There is no worse lie than a truth misunderstood by those who hear it.
– William James

Jagruthi

"Is she the one who hurt Sahastra?" A classmate of mine asked the girl beside him as I was passing by to reach Kajal and Manju who are in a study room.

My life has been a mess, I don't what to do anymore. I do not wish my greatest enemies this pain.

Why me god? Why me?

What are we auditioning for a soap opera role?

Stop being dramatic and get away from these toxic people.

It's been dramatic, how one day and one fight can change your life?

I was this quite and person with no recognition in my whole college. When people think of Jagruthi you'd hear the girl who sits beside Sahastra previously? Now they would say the girl who betrayed Sahastra.

I'm so annoyed right now, that I just wanted to punch a wall. I'm so dumb and naive, I should be strong and grow up. What did I do that Sahastra to spread false rumors about me? I still remember our fight crisp and clear.

After the whole fiasco at the stadium, Karthik dropped me back at the hostel and left. I stayed alone and read one of Manju's book titled The Color Purple. That book was amazing, now I know where her passion and fire come from.

Manju and Kajal came in at 4, and were shocked to see me. So I explained the whole day and left out Devansh and my breakdown part.

Manju laughed at me and said it serves me right, can you believe her? I could've said no and lived peacefully in my room watching the Great Chocolate Showdown. We talked and they told me about the club and the duties of being its member and about a hottie named Randhir who is the president of the club. Guess what Kajal has a crush on him.

A furious Sahastra stormed into the room blasting our door while we were making fun of Kajal, She looked so angry that her nostrils were flaring with anger.

What happened to her?

"Are you okay Sahu?" I asked walking near her.

"Don't talk to me, You and your Karthik embarrassed me infront of all my friends today." She said slamming her cupboard making me jump back.

"I'm sorry Sahu! Karthik got worried about me and I didn't wanna make a scene so we left." I pleaded her.

"You made a freaking movie Jagruthi, All my friends were giving me pity looks because of you. Deeksha is correct, I shouldn't have been friends with you. You are so pathetic, I thought you were nice and I could be friends with you." She spat her words walking away from me to her bed.

"No asked you to be friends with her." Manju replied to Sahastra siding with me.

"I'm not talking you loner, You should go back to reading your books and mind your own business."Sahastra retorted back making me furious.

"Sahu! you can't say things like that to her. She is our friend." I told her reminding that she can't be rude to people.

"Wow! A Friend, You support her but you never backed me up when Karthik yelled at me." She said questioning me.

"I couldn't because, he dragged me away with him. I'm sorry on his behalf, Don't be mad Sahu." I justified myself and felt guilty about not supporting her at that moment.

"Who is he to you anyway? Why does he involve in everything? Why does he matter so much? " She started and I didn't like her accusing tone.

"As he told you today, he is my family and I already told you we are cousins." I snapped at her before she could say anymore.

"Cousins! Ha! pfft, Nice Incest going on then. Deeksha said she saw you and him kissing in the car today." She questioned me.

Kissing me and Karthik, He kissed me on my head after his emotional outburst, is that what she is talking about?

"Incest? Mind your words Sahastra. He kissed me on my head, he is a like a brother to me. If you believe Deeksha more than me, its your choice." I said and threw my hands in air annoyed explaining my relationship with Karthik to everyone.

"You believe Karthik more than me and a senior told me that he is a man whore, he treats girls like trash. Maybe you are like him too toying with people, luring them into this innocent and dumb act trap. Devansh asked me about you after the match, did you kiss him too like you did Karthik ?." She asked me, and my eyes went wide at her pathetic accusations. I was fuming at her in rage.

"SHUT UP! One more word out of that stupid mouth of yours, I don't know what I will do. I take it that you are mad at me, but that doesn't give you the right to taunt Karthik. He treats women with more respect that all the boys in this world, did you see him talking or misbehaving with anyone?"

"Stop spreading rubbish when you know nothing about Karthik. And yes, I will believe him over anyone. I don't give a rat's shit about Devansh, he was gracious enough to guide me to you when you left me alone for an hour with your friends. I don't care about what you think of me but stop talking about my family." I yelled at her and went out of the room to the 5th floor stairs not able to control my anger.

How dare she say stuff like that?

My family is always my first priority, she can't take my niceness as the lenience to discriminate him. No one and I mean no one can say mean things about my family.

I told her a bazillion times that we are cousins and he is like a brother to me. Just because he was born to my fathers sister instead of a brother doesn't change our relationship. He treats me like a sister, why can't they see that?

I hate this world. May be I was never meant to for people?

"I'm so fudging proud of you. #Fierce." Manju said, Manju and Kajal came to my sides and hugged me out of the nowhere.

