As I entered inside my wonderland, my home. I heard some shuffling taking place in the kitchen. I shook my head. Mom had ended up early once again. After I had ignored my lunch for almost a week and had ended up admitted to the hospital. Mom had to look after it that I had my food on the prescribed time mentioned by the doctor. She would end up early before lunch, I was troubling her so much. I was going to silently slip into my room but mom's conversation on the phone grabbed my attention.

"I had found the tutor." I widen my eyes in surprise. Within one day, how did she manage to grab a tutor for me? Was she so exceptional in her work?

"Was it necessary! She will hate it." Dad uttered from another hand. The phone was on speaker as mom was busy preparing some dishes. His words delighted my heart. He could understand me better than anyone existing on the planet.

"But it necessary! She can't keep loading herself with those stressors." She mentioned not backing off. I shook my head, none could win from her. Slowly made my way towards my room leaving them to argue on it further. Preparing myself for the upcoming tutor.

I had dressed into comfortable pair of trousers and a t-shirt, one having Jerry imprinted on it. Not caring a tutor would see me on it and claim that surely I wasn't a 10th student. I cared less about his or her opinion!

"I had seen a tutor for you, and he will reach soon." She mentioned grabbing a seat beside me on the couch. I was busy digging from my chocolate bowl, watching my favourite cartoon show. At moments a bowl of chocolate with binge-watching favourite cartoon could be such a relief.

"Hmm..." I nodded least interested in the conversation. He! What on the earth? I hope, he won't be strict like my maths professor. Couldn't mom search for a woman? They would be more friendly than intimidated men.

"I know... I had forced you for it but it was..." the bell rang forcing her to shut her mouth. I was glad that it did.

"Door," displaying it directly that I won't be so easily convinced. I was going to shower her with silent treatment for a much longer period. I was more irritated as Mr Stalker hadn't answered my message, how could he ignore me? Taking another spoon full of chocolate in fury.

The knob of the door was opened, my eyes planted on the person going to enter. Mom greeted the person as if he was her long-forgotten friend. I couldn't have a clear view as mom was blocking my sight. And soon enough she asked him to enter, sliding slowly. My eyes widen in surprise, jaw dropped in amazement. Spoon suspended between my teeth, the cold ice slowly melting in my mouth. I rubbed my eyes, to assure it wasn't my mind playing a trick with me.

"Come, Ehaan..." I heard mom, welcoming him and no doubt was left. What was he doing in my house? Mom won't call him. He had come for some other reason. I gulped the ice cream inside as I found his brown stern orbs flickering on me and not daring to move off. His orbs examined my every figure, the glint of amusement settling on its orbs before transforming to blankness a minute later.

"Have a seat, I will bring you something." Mom offered but he was quick to deny.

"No aunty, it's fine." He muttered averting his gaze from me.

"No! Just have a cup of coffee..." Mom urged causing Ehaan to agree. Mom soon rushed into the kitchen, I was rooted in my place. As Ehaan kept walking towards me to grab a place to sit on. I wasn't able to pull my thoughts together. Why would he even visit us? I wanted to run towards mom but it was getting difficult to must a step from my couch. There was silence prevailing around us other than the sounds coming from the cartoon playing on the screen.

Oh my! He caught me watching cartoons. Why did I have to act least bothered? I wanted to hide my face in my palm but he would catch me being ashamed of myself.

"Tom..." I glanced at his eyes wide. "And Jerry..." his eyes darting from the print on my shirt to my brown orbs. His orbs for a second shutting off his mask, the mischief, exhaustion and yearning quite visible in those orbs. I jerked my eyes away from those orbs not desiring to be fooled by those orbs again. I cared less if he was in pain. He had caused pain to many individuals, he deserved it. Yet my heart yelled I had gone insane. I pulled myself together not wanting to end in tears.

Standing from my couch, I made my way towards the kitchen. My furious step took me towards my mom, wanting some clarification on the matter. "What is he doing over here?" My words were way direct and loud that he could hear.

Mom glared at me, eyeing that he was present. My face was stern, hands folded around my chest as I threw the bowl in the sink. "Mom... I need answers!"

"He is going to be your tutor." Not sparing a glance at me, she uttered pouring coffee in a cup.

"What!" I yelled. She gave a slight nod. I shook my head in disbelief. "Why?" My eyes brimming in tears. For the past month, I was finding a way to forget him, move on from him. And my mom was forcing me to face him every single day? Wasn't she the one who warned me to be away from him? When I was dealing with my life without him, he was further forced into my life.

"Ru..." I wasn't going to listen to a word in her justification. She had crossed her limit, tested my patience to a worse degree. I walked off from the kitchen not sparing her a minute, getting into the living room. I could hear her yell behind me, and an intense gaze from Ehaan as I climbed the stairs. Locking myself in the room. What the hell was wrong with people around me? Why they were so adamant to break me from within?

I heard several knocks the entire evening but I was adamant not to push it open. Do hell with them and their tutor plan. I wasn't going to face Ehaan, not in this life. The darkness was spreading in my room, indicating it was night. My stomach was groaning in hunger but I was stubborn to listen to it.

