Prachi's POV

I couldn't believe my ears.

I stared at Ruby ma'am, unable to hide my shock and disgust.

"I am sorry." She said apologetically.

"It's... Ok, ma'am." I said slowly.

Apparently, since there were so many people involved in the bullying, if the principal took action against each of them, the school's name would get spoilt. So she stuck to warning them, and also telling me that if I created any mess regarding this subject again, she would expell me.

Like, what the actual sh*t? I complained about five people. FIVE people. How much can that possibly be? Only because they are the kids of rich people she'd do that?

Oh that b**ch.

In our morning assembly, all that b**ch literally did was telling kids to not create indiscipline in the school.

After the assembly got over, we went to our class and waited for the first period to begin.

Ashish, Shubham, Karan and Mohit entered the class once everyone had settled down. But they didn't go to their benches. They stood at the elevated platform made for teachers in every classroom in our school.

Although all of us were talking to each other, with my friends teasing me with Varun because I had stood up for him the day before, all of us quietened down a little just because all of us happened to look at the bad boys of our class enter the class.

They had this thing in them that easily grabbed attention.

Ashish took the lowering of our volumes as an opportunity to say, "Ok.... Hot two days, eh? So much gossip and stuff?"

Some guys were still talking. The girls all shut up.

After a pause, he continued.

"Who complained." He said, more like an assertive statement rather than a question.

Now there was pin drop silence in the class as my heart beat rocketed to an inhumane rate.

Sh*t sh*t sh*t.

Some of the guys and one or two girls were quiet just because they wanted to watch the drama, and not because they were scared. But the others were.

Not me though. Because I wasn't just scared, I was suffering a freakin' heart attack at that moment.

"Lemme me be clearer. I mean, you guys could be confused - complain about who? When? About what? And stuff like that. So I'll ask again." Ashish said.

He scanned the crowd carefully, creating a tense atmosphere.

Where the hell is the damn teacher! When I want the teachers to take their time, they come in the minute the bell rings, so why isn't anyone coming now?

Talk about bad luck.

"Who complained about the five of us 'apparently' bullying Varun?" He asked politely, making air quotations with his finger. Honestly, that just scared me more.

All heads turned towards Varun. His gaze was fixed on the desk, and he didn't dare to move. He was frozen in his position.

All eyes were on him.

But to my horror, Ashish's eyes were on me.

******
It was our physics lab period. Most people had left, but I was still busy looking for my observation book.

"Aren't you the slowest." None other than Ashish said, as he walked up to me.

My heart skipped a beat as my head snapped towards him.

"Y-Yes?" I asked as politely as I could.

"Your nervousness is endearing. Kind of." He chuckled.

I think he knew, and was enjoying, making me wanna pee my pants.

"Can I help you?" I asked. As politely as I could.

"Oh yeah. You can help me, by telling me, why you went ahead, and complained about us." He said slowly, enunciating each part as though he was explaining something to a small kid.

I looked at him in wild horror. My stomach clenched. My ears turned hot. My heartbeat became faster than it had been before. My legs wobbled, my hands shook.

"What do you mean? I didn't do any such thing!" I said, trying to act as shocked as I could.

Scenarios entered my head. I could already imagine myself being shoved to the ground and made of for little things.

Please god, no.

"Well, that is shocker, considering I saw you with Rosy, sorry, Ruby ma'am today, and for some reason she was telling all about this incident only to you. And why did she apologise in the end? Sounds suspicious, doesn't it?" He still continued to talk as though he was talking to a child.

Chills ran down my spine.

I started wondering if it was the right decision on my part to go and complain about this bullying thing thing to the teacher in the first place.

"Your face says a lot of things." He smirked, his eyes amused.

"No! I would never do such a thing! Why would I complain about you?" I asked, just to buy time to think about an excuse regarding the morning conversation.

"Please. You can very well do it. What would stop you? You don't even like me." He emphasized the last sentence.

Now there is one tiny thing that no one knows about me. Not Ravi, not Ananya, not even Nisha.

Ashish had asked me out on a date in the beginning of the year, and I had said no, simply because I wasn't interested in him.

Now I regretted it like crazy. Had I gone out with him, I could've atleast stopped him from doing this non sense he did all the time.

