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"Words in double quotes" - Talking

'Words in single quotes' - Thoughts

(Words in braces) - Telephone conversations.

Chapter 8 - Family

Previously - Pragya looked at the water, thinking about both the twins. Suddenly, she felt like someone was behind her. However, before she could turn around, she was pushed into the water.

Now -

Pragya thrashed around in the water, trying to stay afloat. She tried to hold her breath, but it was becoming impossible due to how much she was panicking.

"Help! *gasp* Som-me*cough*o-o-one! Hel-" she went down the water again and she tried to bring her face above the water. However, Pragya could feel the exhaustion setting in and she knew that if no one came to save her soon, she would drown. She could barely open her eyes amidst the water. She tried to look around if anyone was coming to save her, but there was no one. Faces of her sister, Bulbul and her mother Sarla, her cousins, who were almost like her own brothers - Samay and Sumit- flashed in her mind. All the happy moments of her life along with them passed through her mind.

'Is this my end? Is this the way I die? Maa, I'm sorry I'm about to leave you. I'm so sorry.' she closed her eyes in despair, waiting for the end.

"Pragya!" Her eyes flew open when she heard someone call her name. She looked up in hope that someone came to save her.

"Hang on! I'll get you out in a minute." Pragya heard Vivek speak and he jumped into the water, fully dressed.

(Author's note : Everyone that thought it was Abhi, raise your hands! 😜)

Pragya, now with the new hope of survival, tried to keep afloat till he reaches her.

#Canteen#

Shabbir sipped his bottle of coke while thinking about the events from earlier. 'How could I be so careless? How could I let her see the photo!?'

He then focused his anger on Pragya. 'And that ignorant girl! How dare she go through my things? I never gave her the permission to touch my things. Why did she try to interfere with matters that doesn't concern her? If this keeps on happening, then...' He shook his head 'Stop thinking about her Shabbir. It will only ruin your mood.' Shabbir decided to think about his next song in order to distract himself.

From the corner of his eyes, he saw Bulbul and Kriti enter the canteen.

"That's amazing Kriti! I can't believe you're working with Karan!"

"I know, right? It's like I'm living a dream!"

He glanced at them and his eyes met Bulbul's. He just glared at her and turned his head the otherside.

He could hear Bulbul speak to Kriti "If he is here, then where is Pragya Di?" 🤔

Shabbir's eye twitched.'Just when I was forgetting about that girl, these two came to remind me of her again!' 😡

"I passed by her sometime ago at the corridor. I was so busy ranting about Karan's irresponsibilty, that I forgot to say 'bye'."

Bulbul rolled her eyes "You just love hearing your own voice, don't you Kriti?" 😒

"Hey! It's not like that. I turned back when I got to the stairs. But she was already on her way towards the indoor pool." explained Kriti.

"I guess that's where she went. Di did tell me that she wanted to see the pool yesterday."

Shabbir gripped the bottle harder 'That Pragya! Ugh! Stupid, ignorant, disrespectful girl!' He abruptly stood up, slamming his coke on the table.

'For years I've kept the secret. There is no way I will let this secret out because of some middle-class girl who thinks she can do what she wants!'

He threw the bottle on the trash and strolled out of the canteen to find Pragya. 'If she keeps interfering, she might find out my secret. Today it was the photo, tomorrow it might be something else. Not even Purab has been able to find out my secret for all these years. I cannot let it get out because of some random girl. I need to tell her to keep her boundaries and not try to become friends with me. That's the only way I can keep my secret safe.'

Bulbul and Kriti looked on wide eyed as he went away like a mad bull.

"Bulbul, why does it feel like he is going to start World War III?" 😨

"Just hope that we aren't on his 'to kill' list." 😨

#Indoor Pool#

Once Vivek reached her, he slung her arm around his shoulder and held her by the waist with his other hand to kept her above the water. "Don't worry, I'll get you out in no tim-wow!" He exclaimed suddenly, when he felt himself going under the water due to the weight of his clothes. However, he recovered and began pulling both of them above the water.

