Author's note: Thank you so much for all your love on the last chapter! Can we get this chapter to 135 by the 10th?

~Vanilla!~
Varun Reddy

It used to be simpler when I didn't have any friends. But now there was Tabassum. Somehow, without me even realizing it, she'd become my friend.

It wasn't like we had a lot in common at first. I guess that's what made it bizarre that I had a friend. Tabassum was quiet and kept to herself most of the time except her CAB activities which she was sort of passionate about. People did notice her, but not in the way they should. They whispered, made stupid "fat" jokes behind her back. She'd pretend not to hear, but I saw her shoulders tense, how the light in her eyes would dim every time someone made a joke on her body. It pissed me off in ways that I didn't expect.

Maybe that's why we started hanging out– two people on the outside looking in. We didn't talk about it, we didn't need to. She'd just sat with me at lunch one day, cracked a sarcastic comment, and somehow, we sort of became inseparable.

Stuffing my hands in my jacket's pocket, I made my way inside the auditorium. It had snowed last night so the weather had turned slightly chilly.

The space buzzed with activity– some were volunteers, some practicing for their performance and some supporting their friends. I scanned the area, spotting Tabassum chatting with someone. Our eyes met and she held up five fingers, so I leaned against the wall and waited in the corner.

Suddenly, cheers erupted, startling me. Curious, I turned towards the commotion.

Sanjana stood center stage, her slender figure illuminated by a single spotlight. She wore a black tank top and pink tights, her dark long hair pulled back into a ponytail. Music began playing and she began moving.

Her movements were slow at first. Then as the music swelled, she launched into a series of complex twists, turns and moves. The crowd's excitement grew with the music's crescendo, matching Sanjana's rapid movements.

I involuntarily found myself holding my breath as she leapt across the stage, her arms outstretched. Pure joy shone on her face as she moved on the stage and it didn't seem like it was only because of the applause from the crowd.

A hand waving in front of my face broke my trance. I blinked, finding Tabassum looking at me with raised eyebrows.

"I really thought you would be different," she murmured, disappointment lacing her voice.

"What?" I asked, confused.

She gestured to the stage and smirked. "You know... becoming just one of the countless admirers for the pretty girl."

Heat crept up my neck, and I instinctively adjusted my glasses. "What are you talking about?" I shook my head. "It's nothing like that."

She looked at me with obvious judgment in her eyes. "Look, Varun, you're my friend," she said, her voice filled with concern. "I'd hate to see you get hurt. Falling for someone like Sanjana would be a huge mistake."

"What do you mean someone like Sanjana?" I asked, feeling irrationally defensive.

"Shallow and vain," Tabassum said bluntly.

"Sanjana isn't just that," I argued. Sure, she cared about her looks, but I knew there was more to her. What I don't know, but there was something.

She scoffed, her eyes narrowing. "Oh, please. I've dealt with girls like her all my life, Varun. She'll draw you in with her fake charm and beauty, make you feel special for a while, and then toss you aside without any qualms when someone more interesting comes along."

I clenched my jaw. "You don't even know her."

"I know enough." Tabassum gestured vaguely towards the stage. "Just look at her. People like Sanjana live for attention. Her world revolves around herself. She'll string you along, break your heart, and not even think twice about it. You're just another admirer to boost her ego."

I glanced towards the stage where Sanjana's performance had already ended. Everyone clapped and cheered for her as if this was the final performance at the talent show. "Why are you so determined to paint her as the villain? What has she ever done to you?" I mumbled.

For a moment, Tabassum looked taken aback before her expression hardened again. "Fine. Don't say I didn't warn you." She shook her head and handed me a multi- page document. "You're in charge of managing the performer lineup. That means before each act goes on, you'll be making sure the performers are lined up in the right order. This is the schedule for now, but you'll receive the final version the day before the talent show."

I nodded, scanning through the list.

"Oh and despite having schedules, there are bound to be some screw-ups. If that happens, you find the person wherever they are and get them to the stage. I don't care how, but just get them on the stage. Okay?"

I scratched the back of my neck. "Isn't there anything else I can do?"

"We need a costume manager and crowd control. Do any of those seem better?" she asked, tapping her clipboard with her pen.

"No, this is fine," I said, tightening my hold on the paper.

"That's what I thought. And also–" she stopped when she noticed Sanjana walking towards us.

"Sorry to interrupt," Sanjana said, her eyes darting between us, "But Tabassum, they are having an argument there about some props, you should go before a fight breaks out."

Tabassum sighed as she looked in the direction of the argument before lookin back at me. "Varun, let me know if you have any questions, okay?"

I nodded, "Sure."

