Hues Of Dusk

Chapter 39. So desperate

(🚨 Long chapter ahead 🚨)

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Black hoodie, check. Black jeans, check. Black cap, check. Black sunglasses, check.

Alright, I was all prepared for my mission. I took a deep breath and checked my appearance in the mirror. After giving myself an approving nod, I got out of my room and joined dad at the dining table for breakfast.

"What's with all black today?" he asked.

"It's the new fashion dad," I replied and dabbed.

"Fashion? You look like a crow," he commented and I did a double dab to annoy him more.

Mom shook her head at me and told me to eat up before I got late for my bus. Dad scolded me when I gobbled down my food but I just gave him a toothy grin in return. Before he could comment more, I grabbed my lunchbox and ran out of the house.

At the bus stop, people eyed me suspiciously and I plugged in my earphones to distract myself. Soon, my bus arrived and I got in. Throughout the ride, I went over my plan and made a mental note to be as unsuspicious as I could be.

After thirty minutes, I reached my stop and got off from the bus. I entered the college gates and surveyed the area. My target wasn't here yet so better get in action now.

×~×

I hid in the shadows as students and teachers swarmed the hallways as soon as the first bell rang. I tapped my fingers on my thigh in anticipation and observed the fellow schoolmates who just went past me.

Heehee. They didn't notice me. Good job, Sandhya. I should thank Shreyas after this. I learnt a lot about being invisible from him. I was waiting for Mahek but when I saw Nikhil enter the hallway, I came out of my hiding spot.

"Holy shit! You scared me!" Mayank shouted.

He put a hand on his heart to show how much scared he got because of me. Rajeev laughed at him and I rolled my eyes when Mayank said I almost gave him a heart attack.

"Why the hell are you dressed like that? And why were you hiding?" Mayank asked.

"I was just practicing my ninja skills."

"Um.... what?"

"Chill, man. Let her do whatever she wants. We should get going before we get late," Rajeev said.

"Oh right. Let's go."

"Don't get in trouble, kid." Rajeev patted my head and left with Mayank.

"Hi Nikhil!" I greeted as I approached him.

I nodded my head at Karthik in acknowledgement but none of them said anything in return.

"So how are your studies going?" I asked and tried to ignore how sleep deprived they looked with baggy eyes and sunken cheeks.

Nikhil seemed to have lost some weight too. He scratched the back of his head and glanced at Karthik who was just staring at me blankly. He almost seemed dead.

"Hello? I am talking to you, Nikhil. Just wanted to know how much syllabus you have covered and if you needed my help with anything or not," I said politely.

Nikhil tried to get away but I grabbed his arm. I was not letting him go away so easily. He would have to answer me this time. I was tired of him running away and leaving me with half answers.

"I came to your house yesterday but you weren't there. I thought maybe a small study session would be good since we haven't done that for so long. But guess what? You weren't there. Where were you?" I asked and waited for his reply.