An urgent presentation had kept Danish in office for far longer than he had anticipated. So, he was rather late in picking up Niam and Milan for the Fresher's party. Though none of his friends complained, Danish still felt guilty for keeping Sarah and her classmates waiting.

Whilst negotiating the late evening rush hour, Danish wasn't surprised to see Patty calling. He casually tossed his phone to Niam seated beside him, "Answer it and put it on speaker."

After failing to find Sarah, Patty reluctantly called Danish instead. "Hello P', are you coming to the party?"

"Yes," replied Danish shortly as he turned into the university gate. "I am at the university."

Patty sighed with relief. "Thank God."

"What happened? You sound tensed?" he asked as he backed into the first empty parking slot he found.

"We can't find Sarah," muttered Patty.

He juggled the phone in his hand while locking the car. "What do you mean? Wasn't she with you?"

Patty stammered through an explanation of the events that had unfolded in their absence.
Milan and Niam's faces turned to stone whilst Danish kicked the car tire of a random car they had been walking past.

"I am coming there," he replied shortly before disconnecting the line.

"Where could she go?" wondered Niam. "Patty said her car is still in the parking".

"They didn't check the faculty building. She could be in the common room," guessed Milan.

Danish nodded his head and made a run for their faculty building, praying to God that Sarah would be there.

....................................................................

Rachel wasn't surprised to find Sarah in the electronics engineering faculty common room, after all this was the only room that had remained unlocked in the entire building. She left the door ajar as she quietly approached a sobbing Sarah, careful not to startle her.

"Sarah," she called softly as she stood a few feet away.

To her surprise, Sarah embraced her and continued to cry bitterly on her bare shoulder. Rachel reluctantly wrapped her arms around Sarah and rubbed her back soothingly. It was a while before the storm of tears subsided to hiccups. At last, Sarah pulled away, sniffing and wiping her face; too ashamed to meet Rachel's eyes.

"Sarah, avoiding looking at me isn't going to make me disappear."

"Sorry," hiccupped Sarah.

"Don't be. Tears are never a sign of weakness. We should allow ourselves to experience our emotions."

"Why does this keep happening? I haven't had a moment of peace since I joined this university. Maybe I should transfer elsewhere."

"As your mentor, I am sorry to hear that," sighed Rachel. Closing her eyes, she pinched the bridge of her nose, willing away the headache she could feel building up.

Sarah shook her head in denial, "No, you've been an excellent mentor".

"You topped the admissions this year. You have every right to be here. Every place has its fair share of nasty people, running away will not make your life easier."

Sarah smiled bitterly, "If I was the only one suffering, I wouldn't even think of leaving. But my family is also suffering with me."

Rachel patted Sarah's head, "I have no idea why Gia and her friends are targeting you, but this matter shall be resolved soon."

"At what cost, P' Rachel? She ruined the Fresher's Welcome party for a lot of people."

Rachel had a faraway look in her eyes. "Some people are cruel simply because they can be, not because they have a reason to be. That doesn't mean we allow every obstacle to change our life path. If you believe in the Sarah you know yourself to be, if you believe in the Sarah your family and friends know, then face your detractors head-on. Don't pay heed to others as long as you know your self-worth."

Rachel removed the faded yellow cotton thread bracelet and slipped it on Sarah's wrist. "I received this bracelet at a time when I wasn't sure of my worth. When I didn't believe I could make a difference. This bracelet made me the person, I am today. It empowered me to push through situations I never believed I could. It's been my lucky charm, now I hope it serves you the same."

"P' Rachel, this can only be worn by Student Council members. How can I wear it?" protested Sarah.

"Every Student Council President is allowed to choose the color of the band. P' Lily had chosen yellow for the duration of her tenure and now P' Day has changed it to purple. So, you can wear this if you wish."

Sarah was truly touched, "Thank you. Somehow you always know how to make a person feel better".

Rachel pretended to glare, "Don't go telling people that and ruining my hard-won reputation."

