IMAGE

IMAGE

The school bell rang, and I already knew that Ganpat wouldn't spare me today. I cursed myself internally—why couldn't I just control a simple laugh?

Well, one thing was certain: Ganpat wouldn't get into a physical fight with me. I was skinny, sure, but I had learned karate and other self-defense skills. From day one, anyone who had challenged me had faced defeat. Ganpat knew this well. But that didn't mean he was letting me off the hook so easily. The real question was—what did he have in mind? Had he already planned something?

I spent the entire walk home drowning in infinite possibilities, each one worse than the last. But when I finally reached our room, what I saw left me completely baffled.

Ganpat was sitting on his bed, staring at the floor. The moment I entered, he looked up. His eyes met mine, and before I could even brace myself, he rushed toward me.

I panicked.

"Please, Ganpat! Forgive me! I swear I didn't mean to laugh!" I screamed, preparing for the worst.

But instead of throwing a punch, he did something completely unexpected. He hugged me.

"Bhai, you're the best!" he said.

Wait. What? This wasn't right. This wasn't how things were supposed to go. According to the situation, it was Pooja who should have been thanking me—I was the one who saved her life. So why was Ganpat acting like this?

Still confused, I hesitated and then asked, "Wait… you're not angry at me? But why?"

I studied his face, trying to read his expression. To my surprise, he looked absolutely delighted.

"Because," he began, grinning, "when you laughed and left us, I was furious. I had already decided I wouldn't spare you. But then, Pooja suddenly laughed too and said, 'He's so funny! He can't even control his own laughter!'"

I swallowed hard. "Okay… and?"

Ganpat continued, his excitement growing. "So I saw an opportunity! I started telling her all your blunders—the stupid things you've done. She laughed even more. And guess what? She got interested in me and asked for my phone number!"

My jaw dropped. "Wait, WHAT? You told them about my blunders? What kind of blunders?"

"Oh, you know, like the time you were taking a bath, and the water ran out when your body was covered in soap… and how you ran around the neighborhood, begging for water so you could rinse off," he said, laughing.

I clenched my fists. "You told them that?"

"Yeah! And also the time when you decided to treat everyone at the college canteen but forgot to bring your wallet! Remember how they made fun of you and teased you for weeks?"

"Oh, great. Anything else?" I asked, trying to stay calm.

Ganpat smirked. "Of course! I told them how Priya texted you first, and you started acting like a chimpanzee—jumping around, blushing like an idiot, and telling everyone that it was 'the best day of your life.'"

That was it. That was the last straw.

"Oh, EVERYTHING, huh?" I said, cracking my knuckles.

"Yeah!" he grinned. And that's when I attacked.

I pounced on him like a wild animal, using every single move I had learned. I hit him left, right, and center until he finally realized the gravity of what he had done. He tried to escape, but I dragged him back and continued my assault.

"Bhai, please! I'm sorry! I swear I won't do it again!" he pleaded.

After what felt like an eternity, I finally stopped—on one condition.

"You have to fix my image," I said, still catching my breath. "You need to undo all the damage. Tell them about my achievements, how kind and polite I am."

"Okay, okay! I'll do it!" he said, defeated.

And just like that, our fight was over. But I had learned my lesson—never, ever trust Ganpat with your secrets.