|the naive rebel|
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xiii| a hidden kung fu panda
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word count- 1833
Your insights about the book, please?
would help me :-))

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INAAYAT
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I get up from the edge following
Nikhil, as he glares at the group of students who directed a taunt at him.

Why do people jump into conclusions whenever they see something?

Can't they stop judging, for once?

"Mind your own business," Nikhil growls at them as he strongly wraps his fingers around my wrist and pulls me away from the area.

"Who were they?" I deliberately repeat my question to check whether Sameer's reason was true or not.

I have no idea why I shamed Sameer's reason, but my mind needs testimony.

"Just some useless people." He answers as we reach the hotel lobby.

"Seeing the look on your face-they for sure weren't only some useless people." I attempt as his facial expression changes.

"Just nemesis." He grits his teeth.

"Why do you and Sameer hate them so much?" I ask casually as I press the lift button. He turns towards me, his forehead creased.

"I hate them because they were my friends earlier. We were a group back then but Varun fucked up everything just to prove that he was better than me." He recites his story.

He stops and then continues, "But, Aayat, why would Sameer hate them? Sameer doesn't even talk to them. I have never seen them greet each other, even." His last statement elicits the seedling of doubt in my head.

"Are you sure? Like Sameer must have had a bad relationship.." I trail for him to catch a hint. I know I was letting out Sameer's secret-that in case -it was a secret and the truth.

"Relationship? Ah! No. Sameer, joined the college this year and I have been friends with him since then. He has never dated anyone and especially no one from the Devils." He clarifies as we enter the empty lift. I press floor 5 while he pushes the number 7.

"I guess, I misunderstood then..but still for the record are you sure?" I try my luck for the last time.

"Completely." He smiles and I find this new information so difficult to digest.

Did Sameer lie to me?

But why?

"I still won't let you take my tutor away from me."

I look at him dumbfounded at his sudden warning, "Shaan. I know he will start your tutoring lessons soon, but...." He pauses taking a deep breath as his darkened eyes gape at me. "I won't let that happen, irrespective of our friendship."

"Who said we are friends?" I ask him. The lift stops at my floor and I get off, not even sparing a last look at him.

Sameer.

Why did you lie?

or

Did Nikhil lie?

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"What are you wearing?" Garima questions as she comes out of the bathroom wearing a towel robe. Mishti is still fast asleep while I had gotten up first to wear the lenses and had taken a shower already.

"Probably ripped denim jeans and a plain black tee," I answer.

Packing the small duffel I had brought along for the camp. I had packed a pair of night suit, some essential undergarments, perfume, some hygiene essentials, food, charger and a flashlight already.

The only thing that remained to be dumped inside the bag is a lighter for the bonfire and my gun.

Yes, I carried it everywhere.

Also, my contact lens' case. Yesterday, the sunglasses helped me stay without my brown lenses throughout.

Sadly, the happiness didn't last long and the contacts were back again. I seriously have to find an alternative for these or else I might lose my eyesight, soon.

"I am ready," Garima announces while I look at Mishti who is sleeping like a log. She looks like a sleep-deprived granny who hasn't gotten a chance to sleep in days.

"Mishti, wake the hoot up." And, the tables have turned.

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"I can't do this." Sameer winces as we walk through the forest to reach our planned destination. There is a huge spot in the forest where camping is feasible, we would set up our tents, cook food and play games as per the itinerary.

"Mr DramaQueen just two minutes more, as per the map we have almost reached." Mishti chuckles as we all move towards the place silently.

Nikhil and Shaan were ahead while Garima, Mishti, Sameer and I followed behind.

"Ooh, look at the losers walking so slowly." I hear a screeching voice and I turn my head towards the direction of the noise. My friends halt, looking at the Devils, who stand before us empty-handed.

A possibility is that they had already reached the spot and left their suitcases there. I do know their names but I ain't sure who would respond to the tag if I called them out loud.

The boy who is standing at the centre is pointedly peering at us, first directing it towards Nikhil, very casually avoiding Shaan and then zeroing his eye on me.

Not again.

"New conquest." He calls out with a smirk playing on his lips. I wish I could punch the smirk off his face but then his face would be completely ruined and also, I didn't know how to throw a perfect punch.

Correction- I didn't know how to throw a punch- at all.

"I must say Nikhil, this time you caught a good fish." He taunts, his shoes crushing the dead worn-out leaves as he traces his path towards me. His eyes taking my appearance from head to toe.

