I am Sorry... Episode #9

The pink chart

I was speechless when I saw Aasha being slapped by Jessica. It all happened in a flash. Tears were rolling down her eyes and her cheek became so red. It’s quite interesting to watch as well as quite a difficult task to stop two girls from fighting, but it’s my Aasha, so I need to stop this fight. I shouted at Jessica "Hey! Stop it! How do you know that she did this!?!"

She took a deep breath and pointed her finger towards our desk and said, "I saw the pink chart on your desk, none other can do this to me, other than my arch enemy". I went silent again. And I had no words to argue. Aasha opened her mouth to speak, but her voice could not come out as she was crying and gasping heavily, like a child. Everyone stood silent and finally words came from Aasha ,"I didn't do it!". Jessica stared at Aasha with rage and said in an arrogant voice that she would complain about this to the principal.

Everyone started moving out of the class in silence. The class started with fun and ended in a great tragedy. Aasha was crying and she was uttering the same sentence to me "I didn't do that". I told her "I know and please leave this matter for a moment". But she was repeatedly saying that same thing again and again. I felt really bad for her. She paused for a brief moment and picked up the pink chart. I didn't know what she saw on that but suddenly her face turned pale and she gave a totally abnormal reaction. She was staring at the chart for a minute. And I slowly asked "Are you all right? Shall we move?" She replied in a grumbling tone "No, Not yet over. Come with me".

Soon after completing the sentence, she rushed out of the class by clutching my wrist with her palm. I really didn't know what she found out and why she behaved like that. Through all the chaos, I followed her. She dragged me along with her to the hostel. A guy was standing outside the hostel, facing the entrance, talking to someone on phone. Aasha tapped his shoulder, he turned around. It was Vishok. She showed the chart to him and said "Nice art, Vishok. Can I get something like this?" All of a sudden Vishok held his head down as if he felt ashamed on seeing us. I hadn't really thought that he would do such a thing. But after seeing his reaction I was really shocked and I really had no idea how she found that out. Vishok stayed silent for a moment and he said "I didn't expect this would happen". Aasha replied with a strong voice "Then, what did you expect to happen?" He said "That he will do like this". 'He!?!?.. Who is that he?' this was the question running on my mind. Vishok continued "He requested me so much, to draw her picture, so I couldn't deny. But I didn't know why he wanted it and why he did this. I buzzed him just now to ask the same.”

"If that means you didn't stick the chart there, then who is that he?" With a bit of hesitation he uttered the name "Ashwin".

After hearing that name Aasha literally sat down on the floor as if she had fainted. I really understand how she would have felt. Tears started to roll down from her eyes. She held her fore head with her hand and said, "I never expected this in my life". I didn't have any words to console her. I just told "I don't believe that he might have done this". "After all this you still believe that he didn't do it?" asked Aasha. In between our conversation, we heard a voice behind us. It was Ashwin. Aasha turned back straight and wiped her tears off and walked towards him furiously.

She was standing in front of him. He said "I am terribly sorry for what happened." Aasha had an ironic smile on her face and she said "It all happened as you expected. Right?” Ashwin looked hurt and said "What? What did I expect to happen?" She shouted "Don't act any more you cheat. Vishok told us everything". Ashwin turned towards Vishok and made a gesture as if he was asking,"Why?" Then he told Aasha that he will be explaining everything clearly to Aasha in person after sometime and told her to forget this for a moment. Before Ashwin completed, Aasha suddenly grabbed his collar with anger and said "Now tell me, why the F!@#$ did you stick that chart and why you framed me for this?" Ashwin suddenly pushed her hand aside and replied "Be sensible Aasha. Why should I do that and why would I frame you? I really didn't do such a thing and I would never". Aasha again started to shout that she is not ready to believe him and declared that she would not talk to him anymore.

I have seen Aasha crying many times. But after she said that word, it was the first time I saw Ashwin crying. Ashwin started asking repeatedly "You don't believe me Aasha?. I am your friend from childhood. You don't believe me.?" Without any reply she turned to the opposite direction and kept mum. I don't know whom to support and whom to advice and I was totally confused with this problem. All of sudden a new problem came into picture. Jessica was clapping like a Hindi film villain, from behind us. She had listened to all that was said. And she shouted in anger that she won't leave each and everyone who did this to her. And she quoted the word "I will kill you both, you F!@$# A!@!##".

Ashwin started crying again heavily, but Aasha didn't even open her mouth. She headed towards her scooty. Ashwin went behind her. She kick started it. Now Ashwin wiped his tears off and said in a stiff voice that If she didn’t talk to him now, then he won't talk to her anymore. She delivered a vexed smile, by turning to the other side, she removed the friendship band from her wrist and flung it away. The band flew into Ashwin's face and fell on the ground. She started her scooter and went far away from Ashwin.

Now Ashwin face was engulfed in anger. He headed to the hostel. I tried to convince him by saying many things on the way to the hostel. But he didn't even open his mouth. He walked straight towards the hostel gate. The moment we entered the hostel, a junior boy came and told Ashwin that the warden wanted to see him. He went into the warden's room and the door closed with a bang. I had no idea about what was going on inside. I started climbing the stairs to my room. It was more than half an hour they were talking inside. It started to look pretty serious to me. And finally the door opened and I was shocked by seeing our principal coming outside the warden's room. Ashwin came to the room and he started packing his things. He was not willing to respond to my queries. But I really needed to know what was happening. And finally I heard the voice, at our doorstep, from the Warden. He shouted in a strong tone "I need you to vacate in 30 minutes. Understand?" which was a rhetorical question. I was dumbstruck on hearing this.

Bibu came rushing in from the other wing of the hostel and told me that Ashwin was suspended for the rest of the college days and he is permitted only to write the internals and the final exams. It’s too much to punish a person for such a cheap thing. We know that, he had been expelled just because of Magnus' influence through her father who was a board member of the college. Her voice still echoed in my mind "I will kill each and every one of you". She had succeeded. She had almost killed our friendship. Now nothing is in my hand. As Ashwin began to walk with his things he told Bibu to get him a cab.

He handed the room key, without looking at me. He didn't even speak to me. I felt miserable. Tears were about to roll down my cheek. Every other person helped him in packing and carrying his luggage and they told him to share the room with Aakash for few days. He went inside the cab and it almost moved. At that moment he turned towards me and asked me to come closer to him. I ran towards him and he slowly asked me "Do you want to tell me something or shall I leave?" I really had no answer for that question and started to break out with tears by repeating his name. After hearing me he said "That's fine. I hope you don't have anything to say. Good bye!"

That was the last time I saw him in the hostel. I missed him. 

To be Continued...