"So are you telling me or not?" Kria said to
Vishakha as they entered the cafeteria for lunch. The first half of the day had
ended and she hadn't been able to get anything out of Vishakha since the
lectures after the project work had hardly given them time to talk.
"Why are you getting so curious? Kuch hua kya?"
Vishakha waggled her eyebrows whispering to her as they sat down next to the
boys.
"Shut up. Mai bas isliye puch rahi thi kyunki even
he's a dancer, vo bhi St. Louis
ka star dancer aur vo ek Dazzler nahi hai, that's surprising."
"Vo ek Dazzlers tha." Swayam said listening to
Kria.
"What?"
"Ya." Vishakha said. Suddelny the whole gang
stopped their chatter and were into the same conversation. "You wanna know his
story right?" Vishakha asked and she nodded. "So for that I gotta tell you
Dazzlers ki history."
"Come on!" Kria groaned.
"Tumhe sunna hai ya nahi?"
"Okay!"
"The Dazzlers team was actually made five years
back. Tum janti ho na St. Louis
sirf ek degree college nahi ek junior college bhi hai?" Vishakha said.
"Dazzlers ki team Rey ke bade bhai Devaansh aur Sharon ki behen Shalini
ne apne junior college ke time pe shuru ki thi." Swayam told her.
"Dazzlers shuru se hi elite type 'phenomenon' raha
hai. Mr. Singhania and Mr. Prakash college ke trustee hai to koi bhi is
discrimination ke against nahi gaya.
Later junior college ki Dazzler team ko Sharon
aur Rey ne takeover kar liya. Vishal just like you entered St.
Louis in Degree
College and as a surprise
he quickly gained entry into the Dazzlers team simply on merit basis, the only
one till now. That was last year when all of us were in last year of our junior
college aur Shalini last year degree me. Since Dev had already passed out a
year back, Vishal turned into the vice-captain of the team. But is year ke
starting me jab Shalini aur baaki poori original Dazzler team passout ho gayi,
Vishal was the only one left when Sharon and Rey took over. It was expected ki
Vishal would take over the captain's post aur Rey would become the
vice-captain, but surprisingly Shalini gave the captaincy rights to Rey aur
usne Sharon ko vice-captain bana diya. Vishal was stripped off his post and his
respect in the team." Vishakha said as if nostalgic.
"For a few months that continued, aur Vishal simply
us team ke saath raha and took everything because he loved to dance." Swayam
continued. "But things were reaching beyond the limit. Mid semester exams ke
baad out of protest, Vishal left the team."
"Aur maine
bhi uske saath vo team chod di. I was fed up of acting like Sharon's housemaid." Vishakha said.
"Vishal tried making his own dance team, but before
he could, uske team chodne ke ek mahine baad uska accident ho gaya. His right leg was badly hurt, five
fractures. Vo theek to ho gaya
but he couldn't dance again. Right after our semester end exams uski leg me
kuch complications aani shuru ho gayi and he went to Delhi to get a surgery done. Now he's back
after the surgery walking with a stick with his leg in a cast." Swayam ended
looking at the grim expressions on all the faces ' Vishakha had a mixed look of
contempt and loss on her face; Neha and Bharat just looked sad, they had all
been their when it was happening; while Kria she couldn't help the tear that
trickled down her cheek, she couldn't say anything anymore.
"We're seriously sorry Kria but we should be
leaving." Vishakha said her voice dropping into a whisper as they looked at the
watch, it was 7, one more hour before the library closed but Kria's project was
nowhere near completion.
"It's ok guys." She said as all of them got out of
the library, Kria to call her mother and the others ready to leave.
"No worry Kria, you complete project Neha knows."
Neha put a reassuring hand on Kria's shoulder.
"Thanks Neha." Kria said with a smile.
Rey was tapping the steering wheel of his car
impateintly looking at the watch every two minutes. She hadn't left college
yet, he was sure, he had been keeping an eye on Neha all day. Well even if it
hadn't bore a good enough fruit, he had come close to getting a confession out
Vicky. He smiled as he remembered his conversation with his stuttering friend
that evening.
He sat
there in the corridor opposite to the library. Their lecture was free and he
had seen her whole gang go inside the library around half an hour back. When Sharon had insisted on
using that time to practice their routine, he had faked a severe headache and
had said he'd be going home leaving the group in the rehearsal hall to
practice. Munching on a packet of wafers he kept his eyes fixed at the door of
the library, but she hadn't emerged. He had wanted to talk to her about the
interaction she saw in the morning between him and Vishal. He was sure, she'd
have dug out the past by now and he wanted to clear out any misunderstandings
in her head before they began settling in, and he knew Vishal would do an
amazing job taking care that it happened. He had no idea what he'd say to her,
but he knew the words will flow once he saw her.
"Hey Rey!
Tu yahan kya kar raha hai?" Vicky said as he saw Rey eating wafers with his
eyes glued at the library door. Both the corridors were empty, since most of
the first years had gone back home and the second and third year students still
had their lectures going on. Suddenly they heard someone giggle, it was Neha,
as she chuckled at something Vishakha said both of them walking towards the
library. Rey smiled, if both of them were still here Kria for sure would be.
"Oye teri
wali to yahan hai nahi, tu meri wali ko dekh kar kyu muskura raha hai?" Vicky
said fuming as both of their gazes followed the girls until they entered the
library.
"Teri
wali?" Rey jumped up from the bench as he heard Vicky.
"V' Vo
mai' mai'" Vicky stuttered as he kept on backing while Rey kept on walking
towards him with his hands on his waist nodding along with Vicky's stutters. "Mujhe
jaana hai, bye!" Vicky said and ran from there. Rey smiled nodding his head,
Vicky had been acting strange ever since RDX's party last month, now he knew
why. That was the last Rey saw of Vicky that day.
