Shot-14

~Sanvi's POV~

"Vee! Vee!" Veronica came running towards me while I was in the locker room sorting out the homework papers which I was supposed to bring up to the Teacher's Room.

"Why were you so late to the assembly today, Vee?" She huffed leaning against the locker chamber.

I could suddenly feel anger rush through my veins when she stood by my side, smiling and completely unbothered by her own actions last night. I was so troubled because of her the other night.

She was so calm and peaceful that morning that it almost seemed like it was not her but me who had gotten drunk upto her throat the other night and did those stupid things.

She wasn't late to school, was she?

She didn't get scolded the teacher first thing in the morning, did she?

It felt like all the good deeds I had attempted to accumulate by lending her my helping hand last night had gone down the drain while Veronica had absolutely no idea about it.

I even lost my damn first kiss..

I knocked down those thoughts at that particular moment. The person in my focus right then was this girl who has been looking at me weirdly since past few minutes.

I shook my head.

"Ahem.. I should be asking you that Veronica. Where were you yesterday night? Do you have any idea how much you worried me last night?"

"...Do you even know how much I had to go through just to make sure that your drunk ass was in good hands and that you were dropped off safely to your house, knowing full well how your parents might've reacted had they known about your late-night shenanigans!?" My voice rose to a certain degree where I had to look around to see that there weren't people eavesdropping on our conversation.

Veronica seemed taken aback by my sudden outburst. She kept looking at me with a bewildered expression.

"What are you staring at?" I barked. "Answer me!"

"What did I do? I dont remember anything of last night!" Veronica caught her head in between her hands.

"I honestly think you're still drunk, aren't you?" I pulled her to sniff around her mouth to which she swatted my hands away.

"Do you need me to smack you to remind you of your acts?" I rolled my eyes at her and she scrunched her nose.

"Wait! We were at the Rathore's! Rishabh Rathore, that handsome brat of our batch? You know him Sanvi! The guy that irritates you! Your sworn academic enemy? I won't call him handsome if that irritates you." I sighed at her dramatic disposition.

Of course I knew Rishabh Rathore. Perhaps a little too much since the accident of last night.

"He threw the party. I was with Pavan's group. It was amazing. The entire school was there Sanvi! You won't believe the extent of the crowd! I drank a little... And then we danced.. It was fun..." She giggled remembering the party.

It wasn't fun for me!

"And then I dont remember any of the happenings after that..." Her expression indicated that she most definitely was so hammered that she had no idea what kinda mess she created after that.

"YOU DRANK A LITTLE? A LITTLE? You freaking called me in the midnight and were slurring away nonsense! I got so scared that I drove out there in the cold and crashed the party in order to drag you home. It was a relief that I had Pavan's contact number and when I couldn't find you in that godforsaken crowd, I pleaded him to drive you home safely and albeit sneak you in secretly."

"What?!" Veronica was so shocked that her eyes turned into wide saucers and she grasped her mouth with jolt.

"Didn't you see your phone? Check your damn phone!" I bellowed pulling her phone out of her pocket and handing it to her.

Bewildered, Veronica scrolled through the gazzilion calls and text messages from me last night and looked up to me with puppy eyes.

"I had warned you not to pull me into any of those stupid parties that you attend. And I have specifically advised you to be responsible in this kind of activities! Always be vigilant and careful when you run to any social event that people rave about. I was indeed right in my conviction. I have seen things last night that I want to wipe out from my memory but cannot."

Veronica physically winced as I laid out the chart of the troubles she had made me go through the other night.

"For the starters, it was a long cold ride out to that posh neighborhood at that point of night. Then I couldn't find you in that awful throng of sleazy teenagers! The smell, the sweaty kids! Half of some of those underage kids were making out right in the hall and ugh!" I groaned and whittled out my water bottle for a sip before continuing.

"My heart was racing to the breaking point thinking about the bad situations you might have fallen into in that drunk state of yours. What if bad people took advantage of you? What if you got hurt?" Veronica was getting visibly stirred with each of my words.

"And that Rathore! Never in my wildest dream had I imagined myself stepping into his threshold for anything! A party at Rathore's? I'd rather step on a Lego block and get stung by a bee rather than visit his party. But last night I had to cross that border because I was so worried about you. Do you know what that jerk did? He ki.. Ugh" I halted right before I could have hurled out everything in the spur of my speech.

What would I tell her?

