by Flame Dragon
“C’mon guys give me something Mathew won’t even talk about it?” she begged them.
“Why do you even wanna know?” Rahil asked her.
“Cause he almost beat them to death! Have you seen them now? All of them are in serious condition,” she said. “I have to know if he’s dangerous or not,” she said with increasing urgency.
Rahil stood there for a while thinking then said “Give me a few days and I’ll see what I can dig up with my contacts”.
“Be quick about it, I can’t afford to wait,” she said and he nodded.
But by the time she came back both Natasha and Mathew were missing from the clinic.
“Did they leave ma’am?” she asked the doctor.
“To the deans office,” she said “it looks serious I think,” she added as Sakshi rushed out of the clinic.
She rushed as quickly as she could but was too late.
“I am sorry Sakshi they took them both for questioning,” Dr Nelson said as Sakshi entered in without knocking.
“Who took them?” she asked.
“The cops,” Nelson said.
“Shit! Couldn’t you stop them? I mean it was self defence!” Sakshi asked fuming.
“They have not been arrested yet but they could be charged with assault Vijay’s father is already at the police station,” Nelson explained. “Besides by the look of it, its difficult to prove to anyone that it was done in self defence,” he added.
“What have we done!” Sakshi thought.
“It would seem that the more I try to punish you guys the more troublesome you people become so I won’t say anything I am done here,” he said sinking in his chair.
“Luckily for you though we have charged those thugs with assault of our students and staff and we have witnesses so I think we can hopefully solve this quickly,” Nelson assured Sakshi.
“Thank you sir,” she said before leaving.
“I hope this is resolved peacefully a criminal case would mean they won’t be able to complete the degree,” Sakshi thought.
She took out her phone to dial her dad she didn’t wanna inform this to Mr Cornello directly she didn’t have that much courage.
It was the next morning when Natasha was woken up she and Mathew were locked in separate cells Vijay’s father had pressured the inspector to arrest them both and even filed an assault and attempted murder charge on both of them.
“Okay you are free to go your friend is waiting for you outside,” said the cop.
She got up and left without saying anything she was more worried about what her dad would do now after all the mess she has been through.
“Oh dear are you okay?” Sakshi asked as she handed over Natasha a bottle of water and a sandwich.
She gobbled it all up gratefully.
“Did they feed you well? Did they treat you nicely? Were they mean? Was your place clean? Did you sleep well?” Sakshi bombarded Natasha with endless question’s.
“You are so thoughtful…I was starving,” Natasha said drinking the water.
“Didn’t they give you anything to eat?” Sakshi asked worried.
“They did….a dried roti but –” Natasha was tearful.
“But what?” Sakshi asked.
“Some fatty pulled it from me!” Natasha sobbed.
“Oh! Don’t worry dear your safe now! You can eat all you want,” Sakshi said patting her back as she consoled Natasha.
“Sachin what happened to him?” Natasha asked.
“His father bailed him out,” Sakshi answered.
“Oh that’s good,” Natasha was relieved.
“By the way I had to tell my dad…I am sorry it was for the best,” Sakshi said.
Natasha nervously started fidgeting.
“Don’t worry my dad will handle it, he also got you the best lawyer out there,” Sakshi tried to reassure her.
“What about Mathew?” Natasha asked suddenly.
“Well—” Sakshi hesitated.
“Tell me!” Natasha urged.
“Maybe his mom couldn’t get the money to bail him out so, he may be there for a while,” Sakshi said avoiding Natasha’s eyes.
“Does he have a lawyer?” Natasha asked and Sakshi shook her head.
“Maybe it’s best if he stays there for a while,” Sakshi said.
“Why?” Natasha asked surprised at Sakshi.
“Well you saw what he did, what if that guy had died? He is dangerous,” Sakshi said holding Natasha’s hands.
“I’ll decide that not you, besides he was trying to protect me,” Natasha said defending him.
“I won’t allow it,” Sakshi said sternly.
“Just try and stop me,” Natasha dared her.
And she rushed back into the police station.
“What now? Do you love our prison so much?” the inspector present there asked her.
“I wanna talk to Mathew?” she demanded.
“Who?” The inspector asked confused.
“The one you are holding because he can’t bail out……fat and strong?” Natasha said hoping to jog his memory.
“Oh the big guy!” he said remembering.
“Yes!” she answered frustrated.
“This way,” he said and took her to were he was being held.
“Mathew! Are you okay?” she asked concerned.
“I see you got bailed,” he said.
“Don’t worry I’ll get you out by today just hang in there,” she assured him.
She asked Sakshi if she had money to get Mathew out too but she refused. “I don’t have enough money left,” she said.
But that was only the start of Natasha’s problems.
When she went to a local ATM to get some cash she found out that both her credit card as well as bank accounts were frozen. Sakshi informed her that her dad was furious and hence froze all her finances for the time being. Sakshi was given charge to take care of Natasha’s financial needs right now which meant Natasha’s was at her friends mercy.
