I was a high school student who loved to live a quiet life. I didn't have many friends. Just two or three maybe. People who i cared and people who cared for me. That was it. I didn't hate boys. I was used to live a sheltered life with islam and Allah as my principals. So as a result I didn't take much interest in boys, while my colleagues gushed over them and giggled over the slightest and subtle things they did. That was Zaira Zaky's life. Nonchalance and carefree it was. Zubair wasn't a part of it. He never was meant to be. But Allah thought other wise.

He was a no one, a nobody, I used to not know. But his name wasn't as oblivious to me.. Going through the years and days in highschool, I heard that he was a heartbreaker. Everytime I'd strut in the park, eat at the cafeteria or read in the library or study in the classrooom, his name found me. A heartbreaker. A hottie. A play boy. A charmer. Cutie. Zubair Khan. That was all I heard. I never had seen him. But i had a glimpse of his personality. I was never stupid enough to believe in rumors or mere words of young students. But how could I not believe when the whole school talked about it. When I had heard those things for over two years, That made my belief and determination strong.

Never come across him. He is a person who you shouldn't even talk about. You shouldn't even look. A danger to avoid.

His popularity and behaviors made me even more hostile towards boys. Like I said I never hated them. I was just reserved and not inclined to even look at them. That was just how i was. And fortunately I never managed to get a look at him. I never had the misfortune to see him.

Until The Almighty decided it was time.

And that's how I entered the university.

***

I always had wanted to become a person well known in the field of engineering. I loved it. My parents who were filthy rich upon ALLAH'S grace were against it. They were people who depended on business rather than knowledge. They wanted me to marry into the business world. I point blankly refused. I let them know my dreams and how i wanted to be indpendant.

After a war had made itself comfortable in our home foe more than two months, they agreed. But they had told me i would marry in to the family they'd choose. I couldn't care less. I never had an interest in marriage. So I agreed leaving my fate to god. That's how i ended up taking the first step to walking into my university chaos.

I loved the compound. It was filled with a warm aura. Natural and beautiful. And the friends i had made, cared for me deeper than i did. That's how i opened up and lived my life for the first time.

Not longer into the university,that damn name which I had forgotten made it into too my head

But this time, I hadn't known even my passion and life would go down the drain with his involvement. I ignored him as much as i could. I never wanted to see him even though everyone admired him. He was an unwanted piece of paper I wanted to crumple. He had done enough damage to us Muslims by being a disgrace. I didn't want to dirty my eyes with his picture.

Alas. It was inevitable. How could a person not come across another person who was claimed to be the epitome of a guy. Epitome of a model student. I was bound to see him.

At least in the election posters. At least in the university newspaper. But ironically, I never saw him in such modest or humble or normal ways with his fake facade. I saw him in the worst possible way.

A day where I was in dire need of sleep. The exams had taken a toll on me. I skipped lunch and made it to the Green.

People usually had good memories in the Green. Either they shared moments, held hands, talked excitedly about secrets or ate peacefully. But I had the misfortune of facing my dreadful memories there. I made memories and saw the worst and later they turned to be unforgettable pasts in my life. Even to this day, many revelations and surprises presented themselves here.

And on that day, I had decided to rest behind the big pillar which stood straight in the middle of the green. I had ditched my friends and lunch and had come to take a nap. The corners of my forest green mid thigh length stripe shirt was flying in the wind, being pulled by the current. I had thought whether I would be the wind of my life or I would be the one to be blown by the wind.

Resting my head on the smooth and cool marble surface of the pillar, my thoughts travelled to my future. I wouldn't say that I had fully mapped my future perfectly. But I had known what I wanted to do. I had known my talents skills and dreams. Masha Allah. At least I had had that Liberty.

I was just drifting off to the dark slumber which had hypnotized me in its abyss when a sob came. I stirred in my sleep. I opened one eye cautiously and searched for the source. Was it a girl? Obviously. Because I also sensed some hiccups and wailing. I continued to stay seated and looked behind me, carefully.

And what I saw, made me go blank. There were a group of guys casually sitting on the foot of the pillar and others strewn over the rich green grass. But a girl, she was standing. She was sobbing hysterically.

"Oh please. Why the hell are you crying! Do you think crying would persuade him? Do you wanna be a damsel in distress, Cache? Answer me, you dimwit!" A guy with blonde hair shouted.

He seemed to be the guy who was the leader. Next to him stood a guy with chocolate curls. He seemed to be immensely enjoying the situation. He was amused. Maybe he was amused to see the girl crying over a guy? I just wanted to punch him right in the face.

