26th Feb, 2017

May peace be upon you, beautiful people! <3 It's been a month but it feels like a year. Thank you for waiting patiently for a new update and some of you even made dua' for me which is such a sweet gesture. <3 Unlike those times in my previous books where I used to update weekly, and sometimes even once in three days, the same isn't possible these days, so this is all I have to offer! 

Besides, shoutout to all the lovely people who have been nominating me time and again for various awards that Wattpad and some people host. Your love and generosity is definitely not ignored, in fact, it is deeply appreciated and adored, alhamdulilah! :')

Now, with the chapter... Happy reading! Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. (As I write this, it makes me realize all the more just how much I've missed you all. I really need to update more often, in sha Allah ;)

"And I will mislead them, and I will arouse in them [sinful] desires, and I will command them so they will slit the ears of cattle, and I will command them so they will change the creation of Allah." And whoever takes Satan as an ally instead of Allah has certainly sustained a clear loss. 

Satan promises them and arouses desire in them. But Satan does not promise them except delusion. The refuge of those will be Hell, and they will not find from it an escape.But the ones who believe and do righteous deeds - We will admit them to gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever. [It is] the promise of Allah , [which is] truth, and who is more truthful than Allah in statement."

[Surah Nisa]

Chapter 17: 

The World is Full of Fools

"Never have I ever been late to class."

Multiple groans emerged from the students as most of them took a sip of their juice.

On the suggestion of their Professor, the entire class was having a bonding session in the campus, out in the open, under the sky and amidst the trees. The were playing the 'Never have I ever' game which was was fun, simple and interesting. 

In brief, it required the group to be seated in a circle, each holding a filled glass. One person would state something they had never done before and if the others had done it at some point in life, they were required to take a sip of their drink. In the end, the person who still had some juice left among his counterparts with empty glasses was declared the winner.

Now, as Anabya took a sip, she couldn't help but think about the stark contrast that existed between the guy who stated the above fact about himself and her.

He had never been late to class and Anabya? Well let's just say she had been late so many times that forget sipping, she could empty the entire glass if you calculated the total number of times she had arrived after time.

Punctuality wasn't her greatest strength and she was seriously thinking of doing something about it. That last minute adrenaline rush and stress was just too much to take!

"Never have I ever finished a book I started!"

This time, she was proud to take the next sip. She loved reading, and if she found a book of her taste, then the social world could might as well bid her goodbye for days. Of course she wouldn't continue reading if a book didn't excite her senses, but for the most part, she finished the books she lay her hands on.

"Never have I ever failed an exam," the topper of the class stated, and Anabya smiled.

Once. She had failed one test paper in fifth grade with 95% of the class when they had a psychotic in a teachers facade, who took pleasure in reducing marks for absolutely no reason.

That, plus, for Anabya, the regional language was a tough nut to crack. The alphabets looked like henna designs, and she couldn't understand the language no matter how much she tried. She had failed the mid terms but managed to barely scrape through the finals, so it was quite alright.

The game went on, a number of interesting facts being shared and a few students were even eliminated from the circle, for their glasses were empty by now.

"Never have I ever lost a single bet."

"Never have I ever been arrested."

"Never have I ever got high after drinking."

"Never have I ever lost a fight."

"Never have I ever repeated my accessories."

"Never have I ever traveled in the local bus."

"Never have I ever met with an accident."

"Never have I ever been dumped by a guy."

With each statement, some left the circle while the other were seated still. Only a quarter of her drink was now left and if the girl sitting beside her said something she had done, then it didn't look like she'd even get her chance.

She looked closely as the blue haired girl, who was extremely famous in class for her reputation as the girl who was bold, lived life to the fullest, didn't give a penny for what others thought, said,

"Never have I ever been in love."

Anabya was just about to bring the glass to her lips, for it had almost become a routine by now, when she stopped.

Well....

In the whole of her life, she too had never fallen in love.

She had never been in love.

And so, confidently, her fingers stilled, not moving an inch.

As most of the students took a sip, some sporting giddy smiles probably thinking of their lovers while others chugged down their silent tales of heartbreak, Samantha, the blue haired girl sitting beside Bee, asked,

"Never been in love, huh?"

"Never," Bee smiled.

"Do you intend to?" Samantha pried.

"That's a funny question."

"I'm curious to know," she shrugged.

"I don't intend to," Anabya stated.