As Tabassum walked away, Sanjana leaned in close, her voice dropping to a whisper as if we were friends who were gossiping. "Why is she always so serious?"

I shrugged. "She's not always serious," I said, folding the paper Tabassum had given me.

"She is," she insisted. "Did you know she rejected Ayushmaan's volunteer application because he forgot one little detail. Forget all that..." Her expression brightened suddenly, and she beamed at me, her face still slightly flushed and her hair a bit disheveled from her performance. "What did you think of my dance performance?"

"I didn't watch it," I lied, adjusting my glasses to avoid her gaze.

She pouted. "Oh. Well then you can be prepared to be dazzled on the day of the talent show," she said, wiggling her fingers.

Without a word, I began walking away from her. We were taking a break from our nightly study session because she had to practice.

"So," she said as she followed me, shoving her arms into her cashmere jacket. "Since I got... 89% on the accounting quiz... 89..." She covered her mouth with her hand, letting out a muffled giggle. "I can't even believe I'm saying these words out loud. I got 89%"

I caught myself smiling slightly at her antics, but quickly fixed my expression. "Relax. You haven't gotten 98," When her smile faltered, I quickly added. "But you did get more than 87 so you can get that ice-cream."

Her face lit up again. "Should we go right now? It seems like the perfect weather for ice-cream," she asked, rubbing her hands in excitement.

I stopped in my tracks while she continued walking or skipping with joy as usual. "What?" I asked, frowning.

She looked over her shoulder, grinning. "For the ice-cream," she said as if it were the most obvious thing.

"I–"

Noticing my hesitation, she walked back to back. "You can't take it back. You promised me ice-cream if I got more than 87%"

"I didn't say I would come with you," I reminded her pointedly.

"But... What's the fun in celebrating alone?" she asked, rolling her eyes dramatically. "Plus you deserve the treat as much as me."

"I have things to do," I said, shaking my head.

"You can do that later," She waved me off. "We'll walk to the cafe—10 minutes to reach there, 10 minutes to eat the ice-cream, and 10 minutes to walk back. After that, you've got the rest of the night to do whatever important things you have to do. I'm sure you can spare 30 minutes."

"I can't. And I don't like ice-cream."

"Who doesn't like..." She stopped abruptly, her scowl turning into a nod of understanding. "You know that's okay. We can all have different preferences. Some of us have normal preferences and others have... unconventional preferences, right? Plus you're supposed to hold me accountable. And let me tell you I have no self-control when it comes to ice-cream, so you need to come with me so I don't eat more than three scoops."

I rolled my eyes. I felt like I was always doing that around Sanjana. How could someone say so many mindless things?

"And I really can't afford to eat more than three scoops otherwise I won't be able to fit in my dress for the talent show–"

"If I come with you, will you shut up?" I interrupted.

"Of course!" she nodded enthusiastically. "I'll be so quiet," she promised. A promise that lasted barely two minutes.

The city's signature crispy winter air greeted us as we stepped outside. There were still patches of snow here and there on the ground.

"It's so cold," she said, shivering exaggeratedly. I wondered why she would wear a jacket but not button it up. Probably one of her crazy theories about fashion.

I grunted noncommittally, quickening my pace to put some distance between us. Rubbing her now gloved hands together, she increased her speed to keep up with me.

"But I like winter. It's probably my favorite season," she continued, undeterred by my silence. "The beautiful coats, high leather boots, hot chocolate..." She sighed dreamily. "On days like these I wish I could just sit in front of the fireplace drinking hot chocolate from a super cute mug, feeling like I'm in a little snow globe of my own. But ironically, according to Buzzfeed, my season personality is summer. What's your favorite season?"

"I don't have one," I muttered, my breath forming small clouds as I spoke.

"Everyone has a favorite season," she insisted, as she stepped in front of me and began walking backwards. Her big bright hazel eyes fixated expectantly on me. Pink tinted her cheeks and nose and at the moment she looked exactly like a Disney princess whose posters she had plastered on the wall of her dorm room.

"Well I don't," I said with a slight roll of my eyes.

She pouted. "You're such a..." she trailed off, her eyes widened for a moment. She shook her head and smiled widely. "Well then what's one favorite aspect of any one of the seasons? Spring flowers? Summer beaches? Rainy afternoons?"

"I like when it's quiet," I deadpanned.

"You are a total winter person," she said, giggling.

My gaze darted to the ground, spotting a patch of ice a split second before Sanjana's boot hit it. Out of instinct, I reached out, grabbing her arm to steady her.

A sheepish smile spread across her face as she regained her balance.

I quickly retracted my hand, shoving it back into my pocket.

We arrived at the café, a cozy little place that was a hang out spot for most of the university students who could afford overpriced snacks and beverages. At the moment it was mostly filled with first and second years.