Then I saw another guy, with hazel eyes and a football under his arm stood to the side.

"Dude. What the heck is wrong with her. She is crying with snot. Disgusting. Why don't you make it clear to her that you have no interest in such a girl whatsoever. How could she even think that she was in your league?" The leader laughed loudly. Then he pushed the girl back, pointing a finger in her shoulder.

He was looking towards a boy. He had jet black hair. He was tall. He seemed bored. He was looking elsewhere. "Look I don't give a damn about this. Lets just leave. I am bored." MeAnd then he looked around. And his eyes stopped right at me.

I was supposed to freeze. Well, wasn't that how girls acted when they were caught staring. But I didn't. I glared at him. I had hoped that all my venom, hate and fury would gauge his flesh. Little did I know that, that one incident would cause my life to tilt.

He didn't seem fazed. He looked at me blankly. Scrutinizing me.

Bismillah. I picked up my bag and dusted my shirt off. And went to the front of the pillar, my glare still on the guy who seemed to be the reason of this situation.

"Excuse me." I said to no one in particular. But still my glare on him hadn't vanished.

Every pair of eyes turned towards me. Some startled. Some angry. And one pair blank.

"What are you all doing? Aren't you ashamed? To pick on a girl? You have no right to raise your voice against others. That too a girl. This is a university. Not your private bar or playground." I said now looking at the leader sternly.

Cache looked at me through the screen of her tears. She sobbed hard now.

"Well well well. Who do we have here? A little girl. Defending your ugly geek? In front of the guy who she has a crush on?" The leader said.

"I don't give a damn about you or your little gang here. Why don't you leave her alone before I report this to the office?" I spat .

"And what? You think we will be punished? Open your eyes. Don't you know who we are? Do you think you can threaten us over that petty thing? Besides, get lost. We don't want your pretty face to get hurt now do we?" He said coming forward and holding my chin.

His touch sent fire rippling through me. My heart accelerated at an abnormal speed. And the next thing you know, I slapped him.

"Get your bloody hands off me. And in fact I don't know any of you. And I don't give damn about it. You seem to be the leader who is provoking and encouraging everyone. And he," I pointed to he guy who was staring at me, " seems to be the sole root of this situation. And the other two just sidekicks. Now get out of here. Before I make sure you will pay." I said smiling confidently.

He raised his hand and I was prepared to dodge it." you little!-"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the guy who had stared at me taking a step towards me. But I focused on the guy in front of me.

"Stop it. There are cameras over here." The guy with the football warned him.

And the bell rang.

"You. You just wait. I will make sure you pay for this!. How dare you slap me?! You piece-" he yelled at me.

Finally, he talked cutting him off. "Come on, lets go back. We have classes. We will be late." And he gave me a final look before turning and going away. All of then left.

I looked at the sobbing mess they had left. I tried talking to her. I pretty much understood the wind of the story. So I just patted her. Well, I never was the type to be touchy. She said a thanx. She was not an ugly geek, definitely. She was a petite girl. Only that she had little acne. But they were hardly visible. How dare they taunt her. I talked a little with her and sent her home. I assured her that she was really pretty and that she shouldn't give a damn about such people. She ended up smiling in the end. After my talking finished, she smiled wistfully and told me that she was glad there were people out there who could reach out to people like her.

I missed my class that day. But I didn't regret it. Not only because I hoped for the almighty's blessings by helping her.

But also because she died the next week.

***

The day after the incident, I went to class as usual and sat with my friends. For the first time after six months of spending time at the uni, I noticed that the guy who had stared at me attended this class.

I looked at him as soon as he entered the hall. And he looked up at me with cold and calculating eyes too. We both stared at each other before I remembered to lower my gaze.

The whole class, I was aware of the fact that he was in the same class.

From that day onwards, he had been staring at me. Blankly. As if I was a statue or a piece of fine art to be criticized. I didn't like a bit of it. So I either completely ignored him or simply glared at him.
Not more than two days later, I had been on the Green, reading a book, when Farha squealed. I turned to look at her, annoyed.

"Oh my Allah! Zaira, can't believe this is happening!"

"What's wrong with you? Speak." I asked her looking at where she was looking.

"Naila won't believe this! Zubair Khan is looking at you! And Zahra had noticed it too! And now I see it for myself!"

"Who?" I asked confused. Wait. Zubair? From..... highschool?