"Good. Boys are a waste of time anyway. Who would want to willingly give their freedom in the hands of chauvinist males that juggle with it? Singles rule! I don't want someone holding doors for me, or hoping to lend their shoulders for me to cry on. Thank you very much, I have well functioning limbs and mind to take care of things."

"Feminist, huh?" Anabya grinned.

"A staunch one at that!" Samantha winked.

The girl sitting beside Samantha, who had taken a sip of her drink and was listening to the hate love talk, looked at them with amusement.

Not one to keep her opinions to herself, she leaned towards them and started, "While that's some perfect planning to not fall in love, there's a tiny problem."

"Enlighten me, please," Samantha replied, her request dripping of self assurance that whatever it is, she already didn't believe in it.

"No one intends to fall in love, it just happens."

"We shall see that. And hopefully, that'll be never," she replied confidently.

"Why not?"

"Like I said, I don't need someone in life who despises my presence. In a hypothetical sense, even if he does lose his mind and falls in love with me, all men are either jerks, over protective specimens or deviating idiots who can never be satisfied. I'm better off without them. If you believe you need no man's love, you will repel them. Simple."

"You agree to her views?" Ruby asked Anabya, who had been a mute spectator so far.

"Not entirely," Bee replied. "I don't repel the concept of love so strongly, neither am I up for it. I don't classify all boys as mindless idiots, neither do I want to fall in love with one. So, I guess we'll just have to see."

"Your views are easier to digest than hers," Ruby sighed in relief. "Talk to Samantha for a minute and you'll start to imagine, enjoy even, the concept of a world without guys. Breaking news, it doesn't work like that."

"I don't apologize for my views, like I said, boys are-"

"Boys are a waste of time, we get it," Ruby finished, rolling her eyes.

"That was one interesting conversation," Anabya smiled, eyeing the two.

She looked at the Professor and only when she found him looking at her, just like the rest of the class that had finished their chat, she realized it was her turn.

"Oh!" She exclaimed and with a mischievous glint in her eyes, she started, "Never have I ever lost a football match."

Let's just say, as almost all her classmates sipped from their drinks, they realized this cute little hijabi was a feisty one!

The rest of the day, Anabya felt more than a few curious glances cast her way. She kind of didn't understand why it was such a big deal considering this was even before her degree years. Then again, for someone who kept to herself in class, hardly participated in stuff that was done just for pleasure, this was a bomb of a news!

Needless to say, it was an interesting day at college, just like the past two months had been.

She was thoroughly enjoying her classes, well, most of them, and it was such a smooth and happy flow. The number of assignments had reduced, apart from the internals they had, the finals were still a few weeks away and the home works they were allotted was mostly fun research work. She had even met all her cousins last week over dinner and it had served as a refreshing family bonding session.

And the cherry on the cake - Shamaaz stayed away from her.

Her brother was a superhero. She didn't know what he told Shamaaz, but whatever it was, it had done the trick. He never bothered her since then. They hadn't exchanged a single word with each other the two times they crossed paths in the apartment. During her visits to the park with Sulaiman, he'd never look at her from where he was playing cricket. The few times she went over to Tanzila's house, he was either not present or he'd stay in his room. She occasionally saw him in campus with Mariam, but they ignored each other.

Completely and irrevocably.

Needless to say, now that Shamaaz had found the self respect Anabya didn't know he was capable of possessing, life was going great. 

That day, as Anabya was putting her books aside as the bell announced the end of working hours, she was interrupted by Ruby.

"Hey do we have class tomorrow?"

It took her a moment to realize she was being addressed to.

"We don't have class?" Anabya asked, her heart doing somersaults at the prospect of a holiday.

"Never mind, you're just as clueless as me."

"Okay..." Anabya trailed off, as she saw Ruby ask a guy.

"Varun, do we have class tomorrow?"

"Yes and no."

"There's either yes or no," Ruby stated. "You need to refresh your knowledge of conjunctions."

"I repeat, yes and no."

"Care to elaborate?"

"Tomorrow's the fest, babe!" He winked. "Which means, we won't have lectures per se, but we gotta go every hour to give attendance, which also means we're bound to stay in campus."

"Oh, I should have guessed," Ruby said, her bubble gum lips forming an "o".

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but you need brains to do as little as guess," he teased and even before she could reply, he was out in lightning speed.

"With guys like these, I totally understand why Samantha imagines a world free of them," she muttered to herself, and Anabya couldn't help but grin as she walked out.

***

The next day when she stepped into college, she had to do not just double, but a triple take. Her campus looked nothing like it was before.

