Well I am back. This chapter is divided in two parts. Next part will be added on Thursday.
FRIENDS
Friends
PART-01:
âChiru, wake up beta(son)â said Malini as she pulled the seven year old up from his sleep.
âHmmâŠâ murmured the sleepy kid.
She kissed his forehead and took him to the small bathroom. She put toothpaste on his brush which had a cute design, she made him brush and then bathed him as he played with the duck toy. She dressed him in his school dress and took him to the kitchen and made him sit on the chair of a two-seater dining table.
As he listened to the song coming from the television she stuffed his mouth with balls made of rice, daal(pulses) and fried potatoes. After he was done, she washed his mouth and told him to put the tiffin box in his bag. In the meanwhile she was having rice for breakfast herself, she saw Chiraag putting a tiffin box in her bag too. She felt proud of the kid, then both of them came out of the house and Malini locked the door of the wooden bungalow. The surroundings felt like Mussoorie for a second, she knew it because she has been there many times for vacation.
âLetâs goâŠâ said Malini with a smile.
âYes mumma letâs go⊠goâ said the boy with a big smile.
Suddenly Maliniâs eyes opened and she saw she was still in her room in Delhi. The alarm was ringing with its full glory, she stopped it and went to the bathroom to get ready. Today is the first day of College with a new semester to start again and new students will enter the Campus with new dreams. Every year as a Professor she gets amazed to see the brilliant students but today more than the excitement she is feeling strange after the dream she had. Who was the kid who called her Mumma? And why did she tear up while sleeping? Because when she woke up she found her cheeks wet from the tears she shed while sleeping.
Imlie came out after taking a bath. Today she and Niti hurried to bathe in the morning before a line got accumulated as it was the first day of College. As she paired up the cotton kurta with jeans she felt quite odd as she was able to read the first chapter of the strange book but Niti still couldnât see any letter, for her the only thing she could get was thereâs something written in Sanskrit but no more than that was in her orbit.
âHey Sita Maiyya, why did you even send this book to me?â thought Imlie as it was such a mysterious and supernatural book in nature.
As Aryan stepped in the Delhi airport he found his mother waiting for him.
âAryanâ Arshi called him at the top of her lungs and waved her hands at him in excitement.
âMomâŠWhat are you doing here? You didnât go to the office?â said Aryan and hugged Arshi tight. His mother was a treasure for him in this life. Her cute smiles are mostly reserved for her son.
âNoâŠHow could I? My son just returned after a year. Today is my holidayâ said Arshi.
âMomâŠâ Aryan was speechless, he knew though this woman didnât bring him in this world she can turn every table for him. She was a perfect Angel for him but a Villainess for every other person on this earth.
As the mother-son duo sat in the car, their butler greeted them who sat in front with the driver.
âAbhishek Kaka, how are you?â asked Aryan.
âI am absolutely good baba.â
âDid mom nag you a lot when I wasnât here?â
âMiss isnât that kind of person babaâ replied Abhishek.
âMy mom might not nag but she definitely has her way of getting things done. Else you wonât see a specified butler uniform in this era. I must say Abhishek Kaka looks handsome thoughâ said Aryan as he saw Abhishekâs attire.
âHe is always an eye pleasing ladâ commented Arshi.
âMiss thank you for the complimentsâ
Aryan smiled when he heard the familiar voices of his mother and butler.
Abhishek was an orphan who was taken by the Raizada house and he grew up with Arshi. He was always there for Aryan and he is like a father figure for him though Abhishek never married just like his mother who adopted him from the roadside. Only in the protection of his mother Aryan could smile because he knew that she would protect him from any dangers of the world. She is an âIron Ladyâ.
Imlie and Niti entered the classroom and got happy as they saw they were the first one to arrive in the class.
âWhere to sit when you have so many options?â
âHow about the last bench?â asked Imlie.
âWonât it be too much?â asked Niti.
Two girls passed them and took the first bench. Imlie felt kind of guilty seeing the choices of the other students.
âOkay, how about the second last?â asked Imlie, biting her lips.
âI donât mind at allâ replied Niti and they both went to sit on the second last bench.
âHelloâ Aryan picked up the call.
âMr. Aryan Singh Rathore?â
âYes, Aryan speakingâ
âWe are from Delhi Policeâ
âOh! How may I help you?â
âWere you in Delhi last Saturday?â
âYes, why this question though?â
âDid you visit any mall?â
Aryan remembered his date with Imlie when they went to ASP Mall.