"Zaira! Zubair Khan! The guy of our school! Wow! Seriously! The guy you have been avoiding, since the day you kept foot here." She lowered her gaze to me.

My mind registered the worst. He was Zubair Khan. The infamous guy who I have been avoiding since years. And what have I gotten myself in? He has noticed me and no less now he knows me.

With the end of the week, Jen Cache's death news made it into the university.

We were in the cafeteria, when the announcement had been given.
I trembled. I hadn't even seen her before that moment. But the way she smiled warmly at me that day was etched in my mind. And his face shadowed her. The anger that quickly overcame me, burned me. My eyes became Ashes. My sadness turned to hatred.
While all the others either ignored it or were shocked by the news, I searched for one person. I met his hateful face in the crowd. He had stood up, startled. He seemed pale and stricken with shock.

I stood abtruptly. And walked towards him. My each and every step spoke burning lava and erupting volcanoes. And hidden pain. For my friend.

He looked at me with his paper like face.

"You did this." I pointed at him. And a loud sound echoed within the walls of the cafeteria.

I had slapped him. Hard. My palm stung. And his cheeks bled.

He still has the scar to this day.

***

Jen didn't die by suicide. But by a sudden heart attack. Her Heart was too weak. She already had one years ago.

From that day, our hatred only grew. We shot daggers at each other whenever we met. We always avoided each other as much as we could. The whole uni had known about our mutual feelings. The slap had been quite a hot topic. Even the lecturers, professors knew about it. They never paired us up. It was to the extent that they couldn't fathom both of us staying in one room.

We both had a cold war going on between us. We both competed for scholarships and merits.

He turned more cold, silent and alone. I still don't know how. But Jen's incident made him turn a new leaf. He left his gang of friends. And he continued to remain alone during the rest of the first year.

And that's when Shahid came into the story. Shahid being Shahid, found Zubair interesting and started annoying him to the extent that even I got annoyed. He accompanied Zubair wherever he went and brought him out of his shell.

And he changed. His friends changed. He became the president of MSA, Muslim students Association. He was elected for the student body president.

But what didn't change was the dislike between us.

I had to admit, though I disliked him to the core, I always had respected him for his service to the uni.

Though I had never forgiven him for Jen, the effort he took to repent for his fault didn't go unnoticed.

***

It was a clear day. Me, Naila and Zahra around the Green, talking random stuff. We were free of classes. Farha and Shahla had classes, so they couldn't join in.

I was holding the tennis ball which we needed for today's practical in physics. While listening to Shahla, I absentmindedly was turning the ball in my hands. And it rolled off to the ground.

"Give me a minute. I'll come back. You guys go ahead." I said running behind the ball.

They nodded.

The ball rolled off in the direction of the gym. I couldn't keep up with it's speed because I was wearing a loose sneaker which belonged to my brother, Zain.

I had just caught the ball, before it went ahead, passing the back of the gym. I picked it up and fixed my hijaab, hoping that it was fine. Then I heard some voices.

"That's the only way we can get off the hook!" One yelled.

"But, how? We don't have anyone now, to help us. We need to get him back." Another guy replied.

They were smoking. The bitter, rotten smoke wafted to my nostrils. Holding a hand over my nose, I crouched down.

"We have to get him back. Either by threatening or by lending our hand." The familiar voice spoke for the first time. The leader. Ibrahim.

***

And now I currently was at the University, helping the Chief Assistant of my Physics professor. I had been late for today's class, resulting in me helping her.

It was 9.10 pm. I was sorting out the assignments in order.

"Ms. Zaira, I will bring the record sheet ." Mrs. Malik said.

"Sure, ma'am. But, how long will this take , ma'am? My family would be worried if I go late." I voiced nervously.

She reassured me." Don't worry. It won't take too long. I will be back in 10 minutes."

It took more than 10 minutes. And time was ticking. My parents would be worried by now, because I had told them that I'd be back by 9.30 pm.

So I went in search for Mrs. Malik. The hallways were empty, allowing only little light to come in through the windows. The lights were off in some hallways. My sneakers made those squeaky sounds, each time I stepped on the shiny floor. There was an eerie silence with a dark atmosphere.

I walked towards the office, hoping to convince Mrs. Malik in letting me off the hook.

Just then, a figure ran towards me turning the corner. I halted in my steps. I fumbled to switch the lights on, but failed miserably. So I stood still in preparation to face the person.

But he ran past me, brushing off my shoulders. I was pushed back against the row of lockers.

I recovered quickly and went to search for Mrs. Malik.