Should I just tell him I like him now? You know, just to stop him from doing something to me. But I don't like him, and I really, REALLY don't want to do romantic things of ANY form with him.

"Anyway." Ashish said. His voice echoed around the almost empty classroom as most people had left. There were just a few lingering, watching the drama unfold.

"I was wondering about your punishment."

No. No. No please no!

I felt a panick attack setting in at those words. I didn't want the three years left for school to turn into hell. No no no NO!

"We are getting late for class." I said as fast as I could and turned around to run away, but he caught my hand, and pulled me back.

"That's ok. My mom's the principal. I'll get us out of that trouble, because there are troubles other waiting for you."

That's when I got it.

These people got out of the complain because his mom is the principal and her son was involved, so she saved him.

Nice observation, captain obvious.

"I didn't complain! I swear!" I said, wiping my sweaty, shaky palm on my pant.

He pulled me harder and whispered

"Oh you didn't? Then who did?"

I shuddered.

"I." A voice came from right behind me.

I turned around, and saw two three kids backing off as Varun came to the limelight.

"What?" Ashish and I asked at the same time.

Does he have a death wish?

"What did you just say?" Ashish asked, cracking a non humourous smirk.

Varun didn't say anything. Was I the only one who saw his hands tremble as he clenched his hand into a tight fist?

"I asked," Ashish said slowly, "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST SAY!" He screamed and started hurling obsenities at Varun.

I just stared at Varun in shock. Why was this guy doing what he was doing? He was tortured as it is, then why? Why?

No, I will not let him get tortured about this.

But what am I supposed to do? Am I supposed to admit my apparent crime here?

I got nervous again. If I admitted now, my life would turn into hell, I knew that for sure.

Should I, or should I not.

I should

Good bye peace. Hello depression.

"I com-" I started saying but I was cut off.

"I complained." Varun said quickly.

Relief flooded in me.

Followed by guilt, remorse and disgust.

What is wrong with you! You complained! You are the culprit here! Tell Ashish!

Actually don't. You don't want what Varun faces everyday.

How can you be so selfish? You aren't even sacrificing anything. You are just accepting your deeds, or should I say, misdeeds, here.

But you don't wanna face the bullies. You aren't strong enough. You will surely break.

Oh, so that's totally fine? What about Varun, who will have to face the heat of the fire he did not create in the first place? You should speak up. Now.

Whatever. You don't wanna burn in that fire.

"Prachi!" Ashish's voice cut me of my thoughts.

"Uh, yes?" I asked, nervousness, tickling the pit of my stomach.

"I asked if he is telling the truth." He pointed towards Varun.

I looked towards Varun. Should I say yes or no?

Yes or no.

Yes, or no.

Yes, or...

"I don't know." I said.

Ashish nodded. Then he turned towards Varun and punched him square on this face.

A broken and bleeding Varun was left on the bench as Ashish stomped out of the class, not before warning Varun of the dangers he was about to face.

People began to disperse.

I looked at Varun as he wiped his face. Why did he do what he did today?

"I am sorry." I said softly.

He didn't look at me.

"Varun." I called him. He just kept wiping his nose which wouldn't stop bleeding.

Since I was standing next to my bag, I quickly reached in and took out some tissue papers.

"Here" I placed the tissues on his desk.

He didn't look up.

"Varun. Please." I said, as I felt the familiar stomach clenching.

Was he angry with me?

He stood up abruptly and walked towards his bench. I followed him.

He took out a hand kerchief from his bag and held his nose with it.

"Varun." I called out again.

"What?" He said softly, but harshly at the same time.

"Are you... I mean I could be completely wrong, but are you, like, mad at me?" I asked, even though I knew the answer from the look on his face.

"No." He replied.

Then why do you look like someone punched you in the stomach?

Because someone did punched him in his face because of this a** h**e who is too weak to accept her own mistake.

Honestly, I did not have the right to question any of his actions. He deserved to punch me after what I did.

"I am sorry. I really am." I said quietly and walked away, although those words seemed hollow, even to me.

I did not deserve to say them. I did not deserve the words in my mouth.

I was a weakling. A loser.

******