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Vaanga vaanga story kulla polaa 🚴🏻‍♀️💜🦋

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I didn't expect Vinitha ma'am to speak to that professor like that. I was just standing there, taken aback.

What is she saying? I wondered.

I gasped a little when she said, "I'm scared of that arrogant man" 

Why should I be scared? He's just annoying, not frightening.

I glanced at him. He gave me a confused look, but the slight curve of his lips pricked my ego.

I averted my gaze and tried to nudge Vinitha ma'am to stop her blabbering, but she continued.

"Okay, ma'am. I won't do anything to her"

His words infuriated me, but I refused to look at him and walked behind Vinitha ma'am toward my class. 

But, my steps halted on their own, and I touched the chain around my neck with my thumb and index finger before bending back to see more clearly. I saw him grab Elangovan sir's shirt and drag him into the lift.

I smiled but quickly changed to a confused, expressionless face. Then I moved inside the classroom after waving my hand to Vinitha ma'am.

"Saapdaama enna di ivlo nero?"

(Why are you so late without eating?)

My friend's angry voice greeted me as soon as I stepped inside the class.

I sighed and sat beside her.

"Naraya work di mam paavo, help panna vera aarum illai. Adhaa naan ellaam panni kuduthundu vandhen"

(There was a lot of work, poor mam and here was no one else to help too. So, I did everything and came.)

I explained, taking my bag to pull out my lunch carrier.

"Pasi uyiru poradhu. Saapdanum modhala"

(I'm hungry. Let's eat first.)

"Pinna ivlo neram saapdaama irundhaa ennaagum?"

(Then, what would happen if you stayed this long without eating?)

I smiled and pinched her cheek, but she swatted my hand away.

"Seri kova padaadha Kamali andha urru face enna sonnaar?"

(Okay, don't get angry, Kamali. What did that annoying guy say?)

I asked, opening my lunch box.

"Adha vera yen maami kekura?"

(Uff.. Why are you even asking that now?)

Kamali sighed and laid down on the desk. I frowned, seeing her, eating my lunch of curd rice and potato fries.

"Yen enna sonnaa?"

(Why? What did he say?)

I asked again, with my mouth full of food.

"Haan unna paakanumaam un avaa ku"

(Haan! He wants to see you, itseems)

I scrunched my face, hearing her words.

"Enna olarura nee?"

(What are you blabbering?)

Kamali giggled at me with a mischievous expression. I narrowed my brows, but...

"Nejama dha. Iru. Kalai.. Kalai"

(Seriously. Wait. Kalai.. Kalaii..)

Kamali turned around with a wide smile and called out to one of our team members. I followed her gaze and saw Kalai, who raised an eyebrow and asked,

"Enna di?"

(What?)

"Inga vaayen"

(Come here)

Kamali called her, and I saw her still grinning.

Enna panna poraa? I thought.

(What is she upto?)

Kalai whispered something to her friend and stood up. I turned to gauge her reaction to this overly excited friend of mine.

"Hey apdiye Poorni ayum kooptu vaa"

(Hey, bring Poorni along too)

Kamali shouted.

"Kamali enna seiya pora?"

(Kamali, what are you doing?)

I asked her, confused, what she was up to now.

I couldn't quite figure out what was behind that mischievous and excited grin on her face.

She ignored me and pressed my hand with hers on her lap, stopping me from hitting her arm.

I wriggled my hand free from her grip and turned around to see Kalai and Poorni approaching us with smiles.

The two of them arrived and sat down at the desk beside us.

"Enna di?"

(What?)

Poorni asked Kamali.

I had a puzzled look on my face, but I continued eating my food, not because I'm a foodie but because lunch hour was almost over and anyone could come by at any moment for taking attendance.

God knows, that arrogant professor might even show up, given it's his first class with us.

I snapped out of my thoughts when Kamali's teasing tone caught my attention.

"Hey Aayush sir enna kettaaru nu Seetha kekuraa"

(Hey, Seetha is asking what Aayush sir told us.)

I turned to Poorni, who frowned at Kamali's grinning face, just like I was.

So, my friend is  cooking up something.

Be ready, Seetha!"

I told myself as I shoved a few morsels of curd rice into my mouth.