"I've never seen you mad and I love this new shade of you." Kajal said quietly sitting beside me and I smiled at her.

"I'm sorry you had to watch all this, I just lost it when she said stuff about Karthik. Did he ever mistreat anyone?" I questioned them, because they were with me and Karthik a few times. I might be blinded my love towards him but they are not.

"He is a bit annoying when it comes to your safety, but he is great. Ignore her she will come back when she cools down. Don't stress yourself." Manju said assuring me.

After a few minutes of talking about all the other stuff, we walked to our room. I couldn't find Sahastra in our room. She could've been sleeping at her friend Deeksha's room. Same thing happened the next day, I wanted to go to that Deeksha's room and talk to Sahastra but my gut said no.

Soon it was Monday, the most dreading day of my life. I prepared myself to apologize because thats what papa told me to. He said it takes a strong person to forgive others and its not a weakness.

I walked to our class along with Manju, and found Deeksha in my place. She is still mad at me, I thought and went to the empty space ok the back and sat there.

"I heard that you and Sahastra fought, How can say ill things about that poor girl. She is so nice to you and treated you like a friend, is this how you pay back to your friends?" Sahastra's friend and number one fan Karan asked me when I was minding my own business during the Snack break.

Don't reply, he is not worth it.

Silence speaks thousand words, I'm not wasting my time and energy on him.

You don't have to answer all the pathetic people. He doesn't deserve your reply.

Finally me and my conscience agreed on something.

"Can't talk now huh! Guess we need to call her Karthik for the Princess to speak up." He commented and I looked at Sahastra who's enjoying the situation I'm in.

I can't believe I was friends with her. I blocked my ears from listening this bull shit. I thought just like any other gossip this will die in a week and kept mum.

No, it didn't stop. They kept commenting when I was walking through the halls. They started cat calling me and said names when I was alone and as usual I ignored.

Lesson number two in this world is stop trusting everyone. People are not what they portray to be and some of them are two faced.

Weeks turned into month, by now I got habituated to all of it. I can't take in more attention than this, I promised my father that I would keep my head low. My promise to him is more important than anything in this world.

I couldn't tell about this to my papa or Karthik because they would move the world upside down. As of my papa he knows that I apologized to Sahastra after our fight and we are not friends like we used to be. She moved out of our room, so it was just the 3 of us.

Manju and Kajal have been my rock in these times, Manju glared and shooed away most of them from saying things to me. They make me happy, they help me correct my mistakes. We fight, laugh and cry together. I am glad I found the right people in my life.

I still believe that I was correct to standby Karthik but did I push I too hard that drove her away from me? I'm such bad friend aren't I?

"Stop sulking and groaning at the books." Kajal said smacking my head.

"Everything happens for a reason. Wipe that sad face off and study for the Physics mid-term tomorrow." Tomorrow is our second mid term exam.

Physics sucks period. Who cares about all the stupid laws?  Its not like I think about gravity whenever I see an apple fall down. I huffed at my sad life and joined Manju and Kajal. I never thought people enjoy education, but looking at them makes me think otherwise.

I pulled an overnighter and prepared for the exam. I went to the exam room and looked at the question paper. I felt happy looking at it, I knew most of the questions, that's a first for me. My first mid term was a disaster.

I completed my exam and walked out of the door. There I found Sahastra, Deeksha, Sana, Prathima, the Jackass Karan, Aarthav and 2 other guys who's names I don't know waiting outside our exam room.

They must've been waiting for Devansh. He is in the same exam room as me, I stopped looking at him or talking after my fight with Sahastra. I don't want another blame on me. My crush can sit in the back of my mind and life.

Really not being a Creep anymore, that's an amazing improvement. Great job Bud-Bud.

I bent my head down and picked my bag kept walking by them, as they are passing snide and rude comments laughing at me.

It reminded me of Taylor Swift song Shake it off,

But I keep cruising
Can't stop, won't stop moving
It's like I got this music in my mind
Saying it's gonna be alright

'Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play
And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate
Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off (Whoo-hoo-hoo)

I found Nidhi and Samrat walking out of the adjacent room. Nidhi is the pink dress girl from the ragging day. I talk to her, and most importantly she talks to me after the whole Sahastra debacle and that's a miracle for me, We are not friends per say.

Heartbreakers gonna break, break, break, break, break
And the fakers gonna fake, fake, fake, fake, fake
Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off

I smiled at her and all of sudden my legs fumbled and I tripped over something resulting my face to kiss the sharp corner footboard. As soon as my I fell a loud laughter erupted through the hallway.

When one thing was about to die down I had to fall and start a new thing. Ahh...This stings like hell, I can't cry not in-front of these people and give them the happiness of my pain.

Smile, even though you are hurting on the inside.

