Chapter: 4 - Sticks and Bat
The sunlight entered the library through the window and fell on Juwan's face. Disturbed by the brightness of the light, Juwan woke up from his deep sleep.
The previous night's mental drama had absorbed all his energy and he had fallen into a death like sleep.
Seeing that morning had come, Juwan stood up from the chair and stretched his whole body. As he twisted his body, the areas which felt weariness made a sound similar to clicking ones tongue against their mouth's roof.
The sound accompanied a relief in those particular areas.
He walked to the refrigerator and took out bottle of water. After taking a huge gulp, he sat on a chair and recollected the previous nights incidents. The night had been a real nightmare. Still dazed, he made himself a sandwich.
He grabbed a towel and went inside the e bathroom.
After half an hour he walked out of the bathroom and started dressing.
Later he took a bite from the sandwich and turned on the TV. The morning breaking news had started and it was really boring.
As soon as he turned it on, he turned it off. Really, he didn't want to know about any theft or kidnap or murder.
When he finished his sandwich he locked the cottage and walked through the narrow path to the shed near Nazir's Tea shop where he had parked his bike.
He greeted Nazir and picked up his bike. His college was not very far away from Junga and so it is usually not hard for him to peddle all the way college.
He peddled his bike fast as the wind refreshed his body, hitting his face. His hair danced in the strong wind as he rode past the college hostel.
At first he had planned on living in the hostel, even his parents were ready take on the expenditure. A month in the hostel turned many things upside down.
His first day in college was a total failure. The 3rd year students ragged them and made that day a embarrassing hell.
John, a student from 3rd poured water all over his belongings and ordered him to polish their shoe with a piece of cloth that he had torn from a juniors shirt. As a matter of fact, Juwan refused and he was thrashed.
That day he befriended Jana from the same course. Fortunately, Jana was also his roommate. That day he came to know that Dhanu was in the same college. The 4th year student was kind and repayed Juwan's help in the past with protection from the senior termites.
The next day John came to college with a bandage in his head. officially he had slipped on the stairs in his house. But rumours spread that he was beaten up by Solomon and Dhanu outside college grounds.
The college knew that Juwan was protected material, however, the night termites won't leave him in peace. Few angry, 3rd years from hostel then targeted juwan.
On his third night in the hostel, Juwan woken up abruptly in the middle of the night by a 3rd year student whom he had never even see before. The 3rd year student took both Juwan and Jana to his roommate.
Even though the senior was not famous, his roommate were infamous. The roommate was none other than Solomon's rival, Jim. Jim was a hockey player. He was well known in the college for his hockey sticks.
Juniors never cross him. Even his own classmates are scared of his hockey stick. That day, Jim didn't just want to hit Juwan but he also wanted to make sure that Juwan suffered the whole year alone.
Jim conducted a midnight borders meeting secretly without the consent of the warden. In the meeting all the students sleeping in the boarding campus witnessed Jim's madness.
It was both a warning and a punishment.
Each hit he took from the hockey stick injected a deep pain in his sore butt. Juwan felt guilty since, only because of him Jana was also getting punished.
Juwan's head boiled as he realized that Jim was doing it to separate him from the others.
"Beware, mates. I don't want to catch you guys with him. Now, off you go to your rooms!" And when he finished, everyone returned to their rooms.
The burning feeling in Juwan's heart collapsed his reasoning.
"You. You are Juwan, right?" Jim said. Juwan was surprised that Jim didnt even know his name properly, yet he had him thrashed mercilessly.
"Yes." Juwan said weakly.
" I don't want to see you cause any trouble again." And Jim walked away from. Juwan got to his feet and helped Jana stand up.
That day's embarrassing remainder is better left untold.
However Juwan filed a complaint to the principal but nothing happened. That weekend Juwan went home. The welcoming way was something he did not expect.
" I sent you to that college to study not to check out their students and report to them." His father yelled at.
"But they troubled me. I had to complain, dad." Juwan tried to convince but everything made him even more mad.
"Grow up. Be a man." His father said and he followed it the next time.
After the weekend, Juwan went back to hostel. That night the senior again troubled the first year students. Tom and Ram were up to something. And they started with Jana. They made him sing and dance.
Then they turned to Juwan, who was ready for anything. Tom asked Juwan to dance.
"I can't." Juwan said.
"You want some more of the hockey sticks tough guy?" Ram asked but Juwan kept quiet and stared at him.
"How dare you give me that look." Tom punched Juwan in his face. Anger drowned Juwan. He took out a pen from his pocket and struck Tom's shoulder. Blood oozed out as Tom cried out in pain. He fell to the ground and cried with his hand covered over the wound.
Ram, even though he ragged juniors, he never really had any backbone.. He was scared. He took Tom out of the room to the dispensary.
Jana was dumb struck. He locked the door scared that some other senior might give them trouble again.
Later that night Jim knocked at their door. Jana peaked out through the key hole. Five hockey players including Jim were standing outside with their hockey sticks.
Jana was scared out of his wits. Juwan got up from his bed. Without a word he opened the door for his demons.
Within seconds Juwan was in the ground. He was covered in blood. They stopped hitting him and then mocked him. Then Juwan did something insane. He laughed at his attackers, showing his bloodied teeth.
Blood dropped from his mouth to the ground. He got up and spat out the blood. His assailants were dumb struck. He smirked at them and then walked inside his room.
Soon he came out with a cricket bat. He was laughing out loud.
"Five professionals to beat up a noob? You are all pathetic. And I hate bullies!" He screamed the last sentence like it was a battle cry.
He struck two of them with a blow in their head. they were not dead. Just knocked out.
The other three charged at him with their hockey sticks.
What happened next was unimaginable. The four started brawling like angry dogs. The result was: Jim had a broken hand and lots of blood lose, two of the other fellows had lots of scratches and buries all over their body and Juwan who was already wounded was covered in blood.
The next day their parents were summoned to the principal's office. The principal heard the story from some student and thought that Juwan had mental issues
Thus he feared Juwan's outbreak could injure him. And so he didn't much complain Juwan. When Juwan's father saw him, he asked, "What have you done?"
And Juwan answered with a smile, " Seems like, I have become a man!" Juwan's father was dumb struck.
Later Juwan got the night job and so he did not have to face the night termites again. The story did spread but since very few witnessed it, Jim covered it up.
Juwan soon reached the college. Within seconds the whole flashback crossed over his mind. Beep. Beep. His phone rang.
It was an unregistered number. He attended the call.
"It is me, Mary."
"How do you know my number?"
" I will tell you later. I think I have found something about Ms.Susan's death. Tonight, I will come to your house and give you the details." And on saying so she cut the call!!