Yutika's POV

I was lying on my bed on my stomach, thinking about everything that had happened today. My mind was going through all those things one by one when suddenly, my mobile started buzzing with a notification.

I turned my head towards the phone and picked it up.

There was a new group chat.

THEY NEED THERAPY

I stared at the group name for a few seconds.

"Huh? What kind of group name is this?"

With curiosity, I opened the group. The last message I saw was from Mango.

"Okay, my lovely brother."

I blinked at the screen.

"Wait... did they seriously add me to a group where that junglee kutta is?"

I immediately opened the group information and checked the members.

There were four members.

Me, Mango, Pooja, and one unknown number.

"I am sure they added that dog."

I sighed and shook my head.

Whatever they were talking about, I didn't want to deal with it right now. I locked my phone, put it beside me, and switched it to silent.

Then I went back to lying on my stomach, but my mind went back to the college corridor again.

When I saw that monkey again after so many years, I couldn't even recognize him.

Maybe he had changed a lot. Or maybe I had just forgotten how he looked.

Without even realizing it, my hand went to my lips.

Yutika... Yutika... what did you do...

I shook my head and rubbed my lips with my fingers.

I could still feel his lips on mine.

Just thinking about it made my face hot. It was so embarrassing.

And that kiss.... Ughhhhh I hate myself now... I again rubbed my lips with my full force that it started hurting.

And everything had happened because of that shittyhead Nisha.

I picked up my phone again and saw that there were too many notifications from the group. I ignored all of them. I didn't want to know what they were talking about right now.

Instead, I opened the college website.

I just wanted to clear my thoughts and find out if whatever I was thinking was actually right or if I was just overthinking everything.

I rubbed my forehead and then started searching.

Details... details... where are the details about the principal, professors, and trustees?

I kept scrolling through the website, trying to find something useful.

Then I checked the list of bright students, and there it was-her name.

Nisha Kalita.

"Yes, there could be other people with the same name," I thought, "but this was definitely her. Her photo was right there beside her name."

I stared at the screen for a moment.

"Okay, so now I have to find out if the principal, any professor, or maybe one of the trustees has the surname Kalita."

I decided to check the principal first, since he was my biggest doubt.

I searched through the website and, after a few clicks, I found his profile.

His photo appeared on the screen, along with his name.

And there it was.

Kalita.

My eyes widened slightly.

I knew it.

Of course, having the same surname didn't prove anything. Kalita could be a common surname, and there could be many unrelated people with it. But then I looked at his photo again.

There was something about his face that caught my attention. The resemblance between him and Nisha was hard to ignore.

It wasn't enough to say for sure that they were related, but it was definitely enough to make my suspicion grow stronger.

"Okay... this can't just be a coincidence," I mumbled.

Just as I was about to dig deeper, notifications suddenly started popping up on my screen.

Yutikaa

Tomato

Yutikaaaaaaa

Tomato, I know you are not sleeping. Check the messages.

Yutika, are you alright?

Before I could even reply, I saw Pooja was calling me.

I looked at the screen and answered the call.

"Yutika... how are you feeling now?" She asked

"I am good. Or you can say I am perfectly fine," I replied.

"Ohhh, finally. I was so tense when I heard from those girls that you were shouting like hell. Like you were in too much pain."

"Shouting? When?"

There was no answer.

"Hello?" I said.

"Umm, you don't remember what happened in the restroom?"

"Of course I know. I was just,,,"

Wait, what is she talking about? I remembered going to the restroom but what actually happened?

My mind went blank. I kept staring at the wall.

Before I listened to anything I hung up the call and walked towards the mirror. I felt like it was not me who was doing it. It was like someone hypnotized me to walk. Standing in the front of the mirror my gaze fell on my eyes.

I blinked a few times and looked around the room.

"Why did I come here?"

My eyes slowly moved toward the mirror, and I walked closer to it. I stared at my reflection for a moment.

Then I noticed something near my right hairline.

A mole.

"Huh? When did this appear?"

I touched it gently with my finger while looking at myself in the mirror.

"Ouch..."

A sudden, sharp pain shot through my finger.

"What the hell?"

I quickly pulled my hand back and looked at my finger. The pain was strange. It felt almost like something had poked me.

Then I remembered what had happened earlier.

When I accidentally kissed that wild dog on the lips, I felt something poke my finger.

But the pain disappeared within a few seconds. And this time it was the same as well.

I looked at my finger again.

But why did it hurt that much?

I stood there for a few more seconds, trying to make sense of it, but my head was already starting to ache.

"Whatever..."

