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Dev was engulfed by a turbulent sea of remorse, guilt, and distress, his emotions swirling like an uproar within. He found himself unable to express the turbulent events of the past, shackled by the weight of his mother's disapproval. The vice-principal's relentless campaign to stoke his mother's wrath and satisfy her wounded ego left Dev feeling utterly helpless, trapped in a web of consequences he could scarcely comprehend.

After getting her shifted to the particular Gynaecology ward, with proper doctors operating on her, all the family members as well as Mrs. Sarita were outside the room, waiting for the wellness of Arvika when something drastic and life-changing was announced by none other than Arvika's stepfather.

"Arvika will be sent to some boarding school as well," Mr. Srivastav had announced, opening his mouth for the first time after their arrival here in Ooty.

Dev felt the weight of despair pressing down on him, crushing the last glimmers of hope he held dear. Like a ship lost at sea, he found himself adrift in a vast expanse of emptiness, where the promise of a future with his beloved had vanished into the abyss of nothingness.

Love is truly a struggle, it is full of pain, suffering, and a lot of other deep emotions which couldn't be understood unless you've lived through it.

"Mrs. Kapoor, I am going to leave for the resort, even we need to cancel our trip because of such awful circumstances, but once we are in Mumbai, meet me once with Dev and Arvika in principal ma'am's office, we need to discuss many things," and finally the middle-aged lady left the chair on which she was relaxing, after getting a call from Mr. Abhinav, her co-teacher regarding their travel back to Mumbai. For sure she was a teacher but she hadn't a heart to feel for the pain of her students and their tragic lives.

Teachers like her were just teaching to sustain their lives and fill their tummies, and currently seeing the scenario of the Indian education system, such a good number of teachers like her are in abundance now, for whom teaching is a way for making money rather than building children's career.

"Finally, she's gone," Kamaljit murmured under his breath, approaching his son who was standing with his head bowed, eyes heavy with unshed tears, fixated on the ground below. The Kapoor and Srivastav families occupied chairs a few feet from Arvika's ward, while Dev and Sakshi remained standing, their faces etched with distress and anxiety, consumed by worry for Arvika and her fragile state.

They were unaware of the extent to which Mrs. Sarita had poisoned their parents' minds against them, but it was evident that she had spared no effort in seeking retribution against Dev.

"Son, don't worry, everything will be fine," Kamaljit whispered while taking his son into his arms, trying to soothe his sixteen-year-old son who was more like a best friend to him.

"Dad, I am sorry for whatever you have to face today, but my intentions were not wrong, please understand," in the solace of his father's embrace, Dev had broken down completely, venting down all his pent up emotions that he had not showcased in front of his teacher.

"Hush now, son, everything will be alright. And, I trust you," Kamaljit whispered soothingly, cradling his sobbing son in his arms.

Boys rarely cry and boy as ferocious and tough-shell as Dev was crying now, over a girl. Truly love could change a person, it could take out the rawest of emotions of a person that he had hidden from all since time immemorial.

"I don't want to lose her, Dad, I don't want her to be away from me," Dev's Adam's apple bobbed up and down, while tears didn't stop its voyage down his cheeks.

"Dev," witnessing her son's distressing state, Devika approached him and enveloped him in her arms. She gently ruffled his hair, a gesture that usually brought him comfort. However, today was different. Today, there was no ordinary stress to soothe, but rather a daunting crisis looming over him, challenging him to fight for his love.

"Maa," a broken man is the deadliest combination of being wounded as well as lethal, which Dev had become now.

"Maa, she'll be taken away from me, please don't send me to boarding school, also talk to her parents about canceling their plans for sending her to boarding school, please," with desperation and a stabbing pain inside his chest, Dev put out his words in front of his mother, begging her nearly for his Arvika.

"Dev, that's their personal decision, son. I'm afraid there's little I can do," Devika attempted to reason with her wounded son, whose anguish mirrored that of a destitute beggar pleading for the love of his life.