Sarah and Rachel burst out laughing.

"If you have an extra set of clothes in your locker, you can change and return to the party," suggested Rachel. "It would be a shame not to enjoy it, especially when we seniors worked so hard."

"I have a clean set of gym shirts and shorts", replied Sarah uncertainly.

Rachel smiled with relief, "Then change into them and join your friends. Come, I will escort you to the lockers."

.........................................................................

Danish let out the breath he had been holding.

Milan, Niam, and Danish backed into a dark corner of the empty hallway. Pressing themselves against the wall so that they remained unseen as Rachel and Sarah blithely passed by them.

Niam shook his head in surprise. "Oddly, that was rather touching. The university seems to have misunderstood the resident ice queen."

"Why were we hiding?" asked Milan rubbing his head that had been smashed into the wall when Niam had all but pressed into him.

Danish raked his fingers through his hair. "Sarah looks fine now. Rachel already talked her out of her unhappiness. I don't wish to embarrass her any further".

Milan glanced at his friends hopefully. "So, do we go join the party now?"

"There is no point," replied Niam reading the notification on his phone with furrowed brows. "Professor Gabriel has called off the event. Seems like P' Day informed him about the incident."

Milan looked in the direction Sarah and Rachel had gone. "What about them? Do we inform them?"

Danish shook his head, "Rachel is the Student Council VP. She must have already received the message. Let's get out of here."

Milan and Niam followed a dejected Danish to the parking.

...........................................................................

The shrill ringtone of his phone woke up Jay. Putting on the night lamp, he peered at the caller ID before glancing over at his wife. Muting the buzzing phone, he tiptoed out of his bedroom and gently closed the door. He then dialed back the caller who had dared to disturb him so late at night.

"Hello Patrick, I did not expect you to call this late," mumbled Jay as soon as the line connected.

Patrick emptied the contents of his whiskey glass. "Even I didn't expect to be up so late".

"Your words are slurring, old geezer. Why are you drunk calling? We are not young anymore," cursed Jay sleepily.

"I figured if I was to be rudely woken up so must you," cackled Patrick delightedly.

"So, what does the University President want to discuss?"

"Tonight, was the Fresher's Welcome Party," supplied Patrick.

Jay headed to his study, "Isn't it being held on the university campus? What could go wrong within the university premises?"

"A lot, apparently" came the unexpected reply.

Jay abruptly stopped on the staircase as Patrick related the events that he had been informed of a few moments ago.

Jay's grip on the banister tightened. "What measures have you taken?"

"I have canceled the party for now. The three drunk girls- Gia, Cherry, and Flora are suspended. I will summon their parents to my office on Monday. You should come."

"Do me a favor, keep Sarah out of this," ordered Jay calmly.

"But she needs to be there."

"No, she doesn't. She is traumatized enough. Instead, get the Student Council to procure evidence."

"Okay," acquiesced Patrick with a sigh. "See you on Monday".

As soon as the line went dead, Jay speed-dialed his son's number. "Hello, Danish. I just got a call from Patrick, how is Sarah?"

"She's fine," replied Danish sadly. "Rachel calmed her down. But Dad, all this has gotten way out of hand."

"Rachel again. How much am I going to owe that child?"

Danish laughed bitterly, "I have no idea, Dad."

"I'll take care of it, Son. Drive back safely and take care of your sister."

"I will," replied Danish tersely.

Jay now made the last call for the night.

"Sir," answered his secretary, Mark in a sleepy voice.

"I want all information about the parents of Gia, Flora and Cherry on my desk, by tomorrow morning. These girls study in the same class as my daughter."

"Yes Sir," replied his efficient secretary without hesitation and the line went dead.

The secretary put down his phone in quiet contemplation. With so little data, he would need to hack into the server of the Charnock Beadon University of Technology for basic information on the girls named by his boss. He peered at the time on his bedside clock; it was going to be a long night.