Finally, I got my personal transportation. I imagined myself doing various kinds of stunts as I skipped towards Dad's scooter which officially was mine now. I would do wheely, stoppie, drift and maybe even have a race with those bus drivers who never came on time.
But I had to throw those adventurous thoughts away as soon as I sat down on the leather seat. The old metal piece squeaked under my weight and made a weird noise when I turned its handle. I patted its dashboard and apologized for cursing it before; I would have to respect it or it could malfunction to get revenge.
I put on my helmet and zoomed out on the streets. I started humming instantly and smiled knowing that I wouldn't get late from today onwards. I had my own scooter! I glanced around me and grinned when I saw some familiar faces at the bus stop.
I was really enjoying my ride and wondering about the volleyball team selection. Round one was going to be held today, and I hadn't prepared at all. I hoped I would make it because I really wanted to get back in sports and-
"What the hell?!" I instantly applied brakes and stopped my vehicle in time before it crushed the guy in front of me.
Does he have a death wish?
"Hi, Sandhya," Nikhil greeted.
I quirked up my eyebrow at him. "Could you move, please?"
He scratched his neck and glanced towards his house. Meanwhile, I turned my scooter to move past him, but he hopped in front of me in a flash. I narrowed my eyes at him; was he purposely planning to get run over by me?
"What do you want?" I asked.
"Can you give me a lift?" he requested.
"No," I refused. "What happened to your bike?"
"It... It is in... It is in the garage," he stammered.
"Then ask Lakshya bhaiyya to drop you. Why are you bothering me?" I retorted.
Is he suffering from memory loss?
"Bro just came yesterday. I can't ask him to do that; he needs rest. You will have to give me a lift," he demanded.
"I am not your servant."
He took out his mobile phone from his jeans' pocket. "If you won't agree, I will tell Mom that you refused me."
"Stop bluffing." I rolled my eyes.
What's up with him today? Why is he suddenly asking for a lift from me?
Nikhil smirked and called his mom. I widened my eyes when he began complaining to her; I snatched his phone from him. I heard Aunty telling him that she would come out herself, but I quickly told her that I would take her son with me and hung up the call.
"Why did you do that?" I questioned in annoyance and gave his phone back to him.
He shrugged his shoulders and sat down on the pillion seat without permission. I huffed and glared at him in the rear view mirror, but he ignored me. Begrudgingly, I started the scooter and drove through the busy roads with an idiot behind me.
Throughout the ride, he kept blabbering non-stop. I controlled myself from throwing him under the truck; I didn't want to go to jail that early. I sighed in relief once we reached the college's parking lot and he jumped off the vehicle.
"Thank you for the ride." He smiled. "Pick me up tomorrow too."
"What?! Tomorrow? I am not doing that," I hissed.
"I will tell Mom then," he threatened.
"What is wrong with you?"
"You only used to advise me to tell our parents everything, so that's what I am doing," he deadpanned.
I pursed my lips; I really had to stop distributing free lectures when I myself wasn't following them. He left after shooting me a smirk, and I also went to my first lecture after murdering him in my mind.
I tried to concentrate in class, but Nikhil kept shouting my name from behind whenever the lecturer asked one of the students to solve a problem or explain the theorems. I glanced at him over my shoulder, and he gave me a huge grin.
I looked beside him and motioned with my head to Ved to keep his best friend in control. Natural Heater stuck out his tongue and joined Nikhil in making fun of me. He whispered something in his friend's ear and both of them began snickering. I couldn't hear them properly but I knew Ved must have told him something about me.
After the lecture got over, my doubt was confirmed. Nikhil approached me in the main hallway and gave me a huge, pink teddy bear with caption 'I love you best friend' written on its red heart. I glanced between the toy and Nikhil, who had a innocent look plastered on his face.
"Did you give this to me by mistake?" I asked.
He gave me a dead look. "Of course not."
"Then..." I glimpsed at the pink bear and furrowed my eyebrows.
I was going to investigate Nikhil again, but he took off in the opposite direction and met his basketball team members who were smiling at me. I shook my head and dragged the teddy bear to the sports ground where volleyball team's selection was going on.
All of the girls who had come there for the first round looked at me and a few of them asked me if someone had proposed to me. I showed them what was written on it and they began giving me love advice. One of them even said that she was waiting for her ship to sail for so long, but I was the dumb one who was delaying everything.
I tilted my head and she confirmed what she said. She shook her head at me and started discussing about it with her friends. I heard Natural Heater's name when she was talking, but I didn't get what she was so excited about. I decided to ignore them and focused on the girls volleyball team's captain, who was announcing the names one by one.
Two jarring hours later, I learnt that I was underestimating the whole process. Our captain was Satan in disguise; she was worse than my elementary school's Math teacher. By the end of the selection round, I was lying on the ground, my thighs and biceps aching badly.
We were informed that there would be two more rounds before the junior team's formation. I happily picked myself up and waved them goodbye - I wasn't going to go through that hell again. Somehow, I managed to get my pink buddy along with me and reached the library.