"Oh my god, Jagruthi are you okay ?" Nidhi came by me and kneeled beside me and so did Samrat.

"Sam! she is bleeding!" Nidhi exclaimed and then i felt a trickle of red blood passing between my eyes making me cold. I couldn't feel anything after the blood trickled on my eyes. It's all red, my vision blurred taking back to the same old accident of my life.

We were placed in a iron shed, my mother is tied to one chair and I was tied in another one infront of her.

"Mama! I'm scared. Please let's get out of here." I cried looking at my mom.

She woke up an hour ago, all the masked guys left us to get some food after tying us.

"Don't worry Janu! Papa will come to us. Stay strong." She said looking around trying to figure ways to get us out.

I heard footsteps and sat straight at the thought of them hitting my mom again.

"Ah! They are awake." One of them said and they still have masks on.

"So, you father can think he can do anything he wants to my people, huh! No I'm gonna kill his daughter and wife, let's see if can do anything." He said in a wicked tone bringing a knife to my face moving it down to my stomach and pushed it in and I shrieked in pain.

"Leave her you monsters. Hurt me if you want, leave her out of this. Don't hurt my daughter." My mom cried and yelled at them gaining the other guys attention.

I saw one of them walking to her and saying

"I want her to see you in pain and the other way around. You will get your chance to Madame Collector."

He slapped her on the cheek and I cried in pain looking at her. He started hitting her, with a wooden log on the back. My mother didn't even make a sound. I cried my eyes out through her every punch and hit.

I felt like a worthless daughter, I wanted to get up and stop everything. After some time they left and I saw blood dripping from the corner of her mouth.

"Mama, it hurts so much. Sorry Mama, I can't help you." I cried in pain.

"Janu! I'm here okay! Relax, Mama is fine. She is at home with papa. Relax Janu." I heard Karthik.

"Mama's fine?" I questioned looking at him, he nodded vigorously. It felt so good to look at his face, I hugged him tight and he kissed me on my head and cheeks and pushed my tears away.

I turned away from him and looked around I'm not at the rotten shed anymore. I'm on a bed and this looks like the nurses office. Nidhi and Samrat are looking at me like am a lunatic. Manju and Kajal are in tears looking at me.

"How did I get here?" I questioned them.

"You went into a Zombie mode after falling down. So, Samrat carried you here." Nidhi said and Samrat kept staring at me with a pained look on his face.

Oh! I remembered falling down in the hallway, I touched my forehead and there was plaster on my head.

"You had 3 stitches, the nurse says they will heal. And you should come by tomorrow to change the dressing." Samrat repeated the nurse and I smiled at him.

"I'm going kill her! You swore you wouldn't hide anything from me Janu. Why did you do this? You should have just let her ramble about me. I don't care about other peoples opinion." Karthik said in a furious tone making fists.

"It's okay Karthik! Don't go all rampage. Family sticks up for each other no matter what. Don't do anything she is not worth it." I told him and holding his hand and he held me tight.

What are we fast and furious family now?

You don't turn your back on your family even when they do.

You are back again! Arfff... You are being a a jerk these days and I am gonna stop watching movies so you won't have anything to comment about.

"Yeah! I don't understand what makes people feel delight in the misery of others." Manju said in agony breaking the conversation between me and myself.

"Don't open the Manju's book of "things wrong with this world". I watched so many crime dramas and I think we can execute a mass murder." Kajal said making every one smile.

"Thank you so much Samrat, Nidhi. I am sorry for bothering you guys." I told them.

"Don't be sorry, you are not a bother. Just take care of yourself." Samrat said and Nidhi nodded agreeing with him.

They gave me hope that there are nice people in this world.

"I aced the physics exams, I'm definitely going to pass this time and the credit goes to you guys." I told Manju and Kajal feeling thankful for helping through everything.

"We have to discuss about the Mama thing young lady." Karthik whispered in my ears when the others were getting acquainted.

"It's nothing, I'm happy and good now." I told him lowering my eyes down not wanting to talk about it.

"You can be happy and still struggle with mental issues at the same time. I'm here to listen, if you want to say some thing." He said holding my hand.

It reminded me of the promise I made to Devansh. So, I explained him everything, the episode that happened at the cricket stadium, and the fresher's party and how Devansh helped me out each and every time.

He listened to me with utmost interest and care. He said I should go to a therapist and the experience or visions I'm having is called PTSS(Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome).

Dramatic chapter ever right, I just wanted to show good friends come out in bad situations. I met my best friend like that too.

Sometimes songs and the situations in life match so perfectly, Do you think so too?

Do you talk to yourself? I mean are there people who don't do that.

Guess what it's Devansh POV next, who's excited?

Hopefully you are enjoying the story so far.

Don't forget to Vote and Comment.

Love,
Sneha