Chapter 6

Batool Imran

@nav_bat

The three siblings walked on the red bricked pavement of the small modernly architecture-d Raizada bungalow, that seemed to be deserted of any human activity inside the house at this time of the day. Anjali walked in front, while Aakash helping Arnav walk properly came behind her. Climbing the small three stairs of the house, Anjali took out the keys from her purse, and unlocked the door, siding aside to let her two brothers enter the house, after which she closed the door behind her and went off after Arnav and Aakash to Arnav's room.

Upon reaching the gay room, of the youngest Raizada, Aakash, carefully helped Arnav to lie on his bed, while Anjali hustled about to fetch a glass of water for Arnav.

"Di, Bhai, just relax it's not such a big deal." Arnav cried out irritated, with all the unlikely attention his siblings were showering on him, which apparently seemed to him to be coming out of the blue. Siblings that would leave no chance to humiliate him, to tease him, to irk the hell out of him, were here going gaga over his state.

"You are saying that? I thought you are the one who in the first place made this appear as such a big deal!"Anjali replied back, while pouring the glass of water from the jug on the side table, and literally shoving it into Arnav's face.

While pushing the glass of water back towards Anjali, "Di! Stop banging it into my nose okay, it would just be better if you hand it over to me Normally."Arnav said annoyed, to which Anjali frowned at his request, and kept the glass in his outstretched palm, receiving another glare from him.

Aakash having had already realized, there was no need of him to doodle around here anymore, departed from the scene, soon followed by Anjali, who was actually going sick taking care of Arnav's continuous rants. When he was sick, he was even more of a pain in the a**, then he normally would be.

"Aakash, will you just go and call mom, and tell her to come home quick"Anjali called out urgently to Aakash, while heading towards her room, to change her uniform.

"You do it Anji, what would I tell mom anyway, Chotte broke his leg?" Aakash called out to Anjali, in an even larger pitch than hers, as if the household was assumed to be deaf.

"Bhai! I did not break a leg for God sake! Stop over exaggerating! And there is no need to call mom, I am fine" Arnav shouted out loudly from his own room, his siblings sharing annoyed looks with each other.

"We know that YOU are fine, if we don't call mom, we will be the one who won't be fine anymore".Anjali replied in a preferably delicate tone, then her two brothers who were howling away, metaphorically shaking the walls of the house.

"Ahan Anji, you picked up some good sarcasm tips from Dean"Aakash complimented Anjali, after getting a smirk from her. She loved being complimented by Dean Winchester's name, every time who happened to be one of those celebrities, she could endlessly drool on without giving a break to it. Aakash knew how fond of watching Super Natural she was, and just to annoy her all the time, he'd take the remote control before she would pounce on it, which would usually be followed by a wrestling match by the two siblings, in which usually Arnav the referee would easily get knocked down, and on the floor grumbling to himself cursing his fate at the same time, for landing him in such a crazy household.

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Khushi slept on her bed, looking up at the ceiling joyfully, having the widest grin on her face, as the events earlier in the morning, played in her mind. It felt so great, so light to have taught that Raizada a lesson, after what seemed a big task to accomplish, she had played it really smooth, and the end result had turned out just as she had wanted, a pissed fuming Raizada. She closed her eyes in delight, relaxing her perfectly shaped facial features, her arms by her sides, legs outstretched, the skirt folding upwards from its side, giving a visible look to her toned milky skin. Her soft, silky brown hair, lay on her shoulder, in a hap hazard way, as the neatly tied two ponytails that they had been tied in had loosened, giving away strands of hair that kept coming on her face.

As she was busy lost in her world of rest, her peaceful sleep was broken, as her sleet black Nokia 'E-70 started to buzz away. Not willing to open her eyes she swinged her right hand towards the side table, to feel her mobile, and having found it, brought it close to herself, opening her eye lids with much difficulty, her forehead creasing as the screen showed an un familiar number that the call was coming from. Slightly frowning, she pressed the green call button, and received the call, still in her sleeping position, kept the phone to her ear, mumbling a hello in a faint voice.

"Khushi, it's Vivek" Vivek said from the other side of the phone, his voice sounding urgent, and of one to deliver some kind of important news to Khushi.

"Vivek..who Vivek..Oh..Vivek..oh..what is it?"Khushi mumbled, as her brain activity slowly returned back to its normal pace, and was now easily comprehending the things around her.

"Were you sleeping Khushi?"

"No, actually yes, I was about to, until you called" Khushi frowned to herself, replying back Vivek in an indignantly, making it clear with her tone, that his timing of calling was pretty awful.

"Sorry for disturbing your nappy, but I had to tell you this. Khushi you didn't do the right thing." Vivek said in a serious tone, which immediately caused Khushi's eyes going wide with anticipation, and she quickly blinking away twice to shoo of her sleep sat on her bed upright, waiting for Vivek to continue, which never came.

