here. It was not the plan. He was saved though because Mr.Patrickson was on the right place at the right time. Steve checked the live feed and made sure that no one was around and then went to meet Mr.Patrickson.

He had stopped mopping and was sitting on a nearby bench.

'First of all, I want to thank you for saving me,' Steve said as he walked towards him, 'and secondly, what are you even doing here?'

'I just couldn't live in suspense. I wanted to see how our plan worked out and really wanted to see that Brian. He really is a jerk. Was that Sandra with her?'

'No ,that was Kate. Remember I told you that he would try to be with someone today?'

'He really is a predictable sleazeball,' Mr.Patrickson said, 'anyway, I thought you would need someone to be here to protect you and I was right. I still can't believe what was that kind girl doing with Brian.'

'Forget about it. Do you want to sit in the room with me?'

'That defeats the whole purpose of me being here, doesn't it? You stay there and I will keep an eye out here.'

That made sense to Steve and he parted ways with Mr.Patrickson.

******

Sandra was getting started with food when she noticed that she had still not seen Steve. It had almost been 3 hours and the dinner had started. Did Steve lie to her and run away? It can't be possible, Steve was anything but a liar. She couldn't even see Brian and she assumed he must be with his friends.

'Sandra, Long time no see!'

Sandra turned back and saw a guy sporting a goatee. He had black heavy rimmed glasses and was in a very expensive suit. She couldn't identify the face but the voice was very familiar to her. It had become a bit hoarse but it still had that cheerfulness.

'John! You look so different.'

'Is it the tie?' John laughed as he said that. Sandra also smiled.

John was always the cheerful one. Everyone felt this positivity when he was around.

'How have you been?'

'I have been great! You seem to have prospered as well. Did someone die and leave you with all their belongings?' Sandra joked. She knew that out of all, John was the only one who wouldn't be offended at jokes.

'Something like that,' John laughed, 'my father had a stroke and the doctors advised him to stop working. So I took over the business and I got lucky and made some good deals now and then.'

'You are being too modest. You must have worked hard for it.' Sandra was happy for him but a small part of her was jealous. She could have been successful as well but she was contented with what she had and so she dismissed the ugly thought.

'By the way, where is Steve? I haven't seen him since I got here!'

'I haven't either.' Sandra was confused. John was Steve's best friend. Why would he ask her where Steve was. Rather it should be the opposite.

'I thought you would know!'

'Why would I?' John was confused, 'You are with him, aren't you?'

'No, I am not with him. Why would you think that?'

'Well, both of you left the college on the same day and none of you graduated. I thought both of you ran away to get away from that womanizer Brian.'

Sandra's expressions changed and that made John realize that she was still with Brian and he had made a mistake.

'I am sorry. It's just that last time he called me, he said that you don't want to hear from him because you had a fight or something. I figured that if you had a fight, you must be together.'

'What? I don't understand.'

'You know I called you regarding death of Kyle,' John said, 'it was Steve who had called me to tell you that Kyle died of a heart attack. He never said anything and I haven't heard from him since then. I knew Kyle died but it was Steve who told me the cause.'

Sandra was horrified. It was Steve who fed her the news that Kyle died of heart attack so that she would think that it was Brian who did it by feeding him the medicines. Kyle might have been killed in any other way but if that reason came out, she would have known that Brian was not capable of such murder and Steve's plan would've failed. She knew at that moment that she shouldn't trust Steve and call the cops before it was too late. Steve was never going to show up and it was all a ruse so that he could run away.

Sandra excused herself and was going to leave when the whole hall went dark and the white screen lit up. She turned around and she saw a well-known face there.

Her jaw dropped as she recognized Brian standing half naked from waist up holding a gun.