"I am not doing it," Mandy folded his arms too and shook his head adamantly.

"Mandy please, please, please, please, please," I begged folding my hands and putting on the puppy dog face. "I won't ever ask you for anything else."

"You can beg all you want, but that is not happening, Nope." He said stubbornly.

"Mandy you promised. Remember the pact." I once again fell back on the pact.

"You cannot blackmail me with that pact forever." Mandy pursed his lips and scowled "I am not doing it." He looked at Mia for help, "Aren't you going to say something?"

"After what I just saw, I believe even if it is just an iota, there is truth in what Naxi is implying." She tried not to look at Mandy while the poor boy flapped his hands and banged his feet.

"I think you should consider helping her. I mean you have nothing to lose." Mia smiled timidly.

"No! No! No!" Mandy moaned, "I am not doing it."

Well he did not leave me much of a choice so I used my last weapon.

"Mandy you owe me," I said angrily "If it hadn't been for me, you couldn't have partnered with Natasha. You would not have known her and neither would she have known that Mandeep Chautala even existed. Whatever you have with Natasha today, even the friendship, was possible only because of me."

"URGGGHHH...YOU MEENAKSHI BANERJEE ARE A HORRIBLE PERSON...IF I HAD TO RATE YOU ON A SCALE OF 10 ON HOW EVIL YOU ARE, I WOULD HAVE RATED 1000."

I knew I had him this time.

"Fine," he spat out "I will do it."

"I knew, you would never say no to helping a friend in need." I beamed giving him a hug.

"Who needs enemies when they have friends like you?" Mandy muttered pushing me away grudgingly. "But I have my conditions."

"Let's hear them." I plopped down on the bed happily.

"First." He stood up from the chair, "since I am the one helping you, to win the bet placed against ME, I want to change certain clauses of the bet." He paced across the room. I realized for the first time I was not concerned with the rewards of winning the bet. All that mattered now was winning Avinash Chauhan.

"I won't be giving up any of my gadgets." Mandy said coming to a stop infront of me.

"Cool. I am okay with it." I replied

"Second, no one and I mean no one should know that I am your...boyfriend," he said with a putrid face "except Avinash."

"Olivia and Danish will get to know obviously." Mia pointed out. I nodded in agreement.

"Okkaay..." Mandy threw his hands in the air, "but no one except Olivia, Danish and Avinash." He said glaring at us both.

"Thirdly, you both," he moved his eyes from me to Mia and then back to me "will help me woo Natasha."

"Aye Aye! Captain." I raised my palm as if being sworn in.

"Fine, what do I have to do?" He grimaced.

"Don't worry young man. I will tell you when the time comes. But right now I need a good night sleep." I pushed Mandy away from my bed and sprawled across it.

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"You ready?" I asked Mandy. We spotted Danish, Avinash and Olivia sitting on the bleachers, the day after the bonfire. Mandy nodded nervously.

"Hi guys!" I greeted them while Brute rushed to Olivia for his usual dose of cuddles. It was a Saturday, which meant no classes. Damini was probably at the dance practice like Mia.

"Someone is glowing!" Olivia beamed, "Is it because of the rum last night?"

"Umm...no...actually...we are together you see...he...Ummm proposed last night." My tongue twisted as I spoke.

"Whoa... you guys would make a sweet couple." Danish exclaimed. I looked at Avinash, half lying down on the bleachers with his elbows propping him up. His eyes narrowed on hearing my words, scanning Mandy from head to toe.

"Umm Danny...umm please don't tell anyone about us." Mandy fumbled nervously, and Avinash immediately sat up.

"Why? Are you ashamed of her?" Avinash asked in an amused voice.

"What...no Ofcourse not...I mean..." Mandy stuttered looking at me for help.

"We want it to be private. I am not really fond of grinding my ass on my boyfriend's lap in public." I looked straight at Avinash; he merely raised an eyebrow, a smile making his lips twitch.

