"But I'm a creep,
I'm a weirdo.
What the hell am I doing here?"

-Creep (Radiohead)

"Heyyyyy...Navyaaaa!" Nandini shouted running through the corridor towards Navya.

"Nandini...what happened? Why are you running?" Navya asked curiously.

"Actually...I didn't have your phone number and you know I don't even talk to anyone else around sooo.." She said calming down her breathing.

"Ohh Nandini..you scared me! Give me your phone, you crazy girl!"

She smiled toothily giving her phone.

"Here you go..." Navya returned her phone after saving her number.

"What's happening by the way? Why are they going towards audi? I didn't hear any announcement!" Nandini asked peeking at the crowd heading towards the auditorium.

"Same old FAB-5...what else!" Navya stated the obvious.

"Are they performing?" Nandini asked.

"Nah! Just jamming as usual!" Navya answered. Suddenly she noticed the red scratch mark on Nandini's cheek. "What's that mark on your cheek, Nandini?" She asked widening her eyes.

"Uhh..nothing! Just an insect bite!" Nandini tried to answer as smoothly as possible. "You don't want to see their performance? I mean they are your idols, aren't they?" She asked cautiously diverting the topic.

"Yeah...I too think I should go and see them jamming. You also come, I don't want to go alone. Please?" Navya asked making a puppy face.

Raising her arms, Nandini sighed, "Fine! Let's go!" She said trying not to let the irritation shine through her tone.

Nandini's plan was never to face FAB-5 especially after what happened last night but she couldn't deny Navya's pleading face. Well, it was just a jamming session with hundreds of girls and boys around, gathering them. So there was no chance that they would notice her in that crowd so she half-heartedly accompanied Navya.

Her frown eases a little as she heard faint music of guitar and drums head in her direction. As she walked closer and closer to the auditorium, she felt herself getting notably excited. She wasn't into rock songs but this felt different, maybe because for the first time she would be seeing a famous band jamming in front of her eyes which was so cool.

"I'm about to hear a band that I have enjoyed the most. It's like a dream come true!" Navya chirped with excitement while Nandini just smiled seeing her reaction.

The whole auditorium was packed with students and they were shouting and hooting crazily. It was very difficult for both of them to get a clear view, but managing through the crowd, they made their way towards the corner where they could get a good view of FAB-5.

Aliya looked graceful while playing keyboard and Mukti and Dhruv were madly strumming the guitar, swaying their heads according to the rhythm of the song. Cabir looked kind of fierce while playing drums with all his strength and agility. Last but not least, Manik was taking this little jamming session to another level by his guitar playing skills and the addition of his perfect voice. They all looked extremely attractive due to the confidence and the passion by which they were playing music.

Nandini couldn't take her eyes off them, especially her hot jerk. His voice was smooth and clear and yet powerful. Soothing, in a way. She knew that one couldn't describe a guy's voice as beautiful, but he was. He had that rich, silky tone. He was singing as if he controls the world, his sincerity and dedication towards music were seeping through and she wished that he never stop.

The background noise faded and all she could focus was on her hot jerk, his voice, his flawless facial features, and muscular physique. She was staring at him without blinking her eyes, totally lost in his charm. She noticed that he appeared sexier in that sweaty and raw look. Wearing a black color V-neck t-shirt paired with blue ripped denim and white Adidas sneakers, he looked sinfully hot. One could clearly make out about his dedication in working out at the gym, just by seeing his well-built muscular arms while the parts which were hidden inside that piece of cloth, she couldn't even imagine how perfect it would look. She sighed, slightly tilting her neck. What a beautiful sight to watch!

Soon the song ended followed by loud applauds and thunder of claps which broke her beautiful series of thoughts.

Manik accidentally noticed Nandini who was standing at the corner, looking at him and he too looked straight at her. Instantly, she twisted her head away from him, embarrassed and flushed at the fact that he caught her staring. Rubbing her palms over her face, she directly walked out of the auditorium.

"Holy crap! He caught me staring like a creep! What he must be thinking about me? Nooo shittt! I'll try my best not to cross his path!" She said muttering few curses at her stupidity.

