Anika

It's been ten months since I've moved here. Ten months since I've been lying to my family. I don't like it, but it was the only option for me to be able to achieve my dreams.

You see my parents think that I'm in Cambridge, Massachusetts, studying in Harvard law school, to become a lawyer like my elder brother, Rohan.

But the reality is that I'm in Roseville, California, and I'm not studying law. I'm studying English Literature.

I love reading books, novels, autobiographies and the truth is that I don't get this lawyer thing, whatever this is.

To be honest, I don't think that these courts and hearings serves any justice. The person with more money and status always wins, leaving the poor and middle class people to fend for themselves. There is just too much corruption in our world.

And I know that my brother tries his best to fight for justice and to make the guilty pay for their misdeeds, but almost every time, he ends up losing.

Even though I don't believe in this corrupted justice system, I do believe in Karma.

Ever since I was a little girl, my mother taught me that the result of bad deeds is always bad and that one day our deeds, good or bad, will definitely catch up with us. And the same is written in Gita too.

So I know, that one day, they will get what they truly deserve.

On the other hand, I have always dreamed of opening my Dance Academy. I love dancing.

When I dance, I forget all my problems. At that moment, the world stops existing for me. I get completely immersed in my dance. It feels like there's just me and my dance.

It's too risky, I know. But I'm ready to take this risk, because it's the only dream i want to live and turn into my reality.

When I told everyone in my family, they immediately turned it down and said that it's not a real career and just a mere hobby and that it will pass. I think what they were more worried about was, what will the society say? What will our relatives think?

Typical Indian family issues.

But what they don't know, is that I've dreamed of doing this, since I was ten years old and I will prove it to them that it's not just a hobby.

This is why I left India and moved to the US. What they don't know can't hurt them. I just hope when they get to know the truth they'll try to understand me and hopefully forgive me. Currently I'm working a part- time job in a coffee shop and also looking for a place perfect for my Academy.

"Hello? Earth to Ika, that customer is trying to get your attention for the past five minutes," suddenly Sasha said, snapping me out of my head.

I looked ahead and found an elderly woman, who must be in her fifties, staring at me with an impatient look.

"I'm so sorry Mrs. Rothschild, what would you like to order?" I asked in a sheepish voice.

"Well dear, if you would have listened carefully the last three times I said that, you would've known that I asked for a cappuccino without foam", she answered in a sweet, but poisonous voice.

"Uh, yes Mrs. Rothschild. Apologies for that. One cappuccino without foam, anything else?" I said hurriedly.

"No dear. Now hurry up."

"Coming right up," I mumbled.

I turned towards Sasha, who was trying her best not to laugh. "Please serve her first and make her go away. I'm afraid she is going to chop my head off".

"Of course. Mrs. Rothschild is a crocodile in human skin. She looks calm and mostly keeps to herself, but once you come into her bad books, which you are now, she can definitely swallow you whole," said Sasha while preparing her coffee.

"You are just trying to scare me; she can't be that bad. I mean I've served her before, she never said more than that two sentences to me," I said, while secretly eying the woman across the counter.

"As I said, She is calm-"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it, no need to repeat it," I said while rolling my eyes.

She took Mrs. Rothschild's order towards her. "Here is your cappuccino without foam, Mrs. Rothschild."

"Thank you dear," she said after paying for her coffee.

Just then another customer came inside and before anyone could say anything, Mrs. Rothschild said, "Hello dear, remember to repeat your order five times because apparently that girl in the white shirt is half deaf and she left her hearing aid at her home."

And then she left, me, with my mouth hanging open in surprise and Sasha laughing loudly.

The new customer just asked in confusion, "What?"

"Nothing, she was just kidding. This is her way of teasing me," I said with an awkward smile.

"What would you like to order?"

When I looked back towards Sasha, she had a face expression which was saying a silent I told you.

After that the rest of my shift passed without any other problems.

When the clock turned to 6pm, I said goodbye to Sasha and left for my apartment. I live in an apartment which I share with another girl from my university Lylah.

Lylah was the best roommate I could've asked for. We became friends quickly. She is the kind of girl who can make anyone fall in love with her and she is the only one who knows the entire truth about my situation. Though she doesn't truly supports my decision of lying to my parents, she understands why I did it. She is also my biggest supporter and goes to 'Place hunting', yeah that's what she calls it, with me.

She is in her second year of botany study. So, she knows a lot about plants and flowers.

After entering our apartment, I went straight to my bedroom and jumped on my bed. It was long day. I'm tired but need to finish my assignment. Ughh.

I opened my phone for any texts I might've missed from my family. There is only my mother's message 'asking how I was doing?'

My mother is the only one who texts me daily.

There is another text from someone on Instagram and a follow request from the same person.

I opened it and my eyes widened from shock. "Holy fuck."