Taniya...

Maya collapsed on the floor and brought her head between her knees and wept, Preethi followed her. Utter disbelief and shock passed through their face. Taniya. Their best friend who stood with them all this time sold maya out. Although she didnt do anything to Preethi, Maya could see the rage building in her face.

"That bitch.... How dare she... I cant... Taniya.." Preethi was babbling random stuff. But all maya could do was sit their with tears streaming down her face. Preethi was pacing the room her hands curled in a fist at her sides. Vishnu knelt beside her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Heyy you okay?" He whispered.

"Why would she do this to me? What did i do to her to deserve this?" Maya choked out between sobs.

"Heyyyy..." Vishnu began to pull maya into a hug but a distant deep voice boomed in her ears.

"Maya......" she looked around and saw Adhi running towards them. She jumped up from the fetal position and ran towards him. He captured her in an embrace.

She began to break into sobs. "It was taniya.. she did this to us" she said with her face buried in adhi's chest.

Adhi didnt seem surprised it was almost as if he knew. Maya didnt have the energy to pry and cried into his arms. He captured her in a tight hug and whispered soothing words in her ears.

"Maya we need to talk" he looked at preethy and vishnu "alone".

Maya nodded and looked towards Preethi. As if understanding the pause preethy and vishnu stepped out if the classroom. Vishnus gaze lingering on maya's face a tad longer when he passed.

"Adhi what are we gonna do? Why did taniya do this? Ive always been good to her." Maya whimpered.

Adhi was looking at the window. It looked like he was lost in thought.

"Adhi are you even listening.." before she could complete he captured her lips in his. This kiss was urgent, as if he was dying of thirst and she was water. Before she could get lost in that kiss she pushed adhi away. A stray tear ran down his cheek.

"What's wrong with you? We are in some deep shit here and you're .... you're..... crying?" Maya's voice went down an octave. "Adhii"

"Its all because of." Tears started flowing from his eyes.

"No... no its not because of you stop blaming yourself." She stepped closer to him and took his hands in hers.

He took a deep breath and exhaled. "No its not because of me.. ITS BECAUSE OF YOU!!!" he yelled at her.

Maya stepped back a couple of paces. Shock plastered across her face. Hurt and pain slowly infesting her heart.

"Ever since i met you, Ever since i saved you from jeeth its been trouble. I should have left you alone to strip that day. I wouldnt have been in this mess now" Maya flinched. This sharp pain spread across her chest.

"Because of you and your stupid 'i cant leave him alone with a broken hand' thing all of this happened." She couldnt say anything. It was like her tongue got frozen in her mouth.

"And now because of you im gonna lose my scholarship. Im gonna fail my mom, my brother BECAUSE OF YOU!!"

"I'm done maya. I'm done. I can't do this anymore. We're over" he said didnt meeting her eyes.

"What??" Maya croaked her voice barely audible.

"I'm breaking up with you. But dont worry i will take that video down at any cost. Not for you. But for me." Maya started shaking with rage, hurt and most of all one emotion got registered in her mind BETRAYAL.

"I'm sorry. But its over" he looked at her at last.

He must have seen her broken face. His expression softened for a minute but he shook it off and walked from the practice room. As he reached the threshold maya held his arm and pulled him back. She looked at him for a minute and slapped him across his face. She didnt wait for his reaction and ran off from the classroom.

Preethy and vishnu were sitting on the stairs waiting for maya. But when they turned they saw a broken down maya running towards them. Maya hugged preethy and rambled on what happened in the room.

"That bastard" Preethi swore.

The next thing that happened was a blur. Maya didnt remember walking down the stairs or going to the bathroom to clean up. But she came back from her haze. She was standing in front of the bathroom mirrors and preethy dragging a wet tissue on her face.

"Chin up maya. You cant let that bastard see you like this" preethy ushered.

The girls in the bathroom was whispering when they saw maya. Few were clicking pictures. One particular girl with red highlights approached maya and asked

"Is it true you slept with adhitya?"

"Why? Jealous?" Preethy countered.

"Why would i be? im glad i dont have my sex tape online" she blew a bubble from the chewing gum she was chewing and walked out the washroom.

Maya started sobbing again. But then it hit her. It was posted in the college group. The official public group in facebook which included all the facutly and family. The teachers, the principal, Her Father.The first thought that crossed her mind was death. She should die. She couldn't handle all that humiliation.Preethy ushered maya to the exit. They were going back to the hostel. But fate wanted to play games today. She found her self standing infront the devil himself. Jeeth and his minions were smirking down at her.