Just like those girls, the librarian asked me if I was finally proposed, and I looked at her with flat eyes. She gave me a teasing smirk and let me go after telling me her first love story.
I went to my table and slumped down in a seat. Instead of studying, I decided to play some online games on my phone. If I didn't have a lecture after this period, I would have left and rested at home instead.
While I was playing, I noticed Shreyas arrive with Rashi in tow. I shot my silent friend a smile in acknowledgement and averted my gaze after glancing at Rashi.
Both of them sat across from me and started discussing about some group assignments. It was nice to see Shreyas interacting with people, most importantly girls, without hyperventilating.
I continued my timepass but had to stop when I heard the annoying nickname I earned during the college trip.
"My Angel!" Karthik shouted and plopped down beside me.
Why doesn't the librarian scold others?
"Hello, Karthik. When are you going to stop calling me that?" I complained.
"Not in this life at least." He grinned.
He looked in a better shape than before. I didn't get to talk to him yesterday as he was busy goofing around in Lakshya bhaiyya's party. Without asking, he told me that he was trying to get back on track.
"That's good, but you don't have to bother with me. I am not going to lecture you; I know I am not good at it."
"But I will still bother you," he stated proudly.
I decided to ignore him and focused my attention back on the game, but he started telling me about how his day went. He was rambling, but when he mentioned about becoming a choreographer, I snapped my eyes at him in surprise.
"I don't feel that I am qualified enough. What should I do?" he mumbled.
"Are you serious about becoming a dancer?" I queried.
He nodded but looked conflicted. He said he would give up for good and just join his family business. He had already caused a lot of troubles for his parents and they were tired of lecturing him; he was highly depressed about it and was unsure about his future.
"Have you tried talking to your parents about your ambition?" I asked.
"A lot of times, but they think I am just bluffing. They told me I could dance, but only as a hobby; I can't make it my career." He slumped down his shoulders.
I thought over it for some time. His case was similar to Nikhil's, but I didn't know his family personally and had little knowledge about him altogether. I didn't want to bark unnecessary stuff which might land him in a deeper shit.
"Why don't you get in the Drama club? That way, you will be able to practice dancing and increase your marks too. As for your dream, don't give up too easily. I am sure your parents would understand, but if they don't, then you are the only one who can prove them wrong," I said.
"But they won't even let me attend any classes. Mom and Dad have started monitoring my schedule as the first year is coming to end soon. If I don't follow their rules, Mom won't hold back from coming to college herself and sit in the classes alongside us," Karthik expressed his horror.
"Hmmm... Well, then we don't have any other option. You will have to do what your parents have decided for you." I shrugged my shoulders. "Life is hard."
"But I want to dance." He pouted.
I narrowed my eyes at him. "Stop whining and just tell me once what you want to do. You are confusing me."
He took a deep breath and pondered over it. I let him be and got engaged with my game again. Approximately forty minutes later, he tapped my shoulder and looked at me like a newly recruited soldier.
"I want to become a choreographer. Final." He banged his fist on the table loudly.
"Good." I smiled.
"So, how am I going to do it?" he questioned, and I hit him on the head with my phone.
"You took so much time to decide but didn't come up with a plan?" I scolded.
"I am not that smart. Help me."
"Fine. I thought of a plan for you already but accomplishing your goals is your own responsibility. I won't be accountable if you get in any trouble."
He nodded, and I told him my idea. He listened to it intently and when I finished, he asked me if he would be able to do it or not. I pointed towards Shreyas who was acting like studying, but I knew he was writing songs only.
"Look at Shreyas; he doesn't even attend college to achieve his dream. Take some inspiration from him and have some confidence in yourself," I reasoned.
Shreyas gave me a fake glare and told Karthik to believe in himself. I noticed Karthik getting some glow on his face after listening to motivational speeches; I should have taken psychology as a subject.
"It is okay to have doubts, but never give up on what you believe. It is better to die trying than living with regrets. And it is not compulsory to feel satisfied with what we have. If we want more, then we have to work more; it is all well if your dreams are bigger than the sky itself." I patted Karthik's shoulder in assurance.
He smiled at me and asked Shreyas to meet him later. He left after showing us some of his previous dance videos which he recorded about two years ago. I was glad that he hadn't given up yet and wished that he would be able to prove himself to his parents.
Brrrrrinnng!
I got up as the bell rang and headed towards my lecture with Nikhil's impromptu gift but felt someone staring holes in the back of my head. I glanced over my shoulder and saw Rashi looking at me with a foreign expression on her face.
She didn't say anything and entered her class while mumbling something under her breath. I felt weird because after that Faiyaz incident, she never spared me even a glance.
Did something happen? Did her brother brainwash her again? In the library also, I noticed her stealing glances at me. Did I do something again?
"Do you know anything, Pink?" I asked the teddy bear in my hands and reached my classroom.
Wait a minute! How was I supposed to take him inside the class?