Kiara and her friend moved toward the commotion, trying to see what was happening.
When Kiara reached the spot, she froze — Roneet was on his knees, clutching his stomach as Rohit punched him hard.
"Ahhh—" Roneet gasped in pain.
"What's going on?" Kiara's friend asked, shocked.
Kiara looked around, scanning the crowd — and then she saw him.
Nikhil.
He was standing a few rows back, smiling.
Roneet gagged, almost vomiting from the hit.
"I–I didn't mean to do it!" he stammered, his voice trembling.
Rohit glared down at him.
"It's too late," he said coldly. "From today onward, I'll make sure you never mess with any woman again."
The crowd began murmuring.
"He does look like a creep, though," one girl whispered.
"I'm scared of him," another said quickly. "I'll stay away."
"He must have done something," muttered Kiara's friend, Zoya.
Kiara frowned, eyes narrowing. Something's not right, she thought.
Rohit grabbed Roneet by the hair, yanking him up.
"Come with me," he growled.
"Hey, Rohit — chill! It's his first day," Aryan said, stepping in.
Rohit shot him a deadly glare. "Move aside."
"I'm telling the truth!" Roneet cried weakly.
Rohit ignored him and dragged him toward the hallway bathroom.
Aryan turned to the crowd quickly. "Alright, guys — that's enough for today. You can go. We'll handle it."
"Let's go, Kiara," Zoya said nervously.
Kiara didn't move. Her eyes stayed fixed on the hallway where Roneet had been taken.
"I'll stay," she said quietly.
Zoya hesitated, then sighed. "Hmm… I'll stay too."
Rohit shoved Roneet hard against the washroom wall. The sound of impact echoed off the tiles.
"Today is the day you'll remember," Rohit snarled. "This will teach you not to try any tricks with women."
Roneet curled in on himself, stomach cramping from the blow. "I— I didn't mean to! Someone pushed me from the crowd—" he choked out between gasps.
Rohit slapped him across the face. "Stop lying. I know everything about you."
From the doorway, Kiara's voice trembled. "Kiara—can you call the teacher?" she asked Aryan.
Aryan glanced around, visibly nervous. "S-sure… but I don't think we should make it worse. I'll try to stop him first," he stammered, stepping forward.
"What? He's assaulting him and you don't want to call a teacher?" Kiara snapped, fury flaring.
"Calm down, Kiara," Priya said, trying to steady her. "If this goes to the principal and it turns into—if we're unsure what actually happened—Roneet could get suspended. Or Rohit could. It's messy."
"He hit him!" Kiara hissed. Her jaw tightened.
"I'll try to stop it," Aryan repeated, forcing himself toward the washroom as the others shuffled after him. Kiara watched them go but held her ground, eyes burning. She wasn't convinced by Aryan's promise. Something in the way Rohit moved, the coldness in his face, made her stomach twist.
"Don't worry — we'll come with you," said Arnav, stepping forward with an easy smile.
"Yeah, me too," Nikhil added quickly. "He's our friend."
Kiara's eyes darted toward them. Her gaze lingered on their faces — calm, almost too calm.
"Oh, hey," Nikhil said when he noticed her looking. His grin was sharp, almost mocking.
Kiara didn't answer. Her stare hardened.
"We can't just watch our friend get beaten on his first day," Nikhil said, putting on a pained, innocent expression.
Aryan hesitated, then nodded. "Fine. You guys can come."
He turned toward the washroom, walking fast. Arnav and Nikhil exchanged a quick glance before following him.
"Don't worry, Kiara," Zoya said softly. "I think they'll stop him."
Kiara didn't reply. As Nikhil walked away, he turned his head slightly — just enough to flash her a small, smug smile.
Her fists clenched.
Furious.
Something deep inside her whispered that this wasn't about helping Roneet at all.
Aryan burst into the washroom. "Hey! Hey, Rohit, stop!" he shouted, rushing forward. "You've created enough mess already!"