"Vishakha hume Kria ko akele library me nahi chodna
chahiye tha." Swayam said as they walked out of the college crossing the
parking lot. Rey's thoughts came to an abrupt halt when he heard their voices
and he became more alert when he heard her name.
"But Swayam agar mai ek ghante me ghar nahi
pahunchi, to tum logon ko nayi team mate dhundhni padegi. My mom would kill
me!" Vishakha said. Since it was still early February, the nightfall was around
the corner.
"Neha having also same problem." Neha said with a
pout.
"Thach me yaal, ghal jaake Batla thal ka ploject
pula kalna hai." Amar said.
"I think I should stay back." Swayam said stopping in
his tracks.
"To garage me jo cars aayi hai unhe theek karne me
meri madat kaun karega, RDX?" Bharat said to Swayam rolling his eyes.
"Hey, my RDX sir not saying anything about!
Samjhe?! Varna!"
Neha showed him a finger.
"Varna
kya kar legi?" Bharat said coming forward making Neha take a step back.
"Neha will..." Neha took an angy stance but Swayam
butted in.
"Shant gadha dhari bheem shant!" Vishakha said
getting a hold of Neha as Swayam backed Bharat off.
"Vaise bhi Kria ka project aadha to ho hi gaya hai, she'll do it." Swayam
said changing the topic. Neha and Bharat glared at each other as they left. As
soon as they left, Rey came out of his car with a library book, he was supposed
to return it that day but he was saving it till the time he could catch Kria
alone incase it happened to be in the library.
"Ma bas thoda sa bacha hai." Kria said to her
mother who kept on scolding her. "Bas ek ghanta!"
"Okay fine, fir main tumhe lene aa rahi hu."
"Okay Ma, bye!" Kria said as she cut the call and
went back inside. As she reached the table within the economics section which
had been occupied by her and her friends till some time back and saw it
littered with her project work. She growled as she cleaned the table and sat
down to write the derivation of her demonstration. Six scrapped pages and
numerous attempts later, she banged her head on the table and didn't realize
when she fell asleep.
"Sir." Rey said to the librarian who was busy photocopying
something. "Sir mujhe ye book lautani thi."
"Oh yes yes, Reyaansh!" The librarian said finally
recognizing the face he saw once in a blue moon. As he dutifully checked the
whole book and gave Rey back his library card, Rey kept on searching the whole
room for Kria. "Here you go."
"Thank you sir." Rey plastered a fake smile on his face,
as he'd have to go right when the librarian stopped him.
"Beta, I have to do something, I'll be back in ten
minutes. Kya ye papers tum kisi ko de sakte ho?"
"Ya sure sir."
"Vo ek ladki hai, first year student, economics
section me baithi hai." The old librarian gave the papers to him and left. Rey
beamed, he'd get time to talk to her. As he went to the economics section he
saw her sleeping peacefully with her head down on her book. He couldn't bring
his heart to wake her up as he stealthily sat opposite her and kept watching
her. Right when his eyes caught the papers under Kria's head. Slowly trying not
to wake her up he took them. He smirked at what he saw; she was trying the
wrong approach. This was one secret no one apart from Vicky knew ' Rey loved
economics. He picked up her papers and wrote down the derivation shortest and
longest both ways. He kept all the papers ' the photocopies, her demonstration
and his derivations next to her head and left.
Five minutes after he left the librarian came to
tell her it was time to close the library. Sleepy and dejected she dragged
herself out of the library with her things.
"Hey." Vishal said as he came and stood next to her
in the college's driveway as she yawned. "Kya hua? Tired?"
"Yup! Badly!" Kria said with a smile. "Tum itni
late college me kya kar rahe the?"
"Missed one month worth classes, was sitting in the
library and studying."
"Mai bhi vahi thi but I didn't see you." Kria asked
scrunting her eyes.
"Tum Economics section me thi aur main Accounts
section me." Vishal smiled right when a car stopped in front of them. "Do you
want me to drop you somewhere?" He said opening the door of his car.
"Nahi mom mujhe pick karne aa rahi hai."
"Alright then, see you later." Vishal said as he
slid into the backseat of his car with osme help from his driver and left.
Suddenly Kria's phone rang.
"Kria I'm stuck in a traffic jam right next to our
building. I don't think main abhi yahan se nikal paungi." Kria's mom said as
she rolled the window of her car so that Kria could hear her properly.
"It's okay Ma, aap vapas chale jao."
"Lekin fir tum'?"
"Ma mere saath ek dost hai. I'll come with them."
"You sure?"
"Ya mom."
"Alright." Her mom said as she cut the call. She
looked around ' she was doomed. There was no way anyone could appear to give
her a lift. She started walking, she'd have to take the bus. She looked up, it
was about to get dark. Suddenly a car stopped next to her and the passenger seat's
window slid down.
"Hey Ms. Dehradun? Lift chahiye?" She saw Rey
beaming from the driver's seat leaning so that he could see her.
"Nahi main apne aap chali jaungi." She said and
kept on walking. Rey moved forward too.
"It's late and it's not safe to travel on your own."
He said but she kept on walking. "Mere saath travel karma atleast bus se to
safe hi hoga Ms. Baat-Cutter." He said when Kria stopped. She slid her hand
inside her bag, the pepper spray bottle her mother had given her a few weeks
back was there. It couldn't be that unsafe to go with him, could it be, she
thought. Giving up she got in beside him in the car and put on her seat belt as
Rey drove out of the college.
...to be continued. ❤️
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