||CHAPTER 59||
《¤》

"Karan bhaiya!" The sixth graders giggled when Karan came up, just for goofing around like he was doing for the past few days. He was missing when the twelfthies had grabbed us for getting duties assigned a week ago, and now all he had to do was nothing but annoy the ones who actually had nothing to do either, but called it work.

"Hellow girls," he winked at them, making them giggle even more. I never understood the concept of young girls crushing on seniors, which was clearly the scenario here. "Ready to dance?"

"Dekho na bhaiya," one of the clones pointed towards the auditorium where the seventh scene was restarting. "Kab se Principal mam unko woh scene repeat kara rahi hai."

"Ek ghante se!" The one beside her exaggerated.

Ishita and I shared a bored look and yawned. I always hated middle-schoolers, and I was time and again reminded of the reason why.

"Fir tho tum log maze karo," he sat with them. "Kyooki aaj Dongra Ma'am bohot bure mood me hai, aur sabke dance change kar rahi hai."

"Oh no!" They wailed. Why were preteens so over-dramatic?

"Ham tab taq ek game khele? Please?" The shortie of the group asked.

Now was the time Karan usually got awkward. The girls suggested games which usually were super girly.

"What is happening over there?" Avni asked her cheek smeared in paint. She was in one of the groups that was making things for the exhibition.

"You should be reevaluating your crush on Bahl," Ishita explained. "Now he will play some stupid clapping game with those girls."

Entertained by her frown, I tried to calm her down. "Chill, he looks pretty awkward to me."

"He better be. Kal se dekh rahi hoo ye sab meri sautan banne me lagi hai yaar. School ke bahar tho mile ek baar!"

Ishita and I shared knowing smirks, making Avni glare at us. "What?"

"Why don't you just go and tell him that you're into him?"

I supported Ishita by shrugging. "I don't think tagging him in cat memes served the exact purpose."

Biting her lips, she folded her hands. "The whole Girl makes the first move is cool and all, but I know there are many like me who like him. I mean, look at him! He's so cute, and is playing with those kids."

I'm pretty sure that not even a minute ago was she declaring a war on them. Someone was clearly confused about her priorities.

"You wouldn't know unless you try, right?" I raised my eyebrow. Behind the door, the seventh scene was being repeated again.

"And ham kaunsa tumhe usko propose karne bol rahe hai?" Ishita added. "Just go talk to him. Make yourself a familiar figure. Make him spill his secrets to you. Whatever you do, you know."

"'Know what?" Avni pursed her lips. "You're damn right. I'll tag him in a thousand grumpy cats if need be, but by the end of twelfth, I will make him notice me."

She didn't wait for us to wish her luck, she walked to Karan and the sixth graders as if it was a face-reveal scene in a movie, strands from her hair blowing and cheeks still smeared with paint.
"I'm not sure she understood what we meant," Ishita leaned her head on my shoulder.

"I'll second you on that. Do we want to witness another high school drama?"

We smirked at each other. "How could we say no to that?"

Due to the loud music, we couldn't make out the words that were being exchanged between them, but our eyes widened when Karan fished out his handkerchief to wipe out the colour stains on Avni's cheeks in the middle of the talk she was giving to the kids.

Our jaws had dropped open. "That was hot. Now I want a potential boyfriend too. Vickey, be my wing woman!"

"I won't embarrass myself with that duty. Have you seen yourself in the mirror? Have you heard yourself? Have you met yourself?"

She hit my arm in reciprocation. "Whatevahhh"

I shook my head.

A slight commotion to the right made us straighten up and look towards the stairwell. Someone had raced upstairs, and his eyes had landed on me.

I was going to get over him. I knew I would. I had to.

He ran towards us, and I wasn't going to stand there, stuck in my position, but I couldn't move. It had been ten days since we last looked at each other, this was difficult.

"You are being called home," was the first thing he said, handing me a slip. "Arnav is waiting for you with your bag at the reception."

If this was a prank to make me go running downstairs for no reason, only to make me climb up the three enormous floors, they had another thing coming.

Seemed like he already was attuned to my frequency. "I'm not kidding. Your car is waiting for you guys outside the gate. It's an... it's an emergency."

I took a look at the slip he had handed me. Mrs. Dongra's signature in green pen was very bright. He wasn't kidding indeed. 

"I'll go," I said to Ishita, and rushed downstairs.