"What, did I do?" she asked, curious to know, what charges did he hold against her to accuse her in such a serious tone. Of the little time she knew him, he was not the person who would get serious just like that, and something was really going in his head, to affect his tone like this.

"It's Arnav. You didn't play it right. I mean you never told me, you actually had hard back books falling on his head? Stupid me was thinking it was just some soft covered books" Vivek told her, as if he was complaining to her of hiding minor details of the event from him.

"What? Why does it even have to matter, of how much they weigh?" Khushi asked surprised, now what did the weight of the books have to do with him tripping, and her revenge?

"What did it not have to do with that? You know what? He got seriously hurt, that is his forehead was bleeding, and his legs injured"

"No that can't happen! I didn't make him fall THAT bad! Vivek, if this is some kind of joke, lemme tell you its pretty sick, if its not, then tell me what do I do now?" she answered back in a rush, worry evident in her voice, if anybody at school came to know she was behind all of it, that would mean, serious trouble, like serious trouble meant serious trouble for her.

"Khushi you don't really think my humor is that sick? What so ever, Go to his house, with a bouquet of flowers, and say sorry to him, simple. If you don't he wont leave any stone unturned, to have you indulged into deep trouble"

"His house? Me? Nah. Never. I am not going to his house at any cost! And wait a minute, how would I even go? I don't know his address for one, and second I don't say sorry just like that." She replied back stubbornly, even though she perfectly well knew how deep in trouble she was, she was not going to leave her ego aside right now, no, why should she say sorry? Did he say sorry? No of course not, why should she then?

"Khushi, its no big deal if you are going to say sorry, it wouldn't really matter, and about his address don't worry, I'll guide you with that, where do you live?" Vivek said in a convincing tone, trying to persuade her to take his advice, and do as he said.

"Okay fine. Fine. I will go. But just for you, you get that? Just because you are telling me. Otherwise I would have never gone to that crazy babboon's jungle! *pause* Call me after a few minutes while I get ready" she said in huff, still annoyed at having to say sorry to Raizada, but she did not have much of a option right now, either for being prepared for the worst, it was only better that she would avoid letting it come her way.

Wasting no more time pondering over the situation, Khushi grabbed a considerably appropriate looking pair of jeans and black teachers, rushing to the washroom, to get fresh and get ready.

Only fifteen minutes later, she was in front of her room, tying up her hair in a loose ponytail and went out of her room, only to be stopped by her mother just I time, before her other leg was out of the main door, like the first one was, hanging in between the house and the outside world.

"And where do you think you are going Khushi, without having lunch?" her mother called out evidently ticked off due to Khushi's sudden decision of departing from the house without informing her of her whereabouts.

Fine. The last thing she needed right now, was to answer one of her mom's never ending Quiz rounds. Closing one of her eyes in a typically funny manner, she started to think of a satisfactory excuse, so that her mom would let her go out of the house without asking too many questions that were hard to answer.

"Ma, actually, I just got a call from my friend, there's this nice (twitching her nose in an unnoticeable manner while saying this word) friend (another horrid expression) of mine, who broke his leg, so I am just going to attend to him" Khushi said lying out every word with so much difficulty, that it would be hard to spot any difference in her current situation with that of a child sitting in an examination hall, fifteen minutes to submission, blank paper in front of him.

"Which friend? You just entered school? Made such good friends in one week only?" her mother asked, raising her eyes brows suspiciously, which made Khushi all the more sigh on her tough luck. When luck was tough, there didn't seem like anything that was good, everything seemed to be so opposing all of a sudden, it was hard to find like forces in the midst of darkness.

"Friends can be made in a year, in a month, in a week, in a day, in a hour, in a minute.."

"Okay stop. Go. I have heard that dialogue a trillion times from you Drama Queen. *pause* Be back soon" Aparna Gupta replied back shaking her head with annoyance over her daughters crazy antics.

The moment Khushi had stepped out of the house, and was just about to descend, the small flight of stairs that led to the entrance gate, her phone started buzzing away, causing her nose to twitch, at the realization of who she knew would be calling, and of why he would be calling. He. Vivek.

"Go on tell me the address, of his house, and it better not be confusing or else, I am NOT going. And I mean it." She warned him through clenched teeth. Anger erupting through, to have to attended to the house of someone, she only hated the sight to encounter.

"Khushi relax. I am not telling you to go there to party. I know you are doing this against your will, but do you have another practical solution, to the mess you have landed yourself up in?" Vivek reasoned seriously. For what he knew of her in the little time they had known each other, in her maddiness and anger, she did things shoe wound't even imagine in an otherwise sane state, and it was only as a true friend, that it was his duty to help her out of this fix she had gotten herself into.

"No" she said quietly, it was pretty clear that she was at fault, even though her intentions were not that horrible, it had apparently ended up in a worse way, which she hadn't imagine, and now if it was pride she had to follow for this, fine, that was it.

"Let's see, where do you live?" Vivek questioned, trying to draw a mind map of Stanford, to direct her to the right route to Arnav's house.

