Edge Of Seventeen

28. Rock Bottom

"Zoya are you coming?"

"In a moment", I said logging out of Instagram.

Rahul had surpassed two hundred thousand followers.

Why did his achievements seem ten times more attractive now?

Riya's phone which had been brought to school under the excuse of the competition had passed many hands since morning.

"Were you stalking Rahul?", Riya asked with a knowing face as she held out her hand for her phone.

"Guess what?", I said trying to sound as bored as possible.

"Are you sure you never want to talk to him again?", she asked.

"Riya, I told you he wouldn't want to see me anymore, even if I do. It takes two hand to clap".

"But it takes only one hand to slap".

"What?"

"Yeah. Call him up and abuse him. Finish it your way. Who's he to dump you, huh?"

"You were the one advising me to forget him", I said, struck by this.

"Yeah but forget him after this", said Riya pulling out her phone again, "Let's do it now".

"Riya please. No".

"You don't want to do it? Okay then, I'll do it. I saved his number from your phone during Eid", Riya said eagerly as she scrolled through her screen, "Aha!"

Before I could say anything, she had called him and put the call on speaker. I heard the phone ring a couple of times before the voice that I so well knew said, "Hello".

I felt like collapsing right there.

"Hello. This is Riya".

"Riya who?"

"Riya who? Oh wait. I'm your father's sister's husband's father's sister's son's daughter you useless bucket of puke! Ha, ha.."

"Riya!", I said, completely shocked and leapt forward to grab her phone.

"You stay away!", Riya said trying to push me away.

"For Godsake, just leave it and hang up", I begged.

"Oh, Riya Dixit!", I heard Rahul exclaim though I was sure he already knew who he was talking to.

"Ah! Now he remembers!", Riya drawled.

"Why are you calling me anyway?", Rahul asked irritably "Is Zoya with you?"

"What concern of yours is that you bastard?"

"Achcha. So you are also a drama queen like Zoya", Rahul asked coldly.

"Yeah. All St Xavier's girls are like that. Drama or nothing", Riya said.

"But I don't have time for useless pretty drama queens. So excuse me, but I'm going to hang up now".

"Who are you to hang up on me?", Riya snapped "And calling me a drama queen? Zoya has already told me that you are nothing but seventy kilos of drama and a black jacket!"

"This conversation is over".

"Oh I'll end it now. Don't worry. You're good at playing dude. And I ain't talking about the guitar!"

And with that Riya cut the call, looking thoroughly excited and triumphant.

"I always wanted to abuse someone on the phone and I finally did it!", Riya squealed.