"Ma, please, can't you at least try? If not, then let me speak with them directly," Dev implored, breaking free from the embrace and turning to face his mother. Arvika's family sat nearby, Sakshi at their side, attempting to engage the younger siblings in a futile distraction from the grim reality of Arvika's precarious condition, her blood loss yet unknown to the innocent children.

"You love her, son?" Devika asked her son in a low voice, observing how he had been crying, his eyes showing the unbearable pain which she had never seen in her lively son ever.

Muted, Dev merely nodded in response to his mother's inquiry, his gaze fixed downwards, silently pleading with the heavens to spare his beloved from being snatched away from him.

"Are you sure, son?" this time his father held his hand and asked in a solemn tone, not believing the truth that his son had just now agreed upon to.

"Yes, I love her," Dev confessed, his eyes reddened and swollen, yet filled with an indescribable intensity.

"Mrs. Sarita painted a completely different picture for us! She claimed you kissed your own sister's best friend on a dare from your friend, Ashish. But now it's all starting to make sense. What really happened, Dev?" Kamaljit ushered Dev to a nearby bench, drawing him closer to hear the truth behind the scandal. Devika joined them, settling beside her son, ready to hear the genuine account that led to Dev's unexpected actions with Arvika.

Having such parents was no less than a blessing otherwise he'd have been already thrashed a lot if it were some other parents, but unlike other parents, his parents were open-minded and more than being his parents, they were his best friends, on whom he could always rely upon.

After explaining all the things that had happened yesterday night as well in the morning, Dev finally looked at his parents who were mirroring the same expressions as him, remorse, infliction, and guilt.

"I didn't know my son turned this mature to save some girl's dignity like this, its unbelievable, son," out of sudden respect for Dev, Kamaljit hugged his son tightly, feeling proud for being the father of a brave son who didn't think twice to help his love.

"But Dev, whatever you did, it was wrong although your intentions were right you shouldn't have kissed her like that, she's just a kid, Dev, she's too small to understand your love or attraction whatever you call it," Devika touched her son's cheek, trying to explain him deliberately of the complicated emotions of love and pain in which her son had gotten involved with.

"But, mom, I just wanted to save her from their eyes, and my mind could only think of this as Ashish's words were still ringing in my ears, that's why I did something as gruesome as this," with his head bowed down in shame, Dev cried out, his eyes were now streaming with big fat tears of pain and remorse, again.

"I am sorry for slapping you like that, Dev, I misunderstood you, I have faith on you that my son could never do such things out of some bet or challenge but even I was forced to do that, your teacher had spoken a lot about your deeds today, that woman has seriously gotten behind you, teachers these days cannot tolerate ego-clash," Devika had her eyes glossy with her tears, feeling guilty of the slaps she had gifted to her son without even hearing his side of the story, out of the invoking words she had got from Mrs. Sarita and her big mouth.

"But what's done is done, we should focus on our present, right?" Kamaljit was not liking the way how everything had turned so awful and nasty.

Once Kamaljit was informed, Mr. Srivastav left with his children to the canteen, their hunger driving them away. Arvika's mother remained seated, her gaze fixed on the door, her thoughts consumed by worry. Sakshi lingered beside her, offering silent support.

"So, we're not being sent to different boarding schools, are we?" Dev inquired hopefully, turning to his mother for reassurance.

"Can you see her mother's state? How shocked she is! All the way she had been too quiet, I don't know what has happened with her, but she's too shocked by what happened today with her daughter. With good intentions, you did something grave, son. It's a very dishonorable thing for a girl as young as Arvika," Devika didn't want her son to study in some boarding school or something like that but what he did today, she was very sure that her son and Arvika couldn't study in the same school, one had to go, they were too young for all these 'lovey-dovey' things, and especially when Dev's love was one-sided which she had got to know after hearing the revelation from Dev.

They needed to be apart until they reached the right age!

"Ma, I'm sorry, but please don't send me to boarding school," Dev pleaded earnestly.

"Your mother only mentioned that to comply with your strict teacher's directive, Dev. She isn't actually planning any of this," Kamaljit reassured his son with a serious tone, his gaze fixed on Dev, unaware of his wife's true intentions.

