A New Enemy

Dev was sitting on a aluminium chair with his legs resting on the tabletop, in the college stadium with his bosom buddies, Krish and Daisy.

"Phew! anyhow we got a spot where we can talk without any interruption." Daisy grumbled as she was meeting with her best friend after so many days and due to his popularity, he was always in limelight and they seldom got any site where they could communicate without any disturbance.

"Geez! your admirers are everywhere but luckily, we got a place where we can talk without any eye-gazing." Krish was chuckling while looking at Dev.

"Ohhhh! What should I do with my grace?" Dev said in a sarcastic tone while flicking his fluffy brown hair with his fingers.

"Blah! Blah! Mr. Charm King! Could you pleaseeee try to act normal in front of your friends or do you want us to take your autograph." Daisy said teasing him.

"Ha-ha! How Good-humoured you are!Dev blinked at Krish and then looked at Daisy.

Krish rotated his head to other side, probably to hide his grin.

"Ahh! You morons!" Daisy took a heavy breath and continued, "Okay! Wits apart, how was your shoot, Dev and what is the release date for your album?"

"Ohhhh! It was fantastic. I really enjoyed the trip," Dev replied, "and about the release date, I haven't confirmed it yet."

"Hurrah! I am so eager for your debut." Krish couldn't hold his emotions and slammed his hand on Daisy's shoulder making her nearly fall off her seat.

"Krish! " she roared.

"Oops! My apologies, I didn't do it on purpose."

"You did it intentionally. Whom are you trying to fool?" She folded her arms across her small-breasted chest and was eagling at him.

Krish lowered his head towards Daisy as his height was surpassing her's even when they were sitting, and goggled her face with his Hazel eyeballs.

"What?" She asked in a high pitched voice.

"You didn't wash your face today, even your eyes have dirt. I didn't know that you are a slob." He commented.

Daisy opened her mouth in shock.

"Slob, hahahaha, Daisy slob." Dev gave a belly laugh to tease Daisy even more.

"Devvvv! Stop showing your teeth otherwise I will break them all, then you will no longer be dazzling Dev."

"Are my innocent teeth bothering you so much that you want to kill them?" Dev tilted his head to the other side and tried to give her an innocent look.

"You should spend less time with Krish. You are becoming like him."

"Hey! Daz why are you mentioning me while arguing with Dev?" Krish interrupted, "Humph!"

"Psst! stop fighting. Lets go out and get something to eat. Its on me" Dev tried to control the situation.

But neither Krish nor Daisy replied.

Sensing the unbreakable silence, Dev asked again, "Are you guys coming or do I have to go alone?"

Krish put on his brown hood while getting up and said, "Only slobs will say no to Charm King."

Daisy couldn't help but smiled.

"Let's go then." she confirmed.

Then they walked out of the stadium.

In Aster's Apartment:

Aster was lying flat on the bed with a laptop in front of her cranium and Richie was splooting beside her.

"Wowwww! Dev Raichand had won the title of 'Charm King' in the Beauty Quest organised by Cherry Blossom," she was reading about Dev from the Hamlet page. Apparently, her heart was also captured by his charisma, "and his profile gained 5-stars."

Hamlet page was an online community which was very popular among youths. People used to share their pictures, videos, posts, blogs, articles with public. There was also star-system according to which:

1 star\= very low and inactive profile with popularity rate less than 10%

2 stars\=active profile whose popularity rate is between 10% and 25%

3 stars\= average profile whose popularity rate is between 25% and 50%

4 stars\= good profile whose popularity rate is between 50% and 75%

5 stars\=excellent profile whose popularity rate is between 75% and 100%

"And from two months he was busy in shooting for his upcoming romantic music album with 'Charm Queen' Nina Thappa.... "

"Nina" she repeated the name in a low voice.

"I can never forget that day" she closed her eyes and thought to herself, I wish I had never met her.

It had been the first day of her college.

Enthusiasm and anticipation were striking through her eyes. She had been wearing her favourite red frock with a pair of brown boots and she was carrying a black bag gifted to her by her father.

She had just been walking around the college campus, exploring it when suddenly, she spotted a bird bath fountain crowded with vibrant flowers. She had been fond of flowers since her childhood. In her home town, she even had a small lawn which she used to take care of and these beautiful flowers reminded her of that.

So she walked towards the fountain, leaned with an aim of smelling those aromatic shrubs but her vision got blocked by some petunias which were shrunken due to scarcity of water.

She submerged both her hands in the fountain, took out some water and poured it on the flowers.

Nina and her friends had also been strolling through the campus.

"Nina, I am sure that you will win the title of Charm Queen this year," her best friend Anna boasted, "I have never seen any girl prettier than you."

"Oh! come on Anna, you are flattering me. There can be any girl more gorgeous than me." she sneered.

"OMG! What I am seeing? A girl who is more beautiful than Nina." Another girl Richa from their group said.

"What rubbish are you blabbering?" Nina gave Richa an angry look. Her voice contained a feeling of contempt.

