WebNovels

Chapter 19 - The slap

The moment the door closed behind her, Nayan emerged from behind a pillar. He leaned against the railing, eyes shut, fists clenching the metal until his knuckles turned white.

Later that evening, as everyone was preparing for dinner, Vedanshi reached for her file, but it was gone.

"What the hell… I left it right here! Did the sky swallow it, or the earth? Damn it, damn it!" She tore the room apart in search.

"Oh God… I'm finished. Come on, Vedanshi, think. Without that file, returning from Rakhigarhi isn't even possible."

In panic, she dialed Akshay and explained. Within minutes, he was in her room. Together they searched every corner, but the file had simply vanished.

Akshay frowned. "I think we should inform Nayan sir and Mithil sir. They'd told us to show them the data before handing it over anyway."

Reluctantly, Vedanshi agreed, and the two of them hurried to the hall, where Nayan and Mithil were sipping tea.

As soon as they heard the story, both men stiffened. They knew very well that Mishra sir wouldn't let such negligence pass easily.

"Did you lock the door before leaving, Vedanshi?" Mithil asked.

She froze. The truth hit her, she hadn't. Lowering her head, she shook it. Mithil groaned, pressing his palm to his forehead.

Nayan's temper finally snapped.

"How could you be so careless, Vedanshi? Who leaves a hotel room unlocked?"

This time, fear flashed in her eyes.

Nayan sighed heavily. "We'll speak to Mishra sir. And don't panic, Vedanshi."

"What is it, Nayan? What do you want to talk about?" came Mishra sir's voice from behind as he sat down in his chair. Everyone froze in shock, but Nayan quickly composed himself and explained the entire situation to him.

"I knew from the beginning this girl was careless. On the site, her focus was never on the work anyway. She was always distracted, looking here and there. What kind of data could she possibly have?" Mishra sir said, narrowing his eyes at Vedanshi.

"Since you've made such a mistake, you're suspended for one month." He took a sip of tea and began typing something on his phone.

Vedanshi's face turned pale; her throat tightened with emotion. Nayan and Akshay both looked worried.

"Now what? Are you going to stand over my head all day? Go tell the others to submit their files immediately as well," Mishra sir ordered, still busy with his tea and phone.

"Sir, but she's a good student," Nayan finally spoke, summoning courage. "If you suspend her like this, she'll miss out on important notes."

"I've seen just how good she is," Mishra sir snapped. "Allowing her to even sit for the exam is enough. If you argue further, I'll take that away too."

"I'm sorry, sir," Vedanshi pleaded, her voice breaking. "I had written a lot of material. I'll rewrite everything with full effort. I still have the entire data in my phone. I'll give it to you as soon as we return to college." Tears rolled down her cheeks, and Nayan felt a pang of sympathy for her.

Her words only fueled Mishra sir's anger. He was about to retort when another voice rang out.

"But what if it wasn't her fault, sir?"

Everyone was surprised. Parth was standing there, calm but firm. All eyes shot toward him, filled with questions.

"What do you mean? What are you implying by someone else's fault?" Mishra sir's voice was cold and sharp.

"Sir, someone broke into Vedanshi's room and stole her file," Parth declared. The entire room gasped, stunned, and then stared at him in disbelief.

"Oh really? And what could Miss Vedanshi possibly have discovered that anyone would want to steal her file?" Mishra sir sneered.

"That, sir, I don't know. Why don't you ask her yourself?" Parth replied coolly.

"Ask who? What nonsense is this? Am I running a circus here?" Mishra sir snapped, his voice rising.

"Ask your special student, sir. It was Ranjit who pulled this cheap stunt. So you should question him." Parth's tone was calm, almost unsettlingly so.

"How dare you accuse my student?" Mishra sir thundered. "You people make mistakes, and when caught, you drag my students into it?" His anger made everyone flinch.

"But Parth, how can you be so sure?" Mithil asked cautiously. "Do you have any proof?"

"Of course I do," Parth said with a faint smile. "Parth never speaks without proof, sir."

Everyone stared at him, astonished.

About that time almost everyone had reached the dining hall.

"Ranjit!" Mishra sir's voice cut through the room like a whip. The entire hall fell under a pall of fear the moment he called out, everyone knew Ranjit's reckoning had arrived. Even Ranjit flinched at the sound.

