GUYS I AM SOO SORRY. I KNOW I SHOULD HAVE UPDATED AS I TOLD U GUYS BUT I GOT REALLY SICK AND SO WASN'T ABLE TO CONTINUE. AND I HAVE EXAMS COMING UP AND ALL THOSE CRAPPY FINAL PROJECTS. HOPE U GUYS FORGIVE ME. I WILL TRY UPDATING AS SOON AS I CAN.😃😃
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$PART 5 THE PLOT THICKENS$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Armaan slurped down his third bowl of noodles. Putting the bowl down, he turned to his best friends. "So, tum logo ko kya lagta hai, wut should I do?" It was after their classes and they were at Armaan's favorite restaurant, sitting at a secluded table away from most customers.
Rahul, who was sitting in front of him, put down the tea he had been sipping. "Koi aur girlfriend dhoond le," he said as a matter-of-factly. "Aisa to nahi hai ki Maya hi ek sexy ladki hai at West High Secondary, or in Mumbai…Or in India...Or in the wor—"
"Theek hai, samajh geya main." Armaan scowled at him. "Tumhari tarah nahi hoon. It's easy for you to shift your attention from one girl to another without feeling hurt or guilty."
All this time, Atul who was sitting with them was laughing at both of them bickering like little kids.
Rahul took that remark calmly. It was true. "Give me a reason why you won't let her go then." Rahul did not exactly like Maya, but if makes his best friend happy, then he would help.
"She didn't even give me a good reason why she dumped me."Armaan stared at his empty noodles bowl. "And besides I…" His voice trailed off.
"Tu ab bhi usse pyar karta hai ?" Atul finished for him. Armaan refused to make eye contact with him, but knowing his best friend, Atul translated that as a yes. "Well, I guess first love is like that to some people."
"You know what," Armaan propped an elbow on the table and rested his chin on the palm of his hand, "I envy you Rahul. Tumhare pass roz ek nayi girlfriend hoti hai, still, you don't feel bothered when the relationship ends."
"Abhe yaar iska to nature hi aisa hai." Atul retorted.
Rahul gave them a small smile. "Love depends on how a person handles it." He took another sip of his tea. "Unfortunately, main romantic love mein believe nahi karta, sirf attraction and this way I don't get hurt. Itna easy hai."
Armaan snorted and signaled a random waitress for another serving of noodles. It was ironic how best friends who knew each other since preschool had such different outlooks. "Ok, whatever, all knowledgeable swami," Armaan said dismissively. "So can you suggest something already?"
"Make her jealous," Rahul answered simply.
"Kya?"
"Make her jealous," his best friend repeated, as if it was the most obvious thing to do. "Koi ladki thoond, us ke saath ghoom phir aur dekh kaise Maya tere pass waapis atti hai." Rahul snapped his fingers.
Armaan stared at him, eyes slanted. "Paagal hai kya. Actually don't answer that. Maya kabhi nahi phasegi."
"Well, do you have a better idea then?" Rahul asked.
Armaan was quiet. "Well…"
"Aur waise bhi," Atul added. "What have you got to lose?"
"Here's your order sir!" Ridz chimed, setting the bowl of noodles and drinks before walking off. Today was her first day on the job and she was doing well on her first thirty minutes. "No spills and no goof-ups so far," Ridz thought, congratulating herself. School earlier was also jinx-free, surprisingly. Armaan did not even bother her, treating her as though she never existed, which was what he always did until yesterday. That was way better than him and her fighting again. Ridz hoped her luck would continue.
As soon as she was out of the customers' sight, she fidgeted with her waitress uniform. She was not used to wearing fitting clothes and she could have sworn that it was one size too small.
"I swear I look like a sausage in this thing," Ridz muttered as she sat on a stool at the "Employees Only" part of the restaurant. "Don't they have anything loose here? Like a shirt and a pair of pants maybe?"
"Chad yaar, Ridz. It fits you just right," Muskaan assured her. She sat on an empty stool beside Ridz. "In fact, you look cute." Anjali added. Ridz thanked god that her best friends agreed to work with her.
Ridz blushed. Nobody had called her cute before. "T-thanks," she stuttered, giving them a small smile.