I told Mrs. Malik about it. She said that she'd tell the security, but she confirmed that she hadn't seen the person. Nor had the security.

Neither was it, recorded by the CCTV cameras.

So the incident was brushed off, assuming it to be a student, no matter how absurd it sounded.

Even my friends brushed it off, saying that it must have been a student in a hurry.

***

I didn't dislike football. I had watched two matches before. But I wasn't necessarily a diehard fan. But the others were, Shahla being in the lead. And she managed to drag me into the last game of the season, which commenced as soon as the exams were over.

When the game started and the players came forward, everyone stood up and cheered loudly. I cheered too.

That's when the pair of blue orbs met me. My cheers died in my tongue. I stood still.

He was surprised too. His lips parted. But he soon recovered and gave a solemn look before moving to the front.
How on earth could he see me from all of the people over here? I prayed silently hoping that we wouldn't have anymore encounters. But I was dangerously wrong.

I ended up living with him.

Throughout the game I tried to maintain a calm facade hoping to reassure my friends that nothing was wrong. I cheered every time our faculty scored. I watched him play. I hadn't even noticed him before. But he had always been in the team. Now that I knew he was the Zubair, it couldn't be helped that I noticed him often.

The game was in its last few minutes, our team was leading by few points. And at the last moment the opposite team made a tie. But soon, we got a free kick. And Zubair was the one who was supposed to get the kick.
He walked forward, towards the ball. Then he looked back. Everyone looked at him wondering where he was looking.

At me.

I felt uncomfortable. I looked back equally. Furrowing my brows. The people near me looked at me, strangely. Others still were trying to pinpoint the exact place he was looking at. But my friends knew who he was looking at.

And the corner of his lips lifted. It was a subtle action, and if I hadn't had sharp eyes and a sharp mind, I wouldn't have noticed it. It was only for a moment. And the idea was clear.

He wanted to provoke me. He had the game. Not me.

I felt a storm was on its way.

***

The beginning of our first semester in our 3rd year, started off with loud chattering.
We were seated in the physics lab, when the teacher entered the class room and looked around. Trying to find his target.

He was frowning. A disappointed expression.

And he stopped right at me.

"Ms. Zaky, you are summoned to the office."

That was the beginning of the end.

***

I came out of the office. I closed the door behind me. Any person who looked at me, would think that I was fine. I looked perfect. But I felt the exact opposite. The floor shook, my mind a raging mess, my heart broken to thousands of shards unable to be mended again.

I was suspected of cheating. I was accused of stealing the answers for last semester's exam.

It didn't take long for the news to spread.

Some gave me looks of pity. Sympathy. Sad. Some directed enjoyment. Satisfaction. Smirks. The professors and the lectures and even the Assistants looked at me disappointed or sadly.

The following week, I was putting away my books in the hallway, when I saw Zubair looking at me afar.
That was the last thing I needed. My nemesis's pity. But it wasn't pity.

It was a frown. He was calculating me. Like I was a mathematical problem he was having a hard time solving.

***

The trial was held in the conference room. My parents, my lectures, professors and assistants who taught me, the board of administrators and the security guards were present.

The board were seated on the stage in a row. Me in front of them in a lone chair. The other people behind me in the seats outside the stage.

I explained my side of the story to them, when I was allowed to. Why I was there at that time and what I was doing. Mrs. Malik told her part. She vouched for me. The security guard hadn't seen anything suspicious. There were only few people at that time, they all proved their alibi.

Mrs. Malik and the guard also told about how I had reported a guy running. And I explained to them, what I witnessed.

In the end, I wasn't accused of the theft. But I was somehow framed as the accomplice, if not the thief.

They presented their reasons and proof. The CCTVs hadn't captured the guy. Only me. When I came out of the class room.

Because when me and the thief met, at that place, there weren't any cameras.

So as a whole, I was out of camera zone, for thirty minutes, before I met Mrs. Malik at the hallway in front of our classroom.

The cameras in front of the office were broken, the same day in the morning. The memory chip, stolen. And what else? I was late to the class that day. A perfect scenario.

And they think that I had enough time, to either steal the hard disk or distract Mrs. Malik from the real thief.

Apparently, the answers were stored in a hard disk, inside the office. I don't know how they can think that I would break into the office computer system, but their reasons were pretty reasonable. I was a tech geek, as they simply put. I majored in computer engineering, software engineering and other fields related to them.

The professors vouched for me, telling that they would be responsible for me. And that I wasn't a student who'd cheat.