Rohit froze for a moment, his hand still gripping Roneet's collar.
"Even if he did something wrong, this isn't the way!" Aryan said firmly.
Nikhil stepped in behind him, his face pale but still trying to play it cool. "Y–yeah, man, stop! He's my friend," he said, forcing a nervous laugh.
Rohit turned his head slowly toward him, eyes blazing. That look alone was enough to make Nikhil's fake confidence crumble.
Arnav, on the other hand, leaned against the wall, watching everything unfold with quiet amusement. He's strong, Arnav thought, studying Rohit. Even I'm not sure I could take him head-on.
Roneet sat on the floor, clutching his stomach, sobbing helplessly.
Rohit's jaw tightened. "Just looking at his face boils my blood," he hissed.
"Calm down. Come with me," Aryan said firmly, grabbing Rohit by the arm.
"Yes, yes, take him out," Nikhil said quickly, eager to get Rohit away.
Aryan nodded and led Rohit toward the door. "You two, check on your friend," he said before stepping out.
The moment the door closed behind them, silence filled the room.
Then slowly—almost in unison—Arnav and Nikhil's lips curled into wide, mischievous grins.
"Sure," Arnav said, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
Rohit stormed out of the washroom, anger still burning in his eyes. "I'm done with this," he muttered as Aryan followed him out.
Inside, silence hung heavy in the air.
Roneet sat slumped against the wall, sobbing quietly. Arnav stood nearby, expression blank — no emotion, no sympathy. Just stillness.
Nikhil crouched beside Roneet. "Hey… Roneet," he said softly.
Roneet looked up, his face swollen and streaked with tears. "I didn't do it," he whispered. "I swear, I didn't…"
"I know, mate," Nikhil said gently. "I trust you."
For a second, Roneet blinked — hope flickering weakly in his eyes.
Then Nikhil's lips twisted into a grin. "Because I was the one who did it."
Roneet froze, confusion spreading across his face. "W–what?"
Before he could speak again, Nikhil's fist slammed into his face.
"Motherf***er!" Nikhil snarled. "You dared to humiliate me?!"
Roneet fell sideways, clutching his cheek, eyes wide in disbelief.
Arnav finally moved — his grin subtle but full of amusement.
Roneet crawled weakly toward him, desperate. "Arnav… please… tell me why…"
Nikhil laughed behind him. "Where do you think you're going?" he said mockingly. "It was his idea, you idiot."
Roneet froze. "W–what?"
Arnav looked down at him, smile widening.
"Why?" he repeated slowly, savoring the word. "We did it for no reason."
Roneet stared at him, broken.
Arnav chuckled — low, cruel, almost delighted. "And we'll keep doing it," he said softly. "For the rest of your college life."
He turned toward the door, laughter echoing behind him.
Nikhil lingered for a moment, adjusting his collar. "I just did it for that one punch," he said coldly. "I'm not like this psycho bastard." He smirked. "See ya, man."
And with that, he walked out — leaving Roneet alone on the cold, wet floor, trembling, the sound of their laughter fading into silence.
Nikhil and Arnav stepped out of the washroom, straightening their shirts as if nothing had happened.
Kiara's eyes narrowed the moment she saw them.
"Where is he?" Priya asked, her voice tight.
"He's alright," Arnav said smoothly. "Just needed a bit of a lesson."
Nikhil chuckled, glancing at Kiara. "Honestly, he kind of deserved it. If anyone tried something with my girlfriend, I'd lose it too."
"Yes, Priya," Sahil added quickly, nodding. "Don't show sympathy for that creep."
Kiara looked down, her heart heavy. Around her, everyone was nodding, whispering, agreeing.
"Everyone's saying he's a creep," Zoya muttered. "Let's just go. No point staying here for someone like him."
Is he really? Kiara thought, her chest tightening.
Then, out of nowhere, the memory flashed — Nikhil's smile in the crowd.
Cold. Amused.
Her eyes widened slightly.
No… definitely something's wrong here.