They suddenly heard the "ping" of the bell that signaled them that an order was ready to be brought to a particular table.
"Main jaati hoon," Ridz said and stood up. She headed over to the window where food was served.
"Table twelve," Bi told her, handing her a tray of steaming noodles. Ridz nodded and steered herself towards the table at the secluded part of the restaurant.
"I guess you're right," Armaan admitted. He took a sip from the glass of soda beside him.
"Bas ek problem hai. Kaun ladki hamari madad karegi?" Rahul rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "How about your girl cousins?"
"Nah.Maya sab ko jaanti hai."
"Okay. Koi close female friends jo Maya na jaanti ho ?"
"Nope," Armaan answered. "Koi nahi hai. Unless you want to dress like a girl?" He grinned, already imagining Rahul in a schoolgirl's uniform with an extremely short skirt. Armaan suppressed a snicker.
Atul hearing that fell on his butt and started rolling on the ground while laughing. "Kya image dikhayi hai yaar. I luv u."
Rahul choked on the tea he was drinking. "My friend, I'd rather jump of a cliff than do that."
"Why were you suggesting people I'm close to?" Armaan asked. "Just curious."
Rahul put his tea aside. "Kyunki agar tu kisi ladki ko istmal karega, you'd probably just end up hurting her. Acha ho ga agar woh tumhari cousin ja close friend ho."
Armaan smirked. "Ironic thing to say for a playboy like you."
"Well, tumhe guilty feel nahi hoga, kisi aur ko use kar ke apni purani girlfriend jeetna? Honestly Armaan, there are plenty of other fishes in the sea. Jaane do usse. It may be for the best."
Armaan decided to sip his drink rather than answer that. "Other fishes in the sea, huh? If that Gupta is the only other fish in the sea, I'd rather jump off a bridge..." His thoughts drifted to the events that took place last night.
Flashback.
"Well, yahan kya ho raha hai?" Turning around, he and Ridz realized that two female traffic officers were watching their little fight.
"Arrest him officers!" Ridz screamed, pointing at Armaan. "This reckless driver nearly ran over me! Arrest him!" Ridz sent him a death glare.
"I did not!" Armaan shot back, gritting his teeth. "She was the one who crossed the road without looking!"
"Tumhe kya lagta hai, Kasak?" The officer in braids asked her partner.
Kasak smirked. "Mujhse pucho to, Sneha, this is just a case of lover's quarrel."
"WHAAAT?!" Armaan and Ridz screamed in unison, looking completely horrified at the thought.
"Yeh aur main? NO WAY!" Ridz cried vehemently. "Pehle mar jaaongi rather than be in a relationship with this jerk!"
"The feeling's mutual!" Armaan retorted acidly. "Like anyone would fall for you anyway!"
"Oh yeah? Like you're the most eligible bachelor around! Heck, I wouldn't fall for you even if you were the only man left on earth!"
Armaan's eye twitched. "Like I'd like to be paired with you! The world would end before you find someone who'll fall for you, butt-ugly!"
Kasak patted her partner on the shoulder. "Tum theek ho, Sneha, it is just a lover's quarrel. Let's go." The two headed back to their patrol car, leaving two fuming teenagers behind.
End of flashback.
"Here's your order, sir!" A waitress said cheerfully, placing a bowl of noodles at their table. "Can I get you anything else?"
"Hi Ridz! How r u" Atul greeted pleasantly.
"Are Riddhima ji aap. Pata nahi tha ki aap yahan kaam karti hain."
"Atul, Rahul?" Ridz blanched. Okay, if they were here, then he is probably with…Ridz turned to the person on her left… Oh great.
Armaan looked up when Atul said his greeting. When he saw Ridz, his eyes bugged out and he sprayed the mouthful of soda he had been sipping right on her.
"EEEWW!" Ridz screamed, stepping backwards and watching her apron drip with soda. Thank goodness she had an apron on… "Yeh kis liye? Tumhari problem kya hai!"
"Tum yahan kya kar rahi ho?" Armaan demanded, oblivious of what he just did.
"Well duh!" Ridz shot back, her dripping apron forgotten momentarily. "Main yahan kaam karti hoon! Andhe bhi ho, bina dimag ke saath saath?" Ridz had the urge to dump the noodles on his head.
