CHAPTER 3

SARAH
I glanced outside world through the window.  The sky is getting clear and bright after its thundering rainfall. Every leaves as its own dew and shinning fresh. My lips curved to have a smile at the smell of the mirchi fritters. I turned around taking its smell. Shruti laughed at my expression as I waved my hands at her cook to bring towards me. He nodded with a smile.

" you are my only inspiration to cook in this home."said smiling at me as I am taking a bite and signalling him super and jumping and crying at its hot and spices.

" hey " Shruti said glaring at him as she took her plate. He smiled at her. " it's not my mistake that I can't handle that much spices like that idiot, Anna." (Anna - respectful way to address elders) Pointing me. If she had said it some other time. I would have her in throat. But, not when I am with heavenly dish at the cold climate. I shifted making them to laugh. Sam left us alone. Shruti neared me and take seat near me and was about to say me something.

" Your lover boy is here. What's the occasion?" I asked her watching a familiar car pulling on her driveway. And she blushed at my question.

"Today is our fifth anniversary." She said slowly making me shock. How can I forgot it.

"Wow. It's great. Why didn't you said me before and why are you not yet ready?" I asked her hugging her. Seeing she is just in a plain white Jean and casual grey shirt.

"Thank you. You just woke up a ten minutes before. So, I can't update you with the sudden plan. And He asked me to wear something casual for your secretly planned date for us." Oh! I sheepishly smiled at her. Cause, I helped him to plan the date. And hear I totally forgot about it. He is going to take her for hiking, which she is scared of. But, Secretly she wants to try.

" have your touch up buddy. I will have some fun with my lovely boy      friend a while." She smiled and I went down the stairs. It's a two story modern mansion. I like her house but hate when I have to use these many stairs to come down and up.

I went down and started to tease Ranvir as I saw him with a 99 red rose bouquet. He can sometimes be too romantic that every girl like me envy for.
He blushed and I took a photo of him and saved it for our feast to enjoy joking him. Shruti came and smashed my head playfully for teasing her boyfriend. After pulling each others leg for few minutes. They decided take their leave for their date.

" happy anniversary my envy couples." I shouted at them as they where near the door. They turned and smiled shaking their head as to I never change. " make sure my sister is safe, friend or not you will digging your grave Ranvir." I shouted

"Got it! Ms. Threat shouter." I smiled content lay as I traced a small fear in his voice in his teasing words.

Shruti, is my best best friend or sister I found three years before. And with her I got a package of friends. Ranvir, her boyfriend and my best friend. They were big school sweethearts. Dating back Even before I know them. Along with them, I got their childhood friends Imran and madhan as my partner in crimes too. I don't think I could have found my life back without them.

I still Remember the days I had before meeting them, when I entered my college. I was so nervous when I kept my foot inside the college the first day. I couldn't find a sing soul before me for few meters. The securities looked at me up and down. And they were about to through me out and luckily I showed them my admission letter. And they let me in.

You may think that stupid. But, that's what happened, believe me. My college was what one could say high class college or Porsche college. Right only professional courses are available in our college.  And my college is the best one in the world as it updates itself with new advancements every year. Are you interested to why the security tried to throw me out.

Everyone in my college owns a car for themselves even if they don't know to drive they have their own with a chauffeur. Cars that actually scream luxury and speed. And everyone will be wearing a designer dresses and have people to carry their luggages.  Whereas I got down from a bus and walked toward the college pulling my luggages with my hands in a plain long green skirt and red tops looking too ordinary. And absolutely not a girl that would pay the college fees.

Wondering on how I got a admission to this college. Simple through scholarship. And you may think why there is no people before me, if they are going to allow scholarship students when everyone would love to study in the best college.

Not because like boys over flower due to big money heads that act all mighty and make a hell of not allowing poor people's. We are in reality, they won't need a damage to their image. It's because they have a very very difficult entrance exam and if you pass that means you are really a genius.

I went inside and saw not a forest but a beautifully planted forest garden for few meters inside the campus with nothing in sight just a deserted road. Later I found tall buildings that said welcome to the college of luxury. And people wandering round in groups and pathways decorated and says welcome freshers. And everyone looked at me weirdly first when I entered their sight.
After a second they all went to mind their jobs.

I was left alone, and with sign board I found the dorm office and got my keys to the dorm and checked in. The room as spacious and it was like a mini house and it had all basic items like Queen sized bed, TV, fridge, microwave, iron box, big closet, study table, a couch,etc. and a well classy bathroom with bath tub.
The dorm looking more like a five star hotel suit.