"Avaru enna summa project pathi kettaaru. Apro system logs collect panna sonnaaru"

(He? He just asked about the project and he also mentioned that we should collect system logs.)

Kalai said nonchalantly, seemingly unaffected by Kamali's teasing.

"Apro unna paakanum nu sonnaaru"

(He said that he wants to see you)

Poorni finished, which made my face turn horrified and disgusted. Kamali laughed and clapped her hands, enjoying my reaction.

I sighed; she always claps her hands and leans back when she laughs loudly.

Her contagious laughter could make anyone, even those who had no idea what was going on, end up laughing along.

Shoo...

"Enna di olaringa rendu  perum?"

(What are you both blabbering about?)

I snapped at Poornima.

"Hey, enna? Nejama dha. Avaru dha apdi sonnaaru"

(What? Seriously, he only said that)

Poorni said, suppressing her laugh.

"Aama naanga laa onnum olarala. Avaru indha maami'eh inniku paathaa dha college vitte poven nu otha kaal le nikkuraaru'naa paathukoyen"

(Yeah, we're not blabbering. He just said, standing on one leg, that he'll leave the college only if he sees this darling today)

Kamali remarked loudly, pinching my chin. I swatted her hand away with a glare.

"Olaraadha Kamali. Ennaachu nu sollungo"

(Just stop Kamali. Tell me, what happened?)

Kalai shook her head at them with a smile.

"Adhu onnu illa di Seetha. Avaru team nu irundhaa... adhula ellaarayume paakanum nu nenaikiraaru. System logs epdi edukalaa nu paathuttu evening 4.30 ku enna vandhu paarunga nu sonnaaru"

(That's nothing, Seetha. He said that as a team, he needs to see everyone. After checking on how to collect system logs and remarked that we should come by at 4:30 in the evening to see him.)

I nodded my head in understanding. 

I could have gone with them to meet him, taking permission from Vinitha ma'am, considering our new stone-head professor.

"Understanding him well already?"

Just as I was contemplating, Kamali's sudden question snapped me out of my thoughts.

However, she wasn't asking me; she was directing it towards Poorni and about her boyfriend.

I sighed.

"Ohh seri, enna pannalaam system logs ku?"

(Oh, okay. What can we do about the system logs?)

I asked them to divert the conversation and my own thoughts, which were constantly fixated on our professor. It wasn't good, though—mostly negative and scolding thoughts.

"Naan ChatGPT le pottu paathen. System logs yedukka oru sila softwares laa irukku. But, adhu namma college system le download panna mudiyaadhu nu nenaikiren. Permission kekkum"

(I checked on ChatGPT. Some software can collect system logs, but I think it might not be possible to download it on our college system. We might need permission.)

Poorni replied to me.

I closed my lunch box after finishing everything.

"Seri appo idhaye solleerlaam. Avaa permission vaangi kudukattum"

(Okay, then let's just say this. He should get permission and provide it)

I said, shrugging my shoulders, as I grabbed my water bottle and screwed the cap back on.

"Mmm 4.30 ku dhane? namma poi kaettukalaa"

(Mm, it's at 4:30, right? Let's go and ask then)

Kalai said with a smile. I smiled back and nodded my head at her.

"Okay di"

I said, and the other two returned to their previous place, the last bench, to join their friends.

As they moved off, I placed my water bottle on the table and glared at Kamali with my cheeks puffed out, filled with water.

She giggled at me. I gulped the water and...

"Nee enta adi vaanga pora Kamali"

(I'm going to smack you, Kamali)

I warned her, and she seemed to suppress her laughter. I stared at her, and she responded by pinching my cheek.

"Okay okay zipped. Namma venaa unakku puducha vaaranam aayiram paapomaa afternoon?"

(Shall we watch your favourite, Vaaranam Aayiram movie?)

At the mention of my favorite movie, I grinned at her. Kamali, smiling, pushed my head down, and I chuckled.

But when the scene I wasn't allowed to watch came up, I nudged Kamali to fast forward the movie.

"Maathu Kamali"

(Change it, Kamali)

"Orudhadava paathaa Onnum aagaadhu pesaama paaru di padatha"

(If you watch it just once, nothing will happen. Just watch the movie without talking.)