"No, Kamaljit. He too will study in a boarding school, this school is not going to accept him, so some other school, so why not a boarding one," Devika declared shocking her son as well as her husband. So, whatever she had said earlier was true!

The idea of being sent to separate boarding schools from Arvika, and not just any boarding schools, but different ones, was like a dagger to Dev's heart. The thought of being torn apart from the one he loved most filled him with profound anguish and sorrow. It was a prospect so painful and excruciating that he could scarcely bear to contemplate it. The mere notion of their separation gnawed at his soul, leaving him feeling utterly lost and alone.

"Devika, he's a kid too, he is bound to make mistakes, he too committed one. But now we cannot change the past, can we? Please now no more discussions on this topic, please," Kamaljit pulled his son into his embrace, not wanting to see his tears anymore. He was too optimistic and supporting for his son who meant the world to him.

Dev released himself from the embrace and turned to his mother, his eyes filled with pleading desperation.

"I don't want to go there, Mama, please, don't separate me from her," putting his head in the lap of his mother, Dev cried like a baby, pleading her again and again.

"I will change my decision when you'll promise me one thing," Devika had a serious tone now, facing her son who had fallen deeply in love with a juvenile, being a juvenile himself.

"What is it, Ma?" Dev responded cautiously, sensing that his mother's request might entail a significant and possibly difficult decision on his part.

"You won't be in contact with Arvika anymore," for the well-being of Arvika as well as her son, Devika finally spoke out, leaving Dev completely disconcerted and mystified!

****

Following their return to Mumbai, Arvika and the others carried with them the haunting memories of Ooty. However, the aftermath of that fateful day ushered in a period of profound change. Dev, once outgoing and vibrant, withdrew into a silence that unnerved those around him. Similarly, Arvika retreated into her own solitude, severing communication with others and retreating into the confines of her room, as though imprisoned by her memories.

Not only the scandalous kiss, but her red-tainted pants too had also gone viral on the internet, flooding the feeds on all the social media platforms, which was recorded by a student of St. Xavier's along with the slap which Arvika had given to Dev, unknowingly making them too famous which they ever wanted to be. Fortunately, their faces were not captured clearly, only a blurry outline of their faces could be seen, otherwise, its repercussions would have been catastrophic.

But everything had been handled by none other than Kamaljit who had lodged an FIR against the person who was behind all these scandals. A boy of merely fifteen had shot their video for fun and uploaded it on several social media platforms, to gain lots of followers and likes on it, unconsciously inviting his death. Because of that boy's father's friendship with Kamaljit, he was left, otherwise, Kamaljit had decided to take him in the court and punish him for degrading his son's as well as his daughter-like Arvika's image on social media.

Arvika remained unaware of these developments as she lacked access to a mobile phone and her parents were not helpful in their communication. Additionally, she had no desire to open her laptop. 

These days, Sakshi too had tried to call her for the umpteenth time but Arvika had always declined to talk with her overcall. She felt betrayed and cheated on whatever happened with her. Arvika had even declined to meet Sakshi when she had come to her house. Their friendship too was gone along with Arvika's trust in people.

Arvika's only routine was to wake up, eat, gaze down from her balcony, sleep, eat, sleep and repeat, this incident had pushed her towards the edge of getting into depression which she was trudging over day-by-day.

Her diary had been her only companion in all this loneliness in which she had written each of her memories down the lane of whatever had happened and how weak she had become in these days.

~

"26th November 2015
9:50 pm

"Hello, dear diary",

Welcome back to my hell! What to say, what not to say, I don't know anything.

Remember the colour Pink? The hated colour of Sakshi? 

Even I hate Pink because it is the colour of those nasty Pigs. 

I hate that Pig!

I should've maintained my distance from that person, no, he's a pig. He took away my first kiss, he took away my dignity in front of the whole school, I hate him so much. I shouldn't have taken his help; he was bad news.

Just after returning from Ooty, my mother had thrashed me, badmouthing me for being such a bad girl, with no fault of mine, I hate her so much.