That I was making out in some corner of that mansion while I was supposed to be looking out for her?

That I just lost my first kiss to the one person that I claim to hate with conviction?

That I was enjoying the kiss?

That I changed over there and almost had a sleepover? Saw him shirtless?

My hormones took over my mind so intensely that I was fantasising about Rathore the whole time?

And that I still am hooked onto that absurd feeling this morning?

"Sanvi..what happened next? Tell me! Did you get into any trouble? Look at me." Flabbergasted at my unmindful demeanor, Veronica pulled me by my shoulders and began inspecting me for supposed wounds.

"What did Rishabh do? Tell me!" I closed my eyes and sighed as she enquired me with erratic eyes.

"Did something happen between you again? Did you guys fight? What? I am so sorry for getting you into this! I shouldn't have called you like that. Shit. I am so ashamed!" She was almost on the verge of crying and I couldn't help but pull her towards me for a hug.

"Nothing happened. He didn't..we didn't fight or anything. I am not hurt. We just..argued about things and he was being the cocky self he usually is. I am alright." I sighed as she eased into my hold.

"I had my scooty and I reached home safely after making sure Pavan had dropped you off." She pulled away and I saw her eyes dart towards my swollen lip.

I had forgotten to conceal the little red patch beneath the lower lip from last night when we...ahem.

With crooked eyebrows, Veronica pointed towards the exact area I was dreading about.

"How did you hurt yourself?"

Shit.

"Ah. This? Oh I just..scratched myself in sleep." I looked away and began shuffling the papers.

"Are you sure?" Did I sense some suggestiveness in her tone?

Did she figure something out already?

My mind was killing me!

"Hey! Promise me, no parties from now on! The Championship is around the corner and I hope you know how important the year is for our class?" I knew I had to change the subject because I was drowning by the second. And what better way to do that than to transition into my Class Captain mode?

"Yeah yeah alright!" She rolled her eyes at me and scoffed.

"You know... I was just asking that to make sure that Rishabh hadn't troubled you last night. I know how he annoys you all the time and I was particularly surprised today when I noticed the weird exchange between you guys at the assembly hall." I stiffened immediately when she uttered those words.

She WAS suspecting something!

"Whatever do you mean?" I attempted to sound clueless but who was I kidding? I sounded like a quibbling rabbit in a trap.

"The eye-banter? Sanvi, almost everyone noticed that! You guys definitely had some vibe going on out there. Since when did you rivals began making funny faces at each other?"

I gulped nervously.

"Since...haha... since always. You know how irritating he is! He was humouring me since I was scolded for being late. The Class Captain being late must've been amusing to that jerk. So I just played along. Showed him how unbothered I am of his nuisances..."

Lately, I was convincing a lot of people with lies and I didn't even feel any remorse for that. The thing between Rishabh and I, whatever it was or was going to be, should never come out. I didn't wanna feed the tattlers until the Championship. Then again, I didn't want to feed them regardless of that.

"I'll believe you since you were basically late due to my stupid actions last night. I am sorry for that." She puckered up her lips at me and tugged at my hands.

"I can't imagine how troubled you must have been last night. It warms my heart over how much you care for me, Vee. I didn't know that." I was groped in a tight bear hug by Veronica.

Normally we would barely speak two sentences in a day and I almost felt like that was the longest we had spoken in the few years of knowing and calling each other 'best friends'.

I'd repeat it again, Veronica was really patient with me and I respected her tremendously for it. She knew I didn't care for petty chit-chat and that I can be eccentric but I had to give it to her for sticking with me despite my idiosyncrasies.

And I did care for her,— a lot actually. But that didn't mean I was ready to share the secret side of my life with her. Well, not yet.

"Alright. Alright. Enough cuddling. Let's go get changed for the class..." I grabbed my papers and bag and rushed out, leaving a bewildered Veronica running out behind me.

"Wait for me, you indolent girl..." I smiled a little while trudging into the Teacher's Room.

All the students had begun clearing out for the PE class and I was still stuck running an errand. I'd gladly take up such more extra responsibilities if that helped me avoid PE. I sighed at the students hurrying into the gym while I was returning and I half-heartedly ran to change into my tracks quickly.

"Dixit..." I was going to enter the washroom when a familiar husky voice interrupted my pace making me jerk back towards the voice.

I soon realized that my resolution to avoid him would never work if he would go around seeking me out first.

**********

To be continued.