She said, staring at the screen without even blinking, her lips curved into a toothy grin.

I shook my head and raised my hand to forward the first night song of the movie with my eyes closed, but Kamali stopped me by holding my hand.

"Kamali"

"Hey nee paakalanaa podi andha pakkam"

(Just go away)

I huffed and tried to free my hands from her grip, but she held on tightly, causing me to make some inappropriate sounds.

"Mmmm...vidu di.. kaiya vidu.. eww..mmpp"

(Leave.. leave my hand)

As I struggled to free my hand from her grip, a deep voice boomed through the classroom, making everyone catch their breath.

"Hello, students."

The voice also broke my friend's hold, and I turned to look at Kamali, who paused the movie, shut the laptop partially, and balanced her cheek on her hand, staring at him.

I narrowed my brows and continued to watch her. I frowned when the entire classroom fell silent, putting aside games, movies, reels, and chatter at the sound of our new professor's deep, authoritative voice—the voice of our new main project coordinator and the latest arrogant addition to my list of annoyances.

I turned to face him and rolled my eyes.

I don't know why, but it felt like rolling my eyes was the only way to show either him or myself that I was irritated by his presence and voice.

He introduced himself to us.

I thought, "I know you, man. Huh!"

Out of nowhere, the whole class stood up to greet him. I was startled at first, then bent forward to stand up, but before I could, he said,

"Take your seats. And how were your first and second project reviews?"

I grinned and settled back into my seat with a regal air.

Respect manasula irundhaa podhum!

(Respect is enough if it's in the mind!)

I told myself, giving my behavior a nod of approval, without feeling dejected for not showing respect to someone who was older and higher than me.

I glanced at him from head to toe, wondering about his height. As I observed his clenched jaw and roaming eyelids, I started to wonder what he was up to.

He scanned the students' faces randomly and suddenly pointed to the boy on the last bench.

Our poor souls, who had come to college just to play, were now visibly scared. I gulped, thinking about what would happen if he noticed me—I'd likely become his next target.

I wet my lips and bit the side of my lower lip, bracing myself for the possibility of getting caught and providing some entertainment to the whole class.

"You?"

The bulky boy, Charan, who wore glasses, stood up. His friends tried to suppress their laughter at his nervous demeanor.

Charan replied to the professor, stifling his own laughter while his friends Yuvan and Deena continued to make fun of him from their seats.

I wondered. 

So, no one else in this class is scared of him except me?

As I composed myself, started preparing to respond confidently if he questioned or provoked me—to show him that I'm a genius and not afraid of him—I heard a whisper from my friend Leela behind our desk.

"Avaru muscles paaren"

(Look at his muscles)

I scrunched my face at her comment.

"Ewww.. katti puduchaa avlodha sugar cane juice aayiruvom pola"

(Ewww... If we hug him, we might turn into sugar cane juice or something)

I glared at Kamali, who had turned her back to answer Leela.

But they ignored me and continued commenting on the professor.

This arrogant guy only gets this much respect. 

I rolled my eyes again and turned back to the professor, who was already holding intense eye contact with me.

I gulped, and the world around me seemed to stop, not because of anything else but sheer fear.

"Can you switch off the fans?"

His soft tone really surprised me. My lips twisted up slightly without me realizing it, but I quickly pressed them together and nodded my head in all directions.

Up.

Down.

Left.

Right.

Then I slowly stood up and began switching off all the switches, not bothering whether they controlled the fans or the lights.

I wasn't in the mood to analyze the switches, nor did I understand the mood I was in.

I turned and walked back to my seat, catching a faint "thank you" from him. I didn't have the courage to respond with my usual "it's okay"—the obvious reply I give to everyone who thanks me. 

I just couldn't bring myself to meet his chocolate eyes again.

As he moved on to the question session, I glanced up, noticing his arms folded below his chest, with the veins prominently visible, which made him look quite impressive.

Aayush Kumar 'Sirrrrr' asked Charan's friend Yuvan to stand, causing the entire class to giggle silently at his bewildered expression.

Charan took his seat when the professor told him to, and he mocked his friend Yuvan, who was struggling to control his laughter.

"Yuvan, sir" 

Professor asked him about his preparation for the third review of our project.

