Turning to Sara again, he said, "And the funny thing is, you were the one who introduced him to her! And she is still in the group!" 

"WILL YOU JUST FU**IN SHUT UP!?" Sara yelled with frustration. Anger, resentment and irritation boiled within her. She let out a breath and said her final decision, "Fine. She is out."

"I told you it'd be too much for you," said Sara when John remained quiet for quite a while even after Sara was done talking.

"Every single word I have said is true. We were with her for a long time. So I know her well now. When kids who have been shut from freedom their entire life, suddenly find it, they utilize it to their best. That's what Ruby did too. Although I did not think she'd be so smart too that she'd outsmart me."

"It was you three who distracted my daughter from her studies. She left the college hostel, started living on her own, started working part time, started failing grades and she didn't even tell me!" John burst with anger.

"I'm in the top ten of my batch. Laksh is one of the top five. So, you have no right to stay that we distracted her. If she never told you about us, that's not our fault." Sara remaining calm even after speaking those words, unnerved John.

"Why didn't Lee come with you two, today?" said John.

"Do you really think he would want to meet his ex girlfriend's father? Lee hated her. I agree that he was an ass. But Ruby wasn't a saint either. Laksh never did anything to harm her, but all the while she was trying to steal the scholarship. So I'm sorry that she was in an accident, but we do not want anything to do with her. Besides when you try to shut your kid into a box, she doesn't learn discipline, she just learns of new ways to lie to you. It'll be better if you realise that as soon as you can."

With this Sara stood up and left, Lakshmi following her.

John sat idle, staring at the spot Sara was sitting a few seconds back. All the details Sara described were fresh in his mind. He didn't like that he had just received advice on how to raise his kid from another kid. But deep inside, he wondered if Sara was right.

Was handling every little aspect of Ruby's life, taking care of every little detail, planning every little milestone of her life, a bad thing? John did all those things because he had seen some kids take the wrong decision and regret it the rest of their lives. A particular face and name stood out in his brain as an example.

He shook his head to forget about it. Instead, his mind wandered off to the days in Ruby's first year.

"Pa! I have to go!" Ruby whined over the phone, her lack of time to talk to him evident in her tone.

"I literally just called!" Said John.

"I know Pa. But I'm getting late and I have to go."

"Alright. At Least tell me how you are? Is everything going well?" He asked.

"Yes Pa, nothing has changed since last night."

John felt a little upset by her retort.

"Did you read today's quote?"

"Yes. I did. It was sweet, like always."

"Okay," he said, "Call me when you are free."

"Okay bye. Love you."

She had immediately cut the call, not waiting for him to respond.

John recollected how she had gotten rather busy as months went by. She'd rarely call him, and even when she did, the conversations were short, like these. Now he wondered if she was actually busy or if she was just pushing him away, hiding her secrets, hiding her true self from him, just like her mother.

Shaking his head again John reminded himself, Now is not the time.

He had more important matters to attend to than dwell in the past.

After talking to her friends and listening to countless stories, John still couldn't find how Ruby could have been drugged. But it seemed like literally all the people John had met from Ruby's life in the past two days, everyone who apparently were close to Ruby once, really hated her, and would have gladly harmed her, of given the chance.

Feeling frustrated, John walked slowly around the campus watching everything. He didn't feel like returning to his hotel. He had no intention of going back home either, until he found the truth. He felt that if he gives up then, he may never find the truth.

As he walked he wondered if Ruby had walked through those paths, if Ruby had sat on those stone benches, if Ruby had experienced the breeze on her face like he did. Had Ruby really liked May Flower University? Or was everything a façade to keep John from questioning her?

After a while, John sat on a bench to escape from the sun. The shade of the trees, and the gentle breeze seemed to lessen his burden. He closed his eyes, trying to experience the wind on his face. And then, he felt a tap on his shoulder.

Immediately opening his eyes, he turned around. A rather short girl with big eyes and a kind face, stood gazing at him. She asked, "Aren't you Ruby's father?"

