Unedited

(Note - This is purely my imagination. If you find anything unbelievable or offending in this part, please forgive me.

Oh and in this part you will get to see only a little of Rk as someone else will be stealing the show)

Part - 13

"Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! I can't believe I met my dream hero Sidharth. Oh my God! He looks breathtakingly handsome..." Madhu was literally bouncing like a small kid in a candy shop. "You know what, Sikky? He nearly killed me when he flashed his dazzling smile at me" she placed her hands over her chest and sighed dramatically. 

"Oh really?" 

"Yes. When I handed over the bouquet to him he smiled at me and said 'Beautiful flowers from a beautiful girl'. Aww! He thinks I'm beautiful." Madhu cupped her cheeks in glee.

"Of course, you are beautiful" Sikky playfully pinched her cheeks.

"And you are so sweet, my dear, dear friend" she hugged him.

They jumped apart when someone cleared their throat.

It was Rishab. Nothing new.

And he was glaring at his brother for hugging Madhu. Nothing new yet again.

Making his entry at the wrong time and assuming things were all he was doing since and always.

For God sake, don't touch her, lil' bro! She is my girl.

Oh and his mind voice screams the same like a broken tape recorder.

"Professor?"

"Where's Sarah?"

"Sarah?" Madhu wondered who she was. "Who Sarah? What Sarah? Why Sarah?"

"Singer Sarah. Solo singing contest is about to start. Where is she?"

"I don't know, professor" Madhu said meekly.

"She has gone home." Dipali replied standing behind him. She had a smug smile on her face but quickly hid it when Rishab turned around to face her.

"What?"

"You heard me. She fell sick and I gave permission to go home when she asked me for it."

"Dipali" Rishab took a step closer to her and hissed "You did this on purpose, didn't you?"

She smirked and looked over his shoulder at Madhu.

"Madhu, come here." She called.

"Ma'am" Madhu stepped forward and looked at Rishab and Dipali in confusion.

"You are her replacement. You have 5 minutes to prepare a song and sing it on the stage."

"What?" Madhu and Rishab shouted at once.

What is she up to? Rishab wondered. She better not mess with my baby girl then I will kill her.

"You are going to sing tonight. Am I clear?"

"Ma'am, but I can't sing." Madhu protested.

"Yes, you can sing." Dipali firmly said and walked away.

"Professor?" Madhu gave him a helpless look.

Maybe I should use this opportunity to make Madhubala sing.

"I think she is right. You can sing, Madhubala. I believe in you and your talent."

"No" she shouted and looked ready to cry. "She is not right. You are not right. I can't sing."

"Can't? Or won't?"

"Won't"

"As I thought" Rishab ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "Go. Go to the stage and do what you did last year." He shoved her. "Get yourself humiliated. Good luck." With that he left the place.

--0--

"Madhu, everyone sang like shit. You can easily win even if you give your average performance." Sikky told her encouragingly. She was the last performer.

"I don't want to sing. I don't like being forced like this."

"Oh please stop saying that, Madhu and use this chance to prove to everyone who humiliated you that what a great singer you are."

"No... I don't want to prove anything to anyone." She cried.

"Madhu, please don't cry." Sikky hugged her. He couldn't see his friend in tears. He wiped off her tears. "Smile" he said. She shook her head in no. She wasn't in mood to smile.

"They are calling you. Go to the stage." He said sighing. She stood rooted to her place. "Go" He gave her a gently push towards the direction of the stage.

Madhu stumbled and made her way to the stage. She held the mike with her shaky hands. She looked at her Professor Kundra who was sitting next to Actor Sidharth. He gave her an encouraging nod and smiled.

She glared at him. Then suddenly she got an idea. She smiled smugly at him and cleared her throat.

Rishab gazed at her without blinking his eyes as he anticipated to hear her voice for the first time.

"H... Hi..." Her voice croaked.

"Hi Sid" she waved her hand at Actor Sidharth. He smiled at her as he nodded his head to whatever the principal of the college Mr. Bittu Sharma was telling to him. "Please forgive me, I am not here to sing. I don't know to sing. I just..."

"Then get off the stage girl" some idiots shouted from the crowd and made fun of her.

"I will get off the stage but not before I confess this to you, Sid."

Actor Sidharth turned his attention to Madhu and looked at her curious. "I was just 12 years old when your first movie 'Student of the year' got released and since then I have become your biggest fan. I have watched all your movies, first day first show (FDFS). You are really amazing on screen and off screen. I am really crazy about you. You are my dream hero, my one and only 'celebrity' crush. I love you. Oh and I love you more when you're shirtless on screen." Saying that she placed the mike on the podium and ran off the stage, ran out of the auditorium so that she wouldn't have to hear people abusing her.

