As soon as Vedanshi learned that Ved was married, she froze. Her heart pounded violently in her chest, and a wave of anguish surged through her. She felt like crying, no, screaming. But her voice was trapped somewhere deep inside.
"Vedanshi! Vedanshi!" Sagar was calling out to her, his voice loud and urgent.
Snapping out of her trance, Vedanshi turned toward him. A single tear rolled down her cheek.
"What's happening, Vedanshi? Why are you crying? There are tears in your eyes… Are you okay? What happened all of a sudden?" Sagar bombarded her with questions, none of which she had the strength to answer.
"Huh… What? What are you saying?" she replied in a dazed voice, as if the words barely registered.
"Why are you crying? Did something happen? Did someone say something to you?" Sagar asked again, concern etched across his face.
"I… I'll be back from the washroom," Vedanshi mumbled and walked away, leaving Sagar bewildered.
As she reached the washroom, a sharp pain pierced her chest, like someone was slicing through her heart.
"Ved… You're married? But when? How? Why didn't I know anything? You never told me… not even once. Why?" she whispered to herself, her voice trembling. "You were my best friend, weren't you?"
She leaned over the sink, gripping its edges tightly, and splashed cold water into her mouth, hoping it would drown the storm inside her.
"But why does this hurt so much? What's happening to me? God, why does it feel so awful? He's just a friend… someone I've never even met in person. Why would he tell me? Why am I thinking about this so much? What's happening to me? Oh God… damn it," she muttered, her voice cracking.
Her reflection stared back at her, confused and broken.
"But he helped me, didn't he? When I was at my lowest… he was there. So what if he didn't tell me? He's still my friend, Vedanshi. He's a good person. Then why is someone hurting him? Why would anyone want to harm him?" she whispered again, her thoughts spiraling.
Meanwhile, sitting in the canteen, Sagar said in surprise,
"What happened to her? Why did she leave such weird expressions?"
When Sagar said this, Akshay replied,
"Because you're crazy, that's why."
"What did I do again now, man?" Sagar asked.
"Have you never noticed? Nayan sir and Vedanshi… I feel like there's something between them," Akshay said.
"What do you mean, something? I don't get it?" Sagar asked innocently, like a child.
"Hey Nikhil, you tell him. Don't you think there's something going on between Vedanshi and Nayan sir? I mean, maybe they like each other," Akshay said, looking at Nikhil.
"Yeah, I see that too. The way Nayan sir takes care of Vedanshi, it totally looks like that," Nikhil said.
"Then why didn't you guys tell me earlier? I upset Vedanshi for no reason. I think she didn't know about Nayan sir's marriage," Sagar said again.
"We thought you already knew, idiot," Nikhil replied.
"Okay, forget all that now. Tell us, what's the deal with Nayan sir's marriage?" Akshay said, and Nikhil also nodded, looking at Sagar.
Sagar took a deep breath and started speaking,
"Actually, I don't know much either, but they got married about a year ago. Remember I told you about the mayor's daughter, Sanjana? Well, it's her. And she's kind of a psycho type. The whole city knows what she's like.
I've seen her many times at the opposite campus too. I don't know what she does there, but she comes every day. All I know is that she has a big hand in the case against sir. This is inside information I got from some college leaders. Now whether it's just a rumor or the truth, I really don't know."
When Sagar said this, Nikhil and Akshay were shocked.
"But looking at sir, I don't think he would've done anything that would make a case run against him," Nikhil said.
"Yeah, I don't think so either. It must be a rumor. Someone must've spread it deliberately," Akshay added.
"That's why I don't believe those rumors either," Sagar said.
"Then find out the truth, Sagar. You know everyone here, and you're a student leader of this college too. So now it's time to show your leadership," Vedanshi said from behind. Her eyes had turned red.
Everyone turned to look at her as she came and sat next to Sagar. When Vedanshi said this, Akshay and Nikhil also nodded in agreement and said,
"Yeah, when will you show us your leadership skills?"
"What kind of leadership are you all showing off here?"
A stern voice cut through the chatter. It was Nayan, standing right in front of them.
"Oh man! Vedanshi's right, sir pops up everywhere like a ghost," Akshay whispered into Nikhil's ear.
"Feels like they're hiding some secret against the college," another voice chimed in. It was Mithil. The group immediately jumped to their feet in panic
N–n–no, sir… nothing like that. We were just teasing Sagar," Akshay said, hanging off Sagar's shoulder with a forced grin.
"Right, Sagar?" He gave Sagar a quick wink.
"Yeah, sir. He's the college leader, that's all. We were just pulling his leg," Nikhil stammered, fidgeting nervously.
Mithil and Nayan exchanged a look. They could tell these kids were lying.
Meanwhile, Vedanshi sat silently, her vacant eyes fixed on Nayan. The moment his gaze fell on her, she quickly turned away.
Nayan narrowed his eyes. Why do I feel like something's off? And why does Vedanshi's voice sound strange… Why are her eyes so red? He wondered to himself.
"So, you've all already decided which professors you're choosing?" Mithil asked as he pulled out a chair and sat down. Nayan followed, taking another seat beside him.
"Sir, we were just discussing that," Nikhil answered quickly.
"You can talk to your seniors as well if you like. But make sure you let us know by tomorrow, because after that we'll be busy with exams. We need to get some reports ready before then," Mithil added.
"Okay, sir," everyone replied together, nodding earnestly.
"One more thing!" Nayan said suddenly. "This weekend, we're going on another trip—to Rakhigarhi."
At this, their eyes lit up instantly.
"Yesss!" Nikhil, Sagar, and Akshay shouted, jumping up with excitement.
"There's nothing to celebrate yet. Listen to the rest first," Mithil cut in, and their excitement quickly turned serious.