The past days, she had seen the Decor team work tirelessly and put up some decorations here and there, but now that it was complete, she had to give it up to them for their stupendous job. It was beautiful, a festive feel lingering in the atmosphere.

But there was only one problem.

There were guys, lots and lots of them. More than she normally saw on campus.

And everyone was so dressed up, as if they hadn't come to campus but instead a night club. Which it had become, in a way. In her previous college, although they had fests, it was not to this level, which justified her slight surprise.

With music blasting and a dance group dancing on its tune on the stage, among the multitude of audience cheering and the opponent college booing, she knew that wherever it was that she was going, it definitely wasn't in that direction.

Upon reaching her class, she saw a set of volunteers preparing for the next event and so, standing in the corridor, she retrieved her phone and decided to check her group for updates.

WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON IN THIS CAMPUS? - Sameer

It's a fest! Oh how long I've waited for this day. - Ruby

Did you see the decorations? They're on point! - Latika

Forget the decor. Did you see the hot girls? Above the mark, I must say. - Varun

Anabya scrolled through twenty other similar messages, hardly feeling the excitement her classmates shared until she finally reached the part of the conversation she was bothered about.

Attendance. Every student's lifeline in college.

Where do we give attendance? - Natalie

Attention everyone. Radhika Ma'am will be taking the entire day's attendance at 1:10 p.m. sharp, outside the Psychology staff room. You guys can enjoy the fest until then. :) - Rohini

Enjoy? Enjoy the fest? This wasn't even close to her definition of enjoyment. 

However, what she did enjoy was the different food trucks parked in campus on the occasion of the fest. After buying a cupcake and frankie for herself, Anabya decided to sit quietly and simply watch the crowd.

Ten minutes of sitting there and she had decided no way was she going to sit here like this till 1:10 p.m. What a pathetic sight it was to see while half the population was engulfed in whatever that was happening on the stage, the other half was more interested in impressing the opposite sex. Guys trapping girls by their flirtatious smiles and sense of fashion, and girls, more than happily, willingly falling in that trap.

As she started to leave to find a secluded corner, passing by the crowd, her eyes fell on the guy she hardly saw these days.

He was standing beside Mariam and the two were having a wonderful time as they swayed to the music, arms linked together. However, maybe Anabya jinxed it because soon, Shamaaz's smile faltered as a guy came to the couple, and Mariam hugged him, his hands clasping the bare waist that her crop top offered. Scowling, and unwillingly, Shamaaz did their regular man hug once they broke apart.

Feeling highly uncomfortable although this seemed a regular sight in the campus today, she fled for escape.

Stepping in, the music died down as she reunited with her old companion. She breathed in the smell of books, and walked down the aisle, a satisfied smile on her face.

She sat down between two shelves, not even bothering to take a book and head to the table. It was so hard to describe how peaceful it felt to sit here in solitude and read, experiencing a myriad of emotions the protagonist of the book felt.

She sat there for a couple of hours, too engrossed in the book to be bothered by anyone. However, when she was reading a paragraph about time, it struck her that she too was supposed to be near the staff room at a particular time. As she looked up from the book resting on her lap, she was startled when her gaze collided with a pair of black eyes staring into her soul, which, by now had quickly shifted away.

Since she was sitting right in the corner, her back to the wall and two large shelves of books on either side, she hadn't even realized that someone was sitting right opposite to her, their back resting on one of the two shelves.

"You?" She asked, startled.

If this was the Shamaaz she knew from two months ago, he would smirk, and then tease her.

Now, he pretended to be engrossed in a book, as if not even aware of her presence.

She rolled her eyes at his pretense. Wasn't he staring at her a few seconds ago?

She cleared her throat loudly, and all she received was silence.

Well then...

She got up to leave and as she moved, Shamaaz finally lowered the book.

Turning his face to the left, he tried his best to act surprised at the cohabitation of another person in between these two shelves.

"Oh sorry, didn't see you there, 'Bya. My apologies, I mean, Anabya."

He may be good at many things, but oh what a horrible actor he was!

"Nevermind," she replied, sarcastically. "Amidst these many books, I understand how one might lose sight of humans."

"Glad to know you've become smarter than the last time we met," he smiled.

"Wish I could say the same about you," she muttered to herself. "I was wondering how..." she trailed off, not willing to continue for it dawned upon her that having a conversation with him here wasn't really the most suitable of actions. Besides, months may have passed but it still didn't change her view about him. Nor did she forget those horrible memories. 

So instead, she proceeded to leave.