âYesâ
âThen I am sorry to inform that if you had been to ASP Mall, the assassin that was caught there was actually targeting youâ
âWhat?â
âYes, today morning he confessed. But we still couldnât find much about the people behind him. Hence please be careful. Your life might be at riskâ
âThank you for informing officerâ
âIt was my dutyâ
Aryan cut the call and sat on his bed. He was ready to go for breakfast and then leave for the office but this call made him worried. Itâs not the first time he was targeted. But who wants him out of this world? This question started bugging him after hearing he was not only unsafe in Mumbai but also in Delhi.
Imlie and Niti couldnât believe what they were watching in front of their eyes. It was like a real life version of âMean Girlsâ. A girl in a pink kurti entered the class and was fighting to sit in the first bench alone because she didn't want to sit with girls who looked poor and average in her eyes.
âI said clearly that you donât need to pretend that you didnât hear me,â said the girl.
âBut both of us came earlier than youâ
âLook I am Rita Thakur, the Princess of Thakur Empire and I can ruin you within a second if I wantâ
As the commotion was taking place Imlie exclaimed in a soft voice, âUltimate typical movie plot, itâs just no hero will save the girlsâ
âWhy donât you be the hero?â asked Niti.
âWhy should I?â replied Imlie.
âArenât you a righteous person?â asked Niti.
âNot at all, I am an absolute slave to my selfishnessâ
âWoah! That was unexpected. Then Chaviâ
âI have my own motives and reasons. I didnât do any charityâ
âMay I know a little of your reasoning?â
âShe belongs to one of the most influential and rich families of our village. Now only she is left in the family as her parents made their way to jail.â
âHer bad luckâ
âHer bad luck is good for me. Since I helped her she is kind of my puppet now and even if she tries to run away she would have no luck. If I want, I can covet everything of hers and if I want I can guide her to be an independent person with invisible strings controlling her every movement. And I will be the one to control those stringsâ replied Imlie.
âYou are indeed a dangerous person. But you wonât be able to manipulate meâ said Niti confidently.
âI still haven't wished to manipulate you. Rather I gave you a choice and you, yourself came to meâ
Niti looked at Imlie but as she saw Imlie looking at her sideways, shivers went down her spine.
âShe is a wolf in sheepâs skin. Or the incarnation of the devil. Who knows? When she stares with such cold eyes she doesnât feel like someone I know at all. Did I do wrong by deciding to get involved with her?â thought Niti.
The drama in the first bench ended, Rita took the first bench with threats and both of the girls sat elsewhere.
âInterestingâ murmured Imlie looking at Rita from far.
Malini entered the staff room, though she was quite tense but was trying her best to stay confident.
âMalini, are you okay?â asked Professor Anita.
âAnita⊠I am trying to stay cool actually but the stress is eating me upâ
âItâs okay, you are a professor here, not any student. Just keep the command in your voice strongâ said Anita.
âI know but my face was clearly shown by the news channelsâ said Malini worried.
âPublic sympathy is with you Malini. Though the case that happened was with a minor, you were also a victim. I am glad you are so brave, you should give your life one more chance. Forget that man and live once againâ said Anita.
âTo be honest, itâs really hard,â replied Malini.
âI know, but I also know you can overcome your bad times. You are such a kind soul, I believe God have someone better than that person for youâ
âThank you Anita, by the way I have a class of freshers in the BJMC department. Can you give me the list of toppers of the entrance exam?â
âOh sureâ replied Anita and left for her cabin to bring the toppers list.
In the meanwhile other Professors asked Malini whether she is okay and consoled her. They all believed that destiny had better plans for her hence she got separated from her ex-boyfriend Aditya.
Samarth entered the classroom before the professor arrived. He saw everyone looking at him, he purposely covered himself with high end brands from head to toe. He wanted drama and to create a bad image so the Dean calls his mother in future and insults her for the upbringing of his. Bottom line, âHe hates his motherâ
âSamarth babyâ Rita called him blushing and gestured to him to sit with her.
âThis freakâ blurted Samarth as he saw Rita.
Rita worked hard to join this College because she knew Samarth would come here to study. This was his motherâs College where she laid her foundation of glory and he wanted to ruin that glory.
But he was an absolute playboy and for him the biggest mistake he made two weeks back was to sleep with Rita after Karmakar uncleâs party. She had one sided love for him but after she got in his bed when he was drunk, she has assumed herself as his girlfriend. She even announced herself as his girlfriend in between their Societyâs acquaintances.