What was my fault, diary? That pig had kissed me, I hadn't even gone near him, then why everyone is blaming me? Why diary? My stepfather too had called me with dirty names, calling me a disgrace.

Why being a girl is so difficult, diary? Why didn't you make me a boy, God? Then no stain would've been there and no Dev behind my back unless he was a third-type of gender! God, what am I even talking!

Why you gave me such a mother who couldn't even tender her daughter when she was in her worst state? Why, God, why?

Now, they have already planned to send me to some boarding school, I don't know where! This is my last day in Mumbai, I don't know where I'll be tomorrow, dairy.

But life had become too difficult, diary. The amount of mother's bad words had affected me a lot, I couldn't even make myself to face her.

But in all this, one good thing is that finally, I'll be living away from these people. They had pained me so much, God! Promise me that you'll give them punishments for doing all this to me. I know I shouldn't cry like a cry-baby but all this is too much for me, diary.

Please bring a new sunrise in my new life. Please.

Yours sadly,

Arvika"

~

Having poured her emotional turmoil onto the pages of her diary, Arvika carefully stowed it away in its secret spot within her laptop bag. All her belongings were already packed in anticipation of their departure the following day, the destination of which remained unknown to her, known only to her stepfather and mother.

As she made her way to her bed, Arvika couldn't shake the feeling that this would be her final night in Mumbai. 'This is the last night of my stay here in Mumbai'. 

Unknown to her, someone else too was present inside her room, looking at her intently with his sharp eyes.

After putting off her Mickey Mouse slippers, she got on her bed and put the duvet till her chin and closed her eyes, still unaware of the intruder.

"Wherever you'll go Arvika, I'll always follow you," Dev whispered to himself, looking at her lovingly, hiding behind the thick curtains of her room.

Unable to resist the urge to see Arvika one last time, Dev had found himself drawn to her room. However, fearing her potential reaction, he had opted to hide behind the curtains of her windows, silently observing her without revealing his presence.

In just one day, everything had shifted drastically. It was determined that Dev would not be sent to any boarding school, but Arvika, on the other hand, was destined for one. And not just any boarding school, but a girls' boarding school, where she'd be strictly prohibited from any interaction with boys, as dictated by her so-called parents. 

Dev had turned too silent after all this, not knowing exactly what to do, as he was clueless how to convince Arvika's parents as they were too stubborn, they didn't even hear his father, forget about him. For the last time, he wanted to meet her and apologize to her for whatever happened in the past, although he had already planned that he'd go to meet her occasionally to the place wherever she was going to study.

He struggled to contain his emotions, resisting the urge to confront Arvika's stubborn parents. Their determination to separate him from his love perplexed him, leaving him feeling helpless. Despite the possibility of Arvika joining a school in Mumbai, their plans to send her away were already set in motion. As he observed her restless form on the bed, unable to sleep, his heart ached with the knowledge of their impending separation.

'How badly I want to hug you and sing a lullaby to you, only I know,' pain of separation and desperation for her was evident in his glossy eyes, looking at his love for the last time for who knows what's going to happen tomorrow.

But suddenly his all plan of gazing at her washed down the drain as his phone started to ring, making him curse under his breath. Arvika got shocked and feared when she heard the unknown ringtone which was coming from near the window, who stood there, a thief or what, her subconscious mind started raising questions, terrorizing her more and more of the fear of a thief or worse a serial killer, who knows.

"Damn," Dev's curse echoed slightly louder than intended, inadvertently announcing his bold yet unapproved presence to Arvika. Stepping out from behind the protective veil of curtains, he stood before her, a declaration of his unyielding resolve.

Arvika was taken aback, to say the least.

Since the scandalous incident of their kiss, this was the first time they had laid eyes on each other. Though Dev had stolen glances at her moments earlier as she lay on her bed, she was unaware until now.

Arvika was tongue-tied, she couldn't form a sentence, looking at her biggest nightmare with her eyes as big as saucers, with her mouth agape again. Whereas Dev had a completely different demeanor, he had a beautiful smile adorning his lips, looking at his love after so many days.