____________________________________

"Well....Well...... if it isnt the slut herself" Jeeth towered infront of her. Maya stepped back in fear.

This person infront if her just ruined her entire life because she didnt accept one his dares. He couldnt handle a small tear on his ego. He pushed preethy away from maya and grabbed her by the elbows.

"You were so modest that day. What was it? I... i... cant strip" jeeth mocked her by doing the way she shivered that day in class.

"Now what happened you wont strip for me but you will gladly spread your legs for adhi wont you?" He grabbed her by her hair and pushed her into the growing crowd.

"Gather around people. This is the women of the hour. The harlet of NLU." Students started gathering around. Maya could only hide her face and cry.

Why is this happening to me ? What did i do to deserve this?

She started sobbing into her hand. "But the star of the day is not her. Where's my boy?? Where's adhi??"

He started searching the crowd. Adhi's name made maya look up. She saw jeeth leading adhi from the crowd into the center whispering words to his ear which made adhi smile. That smile broke something inside of her. It was not the smile of someone betrayed. It was the smile of a winner.

The truth hit maya smack in the face. It was a trap. It was a trap all along. For disgracing jeeth. Adhi was his puppet all this time. Nothing they shared was true. Those countless kisses. His warm hugs. That night at his place. Everything was part of the elaborate plan made by jeeth.

Maya stopped crying. Shock plastered her face as she looked at adhi. He was looking everywhere but her. He was smiling at the crowd and at Jeeth. Jeeth's words boomed her ears."NLU is a reputed college. It is a college where students like us from respected families come to study and earn a respectul place in society. Bitches like her ruin the culture of our country and the name of this college.Shouldn't sluts like her be punished?"

He was addressing the crowd like some politician. Maya could hear Preethi screaming from afar.

"Lemme go.... maya...." she screamed. Clawing through the crowd but the minions pulled her back.

"We are going to punish her as our ancestors did. Sluts like her must be Balded" jeeth laughed like a maniac.

The crowd went utterly silent. Maya's head whipped towards adhi pleading with her eyes. Shock was plastered in his face too. He was trying to hide it but miserably failed. He tried to make himself busy by twirling his keys.

"Adhii??" Maya called out him her voice trembling.

Jeeths venomous voice came closer towards her "Silly girl. Cant you see the truth right infront of you? This is his little kingdom and you're not the queen anymore."

"I trusted you" maya whispered towards adhi.

"Well then you cant exactly blame me for that can you? It was your mistake" adhi spit out.

That was the last step in her undoing. Her knees gave out and she fell on to the ground crying her eyes out. She didnt see adhi's reaction. Whether he tried to move to help her. Whether he was scared that she would get hurt. Oh wait! Why would he do that? He never cared about her.

Jeeth came towards her with a big pair of yellow scissors in his hand. He garbbed a handful of her hair and started chopping it off.

Snip Snip Snip Snip

"No, please..... pleeease... Stop please. Why are you doing this to me?"

She pushed his hands away which he fisted her hair in. She screamed for him to leave her hair and elbowed him in the gut.

The shake caused the scissors in his hands to pierce in to her skin right below her ears.

"Aaaaahhhhh" she cried out in pain.

Blood started flowing from the cut and drenched the shoulder of her lavendor top.

"Shit" he covered the cut with his rough hands.

Adhi moved forward with a shout.

"You bastard" he pushed jeeth away from her.

"Maya are you okay? Oh god!! maya you are bleeding. We need to go the hospital"

She looked at him in disbelief. "You lost that right when you betrayed me" she spat out and pushed him away and ran.

She didnt know where she was going. All she knew was that she had to get away from here. She touched her bleeding neck. She heard preethy running and approaching. She pulled maya to stop.

"Ohh myy goddd maya!!! Your neck.."

That was all she heard before she plunged into darkness.

___________________________________

White light shone into maya's eyes which made her to jump up in her bed. The first thing she saw was adhi's mother Latha sitting on her bed.

"Maya are you okay? How are you feeling?"

Blind rage enveloped her. Everything she went through just flashed infront of her eyes. Adhi, jeeth, video,taniya, crowd ,scissors, Blood. Her hands immediately went to her neck.

"You're okay. Its just a minor cut. Didnt even hit any veins" latha reached for maya's hands.

"STAY AWAY FROM ME" she yelled at her.

Latha jumped up from her seat. Her eyes widened in pure shock and confusion.