As for Mathew he was still languishing in prison for 3 days.
“Well guess I will be stuck here for a while,” Mathew said after she told him of her situation.
“We’ll I get the money somehow by the end of the week I promise,” she said holding his hands.
“And how will you do that?” he asked her.
“I don’t know maybe Sachin will help I think or some of the professor’s,” she said hopefully. “Here I got you something,” she said giving him a cup of noddles that was meant for herself.
“Well guess your basically broke,” he said chuckling.
“It’s not funny you don’t have to act tough in front of me,” she said feeling sorry for him.
“Alright lady, time’s up and if you cant get the money by tomorrow please don’t come here and waste our time,” said the cop who took her away.
Mathew Secret
It was afternoon when Sakshi got a call from Rahil.
“Meet me outside the college campus,” he said on the phone.
She told Natasha’s that she had some shopping to do and left as soon as she could.
Once she reached the spot Rahil drove her to a secluded construction site.
“What have you got for me?” she asked him when she finally got off his bike.
“Not what…who,” he said pointing to a tall man in a suit, he was slim and wore plenty of golden ornaments, he was standing next to a black luxury car.
“Who’s this?” she asked suspiciously.
“The names Sunil Nair,” he said but didn’t shake her hand.
“He works for Rafiq Mohammad,” said Rahil.
“Wait the—” she stopped midway not wanting to say it.
“Yes the drug lord of Mumbai,” Sunil finished her sentence.
“What does all this have to do with Mathew?” she asked feeling uneasy.
“So that’s his name now huh…...no wonder we couldn’t find him,” said Sunil cracking his knuckles.
“I brought him here to show
you just how dangerous Mathew is,” Rahil said.
“So he worked in the underworld?” she asked in a quivering voice.
“My sweet lady he was born in the underworld,” Sunil corrected her.
“What! Then his mom,” she asked him.
“Mom? bahaha!” he laughed heartily.
“It’s true he has a mom,” she insisted.
“Have you seen her?” he asked.
“No but—” she was unsure now.
“Have you seen his mom’s house?” he asked her.
“No…but he has a room,” she said.
“Of course he does, he works part time too right? Let me guess a driver?” he asked.
“How did you know?” she was surprised.
“I know everything about him I worked with him,” he said.
“Why do you think nobody bailed him out yet? Because his mom had no money…. psst...wrong because he has no mom…in fact he has no one,” he said.
“He lied to me?” she was surprised.
“Lying is daily routine for us,” he said waving his hand in the air.
“Then why did he come here to this college and ruin everyone’s life here,” she asked but she was asking herself rather than Sunil.
“Well beats me you have to ask him that,” he said.
“So tell me can you get him out for me? I need to have a chat with him,” he requested her.
“Go get him yourself!” she said angrily.
“I am a wanted man!” he told her.
She was hesitant, she didn’t like what this man might do to Mathew once he gets a hold of him, he had after all bought several men with him all wielding semi automatic guns.
“I’ll bring him to you but first I wanna know everything there is to know about him,” she said laying out her terms and conditions to Sunil.
“Why do you wanna even know? He is a criminal just like us,” he said pointing to his boys behind.
“Still we knew each other I consider him my….friend,” she said.
Sunil burst into laughter hearing that.
“He surely has very strange friends,” he said finally.
“Who is he?” she asked.
“He is….no he was Rafiq’s heir until he betrayed us,” he said.
“Go on,” she urged him.
“As you can see my boss gave him some of the best training in martial arts and he was a cage fighter too he went by the name of viper……he never lost a single fight since he was 16,” he informed her.
“Wait 16?” she asked again in disbelief.
“Yep you see he got adopted by my boss from the streets when he was just 8,” he clarified.
“They called him the viper cause of the speed at which he dismantled his opponents….ah you should have seen him back then just a teen taking out grown-ups twice his size, what a site to behold,” he said reminiscing.
“I made a lot of money betting on him cause no one took him seriously,” he continued.
“Were those fights illegal,” she asked not sure how to frame that question.
“Oh not just illegal my love, to the death….. to the death,” he said.
Sakshi was shocked “No wonder he fought like that,” she thought.
“Did he graduate?” she asked him next.
“Of course he did, my boss gave him the best education he even studied in the US for 3 years,” he answered.
“So how come he ended up here what happened?” she asked confused.
At that he made a face of disgust.
“He didn’t appreciate what we did for him those 3 years in the US made his soft, told my boss he wanted a different life….said he wanted to become an engineer,” he cracked his knuckles again. “An engineer, a bloody engineer…bah!!” he lampooned.
“My boss didn’t give him a life to pursue his own dreams, he had a duty to succeed my boss and he refused to accept that,” he said fuming.
“We sent our boys there to beat some sense into him, instead he sent them home in body bags killed them all with his bare hands,” he explained.
Sakshi heart leapt at that.
“He is a wanted man in the US maybe that’s why he came here and we idiots were searching him there…..that fucker was hiding at our doorstep all along,” he banged his car with his fist in anger.