"Y… y… yes, sir." He stammered, coming forward hesitantly.

"Did you steal Vedanshi's file?" Mishra sir demanded, staring him down. A hush of shock rippled through the others.

"W… w… what, sir?" Sweat beaded on Ranjit's forehead.

"If your hearing's poor, see a doctor. I don't repeat myself for anyone." Mishra sir snapped.

"Sir, I didn't do anything like that. Who told you this? Why would I, what would I gain by stealing a junior's file? I'm a senior," Ranjit protested, trying to sound confident.

"Answer simply, yes or no. Save the speech." Mishra sir's voice was still a blade.

"I didn't take any file. They must be lying. You know how these archaeology folks are, they probably didn't even collect any real data, or they weren't listening to you, and now they've pinned this on me." Ranjit pushed, forcing bravado.

Parth glared at him. "Then why were you in Vedanshi's room?" he asked sharply.

"What do you mean? Why would I go to her room?" Ranjit snapped back, anger coloring his tone.

"Then what is this?" Parth said, pulling out his phone and playing a video.

Ranjit's throat constricted. "Th… th… that isn't me. I, no, I didn't do it," he choked, panic rising.

A sharp slap landed on his cheek. "What possessed you to do something so despicable, Ranjit?" Mishra sir roared. The hall dropped into a grave silence; every student froze as if rooted in place, breathing felt like betrayal.

"You're suspended for one month. You won't be allowed to sit this semester's exams. Understood? And bring Vedanshi's file to me, now." Mishra sir declared. Ranjit, pale and defeated, went off to fetch the file. To argue further would mean ruining his entire year.

But as he left, he muttered under his breath, venom in every word, "I won't let this go, Vedanshi. You bitch. I'm gonna kill you, Parth, you don't even know what kind of person I am. I'll burn every one of your dreams to ashes, the ones you came to this town to chase." With that, Ranjit climbed the stairs, fury and fear tangled in his steps.

"Alright, everyone, have your dinner now. Enough drama for one night. We leave at five in the morning," Mishra sir announced, settling back into his chair. The students quietly took their seats, no one daring to speak. Nayan and Mithil both exhaled in relief. No one was more restless than Nayan, after all, it had been about Vedanshi.

By ten that night, Vedanshi was wandering alone in the garden when Parth appeared.

"Hello, Vedanshi," he said softly, walking up to her.

"Parth! Thank you so much. If you hadn't stepped in today… I don't know what would've happened," Vedanshi said gratefully.

"I knew it, Vedanshi. That Ranjit was bound to pull something. That's why I kept an eye on his every move," Parth explained. A faint smile tugged at her lips.

For a while, they stood in silence. Finally, Parth broke it.

"Have you still not forgiven me? Don't come back into my life if you don't want to, Vedanshi. But at least… can't we still be friends? I really miss you."

Vedanshi's heart softened; there was a lightness in her expression now.

"I'm not angry with you anymore, Parth. You helped me today," she admitted.

"Then let's start fresh. A new beginning to our friendship," Parth said, extending his hand.

"Okay." She clasped it with a smile.

High above, on his balcony, Nayan was watching. His hands gripped the railing tightly. Running his fingers through his hair, he tilted his head toward the night sky.

"Why am I feeling this way? She's my student. Since when have I sunk so low that I… for my own student… Oh God, damn it! What's happening to me?" Nayan shouted, slamming his fist into the railing.

There was a sharp piece of wire jutting out at the corner. It tore into his knuckles, leaving a deep gash. Blood dripped steadily from his hand, but Nayan barely felt it. The ever-smiling Nayan was consumed by rage, rage no one had ever seen in him before.

By five the next morning, everyone was ready to leave. As the group gathered near the bus, Vedanshi's eyes fell on Nayan's bandaged hand. Concern flickered across her face; she started toward him, but he climbed into the bus before she could speak. Inside, everyone took the same seats as they had on the journey there. But Nayan's peace was gone.

Meanwhile, Sanjana and Parthavi exchanged a glance, a quiet sense of relief washing over them. They gave each other a discreet thumbs-up.

Vedanshi's heart ached as she looked at Nayan's injured hand. She sent him a message but no reply came.

Her renewed friendship with Parth was now clear to everyone. And it was this, above all, that gnawed at Nayan the most.

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