I don't like to party

"come on everybody! Raise your glasses up in the air and give a big salute to the youths of India" Harsh said and started the music.

Everybody just shouted and started grooving with the music and while I stayed near the bar. "The party looks good, why don't you join them?" the bartender asked me wiping his glass.

"I'm not a good dancer"

"want some?" he showed the bottle of whiskey he was holding.

I shook my head "I don't drink"

"of course she wants, it's clear in her look" the bitch joined. Matrai, she is the bitch who never learned to be friendly to me. From my childhood there is nothing she hasn't poked her nose in, she has teased me from everything from me peeing in my pants to me forgetting to complete my homework. I can hardly name anything this typical bitch hasn't teased me for.

"um...no. I don't need it"

"come on! I'll pay you" will she? I doubt that. Because yesterday she was the cruel whore who likes to pop into everybody's business and today she suddenly comes and offers me a drink. Isn't it unusual?

"uh..um... Matrai, I don't need it"

"yes you do" she waved her hand at me "come on! Pour some for the nerd"

She took the glass when the bartender had filled it and moved towards me smirking wickedly. I kept moving back, I didn't want that glass and neither I wanted her kindness.

"come on drink it nerd" right now everyone was staring at me and even the music had stopped. My adrenaline said there was something bad that was gonna happen.

"I don't need it. Stop forcing me!" I acted bold but that didn't stop her from pinning my head to the wall and forcefully pouring the drink in my mouth. I tried to protest so much but nobody really helped, some stood smirking, some looked at me with pity, and some were just.... serious. The glass was hurting my lips so much and I felt my lips were bleeding somewhere.

I cowardly gulped in the drink. When I was done she threw the glass and ordered "one more please"

"no I don't want anymore. One glass is enough"

She ignored me "if you can't fill it then I'll fill it" she turned back and snatched the whiskey from the bartender's hand and filled another glass.

I moved backwards as fast as I could but she caught me anyway and threw the whiskey on my face "this is for disappointing me" she started going back.

"but I didn't even say anything to you today" I asked her honestly.

"can't I have any minutes of my life without you around me? You are like everywhere and I can't bear to look at your ugly face"

That came like a punch on my face. For two minutes I felt like I was finally a part of something great, but in the next two minutes I realised no one really wanted to see me here, they just invited me because they thought it wouldn't hurt me.

I turned back with tears detained in my eyes and my cheeks turning tomato red. I thought it was fine to try to mix up with people, I thought they really cared about me, and if they did, why didn't anyone come to help me? They all knew I was screaming. I slowly moved out of the party. This was the most embarrassing moment of my life and I was happy when I was in the hospital.

I continued walking on the dark streets trying to make myself happy again. And I finally smile when I thought of the party I and Parth threw for papa on his birthday, he looked happy then and he wasn't furious at us anymore. Then I thought of the day when I removed my plaster. I was running around Parth in circles, then I thought of my first day at school without the plaster, it was a wonderful day, no one bothered me and I was happily sitting on the last bench and later I heard that Koko was suspended for doing such an evil thing and I was also wondering who would have told the principal about her and later duo told me he did.

"Hey! Oshmi! Wait a minute" I heard someone running behind me. He stopped right in front of me and planted for sometime. "I saw you in the party, I didn't like it so I just wanted to make sure if you were fine"

"thank you"

"My father's a psychologist, he'll help you if you're feeling sad."

"No I'm fine"

"If you have another situation like that, you can always call me, I love to help people"

"okay"

"By the way I'm Ayush, Shrey's brother"

"who's brother?"

"Duo"

"I'll tell you if that happens again. Bye for now"

"can I walk you to your house?"

"No I told you I'm fine"

"you are?"

"yes"

"really?" I sighed.

"alright it's that way" we both walked together to my house. 

"Are you sure you aren't hurt?"

"I'm used to that behavior"

"you shouldn't be" he spoke as slowly as he could.

"I'm quite sure you must have noticed I stay alone most of the time. Only Duo talks to me"

"Neil picked you up in front of the whole school and took you to the sickbay, isn't that supposed to mean people still care about you?"

"It doesn't mean anything to him. I saw him with Kesha this morning"

He looked at me with pity "In this kind of situation, I can only tell you what my father always tells me "if someone doesn't give a damn about you, you shouldn't too" it can only make things worse"

I looked at him with my eyes twinkling "thank you—where's Duo by the way?"

"He's-he's" he sighed.

"Is it something bad?"

He nodded.

"I wonder what it is"

"Duo has—" he cleared his throat "cancer"

"Cancer? How? H-he was fine a few days ago"

He looked down guiltily. "I wish he would be fine soon. I mean he's the only one who ever talked to me like a friend" I looked at his drowned face "can I meet him?"

He nodded again.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

"oh god!" I pressed my palms against my lips. I looked at Duo who had passed out on the bed. He looked severely injured. I could do nothing but watch him right now, I should have seen this coming, he wasn't there when I got my leg plastered which is very much unlike him, he is always there when I need him, and for an annoying reason I feel I hardly cover the quarter of what he gave me. Now I feel guilty about it. A tear dripped down from my left eye as I looked at him with his shaved off head, wearing a surgical mask with weak skin. he didn't look stable right now so I had to leave with Ayush no matter how much I wanted to meet him. 

"he'll be fine, for now you should go back home, your mother must be worried" 

"I don't have a mother, father's on a night shift"

"oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know that"

"It's fine"

we both walked away from the hospital and covered rest of the journey in silence, neither one of us spoke. I feel sad for Ayush, I feel sad for Duo, I feel sad for every person who knew him. Duo was someone very different and unique, everyone loved him and everyone knew he wanted to be a famous dj. 

so that meant that he would have to give up all his dreams? that dream of being a dj, the dream of having a billionaire luxury house, the dream of sitting in front of the moon and seeing a falling star, the dream to see the world which was outside our small town, would it all flow away like passing water? is Duo sad about it or does he not remember?

"my house is here" I said as we reached closer to our house, the one hidden behind the tall trees in the dark.

"would we both meet each other again?"

"if you like to visit duo every now and then; yes we would" I looked at him with the same disappointment he did, we both loved Duo and we both knew he didn't deserve this life, he deserved to be someone much happier.

I ran inside my house towards the kitchen "oh god, finally you're back, I have been trying to call you since an hour" I heard Parth.

I ignored him as I poured some juice inside my glass, my throat had gone dry because of all the silent crying I have been doing since the party, today is really messed up.

"Is everything alright, Oshmi?"

I ran back towards him and hugged him "I had a horrible day, I don't want to go to a party again" I managed to say while I was crying like a baby. I no more had control over my tears, I felt quite shattered today so I let myself tell everything to Parth, of all the other people in the world, now he was the only one who understood me. 

"oh dear. i'll listen to you on one condition, okay?" I shook my head promising him. "promise me that whatever happens, you would never cry like this and be strong enough to face it"