I started to feel in a better mood, slowly overcoming my fear.

However, there's always a "villi" around to spoil the mood, and that "villi" happened to be my very own friends.

"Enna di veral'eh murungakka maadhiri ivlo perusaa irukku?"

(Why are his fingers so huge, like drumsticks?)

Shutting my eyes, I cursed them. 

Their adult jokes were piercing my ears.

"Enakku onnu thonudhu"

(I feel like I need to say something.)

Kamali grinned.

"Enakku purunjadhu"

(Got it)

Chi chi girls they are.

"Good sir"

But Yuvan's reply, which exactly matched Charan's, made everyone in the class break out into laughter. I giggled and looked at our professor, who gave Yuvan a slight smile that revealed a dimple on his cheek. I gasped at the sight, unaware of myself, but quickly closed my parted lips when—

"Dimple uhh diii"

Ughhh!

"Awwwww"

These girls. 

I'm going to kill them now.

"Rendu perum setha neram chumma dha irungolen di?"

(Both of you, just shut up for a while?)

I murmured angrily at them, giving them a glare.

"Unakku rasikka therilanaa kammunu iru maami. Engala yen moraikura?"

(If you don't understand how to admire, then stay quiet. Why are you glaring us?)

Kamali twisted her lips at me.

I huffed, shaking my head, and looked at him.

He told us to maintain a project diary regularly and properly, and to be ready for the third review at any time.

I sighed.

Haiyo idhu verayaa.

(Should we deal with this too now?)

"Apdiye andha full hand sleeves'eh elbows varaikum madichu vittu ninnaaru nu vachukko"

(Just assume that those full-sleeve shirts are rolled up to his elbows.)

Hein?

I turned towards them, but they didn't even mind me.

"Aiyooo podi enakku vekkamaa irukku"

(Aiyo! I'm feeling shy)

I threw a nasty glance at them.

There he was, explaining the details of the review, but they were busy scrutinizing him with their eyes. 

I was sure they had scanned him from top to toe, if not completely, at least almost.

In my mind, I scolded them for their unabashed scrutiny, as if they were about to devour him just with their gaze.

Suddenly, a deep voice calling my name broke my focus. My eyes widened, my heart skipped a beat, and for the third time that day, 

The world seemed to stop.

Why is he calling me now?

"Maatnaa"

(She's caught)

Kamali giggled, and I stood up from my place hesitantly, mumbling a soft "Sir."

He looked at me as if he was seeing me for the first time.

That "Who's Seetha?" made me think,

Wow! What an actor he is.

Naadaga company vachiruppaalo?

(Has he set up a drama company or something?)

But his next statement made my brows raise sarcastically without me realizing it.

"Oh, you?"

Illa enakku purila?

(What the hell?)

And he seems to be suppressing his smile.

"Come with your team members by 4:30 to my cabin" 

He ordered with a straight face.

"Okay, sir" 

I mumbled, staring at him. He averted his gaze as I sat down, and I murmured, 

"Urru face"

(Arrogant face)

I twisted my lips but blinked when Jiji, one of my friends, asked,

"Enna Kamali namma Seetha've thaniyaa visaarikiraaru pudhu sir uhh?"

(Hey Kamali, is the new sir questioning Seetha alone?)

Her stressed words made me think about it too.

He knew that I'm Seetha.

So why did he act like he didn't know me and ask who I was?

"Adhellaa apdidha. Naanga ponadhukku Seetha ve paathaa dha viduven nu adam puduchaaru theriyumaa?"

(Yes. You know what? when we went to see him, he acted stubborn and said he'll leave us only after he sees Seetha)

Kamali grinned, and I shot her a deadly glare.

Iva oruthi podhum.

(She is enough for me)

I thought, sarcastically.

"How sweet uh.. something something aaah?"

Jiji too started making fun of me.

"Trope: A Professor and Student Love Story. My favourite uhhh"

This time, Madhu, Jiji's friend, joined in with excitement, adding to the teasing.

I sighed in frustration at their comments. 

Love? 

How could I possibly be in love with my professor? 

And how could he feel the same way about me?

It's absolutely out of the question! 

A forbidden one!

Then, what were they even talking about?

