Sleep Well Fighter

Chapter 5: A day when love is declared

Yesterday the school was given a holiday to mourn for Riya's death, today I go to school because mom was adamant and said that staying cooped up in the house would only make me depressed.

She is half correct, but there is nothing really, I can do as of now, I might as well go to school and find out if there are any rumours about the killer. I take a look at the newspaper just before leaving, it's just the information that I already know.

When I enter the classroom, as expected, there is a huge uproar and gossiping about Riya's death. Some people are saying that it's a serial killer, someone says, she was dating an old man and he killed her, someone else says that someone wanted to conceal her identity and the last interesting rumour is Uncle Sam being a suspect. I see Akash coming in late, he sits beside me with a miserable look, opens his mouth to say something but again changes his mind and gets ready for the class. It was terribly awkward for us to sit there and not talk. I leave school as soon as the last hour completes and I head towards Uncle Sam's house.

Whoa, it really is true, they suspect him. I see two constables standing outside. If I am precise, he is being questioned by the inspector inside. After waiting for about half an hour the inspector comes out with a vexed look saying "no leads here" and then shows his phone to his companion "we have got something worth the time now" he smiles.

The inspector looks at me waiting outside and stops, "perfect time kid! Do you know anyone called Manish?" he asks eagerly.

"N-no? I have never heard of that name before, who is he, inspector?"

"Too bad, you will probably know soon, alright Head, let's go" he hurries off in his vehicle disheartened.

I enter Uncle Sam's house; he is seated in his bedroom with his head buried into his hands. I've never seen his bedroom before; it's always locked when we visit. As I come near to the room, I see the walls filled with pictures of his wife and daughter. Hearing my footsteps, Uncle Sam notices me and comes running "No, please don't look" and closes the door while he cries sitting on the floor behind the door. Just then I remember Akash's comment 'creepy'.

I never thought he was this much obsessed with them, even though he might idealise Riya as his daughter, there are lower chances of him killing but still, I better keep an eye on him. I then walk back home. On the way I see Akash lying down on the tree trunk staring at the sky, in the park. Just the other day we were having fun and now it's all shattered. I become depressed having all those thoughts playing out in mind, so I return home and sleep early.

The next day, there was again a huge uproar in class, everyone is talking about this person called Manish. Based on rumours Manish is delinquent in B section class, while we are in A section. It seems the police are suspecting him, but I've never seen or heard about him before. Well, being an introvert it's not a surprise to not know about him. So, during the lunch break, I stroll around the other class and immediately knew who he is.

He is about 5.5 ft tall, with a weird spiky hairstyle but looked handsome with a broad jawline, muscular body, he kinda stood out of the crowd, as he resembles an ideal rebel. He is having a depressed and worried expression with dark circles around his eyes.

After the classes have ended, I wait at the school entrance and ask him "Hey, you are Manish, right? I am Rahul, can I speak with you for a minute?"

He reacts as if he found an oasis in the middle of a desert "Damn dude, it's you! Riya talked a lot about you and your friend Akash"

Wait! how does he know about me? "Haha that's interesting, but she never mentioned you to us" I reply nervously.

"Yeah Riya wanted to keep it a secret from you guys, to be honest, I and Riya were dating over the last 4 months," he says as we walk away from the school.

Holy shit! What the hell? here I was trying to get her attention, but she was already in a relationship with him. It's really heartbreaking to hear the news, I thought I was the only one who noticed her.

"It's really traumatizing that something like this happened to her"

"Wait! So how did you meet? When was the last you saw her...I am sorry, can you start from the beginning?" ugh I hate myself for being stupid.

"Whoa dude, just calm down, I know it's shocking to you, but I'll explain everything. Well it was me who proposed to her, I am a kinda straight forward person, I ask for things that are on my mind, Riya liked that attitude, she accepted me for being myself, we did a lot of stuff together, bunked classes and hung out and even went out on a trip to the city, we were having a good time of our lives but-

"I don't know what happened, for the past 10-15 days, she started getting these weird ideas of leaving this town. Being enthusiastic in nature I said yes without thinking at first but later I realised it's really difficult to run away and stay hidden let alone survive without any income. So, I tried convincing her that it's too early and a bad idea, but she wouldn't take no for an answer. On that fateful day, she packed all her stuff in a bag, came to our favourite spot, and was waiting for my arrival. But dude I was really shit scared, I didn't have any plan, I may be a delinquent but leaving this town was never an option for me. So, I messaged her saying sorry I can't go through with this. Then she calls me, and we have a big fight.

"Obviously, I thought she would go home forgetting everything after the call, but then I hear the whole town in an uproar and I see her dad recognising her, it was all a shock to me. I wanted to tell the police about the eloping, but I was really scared, just half an hour earlier I was speaking to her and there she was dead, I thought they would definitely suspect me for killing her.

"I knew it was bound to come out at some point, but it was a lot sooner when they checked the records of calls connected to Riya's phone. Evidently, the last call was from me and then they came to my home a while ago and questioned me. I was really scared, I thought they would put me in jail, I am such a coward, so much for being a boyfriend, I wasn't even there to protect her. Fortunately, that inspector was a good guy, he did warn me not to leave the town but he kinda believed my story. Ah sorry, I am ranting a lot. It's really sad and shocking to hear this happen, I didn't know what to do, I haven't eaten and slept for two days man. I only came to school today because the inspector asked me to attend school as usual."

"Thanks a lot, dude, it's all a surprise to me, I thought we were her only acquaintances, seems like she had fun with you and even trusted to elope with you. yeah once her mind is fixed you can't change her attitude, she has always been that way. I am glad to talk with you dude, my house is this way. Hold on, can I get your number, in case I have any questions?"

"Sure man, don't hesitate to call, actually I need to be thankful to you guys as you took care of Riya before I came into her life, See ya man" he leaves watery-eyed.

Damn it, there is so much information, I am unable to comprehend it, if only Akash was here, I would have a huge weight lifted off talking with him. I walk past the park to see if he is there, seems like he hasn't come today. Even I also don't feel like sitting alone in the park, let's call it a day.