Roneet slowly stood up in the washroom, his body trembling.
He picked up his broken glasses from the floor, the lenses cracked and smeared with blood.
He turned on the tap, splashed water on his face, and stared at his reflection — hollow eyes, bruised cheek, a faint trail of tears.
With his head down, he stepped out.
The hallway fell silent for a moment — then the whispers began.
"He kind of deserved it," someone muttered.
"Why do people like him even exist?" another girl sneered.
"I'm scared of him," whispered a third.
Kiara took a hesitant step forward, but Zoya grabbed her wrist.
"Where are you going? Everyone will think you're supporting that creep."
Kiara turned, eyes blazing. "What the hell are you talking about, Zoya?"
Before Zoya could reply, Nikhil walked up and placed a hand on Kiara's shoulder.
"She's right, Kiara," he said smoothly.
Kiara instantly brushed his hand away. "It was you… wasn't it?" she said, her voice trembling but sharp.
Nikhil blinked. "What are you talking about?"
"I saw you," Kiara said, stepping closer. "You were laughing when Rohit punched him."
Nikhil scoffed, forcing a laugh. "Have you lost it? I was with my friends. They saw me."
"Yes, he was with us," Arnav said from behind, crossing his arms. The others nodded, backing Nikhil up without hesitation.
Kiara froze, her expression stunned.
Nikhil tilted his head. "You know what kind of person Roneet is, right? He showed videos of girls from the washroom in his old college."
Kiara's eyes widened in disbelief. "What?"
"It's true," he said casually. "You want to see the videos he shared?"
Kiara's glare hardened. "You're disgusting," she hissed.
"Let's go, Zoya," she said sharply.
As they walked away, Kiara's heart pounded — anger, confusion, disbelief all mixing together.
He's lying… I know he's lying, she thought.
"Hahaha!" Arnav burst out laughing. "She left! You're the real creep here, Nikhil."
Nikhil's smile faltered for a second, anger flashing across his face. Then he forced a smirk.
"Who's gonna tell her?" he said with a laugh. "Hahaha!"
The group erupted in laughter again.
"She's so beautiful, though," one of them said, almost in awe. "I've never seen a girl like her before."
Nikhil's grin vanished. "Don't you dare look at her," he warned sharply — then smirked again. "Not until I'm done with her. You'll get your chance eventually."
The others laughed nervously.
Outside, Roneet walked through the courtyard, his bag hanging loose from one shoulder.
Students whispered as he passed.
"Look at his face…"
"Guess he got what he deserved."
"He's such a freak."
Roneet kept his eyes on the ground. His bruises ached, but the stares hurt more.
No one spoke to him. No one stood for him.
He walked out of the college gates, the noise fading behind him.
For a long moment, he just stood still — the world blurry through his cracked glasses.
His lips trembled as he whispered to himself,
"I get it now… this is hell."
I just kept walking.
Didn't care where I was going anymore.
I told myself I was heading home — maybe I'd play a game again.
But even that felt empty.
The same cycle.
The same slow suffering.
Maybe even the gods want me to stay alone.
After a while, I reached a high-tide area near the sea.
The waves were rough, crashing wildly against the rocks.
There was a warning board — Dangerous Zone.
I didn't care.
I climbed up the concrete pillar and looked down at the waves below.
They were angry, like they wanted to swallow everything.
"If I go back home," I whispered,
"everything will stay the same.
The pain, the silence, the pretending…"
He closed his eyes.
Tears mixed with the sea breeze.
"Did I ask too much from you?" Roneet shouted into the wind.
"All I ever wanted was to make friends…
to live a normal life!
Was that too much for you?"
His voice cracked, breaking into sobs.
"Do you even exist?
Or do you just enjoy watching people suffer?"
The waves grew louder, crashing against the rocks below.
Roneet looked up at the sky — grey, endless, and silent.
"Today," he whispered,
"I realized I'm not built for your world."
A tear slid down his cheek.
"I'm sorry…"
The sea roared back — cold and merciless.