She smiled at the young couple who crossed us in the doorway. I'd noticed her doing that a lot lately—smiling at everyone. Suddenly, she paused and turned almost banging into me. "I love the color of your jacket," she hollered to the girl, right against my ear.

I glared at her, but as usual she was lost in her own world. That's another thing that she had been doing a lot lately. Stopping random students or teachers to give them a compliment in the middle of a hallway or conversation.

I watched her scan the menu board. I had no idea why she was doing that because she already knew what she was going to get. Suddenly, she let out an audible gasp.

"What's wrong?" I asked, frowning as I looked around the cafe.

"120 rupees for one scoop of vanilla ice-cream. This is preposterous. They're ripping people off," she gasped again, giving the menu an acustory glare. "180 for chocolate and 150 for strawberry."

I blinked in confusion. Since when did she care about prices... for anything?

"You can go ahead. I'm still deciding," she said to the pair of girls behind us, waving them to come forward.

As the girls ordered, Sanjana continued to contemplate her order. She bit her lip and nervously toyed with the strap of her purse. "If I get this then I won't be able to buy Simi the Taylor Swift t-shirt she wanted. I shouldn't have bought that stupid mascara. It's not like it made a difference. My lashes don't definitely don't look 34 times longer and thicker like the advertisement claimed," she continued to ramble to herself. I tried to keep up but then gave up.

She finally sighed. "I seriously suck at budgeting."

"Budgeting?" I repeated.

"Yeah it's a part of my... never mind. You'll think it's stupid," she said, stepping towards the counter. The employee's expressions changed as he watched her. I wasn't surprised that the employee was charmed by her. For some reason, people seemed to bend over backwards for her and for what? To make her smile? So stupid.

"Just give me the strawberry... no actually the chocolate. No, just give me a scoop of vanilla."

Pouting the entire time, she paid for and collected her order, and settled into a chair at a corner table.

"Are you sure you don't want a bite?" she asked, holding the ice-cream to my face, almost hitting my nose. "It's really good."

"Yes," I said firmly, leaning back in my chair.

She shrugged and took a big bite of her ice-cream. "Cute, no?" she asked when she noticed the polar bear stickers on her nails. When I didn't respond, she held them up for herself and nodded. "They are."

Feeling like a creep for staring at her while she ate, I reached into my backpack and pulled out my textbook. I could feel her staring at me, but I didn't raise my head to look at her.

"How can you just pick up a textbook and start studying like that?" she asked, sounding bewildered. "Don't you need to get into the right headspace?"

"No," I said, my eyes fixed on the textbook. "And just so you know you only have six minutes. I'll be leaving after that."

I could hear her frantically scarfing down the ice cream. For the first time in a long time, I had to bite the inside of my lip to stop myself from smiling.

As we walked back, Sanjana giggled and her "awws" rising and falling in pitch as she stared at her phone screen. "Look," she thrusted her phone to me. "Simi and Trisha got these matching fake tattoos. Don't they look adorable?"

I could see that they were patients at the hospital. I nodded, so she went back to scrolling through the other pictures.

"Why do you volunteer at the oncology department?" I asked. It was out of character for me. I wasn't a curious person. Perhaps that was a lie. I was curious about things, which explained my academic success, but I'd never been curious about another person to the point of actually asking them to divulge information about themselves.

Her laughter faded, but a small smile took its place. She stuffed her phone into her jacket pocket and shrugged casually. "My mother passed away because of cancer."

"Oh? I'm sorry," I mumbled, mentally kicking myself. This was why I didn't like asking people questions.

"It's okay," she said with a reassuring smile. "You didn't know." She wrapped her arms around her middle. "When she was in the hospital, Saksham and I would visit her as much as possible. But there were so many people in the ward who didn't always have anyone with them." Her voice softened. "The treatment process is usually very long, and some families can't always afford to spend time there for whatever reason. My mom said one of the reasons she got through the tough days was because she had us." She paused, swallowing hard. "I don't want anyone to feel like they're alone because no one deserves that. If I could help even one person to get through their rough days then it'll be like helping my mom."

I swallowed a lump at the emotion in her voice. Opening my mouth, I immediately closed it realizing that I could be eloquent with my words on paper, but I wasn't sure if I actually had the ability to voice them out.

"Well... this is me," she said, as we approached the girl's dorm. She faced me with a smile. "Thank you for coming with me."

I nodded, turning to walk towards my room without another word.

As I lay in bed that night, staring at the ceiling, a realization hit me. I finally understood what was different about Sanjana. Beneath the expensive clothes, the makeup, and the childish behavior... She had a genuinely good heart.