Chapter - 3

Six months ago

In the chaos of the surroundings, two girls are sitting quietly and having their meal in the canteen. Both of them are discussing their upcoming projects and assignments as they are in the final year of their MA in Media and Communication.

"After completing my master's, I have decided to go for my PhD abroad. I've already applied for the scholarship. I hope I get it," says one girl with a hint of hope in her eyes.

"You will definitely get it and become successful in your life. You'll make your parents proud," the other replies with a smile creeping onto her lips, making the first girl chuckle at her words.

"Same goes for you, my girl," she responds with a small laugh. "Anyway, how are your tuition classes going, Navya? Any new students joining or not?" she asks, noticing Navya's expression turn a bit sad.

Navya pouts slightly. "No, Shriya. Even though I don't like when people don't pay the fees on time, I don't press them. I understand that not everyone can afford tuition and other class expenses for their kids, but they should also understand our problems. The house expenses and many other things depend on the fees they pay," she says with a sigh.

"I'm trying to manage my personal expenses while saving money for household needs. Last month, two students left the tuition, so it's been quite difficult to handle the budget. But I'm managing and hoping to get new students soon."

She lets out a sigh and glances at her wrist. "The next lecture is about to start. Let's go, yaar," she says, prompting Shriya to nod. Both of them rise from their seats and start walking out of the canteen.

Their attention was diverted toward the chaos in the specific area, surrounded by students. Navya took the lead and started moving toward the crowd, with Shriya following close behind. Both of them turned their gaze to the main cause of the commotion. Well, it was nothing new here. They had witnessed this scene before. Ranveer was, once again, bullying an innocent junior along with his bratty friends.

This guy was literally impossible. Many people wanted to complain against him, but his connections were the only thing that stopped everyone from taking any action. He grabbed the young girl's bag and started passing it to his friends. They all began tossing the bag to one another, making the poor girl cry.

"These stupid guys don't have any work other than ragging," I whispered to Shriya, who nodded.

"What else can you expect from these rich kids?" she replied, making me feel bad.

" Shriya! Don't you think we should help her? Look, they're not letting her go," I said, observing the situation in front of me.

"Little girl! I just asked you to sing a beautiful song for us. Why are you resisting? Just sing, and you can take your bag," Ranveer said playfully with a smirk, holding her bag in one hand.

But Shriya shut me down, saying, "Think practically, Navya. This isn't a movie; it's reality. If we act, it'll lead us into the biggest trouble." Her words made me reluctantly agree, but my conscience wasn't letting it go.

"Oh God! Please do something," I murmured to myself.

Just then, the sound of the bell rang. Recess was over. They left the girl alone because they had to attend their classes. Everyone started moving toward their respective classrooms. Once Ranveer and his group had gone, Shriya and I went to the girl and helped her collect her scattered books and documents.

We got to know that she was his batchmate. She hadn't completed his assignment, which was why he had been bullying her. Soon, we introduced ourselves. Her name was Shriya, and she was from the Sociology Department, the same as Ranveer. After a brief chat, we bid goodbye to her and left for our classes.

Well, it's not that we are scared of Ranveer, but the real reason is his elder brother-umm, what was his name? Oh, I think it's Rudraksh Rathod. I've seen him many times in college, especially during important occasions. He's also a trustee of the college and sometimes comes to pick Ranveer up.

Many girls gossip about how handsome and dashing he looks, but in front of him, everyone turns into a bhigi billi (scaredy cat). Obviously, who wouldn't be scared of him? After all, I've heard he's a criminal. There's even a rumor that he killed a woman in his house who tried to seduce him. Like, who was that dumbheaded person trying to seduce such a dangerous species? Don't these people care about their lives?

Anyway, that's not my concern. All I need is to complete my master's degree and leave this place with Shriya.

After college, Shriya dropped me off at my coaching center, where I teach kids. There are usually 4-5 staff members here, most of them around the same age as me. This coaching institute is run by a retired university professor, Madam Rekha. It's affordable for middle-class families who want to provide extra classes for their kids.

For me and the other teachers, it's a lifeline. This job pays us enough to manage our expenses and support our families. I'm deeply grateful to Madam Rekha for giving me this job when I needed it the most.

After my working hours, I locked up the center because I'm usually the last one to leave. It's my duty to switch off the lights and secure the doors. After locking up, I handed the key to Rekha Ji, who lives on the upper floor of the building. The coaching center is on the first floor of her house.

Finally, I hailed an auto, gave the Bhaiya my address, and headed home.