***

Walking through the corridor, Nandini saw Nyonika going out of her office with a peon following her and carrying a travel bag.

She stealthily went towards her office and tiptoed inside, quietly shutting the door behind her. Taking a deep breath she decides to start her search. The lights of the room were still on so she quickly scanned the whole room for a faint idea from where to start but what caught her attention were the curtains. It was obvious that the front wall had curtains because of the windows as the faint sunlight was peeping through it, but the two walls on either side of the front wall too had curtains and that too only one and there wasn't any window.

"Strange! Maybe just another way of room decor!" She thought for a moment.

Since she didn't have much time for deductions and other reasonings so she started from the basics. She made her way towards the half-organized mahogany desk with three drawers on the right-hand side, on top of it sat a mac book pro, several stacks of paperwork kept under the paperweight, open files and pens in pen-holder. She shuffled with the files carefully, checking out each and every detail and placing it on the same spot and in the same way as it was kept before. She checked the drawers too but couldn't find what was needed.

She groaned out of frustration and anger which was building inside her and she thought she might explode. She wanted to shout and beat her hands on the floor just like a toddler but she tried calming her rage and decided to look again, calmly. She tucked out the papers which were untidily kept under the transparent paperweight and started reading it carefully one by one. Suddenly, one paper caught her attention as the year '2008' was mentioned on it and her eyes lit for a second but soon disappointment overtook it as it was just about some financial information of the college.

"You..fat ass! What are you doing here?" A voice interrupted her.

She looked towards the door and saw Mukti standing there, looking at her with curiosity.

Ugh! This FAB-5! The more I ignore them, the more they keep clashing with me. She thought.

"Nothing! I just came here to meet Nyonika Ma'am! Heard she's not around so decided to wait here!" She answered confidently, placing the paper on the desk while Mukti walked closer to her.

"Then what are you checking on her desk? Trying to steal something, you poor baby?" Mukti said pulling her cheeks.

"Oh look, she's here!" Nandini said pointing towards the door, diverting Mukti's attention.

As soon as Mukti tilted her neck towards the door, in a swift moment, Nandini gave a quick blow on Mukti's neck, pressurizing the pressure point on her neck by her fingers, resulting in Mukti's unconsciousness within a second.

As Mukti was about to fall, she quickly gathered her in her arms and dragged her towards the sofa, making her lie down comfortably.

"Sorry, Mukti! I don't hit people without any reason unlike you, but I had to do it this time. I'm not answerable to you nor I'm in a mood of any argument. I've got enough big problems to solve!" She said giving her an apology look and walked out of the room.

***

Nandini thought to inform someone regarding Mukti so she started moving towards auditorium but suddenly she felt herself being dragged forcefully inside an empty classroom and next thing she knew was she being pinned against the wall. Her eyes shut tightly and her hands clenched into fists to control her anger of thrashing the particular person who did this to her. Feeling a warm breath on her face, she opened her eyes with a jerk but after seeing the person, her tense nerves soon began to relax and the surroundings began to disappear leaving only her, her and her hot jerk. This felt true. This felt good. This felt right.

Manik's eyes softened after seeing the reddish mark on her cheek which she got due to Mukti's slap. His hold loosened from her shoulders as he went impossibly closer to her. The heat started to flow throughout her body when she felt his hand rested below her ear, his thumb caressing the mark on her cheek as their breaths mingled. She was just admiring his gorgeous face while his whole attention was poured on that red mark.

He rubbed again and she hissed due to the slight pain and closed her eyes. Bending down to her level. he placed his lips right on the mark. She gasped when she felt his soft lips with a hint of coolness. She felt pleasant as if he was trying to soothe her pain. As the soft skin of his lips left her face, a hot blazing fire pulsed through them. They never thought a simple cheek kiss would affect them to this extent. She opened her eyes lazily and saw him already looking at her. She saw mixed emotions with a hint of worrisome in his eyes. Her cheeks painted themselves rose red and a small smile played on his lips seeing her beautiful blush. He pulled away silently, but their eyes locked, having a private conversation of their own.

"Manik.....Cabir.......Dhruv...!" They heard Aliya shouting which broke their moment. Manik seemed confused while Nandini tried to speak but before that, he left the classroom in a hurry.

