I clench my teeth. No. This can't be happening right now. In a matter of a few seconds, my dream is going to be shattered in front of my eyes. I can’t believe it. I shouldn’t have met him that day. He is my biggest regret of my life....

Hi my name is Ojasvi Chakraborthy. I am a first year student in IIM-B. Yah. I know what you’re thinking. I’m nerdy, NO, I just work hard. I look really forward to my dream to be one of the top businesswoman. I love books mind you not in a nerdy sense I love sports and entertainment just as much. I used to be the sports captain in my school. I believe to have a healthy mind it starts with a healthy body.

It’s currently 4:00 am in the morning. And I can’t fall asleep, so I lay awake in my bed till the very stillness of everything gnaws me away. I’m way too excited for sleep right now, so I get up. I can feel my cheeks still burning red, my heart racing and butterflies in my stomach…..

The birds sing in rhythm to my heart’s melody. As I walk through the campus, the morning wind blows through my hair. Making my straight, black hair which is trimmed shoulder length fall on my face. The smell of morning dew dripping from the flowers. It makes me feel happier.

I start hopping in excitement. I’m the only one walking around, somewhere far around the corner you can see a few students wandering off too. Most of them are from the sports quota who play so professionally and get professional training in the morning before they attend their regular classes with us.

But why do I feel like someone is following me right now? When I turn by to check, there ain’t nobody. But my instincts are never wrong!

I take a turn towards my dorms. I start walking in longer strides. The campus is generally a very safe place. I always take a walk alone enjoying nature and the scenery of my beautiful university. But why do I feel so insecure now. I just need to pass by the swimming pool and soon I’ll be in my dorms. Just a few more steps… so I started to jog.

As I jog by. Suddenly a palm covers my mouth. My chocolate brown eyes widens in shock. Before I can realize four arms lift me. I try to block them, but nothing’s working! What’s going on?

All I can feel is the water around me. Wait, I’m inside the pool now. I shouldn’t drown, as I am quite a fair swimmer. But I can’t remember how to swim. I flap my hands through the water, trying to float and all I can think of is one name. Zehaan shah!!..

As I was still in water I realized that I could stand in pool. I stopped my furious flapping in the water and stand up, calm. I realize the pool water is only waist high, embarrassed I search for the group of boys who threw me in the pool, and of course they ran away.

Furious I storm out in my drenched clothes to the departmental store beside our dorm. As I walk in, I realized something, that getting thrown in a pool and walking in drenched cloths doesn’t totally feel embarrassing coz its 4:30 am, and there is very less human traffic. Of course, looking in the state I was in even I would be scared and disgusted by it.

I was soaking wet but that was only a part of it my hair disheveled, with dry leaves sticking out of my hair ( to people wondering why are there dry leaves in pool, it is because the pool is cleaned at around 7am everyday and there are a lot of trees around so there are lot of dry leaves in the pool) and clothes all wet dragging up piles of water , I looked like a aqua man ( a less cooler version ) . Ignoring the disgust, I storm towards the supermarket and kick the door open.

As I angrily looked in the billing counter there he was Zehaan Shah the mastermind behind this so called “prank”. He grinned, like a little kid, at me from the billing counter and shouted “I thought you would escape that!” and started to laugh. Furiously I walked over ignoring his co-workers glances and kicked his foot. He grunted in pain as I said “No one would escape when four strange men attack from behind and without giving a minute to realize throw you in the pool!” he chuckled a yes and told me “how about you go and change up first?” though I hated to agree with him for anything but for once I nodded and said “Do you have spare clothes?”. He nodded and gave me a fresh pair of t-shirt and men’s shorts which he apparently prepared in case I fell for this prank. *eye rolls*

So to tell you who is Zehaan to me: I would put him in a category as neither a friend nor a foe. I do not hate him but I do not like him. You can call us acquaintances but we are far more closer and understand each other a lot. Our relation is like Tom and Jerry, or Oggy and Cockroaches, or fire and water we are opposites complete opposites. But at the same time we sometimes work together and at the same time prank each and pull each other’s legs.

Thinking about this weird guy let me tell you how I met him. It was my first day in IIM, I was moving a week ahead to get used to the dorms. I saw this tall boy (not so tall), with light brown eyes, fair, his hair falling off his eyelids, (kinda got struck by his features) near the pool, who also moved ahead? I supposed so I was in need of a company, *shrug* a friend there I went to have a conversation with him but no, I messed up my leg slipped and in the same way ( as I did earlier today) I fell in the 5 ft. pool of our university. I thought he would help me but he sat there laughing. I was annoyed I am always the “tit for tat” person so I pulled a prank on him too. I made him eat a toothpaste biscuit (P.S: do not try) I put toothpaste between cream biscuit and fed him. Man that was a sight! I still remember him furiously washing his mouth and swearing at me. Good old days.

Well that’s how it all started. Now we are close enough that I help him with his home-works because though we are in same class he has to do a lot of part times jobs to self-pay for his tuition but our prank chain never broke. See the consequence of it today I fell in the lake I’m already thinking what to do of him next…

Thinking what to do next I finish change up in the restroom and walk out. He stood there grinning. He said “looking how you looked while coming here I bet no guy is gonna look at you. You looked like bhadrakali!” (Indian goddess of fury). I smirked at him and said “I am already dating.”

"WAIT!WHAT?!” I said, “Say that again!”” You are dating???!!!” I was so shocked that this tomboy in front of me is actually telling me that she is dating someone. I then teasingly asked her” who is the man who is blind enough to date you?”

She gives me a flustered, embarrassed and an angry look. “Our senior who is organising the cultural that is coming up now, his name is Akshay Agarwal. You might have seen him. He is pretty famous around here.”I was shocked, coz he did not have a very good reputation among us boys. He is a well known playboy. Many say that he is aware of each and every girl in the campus.I was sceptical about her and him being a thing and obviously worried about her. But I asked her normally “Did he ask you out??” She said “not yet but we already kissed, So it means we are dating right?’

I sighed this cunning fox is so naïve when it comes to love.coz I knew that Akshay isn’t good for her. So me being protective says”That means you are not dating ,it means he is fooling around with you”. She gets angry immediately. I have seen that look before. I can see smoke raging from her ears and her eyes raging in anger. She is gonna kill me!

I see a few customers entering the shops immediately I see a tint of mischief in her eyes.

She starts screaming all of sudden”What the hell is the quality of service almost all the products are expired but you mess with the dates and sell the customers!!” as though she didn’t even realise the customers have entered. She then turned saw them as though she saw for the first time and screamed in an annoying high pitch “OMG I let the secret out!!!”. The customers immediately made an about turn and ran out rather than walk out.

I scream at her” SCRAM, do not mess in my workplace”. She stares right back at me. I must say this little kitten is very wild. She says “I will scram after I get my revenge for today earlier”.

I must admit right now I do feel intimidated because this was one of my highest paying jobs and my boss is pretty strict. Plus she is not planning to give up and she was serious about causing a ruckus here. Hurriedly I speak”Tell me what do you want?, anything but this.”

She said”Lemme think how about you pay for my chocolates for a whole month then I might leave quietly right now”, I sighed and said “Agreed”.

I added “Be careful of the senior he is fooling around with you, I mean it .”She growled in anger “What do you know about dating?Shut up and mind your business just because I tell you doesn’t mean you can interfere in my affairs!”

I snorted and said” I bet you are going to regret saying that miss topper”. "Having low EQ is as bad as having low IQ. Learn your lesson sooner the better”.

She glowered at me without another word and stormed out of the store.