I didn't have the energy to think about it anymore.

I went back to bed and picked up my phone. I stared at the screen without really paying attention to anything.

My head started hurting now.

I didn't want to think anymore about what had happened today.

My first day of college was supposed to be something I would remember forever.

Well... I was definitely going to remember it FOREVER.

It had been the worst day of my life.

I sighed, tossed my phone aside, and pulled the blanket over myself.

I didn't want to think anymore. I just wanted to sleep.

The Next Day

"Haaaa... haahhhh..."

I yawned loudly as I slowly opened my eyes.

For a few seconds, I just lay there, staring at the ceiling.

Then I sat up and rubbed my eyes. I looked at the clock.

There was still some time before I had to leave.

"Good..."

I slowly got out of bed and walked to the bathroom. I picked up my toothbrush, put some toothpaste on it, and started brushing.

As I looked up at the mirror, my eyes suddenly fell on my forehead.

"Huh? A mole?"

I stopped brushing for a moment.

The toothbrush was still inside my mouth as I leaned closer to the mirror and looked at my forehead just closer to my hairline.

There was a small mole there.

"When did this appear? It wasn't there before..."

I stared at my reflection for a few seconds, trying to remember if I had ever noticed it.

I blinked.

Then I looked at it again.

"Forget it. I think I just never noticed it properly before."

I shrugged and stepped back from the mirror.

"It's just a mole."

With that, I continued brushing as if nothing had happened.

After taking a shower, I came out of the bathroom and lay down on the bed. While resting, I suddenly remembered the group chat from yesterday.

"Maybe they won't be online right now. Still, let me check," I murmured to myself.

I picked up my phone, opened the group chat, and went through the members again. My eyes stopped at the unknown number. I decided to check the profile this time.

There was a profile picture, but something felt different. As far as I could remember, the picture didn't look like that dog. I stared at it for a few seconds, trying to remember what I had seen before.

Curious, I tapped on the profile picture to get a better look.

And there it was.

It wasn't him.

The person in the picture was the boy who had come with him.

I let out a long breath, feeling relieved. At least now I knew it wasn't the person I had been thinking about. I hadn't even realized I was holding my breath until I finally relaxed against the pillow.

Resting my face on one hand, I started scrolling through the messages, reading them one by one. Most of them were just normal conversations, but I kept going, hoping to find something interesting.

Then one message caught my attention.

Kritarth: Vikram Bhaiya, why did you change the name of the group?

I stopped scrolling and read the message again.

"Vikram Bhaiya?" I repeated.

So, his name was Vikram.

I leaned back against the pillow, looking at the screen for a moment.

I looked at the message again before continuing to scroll through the chat.

Pooja: I am sorry. Everything happened because of me. I was hiding behind you Kritarth, and that's why Yutika had to take this step. If I hadn't been there... Especially hiding, she wouldn't have been forced to do something like this.

Kritarth: Don't overthink it, Pooja. I know tomato. I mean, as far as I know her, she was going to do it anyway. It's just so funny that it was Suraj bhai... 🤣🤣🤣 You know what, Vikram bhaiya? He has been locked inside his room ever since he came back home. I even knocked on his door, but he still hasn't opened it. I am sure he is turning into a tomato himself.

Vikram: 🌚

Pooja: 🌚

Kritarth: WTF! 🌚 No, wait. It's not like that.

"What the hell are they even talking about?" I almost yelled, staring at my phone in disbelief.

The way these people could turn any serious situation into a comedy show was beyond my understanding.

"This rotten mango surely deserves treatment from childhood," I muttered, shaking my head.

I couldn't deal with these idiots anymore. With an annoyed sigh, I threw my phone aside and lay back, staring at the ceiling.

Kiss, That damn kiss... and that too with that junglee kutta.

The memory of the kiss flashed through my mind again.

No, wait... It wasn't a kiss. I kissed him because of that stupid,,, no, no, stupid was too small a word for her. That arrogant, psycho girl. The way she held my hand and looked straight into my eyes, as if she had every right to do so. As if she could do whatever she wanted.

Just because it was my first day, I had tried to avoid any trouble. But of course, trouble had other plans.

Ugh! This principal's daughter.

I clenched my fists, my anger growing with every passing second.

You know what, Miss Ratri? You picked the wrong person to mess with. You have no idea what you have gotten yourself into.

"Well, well, you have everything because of Mr. Principal, don't you? What if I make him change your college? Or better yet, get him suspended for good?"

I paused for a moment.

"Nah..."

I sighed at my own idea.

"Well, well, Yutika, Yutikaaa... How can you be so dumb?"