Fortunately all my tuition fees and dorm fees will be taken cared by the scholarship. But unfortunately, not the food and luxury charges. If I want to use an light, then I have to pay its electricity charges. If I want to eat in our five  star hotel cafeteria then I have to pay its bill. So, that made me to have my own part time job to live. And thankfully I managed with a billing job in a cafe shop in our college as part timer. And a job that pays me well. But tires me sometimes. As it being the main hangout spot for the students.  Since, I am the only student, sometime I won't show up to the cafe at all a week when I had exams.  My superior and co-workers are too cool with that and they would fill my absence.

And in my class none really bullied me like I feared. Nor they took me inside their hugs. Simply, they don't showed me any interest. I guess as I am a quite girl with big nerdy brain in their minds.  Even with the professors.  And I am not exactly their pet.  As this college has different  category for a professor to call Their pet student. And I am cool with that. As long as there is no trouble to me.

That's how my days passed until...

As usual I went to library to study for the next day exam. And I opened my favourite corner room. No one usually use it as its in the deepest part of the library and actually you have to know library well if you want to find this room. Even I accidentally found this room one day, when I was roaming inside the library to find one vacant room at lest and librarian felt sad for me and showed me this beautiful room. Yes, it's the most spacious room in the whole library and more specially a neat room 24*7, With a window. That gives a view of whole college.

I opened my secret hangout spot to only find it occupied by a girl and which is another than Shruti Sharma our college's sweet hot girl who has our college's handsome ruler-maker Ranvir Verma under her little finger. And best friends with Mr. Madhan Dixit, our college's dream boy and Mr.Imran Ghazi, our college's hot player or sportsman. And everyone of them scream money and power and their group has a nickname ' the powerful billionaire group', thanks to boys over flower fans. Not wanting to get my head inside their business. And invite troubles. I silently about to close the door I opened.

When Shruti caught me red handed.
"Hi Sarah!" She said making me stunned. One, it was a friendly tone and two, she knows my name. Three, she smiled at me.

"You know me?" I asked out of shock that people like her actually found time to know me. But, it landed up in a voice giving her confusion. Cause she looked confused.

"You are my classmate and I should know you, right?" She asked even more confusedly jumbling with words.

"It's just a surprise someone actually knows me and my name correctly. Nothing wrong it knowing, it's actually great. And by the way, hello Shruti!" And that how we started and without knowing our study section became getting to know section and we both ended up copying the test next day to have a pass mark and became a close friends.

And she dragging me to her friends the next day lunch.

"Guys, meet Sarah our new friend. Sarah meet Ranvir, Imran, Madan." She introduced happily.

"Hai guys" I said shyly as Shruthi nodded me.

"At last she uttered the golden words of the century!" Madan said dramatically wiping the unshed tears away and hugged me dramatically making me little uneasy. As I am practiced with not allowing anyone near me for many years.

"I am sorry. I was just joking." He said apologetically and he moved away as gentleman. Ranvir and Imran hitting them. Even they asked me sorry for his behaviour. I breathed out and in.

"It's okay. I know Madan is addicted to be goldenly idiotic friend. And no problem, it's just I .... lived for a while alone and it was little...." I was searching for words.

"Then get used to it friendly hugs, sister." Ranvir said as he gave me a sideway hugs. Somehow it brought back few memories and a tear dropped out of my eyes.

"Ranvir you just broke a girl heart, calling her sister." Imran said jovially as he wiped my tears to lighten up.

"He actually saved me saying sister or else, shruti could have killed us all." And starting that way we all spoke a lot.

And I got to know, it's not because of my appearance or background that they all didn't spoke with me. It because, I was so quite and they all thought I don't like them. And also they all had a thought they would hurt my pride by mistake. Sometimes, we calculate differently and make misunderstanding. Communication is better way to understand people. There are really good peoples more than we think. And we are all same at heart just with different names and fingerprints.

we all also clicked and became best friends. And there is never a day I was alone from then. It's back like back to my childhood days happily laughing to small small things, joking and feeling carefree that when I fall there is someone to catch me up just for who I am.

They supported me to be like others and made me feel I am no different than others. I started to speak a lot and I found others friends in the college. I may not have a car for myself, but they pick me up and drop me off everyday. Usually Ranvir does as he always picks up Shruti from the dorm as a perfect boyfriend. If they both planned to have date or bunk, Imran or Madhan will be taking the job. And to make me not pick my food with money. They all made sure we all share the picked up foods and to hangout with me they usually stop at my cafe and sometimes when there is too much of customers they would jump in and help me.

These are thing I don't thought, That people would do for me, for Sarah. That too not hurting my pride and in a very casual manner that these things happened. But, here my gem of friends proved me wrong, even though they basically rule the college being the 'powerful billionaire group' showed me they are people before money. And who value friends than stupid image.

In college everyone looked at me differently as to what a scholarship doing with powerful billionaire group. But, then they got the information than I am stick with that group even though I may not fit for the group name.

One day as we are chatting, and shruti complaining as few in college thinks like this. And she hates those people and their thoughts.