Samarth immediately looked at the class and tried to find another place to sit. But as he wanted drama he decided to sit with some girls and he chose the second last bench because two girls were sitting. Others were already full as he arrived at the last moment. As the Professor was about to step in the class, he ran and sat near Imlie.
Imlie looked at him without any expressions, Niti looked at him baffled, Rita looked at him with disappointment and others looked at him because he was just handsome in simple words.
âHi,â he said with an awkward smile.
âYou are not welcome here so move somewhere else in the next period. I donât want any âRitaâ drama in my lifeâ said Imlie with a calm voice.
âWhat?â he blurted out in confusion.
Imlie ignored him and everyone stood straight at their places and greeted the Professor, âGood Morning Professor...â
Part-02:
The first class was introductory for every subject, everyone stood up when their turn came to introduce themselves.
âHello students myself Mahinder Chourasia and I will take the subject âIntroduction to Communication and Mediaâ. This subject will have practical's too. Mayuri Maâam will take your practical class. I will be in charge of your theory classes. Now introduce yourselves, whatâs your name and where are you from?â
âRita Thakur, I am from Delhiâ
âRahul Mehra, I am from Punjabâ
âSamarth Ahuja, I am from Delhiâ
âNiti Sharma, from Kanpur, UPâ
When Niti said that Imlie got curious because she said she was from Ahmedabad when they first met.
âImlie Bhuyan, Pagdandia Village, UPâ
âAritra Bannerji, from Kolkataâ
And everyone ended up introducing themselves when the bell rang. Forty five minutes were over by now.
As Professor Mahinder went out of the class Rita came to Imlieâs bench.
âYou village girl, how dare you seduce my Samarth?â she almost shouted.
Imlie was sitting in the middle, Niti was in the far left and Samarth was in the right.
Imlie checked her cell phone to see whether it was in silent mode. The whole class was looking at them.
Rita continued, âI can wipe you out from this world and throw you out of the college if I want. Do you know who my father is? Samarth is mine and only mine. Why are you not answering?â
Imlie this time moved her head and looked at her face. Rita was fuming in anger.
âAre you done?â asked Imlie.
âWhat?â Rita retorted.
âDogs bark, humans don't,â said Imlie calmly.
âDid you dare to call me a dog? I will throw you out of this College. I will tell my father to throw you out. He donates a lot to this College.â said Rita.
âMy dear. If you can throw someone out with the help of your father then you can enter this College too with your father's help. So did you enter this College with your fatherâs power display?â asked Imlie.
âYouâŠYouâ Rita couldnât reply.
âNow you must leave this place without completing the sentence, the Professor has arrived.â
Rita left the place flustered.
âDid this girl hit the nail in the right place? Rita entered with her fatherâs influence in this College. Damn, I hope itâs not because she is obsessed with me. No! If that freak really did this, I need to stick to this girl called Imlie. She feels like a lionessâ thought Samarth.
âGood Morning Professorâ everyone greeted the Professor who entered the class.
âHello Students, I am Anjali Dutta and I will teach you all Communicative Hindi. Now, could you all tell me your names and the rank in your entrance exams? You all are extremely eligible since you were able to make your way to this College. I welcome you allâ
One by one everyone started to tell their names and their ranks. City College only takes fifty students in every kind of course they provide, making it one of the most desired Colleges.
âRita Thakur, Rank 50â
âThat sums up why she was flustered when you said she entered the college with her fatherâs influence, Imlieâ said Niti.
âI did predict well with her tone, but who knows I might be wrong tooâ replied Imlie.
âArenât you being too positive?â asked Samarth.
Imlie and Niti looked at him.
âAh! Hello, myself Samarth Ahuja. And yes since you saved me from that freak, you are free to call me Sammyâ
âSammy, I think you should control your mouth. Imlie still hasnât accepted you in this benchâ said Niti.
âAhâŠmy badâ Samarth sighed.
âNow the last three people in the back please introduce yourself. Then we will move to the other side of the room for introductionsâ said the Professor.
Samarth stood up, âSamarth Ahuja, third rankâ
âOh⊠you are third, wow you must have worked hardâ said Professor Anjali.
âYes maâamâ said Samarth proudly and looked at Imlie and Niti with the corner of his eyes.
The other side had many nerdy students left to introduce their ranks, so he was sure the toppers were from them.