Truly, they were the opposite. One loved the other like anything which the other reciprocated with their hatred!

"I came to know that you are going to your new boarding school, tomorrow, so, I came to greet you good luck with your new life, also I wanted....hey, don't shout, no," before Dev could finish his sentence, Arvika prepared to call out for her mother, but her mouth was swiftly silenced by Dev's hand. He leapt onto her bed, causing Arvika to tumble backwards with him looming over her, his palm covering her mouth to stifle any attempts to summon her parents futilely. As they gazed into each other's eyes, a surge of emotions swept over them, causing their heartbeats to quicken in unison. With every passing moment, the tension between them intensified, igniting a spark that neither could deny.

"Sssh, don't shout, be quiet, ouch," Dev growled softly, feeling an angry bite from Arvika. His fiesty tigress! Despite the unexpected bite, he couldn't help but smile, finding her adorable even in her feisty defiance. Unable to articulate her thoughts, she expressed herself in her own unique way, and Dev couldn't help but find it endearing. With an affectionate gaze, he admired her spirit, even as she shot him a fierce glare.

"Look, I know what I did was wrong, but I wanted to save you..." he was interrupted again, but this time not by Arvika but her parents who were horrified, seeing their daughter hovered over by the same boy who had dared to kiss their daughter in front of the whole school. Arvika's weird actions and eyes movement had finally alerted him and he immediately moved away from her, now glaring at Mr. Srivastav for breaking his moment that he was having with his love.

"Mother, he came here, and then when I wanted to call for help, he....." Arvika was cut-off with a tight slap on her cheek by none other than her mother, who was glowering at her scornfully.

"You called this guy? Didn't you?" and here started another blame-game.

"No mother, I didn't call him, please trust me," Arvika kept begging but the accusation in her mother's eyes didn't reduce a bit.

"We raised such a characterless girl like her, I cannot believe that," this time Arvika's father spoke against her, looking at his stepdaughter in disgust while Arvika looked back at him, getting completely hurt and despaired by his statement, how could he speak something like this against her.

"Wow, you guys deserve the award for being the worst parents ever," the clapping got everyone's attention, looking at the person who was the reason behind all this drama that was taking place, again.

"How can you not trust your daughter? And Mrs. Srivastav before leaving your hands on anyone, think twice about it because if you wouldn't have been her mother, don't know what I'd have done to you," Dev bellowed in a furious tone with his eyes blazing pure anger and wrath.

"See young man, it's our family matter, you don't have to be involved in this, so kindly go to your house, before I call your father about your intrusion into our daughter's room," Mr. Srivastav was too calm and composed while dealing with Dev, who had his eyes fixed on his wife, looking at her in rage and fury. How dare she hurt his love and that too in front of him! How dare she!

"Mr. Srivastav, you don't have to teach me about morals and values of what to do and what not to do when you have a long list of the illegal lump sum of money in your name," now Dev had the upper hand in this verbal fight, with a smirk playing on his lips, he stood there confidently with his hands folded against his chest.

Mr. Srivastav's voice quivered as he spoke, alarmed by the implication of Dev's words. "What are you talking about?"

"You already know what I am talking about," Dev retorted firmly.

"It's for the best that you're going to boarding school, Arvika. The farther away you are from these toxic influences, the better," Dev concluded, his gaze fixed unwaveringly on the Srivastav couple. One avoided eye contact, while the other directed a stern glare at their daughter.

"Don't do anything bad to her which you'll regret later," Dev whispered in Mr. Srivastav's ears and finally turned towards his girl who was looking at the ground now, feeling awful and hopeless like she had felt that day when her dignity was disrobed in front of the whole school.

"Good luck and have a better life there, Arvika, study well and make me proud," Dev captured his girl in his eyes, looking at her for the last time with a drop of tear in his own, not wanting to face this farewell which he was hating so much right now, making him emotional and touchy like never before as this was the last adieu he was bidding to his love for who knows when they would be meeting again, for who knows when their path will collide again and for who knows when he would see her again.