Soon the fact of Manik being in a relationship with Aliya hit her conscience. Something hurt her within. Something ached inside her. The moment they shared a few minutes before, it felt so wrong as if her insides were in chaos. It's all wrong, this closeness, this affection, this attraction. He has a girlfriend and she was just a commoner to him but why he looked so concerned? Yesterday too he took care of her and today also. It was like a Déjà Vu moment for her. Most importantly, why can't she control herself or push him when he's around and close to her. This kiss, this concern, this attraction is all wrong. She's no one to him, not even his friend! It's cheating and betraying! She felt her head spinning with complications.

Her phone started to ring and she quickly wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes which was ready to flow any moment. She saw Navya's name flashing on the screen and picked it up.

"Yes, Navya...I was in the washroom. Meet me in the music class. I'm coming!" She wiped her face several times with her handkerchief and walked out of the class.

***

Manik ran hastily, following the source of the voice and saw Cabir and Dhruv entering the office room. He entered inside and saw Aliya sprinkling water over Mukti's face as she laid unconscious on the sofa.

"What happened to her?" He said bending towards her and patting her cheeks.

"I don't know, Manik! She said that she had some work in the office, after few minutes I called her but when she didn't answer her call, I thought to check on her and when I came here, I saw she was lying here unconscious." Aliya answered, sobbing.

Seeing Aliya's condition, Dhruv took the bottle from her and sprinkled more water over Mukti's face. She squirmed and after a few seconds, she opened her eyes lazily, blinking abruptly to register her surroundings.

The next second, all four of them started questioning her about her condition.

"Stopppp!! Give me a second, guys!" She shouted getting up from the couch. "I'm okay...wait! Where's that commoner?" She questioned eying the whole room.

"Commoner? Nandini? She was here?" Cabir asked.

"Is she responsible for your condition?" Aliya asked gritting her teeth.

Manik and Dhruv too were eying her curiously for her answers.

"Yes...I mean no!" She answered being confused. "I mean yes she was here, I was talking to her and suddenly it was like blackout!" She tried explaining.

"Mukti, say clearly! If she's at fault, we'll definitely punish her!" Manik snapped angrily.

"I don't know, Manik! Neither I have any proof that because of her I fainted. It happened within a second...but it was...was weird!" She said scratching her neck.

"Mukti, try to remember what exactly happened!" Dhruv asked.

"Gawddd...I remember nothing, guys!" She said rubbing her neck again which didn't go unnoticed by Manik.

"At least that commoner should inform us if she was here. I doubt that she must have only done something that's why she didn't inform us." Alya answered back angrily.

"Okay, okay fine!" Cabir interrupted in between. "We'll deal with her later, right now we should take Mukti home! Come Mukti!" He said holding her shoulders while others nodded in understanding.

They walked out taking Mukti with them while Manik stood at the door in deep thoughts trying to think about Mukti's words and her constant rubbing on her neck area.

"This looks weird!" He thought. "Nerdy is not this strong to do anything...so lean and thin she is! But why am I getting this feeling that there's something more to it? She's so into herself. I haven't even seen her interacting with any other girl or boy except that Madhubala. So secretive!" Suddenly the flashbacks of him kissing her and the beautiful blush on her face were flashing in front of his eyes. "What the....fuckkkk! Did I just again...kissed her? Gawwdd what is wrong with me?" He said squeezing his eyebrows. "I dragged her to ask about yesterday's happening. I knew Mukti slapped her without any reason which was totally wrong, so I just wanted to talk to her. But seeing that red mark on her cheek, I felt more guilty! Why? Everything is going in the wrong direction. This is a revenge game and every time, every bloody time I end up kissing that commoner. No...no....Alya is my girlfriend and I love her. This is the truth! That nerdy is not even of my class, just a commoner she is who loves making me angry!" He said clenching his jaws. "Arrgghhh...I need to focus on what she has started by messing up with us and what happened with Mukti, I need to find the truth behind it and if that commoner is even slightly involved in Mukti's unconsciousness, then she has messed up big this time! Nobody...I mean nobody hurts my friends!"

[Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you did, don't forget to vote and comment!]