âNow see Imlie and Niti, I am so intelligent. Hurry up and accept me as your friend and protect me from that freak for my whole College lifeâ thought Samarth.
Niti and Imlie understood a little what he was thinking as it was written all over his face.
Niti stood up next, âNiti Sharma, second rankâ Niti gave out a smirk sideways looking at Samarth. This shook Samarth from inside. Imlie just gave a nonchalant look at him to see his expressions. It was quite funny according to her.
âImlie Bhuyan. Rank oneâ said Imlie standing after Niti completed her turn.
The whole class gasped, the students who were sitting in the second last bench as the last bench was empty; it can be considered they are the backbenchers but they were actually the three toppers of the BJMC Course Entrance Exam. City College was a special place because other Colleges offer entrance exams first and then allow students to choose the course but City College asks the students to choose their course first and then sit on the exams for that course making only the first fifty students to enter the College Campus of that chosen Course by the students.
âOh my God, the three toppers are not only sitting at the last bench but they are sitting togetherâ
âWere they friends before entering this College?â
âMy god, are intelligent people these days love to sit at the last bench? I thought they would grab the first benchâ
âI thought the toppers will look like nerds wearing spectacles and all but they look so coolâ
The class was now buzzing with discussion.
âQuiet everyoneâ ordered Professor Anjali.
The class quieted down.
âWell why did you toppers choose the last bench?â asked Professor Anjali out of curiosity.
âI was always a backbencher Maâamâ said Imlie without hesitation.
âImlie and I are best friends,â Niti said with a big smile.
âAnd Samarth?â asked Anjali.
âAh! I thought it would be interesting to sit with them and make friends. Both of them look very coolâ said Samarth, thinking for a while.
âHahaâŠBirds of the same feathers always flock together at the end of the day. Okay now the first row on the other side, introduce yourselfâ said Professor Anjali after laughing a bit at Samarthâs answer.
They got a twenty minute break after the second class was over.
âUmm, you guys are intelligentâ Samarth tried to praise them so that they could be friends with him.
âYou are intelligent too, but I think you should move to a different bench nowâ replied Niti.
âDo you guys hate me so much?â asked Samarth, making puppy eyes.
âWe donât hate you but we donât like you eitherâ replied Niti.
Imlie kept quiet and took out her cell phone. She texted two people, one Aryan who she asked how he is in Mumbai and then Chavi whom she asked how her first day in College was going on.
âWho is Chavi?â asked Samarth looking at Imlieâs mobile screen.
Imlie turned off her screen immediately and asked, âWhy are you still here?â
âPlease let me sit here? Pweease ⊠look, other students have named our bench as Topperâs Bench. Please let it be that wayâ begged Samarth.
âLetâs head towards the lab,â said Imlie to Niti, ignoring Samarth.
âOh yes Lab class, letâs go!â
A bell was rang as twenty minutes were over and the next two classes they attended were 'Communication Lab' and 'Writing for Media'. After that the lunch break came. Imlie asked Niti to go to the canteen as she will give a treat and introduce her to some of her friends. As Samarth saw Imlie going to the Café which is inside their Campus, he followed her.
Imlie ordered four pastries.
âDoes that include me?â asked Samarth.
âNo,â Imlie replied blatantly.
âWhy are you so against me?â asked Samarth.
âI just donât want unnecessary problems in my life,â replied Imlie.
âI wonât trouble you at allâ
âMost troublesome people are those who say they wonât cause any troublesâ replied Imlie.
âImlie, why are you ignoring me?â asked Samarth when Imlie went out of the CafĂ© and made her way to the canteen. She texted Rajendra and Sohum to come there. Samarth kept on following her.
Niti had already taken a seat in the canteen. She waved to Imlie when she saw Imlie and Samarth coming together.
âHe is still with you?â asked Niti.
âHe is not with me,â replied Imlie.
Imlie waved at Sohum and Rajendra, who reached the canteen to join them.
âYo Imlieâ Rajendra greeted with a smile.
âWhatâs up? Both of you look tiredâ replied Imlie.
âThe seniors came to my class for introductions. I could only escape because Sohum bro dragged me outâ said Rajendra.
âIntroductions?â Niti got confused.
âEquivalent to the soft version of 'ragging'. Niti, this is Rajendra Awasthi and thatâs Sohum dada who is in second year. They both are from the Computer Science and Engineering department. And guys, this is Niti my hostel roommateâ
âOh! Hello Nitiâ Sohum and Rajendra got acquainted with her.
âBut who is this Imlie?â asked Sohum.