Pragya started panicking "What happened?! Why are you drowning!? Oh my goodness, we will both die now!" she began thrashing again in panic.

Vivek tried to balance her. He needed for her to stop thrashing so that he could keep her afloat and take her out of the pool "Pragya. Pragya! Stop it! Stop thrashing! I'm not drowning, it was just my clothes. Pragya! Pragya calm down! Prag-"

Suddenly, while thrashing, Pragya's elbow accidently hit Vivek on the nose with full force. Vivek felt the world spin and darkness clouded his vision.

Pragya's eyes widened as she felt Vivek's body slacken. "No no no! You can't faint now! Now's not the time to sleep" with Vivek unconscious, she was going underwater again.

"*gasp* Vi-Vivek! Wake up! *cough*Vivek! You're here to save me, damnit!*cough*Wake up!"

'Now we're doomed. I doomed not only myself, but he's going to die because of me too! God save us please! If not me, save him please!'

She took a deep breath and screamed as loud as she could as a last resort "Someone help us! Save us Please!!!" She could feel the air leave her and hoped that someone comes to save them. That was the last thing she thought before darkness overcame her.

#With Abhi#

Abhi looked in all the changing rooms, but couldn't find Vivek anywhere. He thought that Vivek might have left through the back door to the field and so he went there to check. But there was no one there. He sighed. 'Guess I should just head back.'

However, he didn't know if he was ready to face Pragya. She had seen him in one of his weakest moments. He didn't know how she would react. 'What if she doesn't want to talk to me anymore thinking that I'm an emotional mess? Maybe it would be best if I just go around the field to the hall, without facing Pragya.'

He shook his head. 'No. Pragya isn't like that. I may not know much about her, but she looks like a good person. Besides, I can't keep escaping her forever. I would need to face her sometime.'

He headed back to the changing rooms. He was about to open the door that connected the pool and the changing rooms, when he heard Pragya scream.

"Someone help us! Save us Please!!!"

#With Shabbir#

Shabbir was heading towards the indoor pool, royally pissed. He was almost at the entrance. "Today I'll make sure that she clearly understands that I will never agree to be her friend. We will forever remain enemies and-" he stopped speaking when he he heard a desperate scream which shocked him.

"Someone help us! Save us Please!!!"

Shabbir broke out of his shock and ran as fast as he could towards the pool. He reached the edge of the pool and looked towards the water. However, his attention went to the other side of the pool when he saw someone else arrive there in a hurry. It was Abhi. Both brothers stared at each other.

Suddenly they heard some gruggling in the water and looked to find two people drowning. The brothers looked at each other and nodded. They both knew that it was no time to argue and needed to work together to save the ones drowning.

Both discarded their jackets and jumped into the water. They swam as fast as they could and reached Pragya and Vivek, who were unconscious. Shabbir grabbed Pragya while Abhi grabbed a hold of Vivek. The twins tried to pulled them to the edge of the pool. However, it was a difficult task, as both Pragya and Vivek were heavily dressed and their clothes kept pulling them down.

Abhi and Shabbir managed to get them to the edge and used all their strength to get them out of the water. Once they were out, Abhi could feel the exhaustion overcome him. He was about to drift off when he felt someone grab his arm, pull him hard and pushed him over the edge of the pool, into the ground. He opened his eyes to notice it was Shabbir who got him out of the water.

Shabbir managed to get his brother out, but he could feel the adrenaline leave him. He would have drowned, if it wasn't for a Abhi, who grabbed his wrist and pulled him out.

They both panted once they were out of danger. Shabbir gave a laugh, relieved.

"So the cool Shabbir Mehra finally needed help from a computer geek like me, eh?" taunted Abhi.

"Look who's talking. It's you who was ready to faint like a girl. And you would have, if it wasn't for me."

"I was able to pull out a fatso like you out of the water. I think that's enough to prove my manliness." remarked Abhi.