His budding one-sided love story, which had begun only a few days prior, now seemed to be fading away, leaving behind mere dots behind it. 

Arvika too felt a sudden feeling of belongingness and being cared about when Dev had spoken the last sentence, his voice too had trembled which she had noted. Maybe he was crying too, she was doubtful. Somehow, he had grabbed her attention, that's why she had listened to each of his words, carefully.

And like a gust of wind, he swiftly departed from her room, leaping from her balcony directly onto the grass below, leaving them all in a state of disarray and agitation.

Mr. Srivastav and his wife were left unsettled by the truth that Dev now held against them.

While Arvika of the kiss that Dev had planted on both her cheeks.

****

"Hey, you there, new girl?" A brash voice snapped Arvika out of her daze as she sat on her newly assigned bed in the boarding school she had joined earlier that morning. Thankfully, her room was only for two, as she wasn't particularly social and preferred the quiet.

Arvika looked up, fear evident in her expression, as she nodded at the tough-looking girl whose name still unknown to her. Alongside her stood a few other girls, clearly followers of the brash one.

"Now, arrangement for our entertainment today has been done, girls, tell her the rules already," the bossy girl was now relaxing on the previously-occupied seat of Arvika, eyeing her up and down with her scrutinizing gaze.

"Let your hair down and put on this Monkey costume. It's time to dance and entertain our Misha," one of the fans declared, thrusting the brown-coloured costume towards Arvika, startling her.

"I will not do anything of that sort" Arvika retorted firmly, her confidence unwavering despite the girls' attempts to boss her around.

"To enjoy a peaceful stay here at St. Michael's, you've got to follow Misha's rules, darling," the gang leader declared, rising from her seat and gesturing arrogantly towards Arvika, whose long braided tresses she casually touched.

"I don't know how to do such useless dance forms," Arvika tried to maintain her calm composure, she wasn't going to fall on their feet, she had to be strong and confident otherwise weaker would only get more suppressed, not the other way around.

"Naina, get on with it already," Misha, the gang leader, interjected with a bored sigh, eager for the entertainment Arvika's initiation promised.

"I'll chop off your locks," Naina, Misha's second-in-command, threatened Arvika, but a subtle smile lingered on Arvika's lips, undeterred by the threat.

"Do me," her confident smile caught them off-guard, how the hell was she not feared of them!

Arvika's initial fear had given way to a newfound courage. She understood that in this daunting place, she had to be her own hero. No one else would come to her rescue in this inferno; she alone had to fight the demons.

Misha, the gang leader, tried to assert the tradition of St. Michael's, but Arvika's unwavering confidence left her puzzled.

"If it's a tradition, shouldn't it start with our ancestors? By that logic, you should lead the way, shouldn't you?" Arvika's sharp retort silenced them all, rendering them speechless in the face of her wit and logic.

"Wow! You have a big mouth, you are going to be in our good list, if you know what I mean," with a smirk and wink, at last, finally, Misha with her bitches left Arvika's room, not wanting to indulge in a losing verbal fight with her anymore.

As soon as the daunting group departed, a new figure entered the room, her expression a mix of horror and trepidation.

"Um, excuse me, what was happening here?" the newcomer inquired, her voice tinged with apprehension but softened with a hesitant smile.

Arvika returned the smile, her demeanour welcoming. "Oh, nothing much, just some... getting-to-know-each-other," she replied casually. "I'm Arvika, by the way. And you?"

The girl's face lit up with relief. "Oh, thank goodness! I thought it was something else. I'm Kavya. So, are we friends now?" she asked, extending a hand in friendship.

~**•°•**~

5050 words!

Phew!

It took me nearly seven hours to just write it down and another one for proofreading! Please don't forget to cast your vote and of course, your priceless comments.

And thank you so much guys for your support! You deserved a long update!❤❤❤❤

Also, this was the last chapter of Arvika's and Dev's school phase, from the next chapters, their college will start!

Till then, take care!