I shook my head as something suddenly clicked in my mind.

"The time you slapped me... You wanted it to be someone else, didn't you? You slapped me because it was planned. Planned that there will be someone else, and the place was taken by Suraj aka Junglee kutta."

I tried to remember that moment clearly. When I saw her giving signals to someone behind me, I hadn't paid much attention. I was too busy dealing with her to care about what she was doing.

But then, another thing clicked in my mind.

When that girl ran out of the classroom, the professor didn't even try to stop her. And you... you were signaling to her!

My eyes narrowed as the pieces slowly came together.

"Damn it..."

I should have understood it right then. She had been planning something all along. That slap, those signals, and the way she acted afterward... None of it seemed like a coincidence anymore.

A bitter smile crept onto my face.

"So, you had a plan from the beginning, huh? But still same question, WHY???"

I clenched my fists again.

"Nisha, now I will show you hell. And your so-called principal, this time even he won't be able to do a damn thing."

I mumbled under my breath. With that, I stood up and headed out to have breakfast with Dad.

Ever since I had returned, sitting with Dad for breakfast and dinner had become part of my daily routine. Since he was usually busy or away during lunchtime, I had gotten used to having lunch alone.

I didn't want him to know that something was bothering me. I knew he would ask questions the moment he noticed something was wrong, and the last thing I wanted was to explain everything that had happened at college. I just didn't want him to tense up about me. Or again send me back to foreign countries to study.

So, before stepping out of my room, I took a deep breath and forced myself to calm down. I loosened my clenched fists, relaxed my face, and tried to push all those thoughts to the back of my mind.

With a normal expression plastered on my face, I walked toward the dining table, pretending that everything was perfectly fine.

But deep down, my mind was still occupied with Nisha.

And I had no intention of letting her get away with what she had done.

"Good morning, Papa..." I said, hugging my dad from behind as he sat there, looking at his tablet.

Without even looking at me, he slowly tapped the hand I had wrapped around him, giving it a gentle pat.

"Papa... are you really that busy that you didn't even look at me?" I asked, resting my chin on his shoulder and peeking at his tablet.

But there was nothing on the screen except the home screen.

I frowned a little and leaned closer to get a better look. "Hehh... why are you staring at the home screen?" I asked, moving around to sit beside him.

I looked at his face, then at the tablet, trying to figure out what he was so busy with. But he wasn't doing anything on it. He was just sitting there, holding it in his hand and looking at the screen.

"Papa," I called again, moving a little closer to him. "What are you even looking at?"

"I was just feeling lazy. That's why I was sitting here, scrolling through nothing. But then you came, and I realized how can I ever be bored when I have a mischievous daughter like you?" he said with a small smile.

Saying that, he reached over and playfully pinched my cheek.

I gave him a little pout and took the plate from him without saying anything. This time, Papa served me the food himself.

I didn't waste another second and started eating, because I was already hungry. I focused on my food while Papa sat beside me, doing nothing but watching me eat.

After a while, I noticed his eyes were still on me. I paused for a moment and looked up at him.

"Wait, Papa... why are you looking at me like that?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at him a little.

"Well, is something going on in your mind?" Papa asked, looking at me.

My hand stopped halfway to my mouth, with a bite of food on the spoon.

Does he know?

That was the only question that came to my mind.

Oh God, if he knows that I kissed a boy in front of almost half the college, how embarrassing would that be? How am I even going to look him in the eyes?

I slowly put the bite back on my plate and tried to act normal.

"No, Papa. Nothing. Why? Is everything alright with the business?" I asked, looking at him carefully.

Papa simply smiled and took a bite from his own plate. He chewed his food calmly, as if there was nothing to worry about. Then he looked at me again.

"Everything is alright, beta. With a daughter like you, who is nothing less than Goddess Lakshmi herself, how can our family ever face any difficulties?" he said proudly.

I gave him a small smile, but my mind was still busy with the same thought.

I looked at him from the corner of my eyes, trying to read his expression. But Papa just kept eating with that peaceful smile on his face, making it even harder for me to figure out what was going on in his mind.

"Well, are you going with your Dhanno today, or do you want the driver to drop you off at college?" Papa asked, looking at me.

I immediately looked up at him, and a small smirk appeared on my face.

"Okay, Dad. Tell the driver to drop me off. I just want to show off a little today," I said proudly, already imagining everyone's reaction.

Papa chuckled softly at my answer and shook his head. He knew me too well. Without saying anything else, he nodded and then signaled to his PA, who was standing a little distance away from us. His PA immediately understood what he wanted and stepped forward to make the arrangements.