" so do you hate me too?" She looked at me questioningly and even others stopped and looked at me shocked.

"You don't like us?" Shruthi asked me. I smiled.

"I love you guys more than You all know. I am beyond cloud nine to be your friends and being a member in this gang.

In gang,
Where Shruti sharma, only heiress for sharma food chain;
Ranvir verma, only heir to verma groups of industries and their main field being production of surgical and medical equipments;
Madhan Dixit, only heir to Dixit groups pharmaceutical companies;
Imran Ghazi, one of the heir to ghazi groups of technology and their main field being production and developing medical technologies.

But, Where as I am Sarah, only scholarship girl in this college.
See who it sounds. Exactly what everyone felt." They all looked at me shock.

" I never knew you have thoughts like this about us with you, Sarah. If you remove our last name from us, we are same as you, Sarah." Shruthi said and I can creaky see she is hurt in her eyes.

"We just want to be us and we wanted to be defined with our first name. And our Last name are just a remembrance for us to act with virtue thought to us." Imran said meaning every word.

"The virtue of being yourself and building yourself people, true for your soul and not for anything else." Ranvir said looking straight in my eyes to believe them as he kept his hand covered over Shruti as don't worry.

"Being true to your soul can be found only when you treat others as you and equally." Madan said slowly seriously, shocking me as this guy being serious means I am being stupid.

"Give respect and take respect. We gave you friendship and expecting only friendship nothing else. Treat us for us?" I felt for the first time tears of happiness after a long time.

I went and hugged them for death. That they pleaded to release them. I didn't mind them entering my space after that and I let them give me affectionate hugs as somehow my heart started to have softness or trust.

Not everyone would take the information well. Could they? even for few days I was shocked they took me as their friend. But, things got dimmed from the spotlight. That's when fun started in my life(note the sarcasm and amusement).

Me and Madhan were going towards cafeteria speaking and laughing about who we all copied the test without getting caught by the Mr.punishment king. That I didn't noticed someone is beside me and I bumped into them. And to my utter luck it happened to be Roopa.

Roopa Johal, simple word our college's dream girl with perfect structure and beauty with good grades and loaded back account being only heiress to the Johal chain of private hospitals in the world. And providing Heath care service to most of the big head in the world makes her also a most powerful girl in our college. Just like my powerful friends.

"I am sorry, didn't see you here" I asked really seriously as I saw her foods shattered down the ground. She send daggers to me. If daggers would kill me then I should be six feet down now. Great! Now, I have added something to her hated diary for me. It all started when I became friends of this powerful billionaire group. But, we never crossed our paths before. Now I think I gave her a reason to actually hate me. Just great!.

She menacingly smiled at me and before I can process she pushed down my plate of foods and as it had juice in that, it stained my dress. Great.

Madhan-" are you an idiot? She sincerely asked you sorry when she really accidentally bumped on you. Nothing really happened to you. Why do you have to be a b*tch? Can't you think before you act?" He shouted at her as I controlled myself not to cry. And at least not before everyone looking at us now. Not wanting to be weak. Madhan grabbed the tissues from his plate and gave me to clean myself.

"Great catch there Ms. scholarship girl." Roopa said silly at me pointing at Madhan. I was about to say no. " and as for you Mr.Madhan Dixit, I would ask you the same thing 'can't you think before act?'; calling names at me, heiress of a Johal chains of hospitals. When we can go bankrupt if my doctors stop prescribing our pharmaceutical products just as we tried to stand for a sl*t" said sickly sweetening it. And for the first time someone mention me a names. And I wanted to kill her. But, controlled it. I looked at Madhan, he looked like he want to hit her but couldn't do it as he know it may happen and his man pride is killing him. He have did many thing for me and stood for me as a friend and now it's my time.

I laughed loudly, everyone looked confused " come on my friend, we have better work to do than laughing at idiots who thing everyone is like them. And who is jealous we are true friends whereas she has none.  And Roopa stop your empty threats as next time I won't dare to beat you up." I said last stance just for her to hear with even more menacingly than her. Madhan looked at me confused. Soon Shruti, Ranvir, Imran were at our side. And they too looked confused. I signalled them lets moves. They nodded and we were about to move away.

" Roopa Johal, jealous on you? You must be kidding the world, scholarship girl. I am beauty, good grades, richness and power. Why should I be need to be jealous on you.  Haven't you seen friends standing at my back.  And you need know something wait. guys and girls who want to be my friend?" She asked and everyone shouted they wanted to be her friend except my friends. She dramatically bowed and thanked them and continued her silky speech " And When I have everything and everyone over here wants to be my friend, jealous on you who don't have nothing?" She asked and everyone laughed at me except my friends. I just want to laugh at her face and say something and make her stutter before me for what mistake she is doing.