If it were someone like Elangovan sir, I might have brushed it off as harmless teasing. It's common for friends to joke around with each other, and I tease them in return.

But with this guy?

I can't even handle the thought of it just based on his gaze alone.

How could they make him the subject of their jokes about me?

Their teasing really got under my skin.

"You guys please just shut up. Avaale oru loosu. Avaala poi enkooda saethi pesindu irukkingo?"

(He's such a crazy head. How could you even think of teasing me with him?)

I glared at them through gritted teeth.

"Answer your attendance, students. Aakash?"

His voice and the attendance of my classmates gradually cooled my anger. I picked up my phone to distract myself, glancing at my friends through my peripheral vision. They shrugged their shoulders, and Kamali blinked at them. 

I shook my head.

"Present sir"

After marking the attendance, he left the class without acknowledging anyone. 

The class returned to its usual buzz.

Happaa da.

(Finally)

I felt like I was in some other class.

And him? oru gratitude kooda illa.

(There's no gratitude for us)

"Thank you soldrome, adha kooda paathuttaadhu povo nu irukkaa paaru. Ivaala poi enkooda saethi vachu pesuringo? Seriyaana arrogant"

(We are thanking him, but look at him, he is not even recognising us. And you all were teasing me with him. Such an arrogant case.)

I mumbled, staring him through the window.

"Seri avaru ennamo pannatum. Vaa namma poi library le no-due sign vaangeetu varlaam"

(Okay, let him do whatever he wants. Let's go to the library and get the no-due sign)

Kamali said with a smile to distract me.

Yeah! I have more important works to do other than scolding that man.

"Aama aama adhu dha important. Vaa Kamali polaam"

(Yes yes, that's more important. Come. Let's leave Kamali)

We both went to the library to get the sign on our no-dues.

On the way,

"Oruvela single aah iruppaaro?"

(What if he's single?)

Kamali asked.

"Aaru?"

(Who?)

I asked her back, even though I knew the person she was talking about.

Kamali grinned again.

"Un aalu dha"

(Your favourite man)

I glared at her. Again?

"Kamaliiii"

Kamali chuckled, raising her hands in surrender.

"Okay okay. Aayush sir dha"

(It's Aayush sir)

"Avaa ennavaa irundhaa nokku enna?"

(What will you do, if he's single?)

I raised my eyebrows at her.

"Illa ponnu kedaikala'ngra kadupula dha ivlo attitude'aah irukkaaro nu kekuren?"

(No, I thought he might have became an attitude person because he hasn't found the love of his life or anyone to marry)

Kamali replied.

Wow. 

What a brilliant imagination!

"Appo nee venaa poi propose panni, love pannu. Maybe we'll get to see his smile"

(Then you should go and propose, show some love to him)

I said to her in a serious tone, teasing her, not expecting it to backfire on me.

"We or you?"

Kamali threw me a teasing smile.

I rolled my eyes for the umpteenth time today but smiled at her sweetly, replying,

"Yes, me. But 'Me' is not what you think. This 'Me' is going to kill you."

I gritted my teeth at the last part.

But she just clapped her hands and walked beside me.

"Whareyy vaa.. en maami ku ipdilaa pesa theriyumaa? yaar seidha maayam?"

(Wow, my maami knows how to speak like this too? Who's behind this sudden change?)

She gave me a sarcastic smile.

I looked at her with a sigh of tiredness.

"Kamali..."

She chuckled.

"Don't act di maami, paaka nalla hot'aah dhane irukkaaru? nalla illa nu solli nadikaadha"

(He's looking hot, right? Don't act like he's not good-looking.)

I shook my head with a smile.

"I might have said yes if he had let me to use the lift. Tricky? epdi kettaa theriyumo? why should I be tricky? naan inga yearly one lakh katteendu padikiren. Naan lift le rendu dhadava yeri yerangunaa avaalukku salary kudukkaamayaa management irundhira podhu?Illai le?"

( Do you know how it feels? I pay one lakh every year here. If I use the lift twice, shouldn't the management give a salary increase for him? Or not?)

I huffed, twisting my lips.

As it's the truth.

Maybe many of our professors are like that, not allowing students to use the lift.