"Oh don't worry. We won't tell anyone." Olivia assured "Avi is just being his jerk self." She smiled at us warmly "I am really happy for the two of you."

"We should go now, and do things which boyfriends and girlfriends do." I tried to giggle, but ended up grunting instead.

"Like making out?" Avinash smirked. Everyone knew about this arrogant and haughty side of Avinash. A side I had never seen.

"No. Like taking a walk or sitting and talking."

"Borrring," He lied back down on the bleachers, "Have a good day 'love birds'." Avinash air quoted letting out a chuckle.

"That went well." Mandy groaned. "If he is really into you, then he probably hates me now."

"He will get over it when he gets to know the truth." I said confidently.

We spent most of the morning sitting on the terrace of the Administrative building, devising over a pack of gold flake, more ways to make Avinash jealous. I had left Brute with the guard at the building entrance. Brute enjoyed playing with his two indie dogs.

"Hey you think, if we tried this Rule No. 7 on Natasha, it would work?" Mandy scratched the back of his head. I loved the way he became the gullible boy next door, whenever he spoke about Natasha.

"It is meant to be tried on boys; moreover I am not someone she is jealous of." I tried to think if we could shoot two birds with one arrow. "Who is she jealous of?" I asked him.

"Well, the person she is jealous of, would never help me with Rule No. 7." Mandy chuckled.

"Who?" I asked curiously.

"Mentor Kavya," he grinned.

"Our Mentor Kavya, the Deception teacher." I quipped incredulously "Well every girl is awed by her, she is so perfect. But you are right, she won't help you with Rule No.7."

Our phones beeped simultaneously.

M4 group chat.

Mia: Naxi and Mandy, where are you two?

Mandy: Ad Building terrace. Why?

Mia: Wait there. We are coming.

Both Junaid and Mia joined us on the terrace within minutes.

"When the fuck did the two of you start dating man?" Junaid looked angry. We were all so lost in our excitement over last night's event; none of us had the chance to narrate the plan to Junaid.

I could not understand why Mia looked scared and worried.

"I thought you loved Natasha." Junaid said angrily. Didn't Mia tell him about the plan? If yes, then why would Junaid ask something as stupid as that? I looked at Mia questioningly, waiting for her to provide some insight to Naid's behaviour.

"Natasha told Junaid that you guys were in a relationship." Mia blurted out clearing our confusion.

"What?" Mandy and I exclaimed in unison.

"How the fuck did Natasha get know?" Mandy shouted. "YOU SLIME this was supposed to stay a secret." Mandy grabbed my arm and jerked me to face him.

"I don't know Mandy." I was equally baffled "I was with you all this time." I cried back.

"What is going on?" Confusion replaced Junaid's anger.

"This little skunk here told me to pretend to be her boyfriend, to make Avinash jealous." Mandy spat out. I had never seen him this furious.

"And you agreed to that?" Junaid asked horrified. He turned to look at Mia "You knew this, yet didn't stop them." His shock only intensified.

"Oh she bloody SUPPORTED NAXI." Mandy roared.

"Mate," Junaid sounded sad "I found Natasha in the library; her eyes were red and swollen from crying. She said she never knew you had feelings for Naxi and that it was better she got to know about it now before it was too late. Natasha even confessed that she has developed feelings for you Mandy, but made me swear not to tell you a word about it because she does not want to spoil the friendship she shares with you. She doesn't wish to come between the two of you, 'I don't want to be the bone in their meat' that is exactly what she said."

Mandy gripped his head and sat down on the terrace.

"NO NO NO NO NO!" he moaned tears rolling down from his eyes.

Mandy crying, I would not have believed it could ever happen, if I had not been helplessly witnessing it.

"I don't know how she got to know." Mia wondered aloud.

"Does it matter?" Mandy growled.

"Avinash told her." Junaid answered, "That is what Natasha said."

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