A little information

(At school)

"Hey, what's up" both asked in unison when they spotted me in the cafeteria.

"Am good, what about you guys?" We did a high five.

"Rocking as always" Mreenal giggled.

We chatted about Gawri and Mreenaal gossiped about the things happened in school recently.

A girl with chocolate brown hair and grey eyes came towards us and placed her palms on Roul's eyes. Mreenal look at her side ways smiled in recognition and then look down while muttering some curses.

Hey, I got the 'bitch' word. She looked at me and I smirked at her. Roul was trying to get the new girl's palms off from him.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked her in irritation.

"You forgot me so easily, darling" she purred.

Her behavior made me laugh but I masked with a cough.

"Carol, is it you?" Roul confirmed in surprise and she removed her hands from his eyes. She looped her arm around his left bicep.

Roul was embarrassed like hell and Mreenal was looking helpless. I planned to embarrass him some more.

"Hey Roul, would you mind introducing your beautiful girlfriend to me." He glared at me like saying 'for god sake, this is not my girlfriend'. He was pleading with his eyes for my help to get rid of her.

"Alex, this is my good friend Carol D'Souza and Carol, this is Alex Miller" he introduced in a flat tone and carol's face fell.

"Well Carol, have a seat. I would like to know more about you if your good friend doesn't mind" I invited her to join just to tease him more but he seemed to run away from her sight.

"Hmm, Actually Alex, we have some urgent work in the principal office. We will join you later" this time Mreenal has interrupted and quickly stood up. She gave a brief side hug to Carol and they literally ran out of the cafeteria.

"Hey, May I ask you what is the matter if you don't mind?" I gestured her to take a seat.

"Oh no, I don't mind at all. I and Rahul was a couple 3 years ago but he broke up with me without giving me any reasons but I didn't give up on him. I am sure he would come to me someday." she took a seat across me. I saw determination and a hurt ego in her eyes.

"It happened because of that bitch" she hissed after a brief pause.

"Oh, he fell for some other girl but I have not seen him with anyone" I defended Roul.

I offered her my coke and she gulped it down in one shot.

"No, he has not fallen for anyone after that incident, I don't know why he couldn't listen to even a single negative word against her" she added.

"Who is she?" I asked with curiosity.

"Who else other than the charity case" she mentioned the title with disgust. I eyed her angrily because I had an idea about whom she was referring to.

"You don't know. Oh god! Nobody told you." She was surprised and I was trying to put a calm facade on my face.

"What are you talking about?"

"Actually I was out of town and when I returned, I heard that a new admission is hanging out with Rahul's group and I also got to know that you are very close to them" I was giving her my full attention.

"Yes, they are nice people and I feel comfortable with them. Is there any problem with that?" I inquired.

"No, no, nothing is wrong with Rahul or Mrinal but that charity case is a problem" she waved her hand in dismissal while talking about her Ex and his cousin.

I wanted to wring her pretty neck for calling Gawri a "charity case" but I wanted to know Gauri's past and Carol could give me information about her.

"Well, whom you are talking about?" I kept a neutral expression.

"Gauri, who else?" she replied casually and I wanted to punch her face and mop the floor with her brown hair but I controlled myself.

'Respect the womankind Alex!' I started counting in reverse from 10 to 1 in my mind.

"Why she is a charity case Carol? And why you hate her so much" I used a soft tone while trying hard to control my anger. I curled my fingers into a fist to get a grip on myself.

"She has snatched my best friend and my love. Is this not enough for hating her?" she just spat the words.

"Why and how did it happen?"

"Rahul was my boyfriend and Mreenal was my best friend before Gauri came into our school. She is a daughter of a security guard and our school has given her admission on the seat reserved for poor background students. We used to make fun of her by calling her 'charity case' especially Mreenal." I was stunned at hearing that. Mreenaal could never make fun of Gawri, It was beyond imagination.

I was listening to her very carefully. Now I understand why Gawri came to school after temple. She lived in staff quarters.

"One day she came to meet Mreenal and after that day everything changed between me and Mreenal. She has no longer interested in me and later on Rahul has also made distances with me. I think Gauri is also the reason for Mreenal's breakup."

What? Mreenaal had an affair. She was narrating the events in a bitter tone and I was listening to every detail.

"Mreenal had a boyfriend?" I frowned.

"Yes, Rohan and Mreenal was the hottest couple of our school but they broke after that bitch has met Mreenal on that unfortunate day." She narrated everything with disgust.

"What happened on that day?" I was trying hard to keep a polite tone but I really want to punch her at that moment.

"Nobody has actually got to know about that but if we believe rumors then something bad has happened, don't know what". She scowled.

'What could have happened that made Mreenaal and Roul protective towards Gawri. What could have made these guys break their relationships with their partners?'

"You haven't confronted Roul on why he broke up with you" she sighed and disappointment floated in her grey eyes.

"I did try but he said that I can't understand it. I have no respect for others' feelings or sorrows. And when I alleged him for having an affair with that whore he slapped me and said that if I ever disgraced that bitch then he will personally throw me out of the school" she hiccupped and her eyes become glassy.

"Whenever I look at her, I just want to slap her. Sometimes, I think that one slap was enough for her to show her place but it turned out to be in her favor and made her more egoistic. What would another slap do to her?" she blurted.

'What she has been slapped? Gawri has been slapped but she is so strong. Who could slap her? I think I would like to kill that person who has slapped her.'

"Who slapped her?" I asked Carol but recess was over.

"I need to go. Nice meeting you Alex. I am feeling better after talking to you. I don't know what came over me but I couldn't take any more of Rahul's ignorance." She shook hands with me and vanished in the crowd.

I looked at her retreating figure.

'This Carol is indeed a bitch but she loves Roul a lot.'

I couldn't digest the fact that Gauri has been slapped. Has Carol slapped her? But if she had slapped her then there should have an expression of satisfaction on her face but she was frustrated like hell. Maybe someone else has slapped Gawri but who?