"Fatso? That's probably you looking in the mirror. I think you mistook yourself for me, my twin bro." Shabbir said with a smirk. 😏

"Maybe I should have let you suffer for sometime underwater." Abhi said. However, there was no animosity in his tone. It was obvious it was a joke.

"Nah. You're too much of an emotional fool to let anyone suffer. I bet you couldn't even hurt a fly."

Abhi raised a hand in surrender "Alright. I guess it's true. Guess you win this time." 😏

Shabbir smirked "Big brother always knows the best little brother. Big brother knows the best."

Both looked at each other and smiled. To them, it felt like how they used to be when they were a family.

Suddenly, Shabbir's eyes widened and he stood up. He stumbled back and promptly ran away from there. Abhi just kept sitting there dumb-founded, too confused about everything. 'One minute he is talking to me like old times, and the next, he runs away like that. What.... What does this all mean Shabbir? Why won't you ever tell me?'

He was broken out of his thoughts when he heard some coughing beside him and found Pragya waking up.

"Pragya. Pragya? Hey, Pragya? Are you alright?"

Pragya sucked in a deep breath and turned on her back to gag out all the water that had gotten in her lungs. Abhi noticed that Vivek still hadn't moved and pressed his chest. After sometime, Vivek coughed and Abhi turned him on his back to let out the water.

"Is.. Is he alright?" asked Pragya, when she was able to talk coherently.

"I...I think we need to take him to the college medical wing. Let's go."

Both he and Pragya held Vivek between them and moved out of the indoor pool.

#4 Hours Later#

Vivek was resting in the medical wing while Pragya sat beside him. He was out of danger, but had pain while breathing. He was put on sedative and that's why he had not woken up yet. She was waiting for him to wake up so that she could thank him and also apologize. She almost drowned both him and herself due to her panicking!

The college came to know of the incident soon. However, the rumour that was spread was that not only Prgaya and Vivek, but Shabbir and Abhi also had almost drowned. Not long after that, Aliyah came rushing to her brother, followed by Karan. Pragya still remembers how Aliyah looked when she came near Abhi.

No matter what Bulbul said about Aliyah being arrogant and all, Pragya couldn't deny the fact that she truly cared deeply for her brother Abhi. Aliyah looked like her own life was on the line when she came to check Abhi. She looked like a scared child, afraid that her brother would leave her. It made her think of Aliyah's behaviour with Shabbir.

'Aliyah may act like she hates Shabbir, but I think she actually longs for him to become her brother again. She shows hatred to hide her fear and pain. She tries to insult him and keep him away, because she fears that if she gets attached, he will throw away her care, without a thought.....again. The way she tended to Abhi, it shows how afraid she was that Abhi would leave her too. She is just an insecure child at heart, who still doesn't know to choose between right and wrong.'

Thinking of Aliyah reminded Pragya of her own sister and Kriti. 😅 She recalled what happened two hour ago.

*flashback*

Abhi had just left with Aliyah. Aliyah was so worried and distressed about Abhi that he decided it would be best to take her outside, away from the congested room. Only Pragya and Karan were left in the room with Vivek.

Suddenly, the door burst open and Bulbul and Kriti rushed in. In an instant Pragya was pulled into a tight hug by both of them.

They broke the hug and started speaking at the same time. "Girls, girls! I can't understand anything. Speak a little slow, and one by one."

However, both started speaking together again. Karan rolled his eyes and stood up. He went and held a hand over Kriti's mouth and let Bulbul speak first.

"Di, are you alright? I was so worried! Di, please tell me nothing serious happened! You didn't get any injury did you? How did you fall anyway? I always tell you to be careful, but you never listen! Why are you so careless!?"

Kriti bit Karan's hand. He let go with a shout and Kriti started her rant "Di, you should have taken one of us with you. In fact, if you didn't know how to swim, why did you go there anyway!? You tell us to be careful, but its you who is being irresponsible! I don't have a big sister, but I consider you one. You should take care of yourself!"

Pragya smiled softly at both of them. She got up and pulled both of them into a hug without saying anything, which shocked them and they stopped speaking.