However, the question and her thoughts must have shown in her eyes, for when she was finally by the aisle, having narrowed her steps because he was on the way, he answered the unspoken question, "I wasn't following you, you know." 

There were no hints of amusement in his tone. It was cold, a stark contrast to their previous conversations.

"Our department is organizing an event, treasure hunt. One of the clues leads the participants here, to bookshelf No. 24. Hence, I was here, waiting for them to come over and take this clue from me," he explained pointing to the clue in his hand. "Wasn't following you or anything," he shrugged nonchalantly, as if that was such an absurd thing to even think about.

She only nodded, and when she heard footsteps of two members frantically coming towards her, she knew he wasn't lying.

"The clue?" One of the guys asked.

She pointed out to Shamaaz, and walked ahead.

Probably the first time that the two had had a civil conversation that didn't involve him being a jerk or her boiling with rage. And she hoped it would be the last time, too. 

She didn't like having conversations of any sort with him.

When she reached the staff room, she spotted a few of her classmates standing there. She walked to them and considering they still had a good twenty minutes left, she decided to find herself a spot to sit. As she scanned her surroundings, a thought crossed her mind.

What a blessing it was to not find the urge to give in. A lot of people associated college life with the liberty to have the YOLO moments. Those moments where you didn't want to think too much and join the crowd. To wear clothes that revealed more than it covered, to let your hair be swept by the wind, to sway to the music and show off your date for the day. She even knew so many of the otherwise hijabis that transformed into different personalities during this time.

And in such an ambiance, not caving in was a blessing. The thought of wanting to run away from here was a blessing. To take a stand for yourself while others allowed themselves to be led by the whispers of the satan was indeed, a blessing.

She dressed and behaved very differently from many other people on campus. Her behavior, when compared to others, may have been considered strange. But that didn't bother her at all. If anything, it made her heart swell in happiness for indeed, blessed are the strangers.

She was so absorbed in counting her blessings that it took her a while to realize someone was glaring at her.

She was no more the sweet girl whom she had first seen, because right now, Mariam looked downright mad, not even bothering about her perfectly straightened hair getting tangled in the wind.

Anabya looked at her, slightly confused, and almost lost it when she heard her mutter a few curse words and head towards her.

"What the hell is your problem?" She demanded, much to Anabya's surprise. She was so stunned that no words left her parted lips.

"Excuse me?" She finally managed to say, color rising to her cheeks.

"What do you want from my boyfriend?" She muttered a few more curse words, and continued, "Can you not see that he's taken?"

While all of this just happened out of nowhere, you didn't need a genius to figure out Shamaaz and Mariam had had a nasty fight and Anabya was being dragged into it for absolutely no fault for hers.

"Calm down, Mariam," she spoke. While the other girl was being a brat, one look at Anabya and despite the situation, she portrayed the perfect example of sophistication.

If anyone was expecting a cat fight here, it was clear there was going to be none. 

Your actions were a collection of your thoughts, a reflection of your interior character. And Anabya would never get down to her level.

Almost certain that the earlier situation where she had seen Mariam hugging, more like throwing herself at a guy must be a reason for whatever that had happened between her and Shamaaz, she vaguely drew the connection.

But why she was being dragged into their mess, she had no idea.

"I have absolutely no clue what you're talking about," she finally stated, her calm words making her all the more angry.

"Do not pretend. It's clear that you want to steal my-"

"That's enough," Anabya cut her off, her eyes flashing with anger. "I have nothing to do with him, whatsoever. Do not get me into a mess you created for yourself. If you could take a closer look at your own actions, maybe sometime in the coming years, you'd be able to find the root cause of your problems. Learn to own up, stop with the blame game."

 "What the hell do you mean by looking into my actions? My suspicions are getting truer by the day. He freaking likes you!"

She laughed, literally laughed. From where did she pick up the absurd idea?

"I honestly don't know much about him, but by the looks of it, he likes all girls. So what exactly is my fault here? He's a flirt."

"And you like him too?" Mariam asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Are you mad?" Anabya asked, a look of irritation crossing her features. "That's a wrong question to ask a girl who can't even stand the sight of him. And please, Mariam, I take my religion seriously. In case it wasn't apparent, I don't believe in having any kind of relationship with boys who aren't related. Not even anything close to friend, the haraam you're implying is far away from that."

"Don't lecture me," she snapped.

"Stay away from me," Anabya replied with equal intensity, turning around and heading over to give her attendance and leave this horrible premises for the day.

It wasn't until today did she realize that this world was full of fools.