"Ruhi!" I heard dad calling me from the other side of the door. My heart urged me to pull the door open, my hands had grabbed the knob but suddenly the flashes of conversation I heard in the afternoon got in my head. He knew about the tutor but surely he wasn't aware it was Ehaan. He might have never allowed it in the first place. "Ruhi, listen to me, my love... I know we forced you with this but it was for your wellbeing. You needed a tutor..." Mom joined him.

"And you had informed me, right? None is as skilled as Ehaan. He tops your school, who could have been a better tutor than him? And also you will be comfortable around him... you are friend, right?" She hesitated yet uttered those words out. Yeah! Comfortable, my foot!

"Please leave me alone!" I yelled my lungs out, grabbing my own head in pain. A sign that my migraine was on the verge to begin! Why they were so adamant not to provide me with the space I needed. I laid down on my bed as I heard no noise coming from the door. Closing my eyes shut, attempting to grab some sleep but the emerging pain wasn't helping me. The pain would soon travel my shoulder, and neck making it impossible to even lay down without experiencing it.

"Now! Had it enough?" A faint voice of dad yelling at mom got into my ears. "I had warned you, he won't provide her with any relief only will cause her pain. You didn't listen! See, what it had resulted into! She is harming herself locking in the room. She will lose any trust, she has in us." Dad was infuriated by the happening or he never lost his calm. Never!

"Raunak!" Mom attempted to calm him down.

"You better ask that guy to leave! I can't see him before my eyes not after knowledge, he is the cause behind the pain experienced by my daughter." Dad uttered before stamping the door shut with a loud noise. I knew dad had a disliking towards Ehaan but what did he mean by asking the guy to leave? Was he present? Hadn't he left? Why would he bother himself for so long?

I closed my eyes as severe pain emerged in my brain due to my continuous stress. Sleep won't be gifted to me so easily.

____

By morning migraine had subsided but due to the continuous pain, I was offered only a few hours of sleep. Mom had offered a leave but I was adamant to attend the school. Stubbornness not to melt before mom had forced me to enter the boring building. I was rubbing my forehead frequently due to the slight emerging headache. I wasn't desiring to meet Ehaan or have any conversation regarding it.

As I was making my way towards my class, I stumbled Rudr on the way. He pressed a smile, I returned not wanting to offend him. After sharing me with the past, he had often attempted to have a normal conversation with me but I had provided him with enough hints I wasn't planning to build any friendship with him. He wasn't any sane than Ehaan. They all were the same!

"So, how are your studies going?" I smiled nodding in a positive manner. "Seems like you're again coming in their trick." I raised my brow in confusion. "Theirs! The friends of yours. They are again trying to trap you I saw Zara getting friendly with you." I glanced at him keenly, was he spying on me? How did he get to know about it? Why did his action was conveying that he was manipulating me against them?

"I think she smart enough to depict who is trying to trap her." Came a furious voice of Zara. Our eyes landed on her folded arms around her chest as she glanced between both of us. Her stern black orbs came to rest on Rudr. "You had taken enough advantage of her!" Zara shook her head, "from using her name to trigger Ehaan to using his past to distant them." Her eyes shooting daggers, "how can you be so smart? How easily you trapped me with that piece of video, with your well-selected words." She paused rewinding those moments in her mind. "And I came in your words! I let the guilt drive me, fool enough to separate me from my friends. Those individuals who had been part of my life forever," a sad smile played on her lips.

I stared at Rudr, who seemed appalled by her words. "What nonsense are you speaking? Just because I conveyed your crimes to Ruhi, you are attempting to cover it by putting the blame on me." He shook his head, finding it unbelievable. "Wasn't it you who had put a false claim on your cousin of making an MMS of yours? Wasn't that reason behind him committing suicide?" Rudr eyes were accusing Zara, her eyes brimming in tears. Her state yelled she was the culprit, Rudr wasn't lying. "Hadn't Ehaan suggested you that? Wasn't it all Ehaan's plan?"

"Yes!" She yelled confessing the truth and shattering the small hope I had on them. My heart once again crumbled into pieces yet I managed to pull myself together. The voices were loud enough to grab attention from the passerby while many mainly joined to see the ongoing debate between two rival gangs. "But had you forgotten or choose to hide the fact..." her eyes darting on me for a second. "What had compelled me to choose such a path? I wasn't found of blackmailing my cousin." The aversion overpowered the concern she had for the person. "What had he done to my life? How well he had manipulated my parents against me! I am bearing the pain, till now! They don't even like to glance at me and you know why? That very good cousin of mine had spread the rumours of me being a transgender." We heard a grasp spreading around the audience. The shock was far louder than it was displayed on knowing Zara's false claim maybe that news had spread long back. Everyone in the building was aware of it.

"And I will make it clear! I am a female," expressing it loud and clear to the audience surrounding us. I could glance at her brimming tears as she rushed from the crowd. I was rooted in place for a second. Deciding who was correct and who wasn't? Not understanding whom to support, I followed Zara. Maybe she needed a shoulder at the moment. I could analyse the morals later!