"Thank you for caring so much both of you. But the important thing is that I'm alright. Shabbir and Abhi saved us. We are all here now, without any casualties. And that's all that matters. And Kriti, you are not just my friend, but also like a little sister. Don't ever think otherwise." Bulbul and Kriti both hugged her tighter.

"Aww....it's so sweet, I might start getting cavities." spoke Karan with a smirk. 😏

"You sure know how to ruin a moment." 😑

"What can I say Kriti? Its a gift."

"What about Vivek Di? Will he be alright?"

"Don't worry Kriti. Vivek is fine. He is just resting."

*flashback end*

Pragya smiled remembering the events. Karan had left a while ago to get some snacks for himself and her, while Kriti and Bulbul left for detention. Turns out, in their rush to get to her, they had bumped into the Maths teacher, Prasanth, who had his phone in his hand. His phone flew out of his hand and fell into pieces on the ground.

She shook her head, smiling. 'What am I going to do with the both of you? You both seem to find new and creative ways of getting into trouble.'

"May I know the reason you're smiling?" spoke a voice from beside her.

"Vivek! You're awake. How are you feeling now?"

"I'm okay. But I kind of can't feel my nose. Its good in a way, since I can't feel the pain."

"I'm sorry for that. I really didn't mean to hit you. I almost led to both of our deaths and for that, I'm terribly sorry! I-"

"Its okay Pragya. I don't blame you. You were panicking. I understand." He gave her a smile "Although, your bones are really hard. My nose felt like it had been hit by a hammer!"

Pragya gave him a sheepish look. 😅

"Ehehe. Sorry. Guess its all a result of Maa's healthy cooking. You should visit sometimes."

#With Shabbir#

Shabbir sat in his room thinking over the events of the day. He had come home after running away from the pool.

He sat on his bed for how long, he didn't know. He couldn't believe that he almost....he almost revealed his true self to his brother. He couldn't believe that he became so careless that he let his care slip through.

'No no no! How could I have been so careless! How could I show that I care! Five years.... five years I've kept myself away from my family, made him and Aliyah believe that I don't care about my family. I convinced Aliyah and Abhi would have been convinced if I had a few more months. But now...now he won't leave this. I know my brother. He had seen the truth in my eyes and I know he would dig into the matter further and further, until he finally finds the truth.'

"Shabbir! Shabbir! Are you alright!?" he heard a female voice and Shabbir looked up to find Tanu at the door of his room, with Purab beside her.

"Shabbir, we had been searching all over for you at the college. But here you are. How are you bhai? You aren't injured are you?" asked Purab with concern.

"Chill. Nothing can happen to me." He said with a smirk.

"Shabbir, Abhi was there to save them. You didn't have to risk your life for that middle-class girl and that new student!" spoke Tanu.

Shabbir balled his hands into his fists. 'And let my brother drown while saving them?! I hope she doesn't say anything more on Abhi, or else I might hit her. And as for Abhi, he will now no doubt begin to dig into matters relating to me. From tomorrow, I need to be as rude as possible to him and Aliyah to make him believe I hate them.' He looked towards the photo of his parents that he had near his bed.

'I think a meeting is necessary between us. You need to control your son and tell him to stop digging into matters that doesn't concern him.'

#Elsewhere#

"Hello? Who's this?"

(Hello. It's me, Prasanth. I'm calling from the Principal's office.)

"What happened to your phone?"

(Got into trouble with two obnoxious girls who seem to be hell bent on making my life miserable.😑 Forget that, and listen to what I have to say!)

"Something happened? I hope I get some good news this time."

(Well, actually...its not that good.)

He narrated the incidents at the pool.

"Every time Prasanth. Everytime you fail!"

(Its not that easy. Try doing my job for a change. You'll know how hard it is!)

"Whatever!"

He cut the call and sat down on the couch. "Always the same. It's always the same!" He heard footsteps and looked up.

"I think it's time we stepped into the game." spoke the other person.

"I think you're right." he stood up and they went out of the room.

***********************************

To be continued...

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Thanks! ~ 🌹 Mona 🌹