"No... No.... I am telling the truth. Look at the girl standing over there in the red frock." Richa said in a defensive tone.

"Where? " asked Anna, while trying to spot her by spiraling her head left to right and back and froth.

"Near the bird bath fountain, over there." Richa pointed at Aster with her forefinger of right hand.

Nina and Anna turned back and what they were perceiving, was a girl squatting around bird bath fountain. From where they were standing, they could only see the right side of her body.

"Golyyyy! Her skin seems ultra-clear." Anna whispered.

" Ummmm! But I think her hair is more beautiful. What do you think, Nina?" Richa said with an intention to taunt Nina.

Nina had been biting her lips and, glaring at the girl whom she had assumed to be her rival in beauty without even knowing her identity.

"Cut your crap!" Nina's eyes had turned red and she was goggling at Aster as an Eagle eyed at its prey, "Let's meet her."

Nina walked towards the girl whom she had declared her competitor.

"Who are you?" Nina asked in an dominating voice, when she reached near Aster.

Aster towered up from her position and reversed to face meet the first girl who talked with her on her first day.

Geez! Is she the girl Richa was boasting! She thought after getting a look of Aster's whole face.

A grin curled on her red shaded pouty lips. She was more happy than shocked to see her face.

"He-He! What is this nonsense? Richa, you called this girl prettier than me" Nina sneered, "Are you playing tricks with me or what. Even the ugliest on the earth must be prettier than her."

She started laughing hysterically while pointing at Aster with her finger.

Aster was dumb-founded. She couldn't understand who this girl was and why she was misbehaving with her.

"Excuse me! I don't get your point. You came to me to verbally abuse me. Did I do something to offend you?" Aster asked. She was calm and patient.

"No, you didn't do anything. One of my friends was saying that you are more beautiful than me. But how is... Hahaha.... How is this possi... Hahaha possible ? She had been chortling with her entire energy that even people passing following area noticed them and stopped to watch the free show.

"But Nina, I saw her from right side. Don't you think if she didn't have marks on left side of her face, she would be more attractive than you," Richa's  jealousy didn't allow her to be proved wrong. She was ready to say anything to show Nina that she is not the best, "I mean look at her unburned skin, facial features like round- fuller lips, arched eyebrows and spark in her orbit eyes, Even her hair are more long and lustrous than yours."

"Fairly speaking, her half burned face is much better than your whole gloomy face. She giggled and looked at Anna while, Anna tried to control her laughter.

Unaware of the situation, Aster had just been listening to them. She still could not comprehend the situation and why those girls were talking about her.

Nina had been offended by Richa's words. She looked at the silent and emotionless face of Aster who was nothing but perplexed. Then she looked at her friends who now, not able to control their amusement were laughing more openly.

Nina was furious.

Defeat was unacceptable to her.

Her eyes fell on the wet, freshly-watered mud in the flower pot near the fountain.

Without thinking, in an instance, she stretched out her hand and took handful of mud from the pot that was placed near the fountain.

Nina moved a step closer to Aster, splashed the mud on her face within fractions of a second and before Aster could understand anything, Nina smacked her.

"Now, you are ugly from both angles." Nina had been clacking and staring at Aster with her wicked eyes.

Richa and Anna were dumbfounded with these turn of events.

Aster was trembling and her body wracked with an onslaught of sobs and tears. She felt so weak she couldn't balance resulting in her fall on the ground.

Why? Why is this happening to me? She wanted to ask these questions from the girl who had doomed her enthusiasm and happiness on the very first day of college but she felt so weak that she couldn't utter a single word from her throat.

Richa was standing there demoralising her soul.

I am sorry... I am really sorry. This happened because of me. I couldn't help you. Richa was thinking in her mind, suppressing her frustration and anger. Nina is crazy. It was my mistake to taunt Nina and innocent you! got punishment.

She bowed her head down and outrage and grievance were flowing from her eyes in the form of tears.

There were some other students too who saw the violence take place but none of them tried to stop Nina or even dare to say anything. Some were shocked like Richa and some were just enjoying the drama as Anna was.

"We are leaving." Nina announced to Richa and Anna.

Anna and Nina were slipping away so casually as if this kind of behaviour was normal.

Richa had been still standing there. She stretched her hand willing to help Aster.

"Hey Richa! Do you want to stay here whole day? Come on, We are getting late for the class." Anna said in a sharp voice.

Richa withdrew her hand and fled away but this incident gave her some wounds. The wounds of guilty-conscience and self-condemnation, whose scars would never erase from her heart and soul.

The people who were watching this, also left without giving any hand to Aster. Some people left with wounds of guilty conscience and some people left with pleasure of watching drama. No one could return empty hearted. In the end, only Aster had been there, lying on the ground, broken, disappointed and dishearten.

...--End of flashback --...

Question for readers:

Which character do you like the most? Krish or Daisy.

If you were Richa, would you hear the voice of your conscience?

Why was everyone so scared of Nina?

Should Aster take revenge or forget this incident ?

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