But that doesn't matter to me.

What matters is his arrogance.

If he had politely told me not to use the lift again, I might not have been this upset.

But his tone and the pace of his words just made my blood boil.

"Nee ivlo verukura alavukku laa avaru avlo arrogant illa Maami, unakku onnu theriyumaa? Charan sonnaan, innum three days'le nadakka pora football match'le aal pathala nu ivara kooptadhukku varen nu solleerkaaru. Yendha professor ipdi iruppaanga sollu?"

(He's not as arrogant as you're saying, Maami. You know what? Charan mentioned that in the upcoming football match in three days, Aayush Sir is going to participate because their team doesn’t have enough members. Which professor behaves like this, tell me?)

Oh!

Good.

Actually, great.

No professor would accept this, especially within a day of joining.

But I just don’t want to have a good impression of him.

And why should I want to have a good impression of him?

He’s just a professor to me.

Nothing less and Nothing more!

"Oi. Enna yosikira? nallavaru nu dhane yosikira?"

(What are you thinking? he's a good man, right?)

I saw her, who was walking infront of me, backwards with a wide grin on her face.

I stared at her for a few seconds and then replied,

"No dues le concentrate panlaamaa?"

(Shall we concentrate on our no-dues?)

I asked and walked past her, storing the information about him participating in the football match in my mind by default.

"Hey nillu maami"

(Hey wait, maami)

I heard Kamali and stopped, then we headed towards the library to get the seal from the library assistant together.

We spent time with her until 4:30, chatting with the sweet and innocent woman who was around my mother’s age.

Kamali reminded us about meeting Aayush Kumar Sir, so we waved a bye to the assistant mam and, right at 4:30, stood in front of our project guide’s cabin.

"Sir"

I knocked on the door.

His eyes met mine, and we heard a faint,

"Come in"

From him.

We entered, greeted him, and received a nod in return.

He handed me the project diary and asked me to maintain it properly in a polite tone.

This man is just crazy. He shows his attitude over something that’s not even a mistake, but when I made the mistake of not maintaining the diary properly, he remains polite.

Enna type of creature ne therilaye..

(What type of creature is he?)

Then, he asked if I had any suggestions for our project.

I noticed in the corner of my eye that Kamali was hiding behind me, trying to suppress her smile at his question.

What is he expecting?

I curtly replied no, and I didn’t miss seeing his eyes squint, but I shrugged it off and averted my gaze from his eyes.

He explained that he asked because I hadn’t discussed anything with him in the afternoon meeting. And then he directly asked about the system logs without waiting for any of my responses.

But I would explain it to him.

Without meeting his eyes, as I couldn't maintain eye contact with him.

Those eyes—they betray me!

I don't know how or why, but they do.

I explained about the software, and Poorni asked for permission to use the college systems.

He nodded understandingly and instructed me to send an email to him, Elangovan Sir, and the ICT team regarding the usage of the college systems.

He then asked if we had any other questions. When we silently looked at him, he nodded, giving us the cue to leave, and we exited his cabin.

While I was closing the glass door of his cabin, I felt a deep gaze from him.

I awkwardly ignored it and joined my friends.

When I turned to look at his cabin again without realizing it, Kamali nudged me, patting my shoulder, and said,

"Hey Seetha, anga paaru. Sir vandhuttaaru. Vaa namma no dues eduthuttu vandhu sign vaangalaam"

(Hey Seetha, look over there. Sir has come. Let’s go get our no-dues sign.)

I followed her gaze and saw one of our staff members, the only person from whom we hadn't yet received the no-dues sign, except for our project coordinator. We could only get his signature after completing the final review. So, we were in a hurry to get signatures from the other faculty members.

"Vaa vaa"

(Let's go)

I urged Kamali.

The four of us ran inside our classroom, making everyone look at us strangely.

"Yen di ipdi odi varinga?"

(Why are you all running like this?)

Jiji asked.

"Andha kaanaama pona vaathi vandhiruchu di. No due sign vaanga poro"

(That missing professor has come back. We're going to get the no-due sign.)

Kalai replied to her while moving out with her no-due.

"Enna di soldra?"

(What are you saying?)

