My only aim in life now was to become successful. Being successful meant to become famous. I wanted to show them all that I don't always tuck and roll when I'm scared or helpless. I'd rather kill them with my bare hands than run in the desert and die.

With a strong zeal I entered Don Bosco College of Engineering. I had taken my dream stream, Computers. I had always been fascinated by computers right from as far as I remember. I never liked anything as much as computers. I used to always tell my parents that I want to become computer engineer but they were too scared to allow me to do that. They knew I was weak physically and taking such a difficult stream would harm my health.

"You should think about your health Susan," mother would say. "You cannot just do that, it's very difficult, my friend told me so. His son is an electrical engineer and he is suffering badly from headaches and tension. He gets a lot of backs in his subjects." My dad would add worriedly.

I would stomp my feet and say, "no, no, no, I wanna take computers and computer engineering it is. I will rather sit at home instead of going to a medical college. I don't like it." Tears would roll from my eyes and I would get up and go in the back gallery of our 2 bedroom flat and sit.

What's so bad in doing what I like? It's not like I wanna be a harlot or a drug dealer or be a bar girl. I'm doing what's right for me. I would fall asleep weary of crying and over thinking.

********

With nervous feet, I entered the gates of Don Bosco, the college which I hardly had interest in joining. I would get admission in any engineering college of my dream but just as I told before, I wasn't recovered out of the loneliness fever. It had hit my brain and most of the time; I would sit and stare at the computer screen without any thoughts in my brain, instead of solving the papers shown on the screen.

All the freshers were gathered around in a hall on the ground floor and were busy in filling some forms and all. I too went inside to see what was going on.

"Here, take these application forms and fill them now and submit them with two passport size photographs," a short young lady, probably the clerk told me the by hearted monologue.

I took the papers from her hand and went into a corner where there was less noise. I rested my elbow on the table before taking out my pen to fill the forms. Suddenly a husky voice made me jump.

"Hello, Susan."

I turned around and almost knocked my own self when I saw my best friend and brother, Piyush standing in front of me with a wide smile.

I jumped in joy and hugged him tightly. He gasped at my sudden reaction but hugged me lightly.

"I missed you so, so, so much. I thought I would never meet you. How are you Piyush?" I poured myself out.

His grin widened and he said, "I missed you too but it's going to be alright, we are together now."

"Which branch are you in?" I asked forgetting all about the forms I had to fill. I was way too happy to meet him. We studied in the same school from 5th grade and we were both good at drawing. We always won the drawing competition and I really missed him when I got to know that he took admission in another college for 11th grade. We were supposed to study together even after 10th grade but somehow our paths forked. I would still chat with him on Facebook and text him if I felt sad and he would always be there to brighten up the mood. I would spend eternity in his presence just listening to the jokes he had to crack and the stories he had to tell. If only he would be there with me in college before, I wouldn't have had to suffer the comments and the teasing of my classmates.

"All the students, please do not crowd here, and keep silence." A sudden loud voice made both of us to turn our heads in the direction of the voice. There was this aged man, maybe in his 50's, ordering the students crowded in the hall to clear up the space.

"Only the new comers, stay here, rest others, go back to your classrooms." He said shooing all the old admission students out of there. Piyush raised his eyebrows, sighed and said, "Meet you later", winking.

A smile made its way up to my face and I felt relieved. After all the stress I had been gone through, about entrance exams, board exams, getting admission, I now felt relieved seeing that I had the reason to smile.

I nodded my head to him and turned around to fill the forms which lay in front of me. There were some Goa University registration form, voters' form, and college identity form and some few others.

I fidgeted with the forms not knowing which one to fill first. I was too happy to do anything and my fingers were trembling with joy.

"Can I help you?" a young lady, probably an employee from the admission office smiled when she looked at my chaotic state. I nodded, biting my lower lip, embarrassed that someone offered me a helping hand like I was a 3-year old.

"Write your name, address, phone number and parents name, phone number and religion here." She said while pointing at the places on the various forms as she instructed me.

I snapped my head at the word religion. Who on earth would want to ask your religion before getting started with your career? I thought. She saw my sudden reaction, "Hmm? Is something wrong?"

I shook my head, "Nothing."

"Okay, sign here, here, and here," she told me pointing the various places on the forms. I followed her instructions and did as she told me to.

"Okay, now you can go to your class." She smiled. "It's on the first floor here. Take these stairs," she said pointing to the stairs in front of me. I nodded and moved my feet forward.

"The acceleration due to gravity can also be wri----" Physics sir was teaching when I interrupted him.

"Come in," he said before me asking for permission. Suddenly everyone's eyes were on me as if some alien had landed in the classroom. I ignored all the gazes and made my way to an empty bench.

Suddenly everyone around me acted as if I was invisible. Any late comers would come and sit anywhere else but not with me. Nobody was ready to talk to me. Some would look at me but not even smile when I smiled.

I started to get a crawling feeling in my stomach and I felt so left out. But I did not let my hope die. I was here to study, become successful and I would stick to my dream.

"Hey," a sudden wave in front on my face snapped me out of my thoughts and back to classroom.

I smiled instantly when I saw a grinning Piyush in front of me.

"Thinking too deeply of being an astronaut?" he said teasingly and I frowned.

"No, I was just thinking how come I landed in with you stuck around me for the rest of the course." I said sarcastically.

"You love me." He smirked and winked. I loved my best friend so much that I made him my brother. I always dreamt of having a small brother but it never happened. But ever since I first saw Piyush, I saw his cuteness and innocence that I liked him for a brother. I told him that one day whilst I pinched his cheeks and he blushed. I loved him way too much it hurt.

"Dream on, baby boy." I rolled my eyes.

"Actually you're the baby girl, I'm born before you." He laughed at his own revelation about who was elder amongst us.

"Shut up, now, I have no time to fight girls." I said smiling.

He opened his mouth to say something but found me laughing harder. He lunged at me and was now hitting my arms playfully with his fists. He started ruffling my hair spoiling my already frizzy hair. He pinched my nose and started tickling me.

I laughed hard at all this tickling and ruffling that I did not know we had spectators. Some girls from the other classes who had come to our class to have lunch with their friends looked as us expressionlessly as if it was not at all amusing. When I gave them a look through my laughs they turned and walked away. I whispered to Piyush threateningly, "Better get off me or else the whole class will see your precious part being hurt."

He seemed to not notice the threat in my voice but suddenly came closer to me. His breath was now fanning my face and I felt uncomfortable. His gaze from my eyes turned towards my lips and he furrowed his eyebrows lightly. I was trying to move out of his grasp but he seemed to be stronger than me and kept me pinned to the bench.

What's with him?

Piyush had never behaved with me like this before. I thought.

Just when our lips were millimeters apart I winced knowing that something disastrous is going to happen.

He turned his head just a bit away from my face to see what my reaction meant and moved away before whispering back, "Su, you're very pretty."

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OMG! Susan is hyperventilating.

brothers do know how to say cheesy things to sisters, isnt it? hehehe

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