EVERYTHING'S PERFECT!

3

AADI: (to Neha) Oh, thank God that you came! Can you get the first aid kit?

NEHA: Sure (walks in, serves them tea)

Aadi notices the strange look in her eyes. Yes, he could read her mind.

ANUJ: (smiling) Thank you.

Neha smiles back.

NEHA: (eyeing Sanjana's bruises) What happened?

AADI: She tripped and landed with her face on the edge of the table. (To Sanjana) Dumbass.

Neha hisses, cringing.

SANJANA: I'm not dumb.

AADI: Of course, you are, (showing her bruises) biggest proof, dumbass, goofball.

SANJANA: Shut up!

AADI: (teasing) Everyone's like – (mimicking) oh – hot and sexy Sanjana – they have no clue what she really is!

SANJANA: And what about you!

AADI: (challenging) Yeah, what about me?

SANJANA: You really want to know?

AADI: Are you threatening me?

SANJANA: Yes!!!

AADI: Ooh. I'm so scared.

ANUJ: (wrings his face) Oh God. Jesus. Like seriously, how did I end up in between you two?

AADI: You squeezed yourself in.

Neha watches them with a rigid expression. Their open display of friendship does nothing to impress her.

A drop of blood trickles down Sanjana's cheek.

ANUJ: (giving him his kerchief) I think you should stop it.

Aadi quickly takes the kerchief, dabs at it.

She cringes, whimpering.

Aadi blows at her bruise, she whimpers more.

ANUJ: Do you think she needs to get some stitches or something?

SANJANA: (freaks out) No!!!

AADI: (laughing) I guess not. It's not that deep, thankfully.

Neha brings in the first-aid box. He takes it, gets a ball of cotton, drenches it with iodine and almost dabs on Sanjana's wound when she springs up from the bed, horrified.

AADI: What!!?

ANUJ: What? What happened?

SANJANA: (pointing at the iodine) No! Not that!

AADI: It's just iodine. It won't hurt.

SANJANA: Of course, it will, who're you kidding?

AADI: It won't. I assure you.

ANUJ: (shrugging) Let's be honest. It will, but not much. Just a little bit of stinging.

SANJANA: (to Anuj) Get lost, I don't want to talk to you.

ANUJ: (innocently) What? What did I do?

AADI: (tsks) Sanjana. Cut the crap and put this on.

SANJANA: No.

ANUJ: Babes, put it on or it will get infected.

SANJANA: No.

ANUJ: And then you'll end up doing plastic surgery.

SANJANA: No.

AADI: And you'll look like a dork. Not that you already don't.

SANJANA: Shut up.

ANUJ: Hang on.

In a swift move, Anuj grapples her from behind, rendering her helpless.

SANJANA: (shrieking) No!!!

Neha panics, glances over her shoulders, hoping that her screams didn't float out of the room.

SANJANA: No, don't! Help! Help!

NEHA: (thinking) Dammit. People will think that someone's getting molested in here. (To the three of them) Erm –- guys...

They don't hear her.

Aadi laughs loudly as he dabs the iodine over her wound.

She shrieks and dissolves into a whimper.

AADI: See, that's all? It doesn't hurt much.

ANUJ: God, such a drama queen.

They hear her sniffling.

ANUJ: What? Are you crying? You can't be serious. That's just fucking iodine.

NEHA: (thinking) God. All this drama! And she sounded like a banshee.

Neha bursts out laughing.

The guys turn to her, wonderstruck.

AADI: (raises an eyebrow, shrugs) What?

NEHA: (smothering her laugh) Um – nothing --- sorry – really sorry. I just – um—

She leaves quickly, trying hard not to laugh.

***