Chapter 6

The Fresher's Orientation is next week, and I still don't know what to wear. Mriganka wants to take me shopping, but since none of us owns a car, we have to change three buses and walk three miles in this scorching heat to find the cheapest clothes store around, and I don't feel upto it. But I cannot stall this forever, as Mriganka is the only girl here I am friends with, and her dresses are big enough to fit two of me inside them.

Saturday morning we finally decide to pick our butts to the shop. The bus is taking forever to arrive, and Mriganka and I are drenched in sweat after half an hour. We are walking to the next bus stop when a sleek, black car stops by us. It takes us by surprise when the door opens and Samantha comes out. She removes her black Aviators, puts them on her head and looks at me, no expression.

"Want a lift?" She asks.

"Uh-no. We are…" I begin.

"Yes, thank you so much. It would be a great help." Mriganka chimes in.

"Come on in, I'm going to the Kanish Avenue anyway." She replies and gets in her car.

"How do you know where…" Mriganka starts, getting inside.

"Does it matter?" Comes the reply from the front seats.

We complete the journey in silence, and the atmosphere is a little bit tensed. We arrive by the store in less than 45 minutes, and Mriganka and I spend an hour at the dress shop before I find one that I like: a bright yellow strapless dress that comes upto my knees. We leave the shop and find Samantha leaning on the side of her car, her eyes glued to her phone, typing furiously.

"Samantha, you're still here?" Mriganka asks.

"Huh?" She looks up, her eyes on me. "Yes. I had some work around here, I completed it a few minutes back. Are you done?"

"Yes. Let's go, Samara."

We ride back in silence.

"Thanks a lot Samantha. We owe you." Mriganka says when we reach our hostel.

"You don't. I wouldn't be standing here if it wasn't for her." Samantha points at me before walking away.

Mriganka is still filled with balloons when we meet the guys. She talks about our meeting with my scary roommate with them as if some celebrity has offered us a lift, and the boys look at her with their mouth hanging open. I don't understand their reaction, but even I can't shake off the fact that this girl has some strong base around here, and her personality is so dominating, it affects her very aura. I'm not scared of her though, and I'm sure she is harmless, and wouldn't hurt a fly, unless it flies inside those big, dark eyes of hers.

Ayush's mouth is still open when we go for lunch.

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I didn't tell Mriganka this, but she knew who my eyes would search for in the crowd. She helps me dress for the Freshers tonight, and we have a huge fight on the colour of the lipstick I'd be wearing. I am not wearing red lipstick with a bright yellow dress. I am not!

"Red has the longest wavelength. Devon will be able to spot you from a long distance away." She says when I reject all her arguments.

"Yeah? Why don't you wear it, then? It will go great with this forest green dress of yours. And, your logic will probably work on Faheem too." I try to get past her towards my pale pink lipstick.

She holds me back, shocked. "What did you say? Faheem, what?"

"Uh-nothing." I look up, and stammer, "I just thought, I mean, I saw you looking at him and…"

Her gaze turns stone cold. "I don't look at him. I don't care about him."

And she storms out of my room.