Actually, even some of the board members didn't believe I'd do such a thing. I knew it, by the way they gave me sad expressions. And how they put forward their reasons in a genuine way.

They weren't accusing me. They were simply putting the facts together.

But in the end, they gave me their decision.

"We are sorry, Ms.Zaky. Even we don't believe you could do this. But please understand that we are merely acting by our mind and not heart. There isn't enough proof to prove your innocence nor your supposed crime. And since, all the scholars here and the non academic staff, are vouching for you, we decided that we will, allow you to continue your studies here. But you won't major in the field you're currently in. You will be given other options from which you are allowed to choose. It won't be a big problem. You have only started your already chosen major recently. You will be able to manage, you still have time. We assure the staff will give their maximum to help you. This is the maximum we can do. Please be careful in the future." He said genuinely.

I looked down. I was always calm. And I was known for that among my friends. But my emotions betrayed me. A tear rolled off my cheek.

I could hear my mother, sobbing. I could hear my father, shouting and threatening. But I could only register one fact.

My dream, passion and hope were crushed. My life was ruined.

Subahanallah. Ya Allah. Please. Please guide me through this test. Make this a lesson in my life.

I looked at them. At the head, who told the final decision.

My voice was hoarse. A throaty sound.
"What about my dream? I want to do engineering in this field."

He looked sideways. Then he cleared his throat.

"You are allowed to drop out and go into another university, Ms. Zaky. As selfish as this might sound, we don't want to lose a diligent student like you. And it would cost you more time. You already spent two years here. But if you want to drop out, you can." He said solemnly.

"We don't care about your damn decision! We have wealth! More than you could even think! We will send her to the best University out there! You will all pay for this!" My father yelled.

There was an eerie silence which followed.

"Alright. I will choose another major."

What followed was a blur. Amid shouts and sobs, I heard sighs of relief.

***

The next two years, I spent my monotonous life in the begrudging architectural and civil engineering major. The worst in the package was that, I had to be in the same classroom for almost all of my lectures with Zubair.

In the beginning of the two years, all of us studied together, in the rest of the years, we were supposed to choose our major. And I had chosen civil, like Zubair. Had I known, I wouldn't have. Our Cold War continued, with glares and competition for ranks.

I guess he believed that I had indeed cheated. Because, his animosity towards me increased day by day. His ego must have been crushed. He must have felt unfair. To be compared with a person who cheated.

The guy who was among Zubair's  old gang, left them. He started hanging out with these guys. With Shahid and co. Apparently his name was Fareed. All these, I heard from Zahra. Who was a very sociable person, and had many ties. We usually got our information from her.

During MSA sessions, he was very forward and always gave speeches. Even though I still remembered him from Jen's incident, his jolly and naive nature made me forget it. He seemed to repent a lot for it. He always talked about it in those sessions. Atleast, he wasn't radiating hatred and strong dislike, like someone else.

He talked to me a couple of times as well. We both maintained the rules of Islam when we met. It was mere talk, and some encounters which weren't intentional. I was happy that he was respecting Islamic rules while being cordial.

My last semester began.

And we were having an English camp, at our university. The girls and boys were separated. We only gathered for the bonfire and the festival night at the conference room, but we sat separated.

During the bonfire, I went out to the Green. I had stuffed too much food, and I wanted to get some air. The others were too busy eating still, so they refused to come. Naila being the boss, told that she couldn't miss the opportunity to stuff such delicacies.

A smile cracked in my face, when I thought about my friends.

Although my life had tilted and I had wanted the earth to swallow me, I continued my life, having tawakkul and with the support of my friends.

I walked towards the washroom, hands tucked in my jacket pocket.

When I rounded a tree near the pillar, I heard someone talk. Too quietly. I thought of walking away, when I saw the washroom a couple of yards away. I took a step forward. But halted in my tracks, when I heard his voice. Zubair.

"What do you want?" He asked.

They couldn't see me. Because, there were cooking tents around the Green, where the preparation of food was done. I was in a spot which clearly hid me. Even if I walked ahead they weren't in a position to see me, unless they were looking for someone in the shadows, intentionally.

"Nothing. We never really met all these years, yeah? You ignore me. And now that, you're in another field, how could we meet, yeah?" Ibrahim seemed to enjoy the situation with the way his voice carried.

"I don't have time. I need to prepare for the MSA. What do you want?" Zubair said frustration lacing his voice.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot. The MSA. I heard that Fareed is quite the topic there. Earning good spots. He too has abandoned our gang now. You and him." Ibrahim said chuckling bitterly.