"tumhe apne customers ke saath aise baat nahi karni chahiye! And for your information, I'm a regular patron here." Armaan stood up and towered over her. "I should report you to Bi!"
"You were the one who sprayed your drink on me!"
"Haven't you heard the saying 'The customer is always right'?"
"Right, my butt! Like spraying your drink on somebody was ever right!"
Rahul stood up to stop Armaan before he did something drastic. "He's really sorry, Riddhima," he said, restraining his best friend and giving Ridz a strained smile.
"The hell I'm not!" Armaan growled.
"Yeh tumhe dekh kar chaunk[surprised] gaya," Atul helped Rahul. "Isn't that right, Armaan?"
Armaan eyed him dangerously, as if willing his best friends to just keel over right then and there. If it was one thing he hated, it was them talking to him like he was a spoilt ten-year-old. He was already seventeen, dammit! He made a mental note to dump his best friends on the nearest trash bin after they leave the restaurant.
Atul turned to Ridz, sweat-beading as he avoided Armaan's death glare. "You've got to excuse his temper. He's usually not this hot-headed."
Ridz looked at him skeptically, hands crossed on her chest. "Really? I always see him make a perfect imitation of an exploding volcano."
"Kya ho raha hai?" Bi inquired, suddenly appearing behind Ridz.
"Kuch nahi," Rahul replied. Armaan sat back down, scowling. He stayed quiet, focusing his attention on his noodles. "Choti si galat phemli thi. Right, Riddhima?" Rahul turned to her, winking conspiratorially.
Deciding it was better if she let this incident slip lest it get her in trouble, Ridz played along. "Ji Bi, bas ek misunderstanding thi." She tried to look as earnest as possible. "Dobara kabhi nahi hoga. Promise." She wiped the soda on her apron with a rag from her apron pocket.
The old woman stared at the four of them for a moment before walking off. "Maan leti hoon," Bi said. "Ridsi,table 5 par ek order hai."
Ridz sighed with relief. She thought she was going to get fired, and she was not even on the job for an hour yet. "k!"
Making sure Bi was not looking, she threw the wet rag she used to wipe her apron at Armaan, hitting him smack in the face.
"Whoops." She smiled with satisfaction and scurried away before he could go after her. At the corner of her eye, she saw Rahul push a swearing Armaan back to his seat.
Armaan finished his noodles in less than five minutes. "Oi, Rahul, mujhe woh ladki mil gayi, jise main use kar ke Maya ko jealous banaonga[make]."
"Really?" Rahul responded. He leaned closer. "Kaun hai?"
"Riddhima Gupta," Armaan replied simply, downing the rest of his coke.
"Riddhima?" Atul looked at him with disbelief. "Riddhima the waitress who you said last night was your chemistry partner who locked you in the rooftop, dumped orange soda on you and almost got you in trouble with the police?" He said all these quickly without pausing. He took a breather before continuing. "tu meri taang khich raha hai, right?"
"Man, do you have to narrate everything I told you last night?" Armaan looked irritated. "Yes, that Riddhima who did all those things. Aur kitni Riddhimako jaanta hai?"
Rahul frowned. "Armaan, are you sure your conscience can take it? Woh ek achi ladki hai. Geeky, but nice. She needs a little work on her appearance though, but she does have a nice figure…" He shook his head, realizing he was getting out of topic. "Are you sure?"
"Haan yaar, Ridzy is really nice. Aur agar tu usse use karega to Anjali to meri waat hi laga degi." Atul shivered at the thought of Anjali running behind him but with a bat.
"Positive," Armaan answered. His eyes then slanted. "Aur yeh kya bak raha hai? Nice girl, my foot! Nobody nice would throw a wet rag at a person's face!"
"Well, you did spray on her a mouthful of soda without apologizing. Main usse blame nahi karta." Rahul snickered.
"Oi, who's side are you on anyway?" Armaan questioned, looking annoyed.
"Yours, of course," Rahul answered, waving his hands to appease Armaan, who had started cracking his knuckles. "After all tu mear best friend hai. Lekin tu usse manaega[please] kaise?"
Atul- "Haan, haan. Kar uski puch puch. Jab Muskaan ko pata chala, tab tu gaya."