âUnwanted taggerâ replied Imlie.
âImlie⊠please⊠Hello myself Samarth Ahuja. And I am trying to make friends with these two girlsâ said Samarth
âOh! Hi Samarth myself Rajendra and this is my roommate Senior Sohum Dadaâ
âHelloâ Samarth greeted with a smile.
âBy the way why did you call us here Imlie?â asked Sohum.
âBecause thereâs a surprise for both of youâ
âSurprise?â asked Rajendra, confused.
Suddenly Imlieâs phone started to ring, she looked at the screen and exclaimed, âOh, your surprise is here alreadyâ
She picked up the video call and saw Chavi on the other side who was sitting in the canteen of St. Frederickâs College.
âChavi, they are hereâ said Imlie and turned the screen towards Rajendra and Sohum.
âI canât thank both of you enough. Now I can start a good College life and get rid of the forced marriage. And you guys contributed to my freedom a lot. I could be here because of you. Thank you so muchâ said Chavi.
âOh my god, we just did what Imlie asked us to. Please donât feel burden pleaseâ said Rajendra flustered to be thanked by Chavi.
Samarth peeked a glance and he got awestruck. It was the girl who has been in headlines for the last few days and the one he bumped yesterday. â
But what did these two boys do to help her?â thought Samarth.
âThank you for making those pictures viral,â said Chavi.
âWe ought to, to help you sister. It's our good luck that we met Imlie and she gave us a chance to do such a good work,â replied Sohum.
âThe whole viral thing was done by them in Imlie's words. Damn! these people look so mysterious. And the core is this topper Imlie. I have to get in their friendship circle. I feel like my life will be interesting if I can become friends with themâ thought Samarth.
He saw Imlie ended the call.
âAlso to celebrate the victory of our success to save up Chavi I brought pastries for you guysâ said Imlie and forwarded two pastries towards Sohum and Rajendra.
âMine mine, whereâs mine?â asked Niti like a child.
âHereâs your favorite dark forest pastry,â said Imlie as she patted Nitiâs head.
âThank youâ said Niti and started eating the pastry.
Samarth sat looking at the view. He felt like Niti is kind of a puppy who wags her tail at every word of Imlie.
âSohum dada, I would like to request you something one more time,â said Imlie.
âItâs okay Imlie, please just request. I know it will be a meaningful oneâ replied Sohum.
âLetâs meet at night then, I have the same request I did to Rajendra. And we can discuss in detail thenâ replied Imlie.
âSureâ said Sohum with a smile and focused on eating the pastry.
Imlie saw Samarth was sitting blankly between them. She sighed, even her ignoring didnât make the guy move out of their life. She made her Vanilla pastry divide in two equal parts and then she tore the cover of her pastryâs packet. She placed the half pastry on that cover and forwarded to Samarth.
He looked at Imlie surprised because he never thought she would give half of her pastry.
âExcellent developmentâ exclaimed Niti at Imlieâs sudden gesture.
âFocus on eating the pastry Niti, then we have to have our proper lunch too. And you, help yourself. Donât think I will give you my spoon tooâ said Imlie sternly to Samarth.
A smile escaped Samarthâs face and Imlie looked at him annoyedly. Sohum, Rajendra and Niti smiled because Imlie was looking cute when she was angry.
After the lunch Sohum and Rajendra left for their classes. As Niti left to buy some chewing gum Imlie looked at the schedule. The next class was âIndian Social Systemâ and the Professor who will teach them is none other than âMalini Chaturvediâ.
âTime has come to properly meet my step-sister in this lifeâ thought Imlie.
âImlieâ Samarth called Imlie.
âYes,â she replied with an expressionless face.
âCan we be friends?â asked Samarth with hope in his eyes.
âNoâ replied Imlie immediately without thinking for a single second.
Samarth looked at her with a broken heart but Imlie left for the class. He needs to join their circle at any cost, is the only thought that kept roaming in his head.
Songs Used:-
~Friends (Jimin & V) [Genre: K-pop, Language: Korean]
Well here is the complete first chapter. By the way the subject names that are mentioned are actual BJMC first semester subjects. I didn't want to compromise with facts. And do enjoy because next chapter Imlie will meet Malini face to face for the first time. What kind of relationship they will share in this life? If that makes you excited, keep a look. Malini is even back in the show.
Yours Mimi(âÂŽâĄ`â)
Edited by MiuniS - 2 years ago
comment:
p_commentcount