Rishab angrily watched her sprint. He couldn't sit there, next to the man with whom his girl had a serious crush on. He wanted to go behind and yell at her for being so stupid and for making him feel stupid. He stood up and was about to walk off when Bittuji stopped him.

"Stay here and give company to Mr. Sidharth. I will be back in a minute." Bittu said and walked away. He had some important work to do.

He sat there with grumpy face,  replaying her words in his head.

He was mad at her for not singing. He hoped she would listen to him and sing but she proved him wrong. She was so stubborn than he had thought.

But what was making him red hot angry was her insensitive speech.

How dare she say she loves him? He is just an actor who gets paid for that, nothing more, nothing less. Watch his movies as his fan and forget him as soon as the movie gets over. You need not dream on him or have a crush on him, idiot!

And what did she say? She loves him more when he is shirtless huh? Fuck!

She will die drooling when she sees me shirtless.

"Here are my scores for this contest." Sidharth handed over the score sheet to Rk. He only judged solo singing contest. He had rated all the 7 contestants for 10.

Rk opened the folded paper and checked it. Right next to Madhubala's name, Sidharth had put a smiley instead of zero as she didn't sing at all.

"Thank you. Fair judgement." Rk said managing to smile, politely. Sidharth returned his smile.

Then Rk called the scoring team and asked them to incorporate this round's score as well and calculate the overall points of each college so that they could announce the winner of the night.

--0--

"Madhu, stop. Don't run." Sikky followed her when she ran out of the auditorium and before she could get into her car, he stopped her.

"Sikky, leave my hand. I gotta go. I can't stay here. Before the drama erupts I should leave."

"Shush... Calm down. No one is going to blame you."

"I didn't sing this time as well so they will blame me just like they did last time. I can't face all their insults."

"Trust me, I won't let anyone insult you. If they do I will just bash their faces." He said and hugged her.

"Thank you" she hugged him back feeling jubilated for finally finding one true friend in her life who was ready to stand up for her. "You will always be there for me, right?"

"No matter what, I will be there for you as a friend." He promised.

"I embarrassed myself by saying all that on stage nah? Already, half of the college call me Mad-bala and now I have given them a reason to tease me more. God!" She covered her face with her palm as she walked back to the auditorium with him.

"Hey, you didn't tell anything wrong." He appeased her as he removed her hands off her face. "You just expressed you were his crazy fan and you loved to see him shirtless." He laughed saying that. Madhu stuck her tongue out, embarrassed. "You surely made his day. He was grinning throughout your speech."

"Really? I didn't even see his face properly while blabbering all that."

"Hey! Where did you guys go? I have been looking for you..." Trishna ran to them as they got nearer to the auditorium.

"Why? What happened? Why do you look so happy?" Sikky asked seeing her literally jumping in joy.

"Guess what?"

"What?"

"They lost it."

"Who? St. Zachary college?" Sikky asked hopefully. If that college had lost then there won't be any change in the points table. Their college would be on the top and they would win the overall winner's trophy. Wow!

"Yeah. Neither of us won in singing contest. First three place were given to some other colleges and those three colleges were nowhere closer to our total points. It was only St. Zachary college who gave tough fight to us."

"Wow... Trishna..." Sikky swept her off her feet and spun around. "We won it. I am so happy." He placed her down and pulled Madhu for a group hug.

"C'mon, let's go in. It's time for prize distribution." Trishna said.

"You guys go. I will wait here." Madhu said hesitantly.

Sikky and Trishna glared at her before dragging her in.

By the time the three had got in there, the prizes for the solo singing contest winners were given and it was time to officially announce the overall trophy winner.

Bittuji was asked to say a view words about the event so he gave a brief speech thanking his beloved students for showing so much involvement and enthusiam, teaching and non teaching staff for supporting the co-ordinators, and finally thanked the chief guest for gracing his presence.

"Now it's time to announce the winner."

Bittuji insisted actor Sidharth to announce it and hand over the trophy.

"Firstly, thank you guys for having me here. It's an absolute pleasure and honour..." Sidharth spoke looking randomly at the crowd and immediately the auditorium was filled with whooping and whistling. "Oh my! The energy in here is electifying." He softly muttered and paused for a second for the crowd to stop roaring in excitement.