"Can you call Amar?" Armaan asked. "Woh tumhari family ke saath kabse kaam karta hai, shayad woh kuch Guptas ke bare main dhoonh paye. Main kaka ko phone karta hoon. He will find some information too."
"Okay." Rahul started dialing the number whereas Atul was dreaming of their fate when. Muskaan and Anjali find out. Trust me, he did not like the picture his mind was bubbling.
Muskaan tapped her pencil tip on her paper. So far, she had only managed to answer four out of the ten math exercises their instructor had kindly left behind as a "warm-up" for their next lesson.
"Iska ka kya formula tha?" She thought, wracking her brain. Not finding anything, she proceeded to question six. Finding she didn't know how to solve it, proceeded to question seven…then skipped to eight…nine…ten… She was beginning to feel frustrated. "Agar yeh sirf warm-up hi, what are we going to take up next? Integral calculus?"
A cell phone suddenly rang, making Muskaan jump. "Amar?" Her seatmate answered. "You did? Good. Spit it out then."
Muskaan slowly turned to face her seatmate, a vein throbbing on her forehead.
"Uhuh," Rahul was saying loudly, writing down something. "What? Phir se bolna. Oh, I see." He wrote down some more.
Muskaan didn't know why but she felt like as if Rahul was talking about Ridz.
"Yay Dad, I understand. Don't worry dad I will walk home. Bye." And Anjali ended the call. She just got off work. Ridz and Muskaan had already left.
She started walkinh towards her home when a raindrop fell on her face. She cursed the weather as she hurried home when suddenly an umbrella wsa covering her head. She was not that shocked when she saw the owner.
"Hey Anjali, kaisi ho tum. Maine tumhe bearish mein chalet dekha, isliye saath agaya. Kya main tumhe accompany de sakta hoon" Atul declared with a big smile on his face.
Anjali was glad that she had company, even if it was Atul. "Haan chalo Atul. Hum saath saath chalet hain." She didn't know why but when she said "saath" she felt an odd feeling creeping her inside her. And why could she not resist his innocent face.
After a while, u could see the two lovebirds walking together and interacting like they have known each other since forever-laughing, mocking each other and running after each other.
"Kuch pata chala?" Armaan inquired as Rahul hobbled into the Maliks' vast living room. Seeing his state, he asked, "Tumhe kya hua?"
"Oh, Muskaan ne mere sir[head] par table phor diya, in cram school," Rahul replied as if it happened everyday. He sat beside Armaan on the sofa.
"Woh Muskaan Chadda, right aur voh karate club ki vice-president hai?" Armaan inquired. Rahul nodded. "That's got to hurt. Tum uske saath flirt to nahi kar rahe the?"
"No," Rahul answered. "I don't even have the slightest idea why she hit me."
"It only goes to show that you should never go to the same cram school with violent girls who know martial arts," Armaan said as a matter-of-factly.
"Mera idea nahi tha cram school mein enrol karne ka, Armaan. You know that" stated Rahul
"Okay, whatever." Armaan waved a hand dismissively. "So, Riddhima ke bare mein kya pata chala? The info kaka gave me was just this." He pulled out a single folded piece of paper.
"Well, what does it say?" Rahul asked.
Armaan cleared his throat. "Riddhima Gupta. Seventeen years old. Apni maa, ek bhai aur nani ke saath rehti hai. A consistent honor student, she received a full scholarship to West High Secondary School. Her best subject is chemistry, and although she is doing quite well in math, that seems to be the hardest subject for her. She is always seen hanging out with Anjali Mehra and Muskaan Chadda."
Rahul whistled. "Ridz sure is smart. Koi bhi West High mein full schlorship earn nahi kar sakta. You have to maintain quite a high grade but I guess that's okay considering scholars also get a monthly allowance."
Armaan snorted. "Whatever. So what about the information you got from Amar?"
"I think you'll like this one." Rahul pulled out his own sheet of paper.
"Why?" Armaan arched a brow.
"Besides all those information, Amar told me the reason why Ridz is working at Bi's place."
"They owed Bi some money and since they couldn't pay her up, behenji's working for her?" Armaan guessed.
"No, even worse. Ridz's mother got fired from her job yesterday."
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