John nodded. The girl smiled and said, "I'm Mary. I'm a friend of Ruby's."

It was almost four in the evening. John sat with Mary in the cafe that he had once come before. There wasn't much of a crowd at this time in the cafe and John wondered why. He watched as Mary approached his table carrying a tray with two cups of coffee.

"Don't you have class right now?" He asked her. "It's okay. I'm done for the day," she smiled politely. He remembered how even back then, she was a bit silent amongst her friends.

"I heard about Ruby," she said.

"Oh," John hadn't expected this, "How?" He asked.

"Prof. Nancy told me. She is my faculty buddy."

John looked confused. "Your what?" He asked.

"My faculty buddy. Someone from the faculty who is assigned to each student in case they have any doubts or problems. Prof. Nancy was Ruby's faculty buddy too. That's how she knows her. Otherwise there is no way Prof. Nancy could know her, since she has never taught us."

John had no idea about this concept. He asked, "Does that mean you are close to your faculty buddy? The name itself sounded ridiculous to him.

"Of course not. It's just for formality. It's like a counsellor but its a faculty. It was our last Dean's idea. He was a tad too enthusiastic in these matters," Mary chuckled to cover up her embarrassment about the college.

"How is she now?" Asked Mary, now serious.

"Still unconscious. Hopefully she'll wake up soon," he said staring at his coffee. Mary was gazing outside, lost in thoughts.

The wounds from the conversation with Sara were still fresh in his mind. He wondered if she hadn't made absolutely any friends in this large college. He shook his head and asked, "You have known Ruby a bit. What did you think of her?"

"Ruby?" Mary met his gaze, "I like Ruby. She was always a sweet girl."

At the polar opposite response than what he had heard so far, John was baffled. But then he remembered what Hannah had said about Mary.

"I already met Hannah, Maya and Sheila. They... Well their opinion was a bit different," he said.

"They hated her. They absolutely despised her. I'm sure they had plenty of reasons to do it but it was more circumstantial than solid," said Mary.

She continued, "I'm not defending Ruby. But it was the truth. I guess Ruby could have handled the situation better too. But instead, she just left."

"But you left too, even though they were your friends," said John.

Mary replied, "After a point I couldn't handle being with them. They were just too... different from me. They belong with each other, good for them. But I was looking for something different, a bit more peace in life really. Ruby was looking for something entirely different."

"What happened to Ruby after that?" John asked again. Mary smiled, "It's a little weird that you are so interested in Ruby's life. Don't you think it's strange that you are trying to find her mistakes while she is lying unconscious on a hospital bed?"

John didn't expect such a question. For two days he just listened to people talk about his daughter, he didn't think anyone would actually question his intentions.

"I'm her father. What's wrong with me knowing about my own daughter? And I'm just trying to find where she was the night of the accident," John said innocently.

"Why should it matter? Isn't that still prying on her personal life?" Mary questioned him.

John fidgeted. He considered her words. What Mary said, combined with what Sara had said, made him wonder if he really was getting obsessed in finding out about Ruby. Why were these kids attacking him?

But then he reminded himself that he was doing this just because Ruby was in danger. Until now, he had never interfered with her life. He was doing it now because he wanted to save her and find out who had drugged her.

He couldn't tell Mary it's because Ruby was drugged. Could he? Would it be safe to confide in this girl he had just met, the reason why he was doing this? He wondered if this was the truth or was he trying to convince himself.

Mary patiently waited for John to say something. He was impressed by her level of composure.

"Alright," said John, "Apparently Ruby was drugged the night she had the accident, and I want to find who drugged her."

John was glad to finally see a change in Mary's face. She looked at him in disbelief. "Ruby was drugged? Are you sure?"

"Yes. The doctor said that her condition is worsening because of the presence of some sort of drugs in her system."

"Oh my god," Mary said, a sort of shock flickered on her face.

Though initially John was grateful to see someone care for Ruby, now he felt odd, like there was something wrong. His eyebrows furrowed. 

Mary said, "I had warned her to tell you everything."