"Yeah. Fareed has finally, turned around. I hope he turned for the good."

"I wanted to thank you. We never got a chance to meet, after that. And you were playing pretty well, acting oblivious to the situation. And we didn't want to stir up trouble by bringing it up. You did a big help. We thought of threatening you. But then, what could we possibly threaten you with. Then you came forward yourself to help us. We were shocked. Thanx buddy. We really needed it. To get off the hook." Ibrahim Said genuinely.

Off the hook? It rang bells. That day, years ago, when Ibrahim and the others had talked about doing something. I hadn't forgotten it. Because I had thought they were caught for doing something illegal. And I wanted to report them if they did do something stupid. I was always alert around them, since that day.

He was silent for a while. Thinking.

"Oh, that?I didn't really do anything. I only did what I felt was right. She deserved it, after all what she did. And you didn't need to bother to threaten me. I would have done it, anyways. But I wonder why Fareed didn't come with me that day." He said, smiling a little.

She? Who? What did she do? More importantly, what did they do?

"Fareed just didn't  want to be involved in it that day. By the way, We weren't really planning on including her in our plan. But you did big by involving her in it. We got our revenge, and you got your satisfaction by it." He said smirking.

"Why would you take revenge from her?" He asked confused.

"God, She slapped me, Zubair. Don't you remember?" He asked in disbelief.

"What? When?" He seemed confused.

"Years ago. You might have forgotten. A week before she slapped you in front of everyone in the cafeteria, she slapped me, remember?" He said as if stating the obvious. "Anyways, thanx. We needed those answers desperately. We needed to score well in order to cover up our acts."

I froze. The floor beneath me shook. Silent tears spilled from my eyes like a dying river, parched from the scorching sun. One by one.

I never cry. The only time I had cried was when my grandfather died. The other time was two years ago. When they crushed my dream. When he crushed my dream.

It was because of him, I cried twice. Little did I know, even in the future,  I would be crying because of him.

"Look. I need to go. I have to set the stage. I am responsible for it. Catch you up, later." Ibrahim Said quickly. And I could hear his shoes thud against the grass as he ran.

I slowly got up. My legs wobbly. I wiped my tears away. And I ran.

I reached the washroom. And I threw up all my food. Tears rolled off my cheeks as I removed my hijaab and clutched it in my hands.

Finally, after making sure I threw up every single piece of food, I came out.
The first thing I noticed, was the long mirror in front of me, which stood adjacent to the row of sinks.

I went near it. And saw myself. My ragged face. My hurt face. I splashed my face with the cold water. And looked up at my reflection.

Bam!

The mirror cracked. The cracks ran along its surface, like lightening strikes. The bloods oozed out of my knuckles. Not much. But moderate.

I hadn't done it purposely, to hurt me. I did it out of reflex. I asked forgiveness from Allah. For my actions. Then I washed my hands from blood in hopes of cleaning the wound and tied a handkerchief around it.

I didn't feel the pain. Because my heart was feeling a much intense pain. As people say The pain inflicted by words was usually more painful than the pain inflicted by force. And this confirmed it.

I walked towards the office. Placed some bills with a note that said, this money was for the damaged mirror in washroom no. 6, in the opinion box. The office was locked. So I couldn't enter, but this box, was daily checked by the board. So they would come across it.

Then I made my way to the bonfire. I didn't see him, after that. Nor did I want to.

The whole time, I was thinking. I thought he had turned for the good. I never thought that He was capable of doing this. He was always a respectable person, after Jen happened. Even though I hated him with passion for his faults and for his ego, I knew he had a dignity. But now that he admitted it, I couldn't refuse the reality. A small part of my mind told me, he must have had a reason. But, no. No matter what anyone did, this was wrong. To frame someone for a crime. A crime that cost their dream. And that's what made me turn my back on this whole university. I didn't have any ways to prove my innocence. To prove that the guy who I encountered in the hall way was Zubair Khan.

And I had already spent two years studying another major. My dream had died that fateful day. I no longer wanted to study. So I crushed my soul, and buried myself under.

And continued my last semester at the damn University.

I wasn't the same after that. Only Farha and Naila came to know about it.

I never glared at him. I never attended any football games. I never looked at those despicable blue orbs. I never intended to come back. To this wretched University.

I buried my past forever.

***

Please! Vote and comment! How did you find the past!? Was it boring or a shocker!? Did you get schooled seeing this side of Zubair?

Jazakallah!