I smiled to myself and continued eating my breakfast.

Once I was done, I got up from my chair, walked over to Papa, and leaned down to kiss his cheek.

"Okay, Papa, I am leaving!" I said cheerfully before rushing outside.

"Bye, beta!" I heard him call out from behind me.

I stopped near the door and turned around to look at him.

"Bye, Papa! Love you!" I shouted back with a big smile.

He smiled at me, and I waved at him one last time before turning around and walking out.

College

I was sitting in the back seat, staring at my mobile's black screen. My mind was lost in a thousand thoughts, and I had no idea how much time had passed.

"Yutika beta, we have reached college," I heard the driver uncle say.

I looked up and saw him standing beside the car, holding the door open for me. I was so lost in my own thoughts that I hadn't even noticed him getting out and coming to open the door.

I gave him a gentle smile and stepped out of the car.

"Thank you," I said softly before walking towards the college entrance.

As I stepped inside, I noticed something different about the atmosphere today. It wasn't like yesterday. The people who had been staring at me as if I were some kind of showpiece now seemed to be looking at me normally. There were no strange looks or curious eyes following my every move.

For a moment, I looked around, trying to understand the change. Maybe it was just my imagination.

A small sense of relief washed over me, and my heart finally felt a little lighter. I hadn't realised how uncomfortable those stares had made me until they were no longer there.

Taking a quiet breath, I adjusted my bag on my shoulder and continued walking inside.

This time, I was just hoping that Nisha, the witch, wouldn't come anywhere near me. And luckily, she didn't. At least, not until now.

Finally, I reached the classroom, and everything seemed peaceful. Students were busy talking to their friends, some were laughing, while others were busy with their phones. It all felt so normal, just the way I wanted my college life to be.

"Oh God, finally! I can enjoy my simple yet fun college life," I thought happily.

But just as I was enjoying my little moment of peace, my smile suddenly disappeared.

Because she was standing at the classroom door...

Her.

Nisha.

What the hell? Is she obsessed with me or something.

I mean, seriously, does this girl have no other work to do? Why does she keep showing up wherever I go? Is it too much to ask for one peaceful day in college?

Trying my best not to let her ruin my mood, I sat quietly in my seat and completely ignored her. I took out my mobile phone and started scrolling through it, pretending to be extremely busy with something very important.

In reality, I wasn't even reading anything on the screen. I was just trying to avoid looking at her.

Please don't come here. Please don't come here. Just go somewhere else, you witch.

But of course, my luck had other plans.

"Miss Richie..."

I froze for a second.

Oh, that voice. The same arrogant voice I had heard yesterday.

I took a deep breath, trying to control my growing irritation. Slowly, I lifted my head and looked at her, this time with full confidence.

I wasn't going to let her scare me or make me feel uncomfortable. Not today because I had enough yesterday.

I had already planned everything in my mind. I was going to attend my classes, spend time with my friends, enjoy my day, and return home peacefully. No unnecessary drama, no arguments, and definitely no trouble with this girl.

But looking at her standing in front of me, I was almost certain that my little plan was about to fail.

Seriously, what was wrong with this creature? Didn't she have anything better to do than disturb my peace?

I forced myself to maintain a calm expression, even though my mind was busy cursing her in every possible way.

Fine, Nisha. You creature... Let's see what you want this time.

I looked straight at her, waiting for her to speak. But all I wanted was one simple, peaceful day in college.

She held my hand tightly with all her strength.

"You are coming with me," she said through gritted teeth.

"What the hell? You bloody creature, leave my hand!" I shouted, trying to free my hand from her grip.

When she still didn't let go, I pulled my hand away with all my strength. She lost her balance and almost fell, but the bench behind her stopped her.

"You bitch!" she yelled at me. Her expressions changing from confidence to anger.

"Nisha Kalita."

A deep voice interrupted her.

Nisha turned around and looked at the person who had called her. It was our professor.

She stood straight and looked into his eyes without any fear. Then she crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows, giving him a look full of attitude. It was as if she didn't care that he was her professor.

"Nisha Kalita, go to the principal's office. Now!" the professor said loudly.

"Ohh, Dad called me..." she said, looking at me with a smirk.

"Okay, let's go," she added and started walking towards the office.

The professor looked at me and said, "You have to come as well."

I didn't say anything. I just followed him.

When we reached the principal's office, Nisha went inside, while I stopped outside the door. I raised my hand to knock, but before I could, I heard a loud slap from inside.

I froze for a second.

What the hell was happening inside?