"Do you know what he did to me? Your son? He used me. He betrayed me. HE FUCKING CHEATED ME" she was out of it completely.

Preeth was sobbing quietly in a corner. Maya didnt even notice her.

"I hate him. I hate you. I never want to see any of you ever again." She screamed at the top of her lungs. And that scream died out when a needle met her throat.

_____________________________________

The next couple of days were a blur.

The video got taken down from the college group. Maya didnt get out of bed.Preethy tried so hard to get her out But the emails which arrived next day made both of them slump back in bed.

'Maya menon and preethy Ramachandran has been temporarily suspended from the college. The accusations are:-

1. Leaving hostel premises after hours and engaging in sexual contact with co student and promoting pornographic content.

2. Preethy for hiding and supporting the above said reasons.'

The suspension letter wasnt the cherry on top. It was the fact that maya's father was summoned to the college.

__________________________________

The day daddy dearest arrived in Delhi with his face red as hell and ears spewing steam, maya knew how things were gonna go. Down to hell. The 2 hours spent in the principals room sitting beside him in the chair. With him crushing her legs beneath his boot for every accusation the principal made against her, maya was trying the hardest not to cry out in pain.

Adhi's name was barely mentioned by the principal. In the video too it was hard to say that it was adhi sucking on her neck. They were classic criminals to conduct it this smoothly. The end of the meeting was principal giving maya a warning to behave properly through the course but her father interfered and demanded her tc.

She was being packed from NLU. Back to the dungeons of her father's house. The packing and goodbyes were brief as maya's father was breathing down her neck and shouting at her to make it quick. The train ride back home was frighteningly quiet. But maya knew it was the calm before the storm. That day she finally understood why people fear silence.

_____________________________________

The minute the cab stopped infront of the white grave or what maya called home she ran out of the cab towards her mother.

"Momm.........." she screamed.

Her mother Jaya ran out of the kitchen and hugged her.

"Mom help me. Dads gonna kill me mom!!!" She was shivering in fear.

Jaya caressed her and tried to calm her down. "No baby he wo.."

Jayas words remained unheard as maya felt the first lash of pain on her back.

"Aahhhh" she screamed in pain ad looked back to see her father holding a belt and aiming to hit her again.The belt came down on her multiple time. Maya's grunts and screams in pain echoed in the house. Her father didnt use to beat her like this ever.

" After all ive done for you, you go to college and shack up with some bastard??" Lashes filled the air again.

Maya was bruised all over her back and legs. She pleaded for him to stop. "Dad.... please... its not me. Thats is not real..... its a fake video dad"

"Who are you trying to fool with these crocodile tears? Im not buying your act girl. You're such an attention seeker" But it was like he couldnt hear him. He hit her again and again until he grew tired. Maya was whimpering in pain. Jaya was screaming for him to stop and fell unconscious.

When her father lifted his hand again she grabbed the belt and stared at him. "For once in your life just listen to me. I didnt do anything. It was jeeth. He hates my guts and he did it to get back at me" she screamed at him.

"You have the audacity to scream at me? How dare you?"

"I get the audacity from you dad. Im your daughter"

Ravi huffed grabbed his hair and paced the room " my daughter" he murmured.

Maya was burning in rage. "If you hate me so much why did you even have a child? You should have just killed me when i was a baby" she screamed. Emotion clogging her throat.

"I REGRET NOT DOING IT. I NEVER WANTED YOU GIRL." he screamed at her.

It was like a bullet hit through maya's chest.Words that came out of her father's mouth. She couldnt process it. She couldnt move. She just sat there with her tear striken face.

Numb.

He never wanted me. He regret not killing me

Everything that happened next was a blur. She went to her room. Locked herself in the room for a day and a half. Didnt eat. Didnt sleep. Couldnt cry.

"I NEVER WANTED YOU GIRL" her father's voice followed her everywhere.

'"Have you ever felt trapped in your own mind and body. Like your submerged underwater, unable to come for air. You try to fight with everything thats in you but the grip tightens. The more you struggle to swim free you drown all over again suffocating from the inside. Have you ever wanted to just let go and let the waves take you away. '"

Maya scribbled the words down in her notebook and took a deep breath.

Mom, preethy, tara, grandma, even Adhi. Faces swirled through her mind.

She found out the two people whom she loved the most never even liked her. Never even wanted her.

It was too much for her.

Jeeth, the video, taniya, adhi, now her dad. She couldnt control the loosening grip on her control.

"Im sorry" she uttered and before she took another breath she slit her wrists.

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