People Die, Stories Don't.

Sometimes the worst changes you in the way it isn't supposed to & there is no coming back.

‘Oh my god, seniors’, Ishaan whispered and nudged me to look down and not stare at the guy directly.

To be honest, bullying by a guy like that was not something I was used to, but I complied anyway, as I knew ragging was customary in hostels and colleges.

‘Summon yourself directly to the common room, your father is waiting for you, the guy told us in an irritated voice.

We were moving to the common room, but our legs weren’t that supportive, from the gate to the common room, every senior in the way was standing, waiting for the freshers to go to the common room so that we don’t run anywhere in midway.

As soon as I entered the room, the whole room had a different scenario from what can be expected in a hostel, Whole room was covered with disco lights, a big giant ball was revolving in the middle shining hundreds of lights to the whole room & well the music was too loud to hear anyone.

The freshers were standing in a queue in different parts of the room & most of them weren’t wearing any t-shirts. Most of the seniors were holding a joint or a beer glass in hand, One of them gestured me to join a queue at the corner of the room.

At the end of the queue, one of the fresher was gawking at me, as soon as I reached near him, He started smiling.

‘Hi, I am Dev’, I said with good enthusiasm.

‘Niche Dekh Gandu!’(look down Asshole!), he said abruptly.

While that was highly disturbing, I was confused about the abuse, that was for no reason. I looked down & stood there quietly in the high chaos.

Suddenly the music went silent, I looked up & saw, Sahil entered the room & just like the party, was walking as If he owned the room, my blood started boiling, I wasn’t ready to be humiliated by him again.

He came straight towards me & while smiling cunningly, he bent and touched the legs of the guy who previously abused me. I was surprised by his gesture, why would a senior respect a fresher who is standing with us.

Sahil pointed to the same guy, who was standing next to me, and said, ‘Oye Bitches, meet ‘Gottu Dadu', your only father here & a big round of applause for him for sponsoring this night’.

The whole hostel started hooting and clapping for the guy beside me, I looked at him and he was smiling,

‘Niche Dekh Gandu’(‘look down asshole ! ’), he told me again.

I was confused as to why such a guy from whom the whole hostel is cheering up is standing with the fresher's line.

I kept my head down, Sahil came towards me.

‘Hey look who we have with us, The famous Romeo’, Sahil said while laughing at me.

I was about to lose my patience with Sahil when Ishaan stopped me and nodded to stay cool.

‘Give me your phone bitch!’, Sahil said to me tilting his head.

I had no option than to submit myself to his terms, I was hesitating at first, but Ishaan helped and practically placed the phone in his hands.

‘Oye, These two are gonna be my bitches, shift their room to mine, and I’ll do their ragging myself, you enjoy with others’, Gottu Said to Sahil in a bossy tone.

‘But this Romeo is mine Dadu’, Sahil said hesitatingly pointing towards me.

Dadu went straight up against Sahil’s face and said ‘say that again bitch!’.

Sahil went silent, it was visible that Gottu was the only boss around there. He signaled us to follow him, while Sahil was looking at me for some kind of revenge,

Ishaan and I kept our head down, and started following Gottu, Sahil came towards me and handed me my phone back, ‘till next time Romeo’, he said.

Gottu was walking up the stairs and silently we were following him & we reached the terrace, It was a nice atmosphere better than all that smoke of joint & cigarettes, fresh air with stars across the dark sky, it was relaxing.

There were many tables and chair across the terrace, Gottu went and sat on of them,

‘Sit bitches!’, Gottu ordered us and we followed.

‘This terrace is restricted to the freshers, once you go to the second year, anyone can come here, but since you guys are mine now, you can come anytime you want, Gottu said.

I felt kind of relieved, that I had someone powerful as my roommate but his abuse was still pretty upsetting.

‘Can I ask something, I asked in a breaking voice.

Gottu saw that I was nervous and he reached his pocket, and took out a cigarette pack, and offered me one.

‘No, we don’t smoke sir’, I said.

Gottu chuckled, he reached down his back pocket and took out a bad-ass tin lighter, rolled down fire to light his cigarette.

‘Life ain’t so simple !, it’s going to be tough, Family expectations, backstabbing friends, dumbass breakups and broken hearts, you will soon be craving for this my friends’, Gottu said in an emotional voice.

And that changed my view of him, I was standing before a broken man, who was just using nicotine to stop thinking about the weights he was having, and also for the first time he called us friends.

he pointed to an abandoned building across half a mile away & said, ‘you see that building, just stay out of there and always near my dick and your whole semester will go faster than you cum!’.

‘Why is that building so dark ?’, Ishaan asked interrupting Gottu.

Gottu looked at Ishaan and Said, ‘Calm down!, That was going to be the new girls hostel.

while Gottu was narrating the story, I saw someone in a white saree down the dark building.

'Sir!, there is someone!, look', I shouted.

Gottu threw his half-burned cigarette frustratingly towards my leg and sprinted towards me, 'Where ?', he said.

I looked again and that person, I don't know how, vanished, 'I swear, I saw someone down there, that white saree was too visible from here, she was just there, I said while getting too excited.

'Don't you start this bitch!, you have no idea, what you are saying', Gotta said while mumbling his words.

'I swear I just saw someone was just there on the terrace, in something saree & there was light too, now ', I said.

Gottu lighted another cigarette but now his hands were trembling, 'that's an abandoned place & nobody is allowed there now, that was going to be the girl's hostel but one day before the inauguration, some bitch jumped from there, her death stopped our dream of nearby girl's hostel, after than some noobs from our hostel spread the rumor about someone in a white saree roaming around & the college restricted that space & now you say, you saw someone.

Gottu went silent for a minute and we were shocked as to whom we just saw.

He continued,’ you know that was my idea to make girls hostel near our hostel so that everyone can have a view you know, but that bitch had to jump just before days of opening, she died but her death story didn't.'

Ishaan and I nodded positively acknowledging whatever he was saying.

'Was that the same girl, who died ?, was that her white spirit ?', Ishaan said while his words were trembling like his hands.

'There are no ghosts, don't say this to anyone, I don't want any more rumors', Gottu said angrily.

‘You are a fresher right?’, Ishaan asked, and that question then intrigued me too.

‘I am a dropper & I am with this college for four years now, the college doesn’t throw me out because of my brother, he is a politician here and his power supports this college and their trustees & I enjoy this simple college life, why would I ever leave?’, Gottu Said.

His introduction made a lot of sense as why the seniors were afraid of him, and why Sahil wasn’t the boss anymore.

‘My real name is Gaurav, but you bitches can call me Gottu just like the others & you are safe now', Gaurav added.

I took a big breath, finally, the luck was swaying towards my way.

‘Enough about me, Introduce yourselves now and no more ghosts talk now and never’, Gaurav said while looking at us.

We did the introduction part and sat onto the terrace under that dark night for a long time, while both Ishaan and Gottu went silent, my mind was still thinking about that what I saw, I didn't know anything about any ghost, how could I have imagined that, was that really a dead girl's ghost or just a figment of my imagination?.