Mishti and Garima move a step closer, a sign of maybe assuring that they are with me, no matter what.

I watch intently as the person decreases the distance between us, standing a little too close for my liking. From my periphery, I see Nikhil and Sameer clenching their jaws, their fists turning pale with the pressure.

I wait for the person to say something before I can do something, that I desperately expecting to do.

"Varun." He says.

"Uh?" I muster the unconcerned look as I challenged him.

"My name. After him, you can always come to me for the seconds, y'know." He leans a little closer and invading my personal space, his face rubs my cheek as he whispers his words in my ear, "Girls tell me that I am way better than him." He says huskily. I hear some shifting and I know that Sameer and Nikhil are stepping towards us-angrily.

This is my battle, not theirs.

Varun leans away, his vicious smirk still ridiculing. I flash a huge smile at him. His eyes twinkle assuming my approval.

And, with that very quickly I lift my knee hurting him quite painfully, at the place where the sun doesn't shine. No mercy is shown.

He wails loudly with the speed of lightning. His eyes turning wide as he falls on his knees, shouting in pain.

Serves him right.

"I guess, you wouldn't be able to survive till the seconds. Y'know? Have a good-oh, sorry-fucking painful day." I snarl at him and his group after which I brisk walk towards the camping area, leaving the Devils and my friends behind.

One thing I surely know is how to show a fucking asshole his right place.

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Third Person
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"Woah, that was epic." Mishti cheers while they are setting up their tent. Inaayat, Mishti and Garima are sharing one while the boys will be sharing the other.

Instead of making their respective tents, they all have already set up the girl's tent and are now setting theirs.

"It surely was, I didn't know you had that in you," Nikhil comments while his eyes are focussed on the part of the tent he is managing.

Inaayat keeps her silence, as she observes the only person who hasn't spoken anything in the past several hours. All her other friends are either engaged in some random conversations or are simply cursing whenever the tent trembles or falls.

Shaan keeps doing his part, raising his eyes not even a little to look at the obvious pair of eyes who are busy gawking at him.

He feels the intense gaze but brushes it off. His focus settles on the tent and nothing else.

"Aayat, can you bring some pieces of wood from the professor's tent?" Nikhil asks as he judges the shape of the tent.

"Yeah sure." She replies moving back from her place and heads towards the professor's tent.

"Shaan, accompany her and get extra ropes too. She won't be able to carry all of them alone." Mishti puts in as she sits on the ground, fatigued.

Shaan doesn't utter a single word as he too backs away and starts walking towards the tent without taking Inaayat along with him.

'This person.' Aayat grumbles under her breath as she follows him silently. It is close to the evening, and everyone has already settled. The Devils weren't seen after the painful encounter they had with Inaayat.

Inaayat and her friends had decided to have lunch first, that explains why they are the last ones to set the tent up. She has heard about the treasure hunt slated in the forest at night followed by the lively bonfire.

There are huge trees forming canopies around them shading the area from the scorching sun or the soothing moon. The area has already darkened despite it just being half-past three in the afternoon.

"Why don't you talk," Aayat shoots at the ignorant spirit in front of her. Only to get no response.

"I know you can talk, so why don't you?" She again tries, meeting with the same response.

"Are you in some trouble or-" before she can complete her sentence, Shaan stops abruptly.

Inaayat, following his stance to stops. He turns around looking at her from his rimmed glasses, not bothering to rake his morning hair back which keeps disturbing his eyes.

"Stop." He deliberately says.

"I have stopped walking," she points out innocently.

"Questioning," he keeps his answer limited only to a single word.

'And what if I don't?' Aayat thinks.

"Why?" She protests a look at him. His face is still calm as it is always. No forehead creases and no angered glare-absolutely nothing.

"It irritates me," he finally says an entire sentence.

His demeanour doesn't change at all, while Inaayat is boiling with anger. The first thing he said to her, without stuttering is that she irritates him.

She knows that her questions were to a point- a lot- infuriating but for her she is only doing a job assigned to her.

Shaan is her number one suspect, and slowly but steadily he is proving her doubt to be true.

Shaan is mysterious.

and for all the wrong reasons.

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Brace your seatbelts cause the next chapter takes you to the drop of the first climax ;-)

also, ooofff

i hope you liked the chapter :-)

until the next chapter,
keep dodging the bullets
ऊ.