Agent 024

YOU WANNA FIGHT? LET'S FIGHT

The exams were starting from Tuesday. We had law tomorrow evening. 

I finished my last revision, law being the only exam I was prepared for. I hadn't seen Aradhya all day, she wasn't in her room and wasn't picking up calls either. She had avoided the whole team all day and Priya was neck deep in her books.

I got up and opened the window. Fresh air was blowing in. I felt way too much energy. With the classes being suspended till the exams now, I found it difficult to spend so much free time.

I went out of the room. Priya did not even notice and remained engrossed in her notebook. She preferred revising from hand-written notes.

I walked towards the combat wing. I needed to blow off the extra energy and what better coping mechanism to escape pressing concerns than  to drain yourself of all energy, so ta=hat you didn't have any energy left to care about them anymore. My therapist won't agree and would probably shake her head at me.

I entered the boxing wing, and opened my locker with my fingerprint. I took out my shirt and shorts and went into the changing room. It was late evening now. Only the second years who didn't have exams till next week and the third and fourth years who had too little theory to care about it anyway would be present right now. I pulled my hair into a tight ponytail as I went out. I had just washed my hair today and I wanted the fresh and clean hair to last for a while.

I opened the huge wooden doors of the wing and entered the chamber. 

"Gaurav!", I called out as I saw Karan and him sparring him in the ring.

"Careful, President, the rogue agents are back.", Karan laughed as he saw me coming.

Gaurav had taken the whole getting kidnapped and almost bleeding to death scenario quite well. He joked about it and even put us at ease when we went to apologize to him with his causal and humorous demeanor. He was the most chilled out senior in the campus.

"Finally, I can leave now that you're here.", Karan said, getting out of the ring. 

"This guy doesn't get tired at all!", Karan said as he walked past me.

I smiled as I entered the ring.

"Shall we, President?", I asked, drawing my hands up in defense.

"Oh we shall, my most trusted security.", he said as we started circling.

I didn't have boxing till next year but whenever I got the chance, I jumped into the ring. It was my favorite way to pass time recently.

"I shot forward my left hand but he easily blocked it with his gloves.

He tilted his head as we went for the offence this time and I ducked.

I backed against the ropes on the edges of the ring as I regained my breath.

"Are you on steroids or what?", I asked as Gaurav went for the offense again and I quickly rolled over to avoid getting punched in the face.

You couldn't look at Gaurav and tell that he had been shot just a couple of months back. The guy had recovered and immediately got back to practice the first day Doctor Kumar had allowed him to.

"Gaurav.", I heard a familiar voice call out.

"Abhay!", Gaurav said, raising his hand as we continued sparring.

With my back turned towards Abhay, he didn't realize he was walking towards me. With 99 other rings in the wing, this would be the last one he would choose if only he had seen me in it.

"Good, you're here. Tisha and you can go at it now.", he said as he removed his gloves.

"No, it's okay.", Aviral and I said together.

"Or not.", Gaurav said, looking suspiciously at us both.

"What! Are you afraid of beating up a junior?", Gaurav asked Abhay.

I raised my eyebrow at Gaurav.

Agreed Gaurav beat me every time but I was not a novice.

"No, I don't think Tisha would want to-", Abhay said, backing away.

I scoffed. After avoiding me for months, he didn't get to peg me as the immature kid.

"Oh really?", I said, hanging on the ropes, "I think Tisha would to."

"Oh common. Don't be such a coward.", Gaurav said, slapping Abhay's back as he bent forwards with the impact.

Gaurav walked towards the exit and Abhay looked at me.

"Right.",Abhay said, nodding as he started walking away too.

I scoffed.

"Who's the immature one now?", I called out.

He stopped dead in his tracks. He turned towards me and looked me straight in the eyes as he said, "You want to fight, Tisha?"

I titled my head and shrugged.

"Let's fight.", he said, as he walked into the ring and I turned to face him.

I raised my eyebrows at him as he walked towards the center of the ring. Boxing one of my ex-flames or present, I didn't even know at this point wasn't on the list of things I wanted to do in the Academy.

Snigdha would often laugh when the guy I crushed on from the opposite end of the café walked up to me and I ended up calling him bro.

"You're going to die single. And you'll be the only one to blame for that.", she used to laugh.

Only if I could tell her that I no longer brozoned my crushes, in fact I sparred with them in the boxing ring now, she would have a "Aha! Told you" moment right now.

The wing had started emptying while Gaurav and I were fighting and there were hardly any boxers left in the wing now. The lights had been dimmed in most of the wing and our ring appeared to be in the spotlight as all the lights above shone brightly on the ring. It looked like a classic WWF moment.

We put up our hands in defense as we started circling each other, trying to figure out each others' move. We continued circling each other, trying to wear the other one out. When I couldn't take it any longer, I went on offence and shot forward my left hand but he ducked it easily almost as if he had seen it coming. Just as I was gaining my posture, he went on the offense and I groaned as I got punched square in the face.