"Maple Street, House No 46." She replied bluntly.

"Your father is in the military?" a surprised Vivek, said from the other side of the phone, startling Khushi with his unexpected question.

"Huh? Hmm'yaah. So?"

"Oh well, it wont be much of a problem to find his house then. His father's an author, to be precise, one of the leading members in the military who draw up the treaties and important documents, for the military."

"If you are done giving me information about his dads job occupation, can we directly get to his address now?" Khushi asked a bit irritated, with the extra bit of information she was being subjected to. It was merrily the last thing she needed right now, when she had barely minutes ago crushed her beloved thing, her ego, for someone who hardly deserved it.

Vivek made a face to himself, at her rude comment, she was difficult. More difficult, but he had to comply, well at least for the time being, time would tell how their relationship was to progress.

"He lives one street before your house, Crimson Street House No 38." he simply stated, avoiding any further argument that might make way if commented back on her rude remark.

Khushi whispered a 'okay' to let him know, she had gotten the directions, and was about to disconnect the call, when she heard Vivek literally shout from the other end, asking her if she had brought flowers for him. To which she simply cut off his inquiry, saying that her saying sorry to him was only enough, for a beast like him, instead of the poor flowers fate ending up in the dustbin, it was better she would never purchase them in the first place.

Snorting, Vivek disconnected the call from his head, leaving Khushi on her own, to find his house. Taking all the time in the world, she casually strolled to the end of the street, and turned to the left. Having entered Crimson street, she kept her gaze fixed on the steel plates that were pinned next to the entrance gate of every house. Finally having found No 38, she walked up the small steps of the house, awing at the outward beauty of the house, unlike the one her family had shifted into last week. Houses in this streets, were much better than the doom shaped, almost closed house in the street she lived in. Mentally preparing a verbal greeting to whoever opened the door, and a direct introduction of her, she would directly get to work, say sorry, and leave for home. So much to swallow her ego for, she snorted.

Inside, the Raizada children, had changed into their informal, Arnav still on the bed, Anjali her legs outstretched over the living room glass table, the LCD screen showing the handsome, chiseled faces of the Winchesters brothers stunned as streaks of red blood forming demonic symbols formed on the ground, as the indication of Lucifer rising, after having killed the last of 66 seals, Lilith. Glued to the scene, Anjali failed to hear the sound of the bell that was ringing away continuously for the fourth time now, and it was only a loud shrill call from Aakash, who was in the kitchen preparing an extra large club sandwich for himself, that Anjali left her comfortable position at the couch, and grumbling away attended to the guest at the door.

Khushi frowned to herself, as she rung the bell a fifth time now, hopelessly annoyed at the failure of the hosts inside for attending her at the door. Much to her relief, the door finally creaked open, and before her stood Anjali, with a not so welcoming look on her face, which was immediately as she set her eyes on Khushi, was replaced by a pang of confusion evident all over her face.

"Yes?" Anjali asked with a confused look on her face, to which Khushi immediately responded, addressing Anjali with her name, recalling what Vivek had told her in the class, and with that, informing her of her own name, and her purpose for coming here.

"Oh so you are Khushi? (Beckoning her in) please come on in, I have been waiting to meet you." Anjali replied all of a sudden excited on seeing Khushi, after the talk she had earlier had with her brother and upon the mention of her being the root of this trouble, any sister would be furious, but she Anjali was surprisingly, pretty amused at the fact, that someone had for the first time stood head to head with her arrogant brother. It also cleared the misconception in her mind, that Arnav would supposedly act extra rude in front of his siblings, bad be good towards all other strangers. However hearing of Khushi's antics, one thing was very clear, her brother was a bother to everyone.

Khushi moved inside uneasily, slightly shocked at Anjali's reaction, and upon Anjali's request sat on the couch, lowering her face, unable to meet Anjali's gaze, as she felt embarrassed of what she had to her brothers. With a break of a few seconds, she would keep checking Anjali's face for any signs of anger, but it showed none, instead was portraying full gratitude to her for showing her brother the right way.

"Anji, who is it?" Aakash shouted out loud from inside the kitchen, just putting the finishing touches on his sandwich, and smiled wide to himself, as he placed the final heart shaped cut capsicum on the bread, and stuck a gigantic fork through the bread.

"It's Khushi" Anjali replied back excitedly.

"Who Khushi? Oh, that Khushi? That Arnav wali Khushi?" Aakash said more louder than usual, to make himself clear, still under the assumption That people in their household were deaf. Hearing Aakash's, naughty reply, Khushi looked from Anjali to the entire lavishly furniture room in bewildered, at the way the siblings were connecting to her. "Arnav wali Khushi"? Now what in the world did his brother mean by that? She frowned to her self, upon realizing that his sibling would have been surely briefed by that stupid Raizada, about how cruel she was, inconsiderate, blah, blah. So much to expect from Raizada.

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