Madhu stood closer to the exit door so that she could escape as soon as the function gets over and admired her favorite hero. God! He is so hot and handsome in person than he was in his movies. She didn't bother to look at anyone else, not even her professor but his eyes were transfixed on her. He was at the stage with Bittuji sitting to his right and Dipali to his left.

Dipali was kinda pissed because her plan didn't go well but at the same time she was happy to grab a seat next to actor Sidharth. She just introduced herself to him and he politely smiled at her. Before she could make further conversation, Sidharth was asked to give his speech.

"Being here, seeing you all perform... It just took me back to my college days. Well, my cultural days because I go to college only on that time." He said chuckling.

Rishab didn't like how Madhu was gawking at Sidharth and drooling over him. 

He wished he could do some magic and blindfold her.

"Before I present the trophy, I would like to do a bit of promotion of my upcoming movie - Jabariya Jodi. It's releasing this month on the 9th of August. It's a romantic comedy movie.  I bet you guys will love it so go watch it in theater. Oh and where is my crazy fan?" He searched for her in the crowd.

"She is here" Trishna shouted as she pushed Madhu forward so that he could spot her.

"Hey, first day first show, okay?" He reminded her. Madhu showed him thumbs-up as she giggled.

"MM College, you won it, guys" He announced without further delay and the whoopings got louder than before.

The host asked the student representatives Mukkund and Madhu to step forward and collect the trophy.

Mukkund raced to the stage but Madhu stood back.

"Go, grab the trophy girl." Sikky hurriedly told her. He wanted his friend to hold the trophy, not that useless idiot.

"No, I didn't do anything to win this trophy so it's unfair to proudly hold it"

"Neither did he"

"Exactly. We don't deserve to hold that trophy. You guys should go because you only won points for our college." She pushed Sikky and Trishna towards the stage.

Then she signalled the host to pass the hand mike to her. "I request all the winners to step forward to lift the trophy." She announced. Some fifteen students who won in different contests gathered on the stage and actor Sidharth gave them the huge rolling trophy.

Madhu happily took photos in her phone standing along with the professional photographer the college had arranged to capture those lovely moments.

Rishab's anger subsides seeing Madhu's kindness.

"Yaar! This girl is something."

"It's not over yet guys. So please be seated in your respective seats." The host announced and everyone sat back. "We have a special performance."

Four students came and took the chairs and table off the stage and cleared the place.

Bittuji gave his phone to a tech guy and asked him to connect it to the system and switch on the projector.

"What's her name again?" Actor Sidharth asked to Bittuji.

"Madhubala" he replied and left the stage. Rishab and Dipali also walked down.

"I would like to have Miss. Madhubala on the stage." Sidharth invited.

Madhu's eyes went wide as she didn't know for what he was calling her.

"Please come." He held his hand out. Madhu hesitantly walked to him, holding her lehenga a little up so that she won't trip and fall.

"Is he going to ask her to dance with him?" Dipali wondered out loudly without realizing Rishab was standing next to her "No, I can't let this happen" she gritted her teeth and clenched her fist.

For the first time, Rishab wanted to team up with her and stop everything.

"I know you guys are wondering why I called her here. I will tell you but before that I want you all to see this video." Sidharth looked at Bittuji and he nodded at the tech guy to play.

In that video, a young girl sang 'Ishq wala love' song from 'Student of the year' movie so melodiously looking up at actor Sidharth. 

"Surkh wala, soz wala, faiz wala love

Madhu's eyes welled up seeing that video. Stop it. Stop it, please. I don't want to see this. Stop it. She kept saying that in her head but she couldn't voice out.

Hota hai jo love se zyada
Waise wala love
Ishq wala love

Rishab watched the video with a huge smile on his face. He couldn't believe he finally got to hear her voice.

Oh baby, you look so cute and your voice is silky smooth.

Hua joh dard bhi toh humko aaj kuch zyada hua
Ishq wala love

Yeh kya hua hai kya khabar yehi pata hai zyada hua
Ishq wala love

Students started singing along 'Ishq wala love'. It was the magic of that little girl's voice. It would make you sing. It would make you applaud automatically.

Agar yeh usko bhi hua hai phir bhi mujhko zyada hua
Ishq wala love"

"Oh my God! I can't believe she is only 12 years old because her voice is so mature yet so sweet and soothing. She sang my favorite song like a pro. I loved it. Baby, you are a star singer. Mark my words, one day you will sing in movies." Sidharth praised the little girl and gave her a huge chocolate bar and hugged her.

And there the video stopped.

"Well, guys, that little girl is none other than your friend - Madhubala." Sidharth said smiling amd everyone gave her standing ovation, shocking her.

... To be continued!

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