“But you know what pisses me off even more?” he asked Sakshi.
“N….no,” she stuttered.
“Even after all he did my boss still thinks he’ll come back, he should have put a bullet in his head instead bang!” he made pistol with his fingers and pointed it to Sakshi as he said so.
“Maybe he still loves him as a son,” she said in a thin voice half sweating.
“That’s his problem and that’s why I am here, now I told ya all you need to know so….. bring him to me you got 3 days, you can call this number,” he said flipping a piece of paper at her and then got into the car.
“W…..wait,” she tried to stop him but he left anyway.
“So he is an orphan,” Rahil said after Sunil and his boys left.
“Crap I am so screwed!” Sakshi thought picking the piece of paper.
Desperate Times
Natasha’s was waiting at the basketball court.
“How did it end up like this?” she thought sitting at the steps watching the boys play Sachin was among them.
“You fool you have no pride?” said a voice inside her head and it sounded like Sakshi’s.
“What other choice do I have he is my only hope,” she answered in her head.
Sachin noticed her and came by.
“Look I am not doing it,” he said before she could say anything.
“But you haven’t even heard me yet” she said.
“It’s about Mathew right?” he asked and she nodded. “Since you like him so much bail him out yourself,” he suggested.
“But….my dad froze all my accounts” she informed him.
“Wow! I didn’t know you were that poor…. I mean I thought you were a middle class girl, anyway you don’t need to lie,” assuming she was lying.
Natasha’s was boiling under her skin but kept a decent face.
“Look I know we are not on good terms but—” she tried to reason.
“Never,” he said before she could finish and left.
Natasha’s tried to convince Sakshi one last time but she was now even more determined than ever in her resolve of not helping Mathew. She was also distracted now, busy thinking deeply whenever she had a chance.
The next day Sachin gave Mathew a visit to the prison.
“Natasha’s very worried about you,” he informed Mathew.
“What do you want,” he asked Sachin plainly.
“Nothing just came to see you rot in prison,” he said. “Guess you two finally got separated,” Sachin said smiling in satisfaction.
“I saved your ass in case you have forgotten,” Mathew reminded him.
“Oh my bad! Am I suppose to thank you?” he asked Mathew.
“Thank Natasha…she begged me to save you,” he told Sachin.
Sachin remained silent.
“Even after you threw her away like trash she still cares for you,” Mathew continued.
“If she wants to be my girlfriend then she should learn to differentiate between a friend and a boyfriend,” Sachin said.
“Well….you can’t exactly blame her,” Mathew said.
“For gods sake she treats us both the same,” Sachin said fuming.
“Well I agree with you for once,” Mathew said grudgingly.
“Maybe I should have simply been her friend like you, at least she would give me a hug once in a while…..Ah I am so jealous of you!” Sachin said frustrated.
“Don’t be an idiot!” he told Sachin.
“Why not? I mean she even shows you more affection than me,” Sachin continued.
“She put her life at risk just to save your sorry ass! Is that not enough affection for you?” Mathew said getting angry. “How many girls h
ave you met who would put themselves at such risks for you? Hmm?” Mathew asked him.
“She almost got raped because of you, don’t you feel even a little bit disgusted with yourself?” Mathew asked him.
“You couldn’t even protect her,” said the voice in Sachin’s head and he hated himself for that.
“She loves you more than you would care to admit and you know it,” Mathew pointed out.
“You got saved by a girl and him, how pathetic,” the voice inside Sachin said.
“Tell me,” he finally asked Sachin “you still love her too am I right?”
“I still care for her,” Sachin admitted.
“Of course you do, don’t do something that you will regret someday like I did because there’s no turning back after that,” Mathew advised him.
“Guess you did the same mistake I did,” Sachin said.
“Something like that,” Mathew responded.
“Look she may be clueless sometimes but her feelings are sincere,” Mathew continued.
“How do you know?” Sachin asked.
“I’ve seen her cry that day after you dumped her,” Mathew informed him.
“Heard she cried on your shoulders must have felt nice,” Sachin mocked him.
“I felt bitter,” Mathew said.
“What Seriously? Why?” Sachin asked amused.
“I couldn’t do anything for her that day I couldn’t fill the void in her heart,” Mathew admitted.
“Wait you—” Sachin was shocked.
“Do I need to tell?” Mathew asked.
Sachin smiled “We’ll I’ll make sure she never finds out,” he said as he left.
Public Contribution
Natasha was sitting in the library looking depressed she found the silence of the college library prefect place to contemplate.
“Hi!” said a boy sitting next to her.
“Do I know you?” she asked blankly.
“Ah You forgot me already!” he shouted in panic.
She just starred at him.
“Its me Rithesh!” he said trying to remind her “Science project?” he added some more detail.
“Oh,” she said looking drained and she placed her chin on the table and once again went into dream mode.
“Are you okay?” he asked looking concerned.
“Am I?” she asked him.