"Arvika, wait!" He had followed me to the second floor. I turned around and looked at him, expectantly.

"Just..." he cleared his throat. "Just take care of yourself, alright? It's an emergency... but..."

"But? I need to go, Vansh."

"Nothing. Take care."

For the past few days, I'd been doing a pretty good job at it.

I knew he wanted to say something else, but the current dynamics prevented him from doing so.

Arnav was waiting for me at the reception. "Books laathi hai ya patthar?"

"Considering the fact that I rarely have the right books for the classes in my bags, I'll go with patthar."

He scoffed as we made our way to the school gates, giving our slips to the security guard before exiting.

"Why're we being saved from this hell-hole so early by the way?" I asked once our car started moving

He shrugged, "Dunno. Dad's not picking up his phone."

"Daadi?"

"Same."

A heavy feeling was constricting my chest. Something wasn't clicking alright.

¿¤?

The crowd of people gathered under our building was the first clue. When the driver zoomed into our parking spot, warning bells rang in our mind. "Did something happen to our company?" I asked, confused.

"I don't see the paparazzi out there," Arnav unlocked his door. "Yet, I mean."

I had been refreshing the page I'd been on every five minutes during our ride. "Share market's been pretty good too. Our stocks are gaining profits."

Strapping my bag on my shoulder, I walked with Arnav to our lift. He pressed the button.

Ratan Kaka exited the lift, momentary relief crossing his face when he saw us. "Aap aa gaye."

"What's going on?" Arnav asked. "Ye log hamare building ke neeche kyoo khade hai?"

Ratan Kaka looked at them uneasily, but didn't reply. It was a gloomy atmosphere, and worry was ebbing away any other comforting memory. It was a dreadful journey up.

The smell of incense sticks filled my nostrils before the gathering outside our apartment did. This was strange, everyone was speaking in hushed whispers. This was now scaring me. The crowd parted to make way for us.

Relatives who we met around once or twice a year on annual occasions, were seated in the living room table. White was the uniform. My heart was beating loudly.

"Arey, Arnav aur Arvika aa gaye hai..." Mithika Chachi, a relative who lived in Gurgaon and appeared in rare functions said, standing up from the dining table.

"Ye..." Arnav looked around, consuming in the scene in front of us, "Ye kya ho raha hai?"

Jolly Bua's husband was nursing Mikhael, who was wailing in his arms. On spotting us, he jumped off his father's lap, and ran towards us. "Naani! Naani ke paas jaana hai!"

And then it made sense. My stomach felt hollow and mouth too dry, my heart beat too loudly for me to listen to anything else. This... This wasn't happening. No, I was thinking wrong.

I didn't care about removing my shoes, I ran towards Daadi's room. I could hear Jolly Bua sobbing from the hallway, and Dad was standing outside Daadi's room. He was talking to a few people in low voices, but I had to see her first. This had to be a joke right?

"Arvika, ruko," My father stopped me. This was the first time he had spoken to me in the ten days since the deal between us and the Mehra's broke.

"Dad, ye log yaha kyoo hai?"

"Arvika, meri baat suno-"

"No Dad, ye kya ho raha hai? Hame school se jaldi kyoo bulaya gaya? Jolly Bua ro kyoo rahi hai-"

I stopped mid-sentence because I had managed to get a glimpse inside the room. I wished I hadn't.

I couldn't move, my heart had stopped beating, my whole world had fallen apart.

Because there, on the bed where I often found comfort, where I had often laid on her lap, where we had criticised numerous daily soaps, where I had found my home in lay the lifeless body of Avantika Deewan.

_____

Namoshtaii!

So... Well... I don't know what to say okay. I had told you, things were going to take a DRAMATIC turn, and well, here it is. Right now, if you're planning an assassination, I'll help you because I don't want to see my results. But well...

I'm not completely back, but I'm gonna try updating a few times this week. I'm also working on a completely new book, which I will pitch in for the Desi Lihaaz contest if it gets completed on time, but I doubt that will be the case. Anyways, be ready with tissue boxes or napkins if you liked a particular someone a lot here, and you cannot control your tear gates when it gets emotional. I can also lend a shoulder to cry on though, but you will most probably hit me more so... yeah. I also have something I want to talk to you guys about, but I will wait for a few days.

And did you guys hear the snippet for the Dil Jaanta Hai song? If you did, tell me how was it?!

Read, vote, comment and promote!

~chaashnee.