That was it. The whole class rushed outside with their no-due forms except for Kamali and me, as we were seriously taking out the course certificates from our files, which were mandatory to get signed by that "kaanama pona vaathi (missing professor)"

Once we re-entered the staffroom, it was very crowded around that one professor's cabin.

We both jammed against the door when Aayush Kumar Sir and Elangovan Sir came out together to leave the staffroom.

"Innu konja nero inga ninnaa chutney aayiruven pola"

(I'll turn into juice if I stay like this for a few more minutes)

I giggled at my friend and we stood beside the cabin.

Ten minutes passed.

In another ten minutes, I have to board my college bus to get back home, which is more important than these 'useless' no-dues.

Ughh. Who even invented this no-dues process?

"Hey, enakku bus ku time aagudhu di"

(Hey, it's almost time for my bus)

I hissed at Kamali, hoping she could tell me something to escape from this situation.

"Ten minutes irukku le? poyirulaam iru"

(You still have ten minutes, right? We can make it, just wait)

Kamali replied to me nonchalantly.

Because she’s an outbus student.

But I’m not.

I’m genuinely terrified of using the outbus to my home. That’s why my father has never allowed me to take it and always made me use the college or school bus, paying twenty-five thousand each semester.

As time passed, my smartwatch showed 5:00 p.m., making me even more anxious. The thought of going to my home using outbus through that crowd was making me feel dizzy.

No, this can’t happen.

I gulped, shifted in my place in annoyance, and peeked inside to see the professor now sternly scolding one of our classmates for not submitting the course completion certificate.

"Nee course certificate eduthu vai naan sign podren. Adhu illaama epdi enna sign poda soldra?"

(Take your course certificate and give it to me; I'll sign your no-dues. How can I sign it without that?)

I sighed.

All professors are the same.

"Haiyoo.. naan bus'eh vitruven pola di Kamali"

(Aiyo, it looks like I'm going to miss my bus, Kamali.)

I whined at Kamali.

"Juniors yaaraadhu irundhaa avanga kitta solli vai"

(If you know any juniors, ask them to hold on the bus for you.)

She gave me an idea.

I nodded with a hum and called my junior, who’s the only friend on the college bus, to let her know I'd be late and ask the driver to wait for me. She agreed and ended the call.

It was now 5:10 p.m.

Inside the cabin were me, three outbus students, a few more hostellers, and two boys who rode bikes.

I gulped as my fingers shivered upon seeing the overcast sky, which showed a 100 percent chance of rain.

I called the junior girl,

"Hello akka"

"Jasmi, where's the bus?"

I asked her, hoping that the bus was still there and would drop me home safely.

"Akka naane veliya vandhu dha ka yerunen. Seekro eduthuttaanga ka"

(Akka, I came out and saw that the bus had already left. They’ve taken off)

I gasped.

"Eduthuttaanga laa? enna da soldra?"

(Taken off? What are you saying?)

I couldn't believe what she was saying.

"Aama ka"

(Yes)

She replied casually.

I calmed myself and asked,

"Seri ippo enga irukku bus uh?"

(Okay, so where is the bus now?)

"Veliya vandhiruchu ka"

(It's already outside our campus)

"Mch, solla sonnen le da?"

(Tch, didn’t I tell you to inform our driver?)

I clicked my tongue in vexation.

"Akka naane veliya dha ka vandhu yerunen"

(Akka, I saw the bus leaving as I was outside the campus, so I managed to climb aboard from outside.)

She replied in a helpless tone.

"Okay da, thanks."

I ended the call and looked at my friend.

"Ennaachu maami?"

(What happened, maami?)

She asked.

"Bus poyiruchu "

(The bus has left)

I said, my eyes welling up and my voice breaking.

"Seri da. Adhukku yen alara? Outbus le poikalaa"

(Okay, why are you crying for that now? We'll take the outbus)

I shook my head and walked out of the staffroom, crying.

What is happening around me?

How am I going to get home in this heavy rain, which is pouring down so intensely that it makes me sob.

I feel so helpless. I have no choice but to take the outbus.

But the truth is,

I can’t!

I can't take the outbus.

I want to scream now.

*********

TBC..

Epdi irundhuchu???

See you all in the next update bubyee 🚴🏻‍♀️💜🦋