" I was the only wilted flower of the colorful garden ,
But the world let me rust with my hidden sorrow."
The day was bright and cool. The branches of trees were sifting their fingertips through the tresses of cool breeze. The weather was calmingly pleasant.
In the meantime, there were two people in the badminton court moving their rackets in air like swords. One of them jumped to hit a smash. Luckily, the shuttlecock went to the other court and was about to touch the ground when it got hit by taehyung.
The shuttle turned back to strike one of its feathers with the net and fell in her court but she elongated her arm to reach it and hit it to the outer court. Before Sejal could went back to the centre a smash hit her shoulder. She tried to step back but it was late. It fell down.
" I win today's match,lady", he said with a smirk as he lifted his racket in the air with a slight tilt towards her court. He was gasping. She smiled in return.
" Good. I'll make sure that tomorrow I'll win, head",saying this she went to approach her kit and put her racket in it. Then she sat down next to it ( on the right side), took out her water bottle to drink water.
Taehyung also packed his kit and reached her. He sat leaving one seat between them both empty. He put both of his hands on side lifting his shoulder with a support. They were still sweating and breathing heavily. Sejal put the bottle back in her bag.
"Why were you crying in the morning?", his eyes widened while looking at the ground but didn't lifted his head. He was suprised to hear this question. Then she said fastly and worriedly.
" Look.... I know you don't have any friends because they make fun of you but you can consider me as one of yo....", he interrupted.
" You wiped my tears, right?" His words left her speechless that she forgot what she was about to say. On the other hand taehyung was smiling ear to ear just after saying that. Still looking at his feet but with widened smile.
Then he lifted and turned head towards her who was totally expressionless. Their brown eyes met. His smile now slowly faded away but his eyes and questioning gaze was saying that was still waiting for her to reply. Her eyebrows frowned.
" You were sleeping, weren't you?" She asked with a little tilt of her head. He shook his head slightly.
" I wasn't", now again a smirk appeared on his face. Sejal immediately looked down with embarassment. Oh, he was awake. What a second hand embarassment, you fool.
She stood up. She knew he was still gazing at her. She lifted her kit from the next seat.
" I am sorry to invade your privacy and disturb you like this . I wasn't intended to do that.." she said as she was looking down.
"Don't worry.." she lifted her head. He was already looking at her." I didn't mind",he said with a mild smile.
The very next second her embarassed face turned into a stiff one. Her brows furrowed. "Goodbye, then", she turned to walk towards the door.
Just then taehyung realised that he seemed to be making fun of her.
Wait did I just...
He stood up hurriedly, took his kit and walk fastly, then a little run towards the door. He stepped out to see that she was there. She was walking down the slope towards the school gate. She had her kit in her hand and bag slung at her shoulders, wondering something while looking towards the gate.
Why he was blushing? She thought with a cute pout on her face.
Taehyung looked around to search if her car was there while running. There was none.
What a great day to apologize... He thought and sped up to reach her.
He approach her to walk in align with her feet. His hand were in his pocket.
" Why are you here now?" She kept on walking as well as him.
" To apologize.." he shrugged.
"Why?"she thought that what happened to him and why he was apologizing.
" Because I want to..."
"You don't need to.."
"But I must..." He stopped and pulled the strand of her kit making her stop.
".. because...my only friend felt bad about my words"
They were now a few steps away from the main gate. He was some inches tall from her. Sejal opened her lips to say something but he interrupted in between.
" You said I can consider you as one", and her own words were now a burden to her. She make herself nod.
" I wasn't making fun of you in anyway ", he said. " Instead I was happy that there was someone who was there to wipe my tears. I humbly apologize if you felt bad"
He said leaving the strand of the kit.
"No it's alright", she said as the walked out from the school. The breeze noe seemed a bit excited."isn't your car here today to pick you up?"
She shook her head. " The driver had to do some work in his village ", saying this she began to walk calmly. The breeze ruffled his hair while Sejal's hair were safe as they were in a ponytail.
They both walked half of the path without uttering a single word. They were about to reach a cross road when he said," my friend died today", her foot steps stopped on their own as she was few steps ahead of him. She turned back to see him. He was already looking at her.
"You then asked me reason of crying", he paused for a while." She died today and year ago"
She lifted her foot to approach him. "What happened to her?" She asked with a questioning gaze." They killed her....she was raped", he looked into her eyes after saying this. Sejal felt her stiffened muscles lose. A chill sensation went across her spine. " And I was there. I could not save her", this was the moment when a tear rolled down his cheek. She felt her feet froze to the ground.
The huge white cotton balls of the sky were now turning slightly grey. The breeze was ruffling the leaves the same as before under which they both were sitting on a bench.
" Her name was Laura...", he began to tell about her. Sejal was sitting beside him at distance. " Two years older than me. I was in ninth grade when she saved me from the bully boys. Never let them overpower you...that's what she said to me that day..after that day she came to met me, to ask me if they bullied me again or not. We often used to meet by any chance.I used to call her sister." He smiled in pain.
" But last year, I was crossing the same road when I saw some men were forcing her to sit in their black can. They started the van before I could reach them. I chased it, chased it till it reach an abandoned cottage. They took her in. I broke in before they could close the door. There were four men inside surrounding her. They looked at me astonished. Two men dragged me to the other corner. One of them slapped me. I was feeling helpless. I struggle a bit to look at Laura. She was fighting for herself. Before the man could land another slap on my face. She hit him with something. And then the other one too.
They stood to grab her. That was the last time she said something to me. Run.. run.. taehyung they'll kill you otherwise. Startled by the man coming towards me I ran out of the cottage but couldn't go more than few steps further when I heard her scream. My footsteps froze there. There was window with iron rod at a side. I took courage to went there couldn't look inside. I sat beside it. I curl my hands around my legs and forced my face into it. She was screaming Sejal." He looked up at her. He was crying.
" She screamed and kept screaming and I was there the whole time. I didn't save her. I fainted there and when I woke up I didn't know what happened. It was night. I hurriedly ran into the cottage to see her but when I reached there was only emptiness.." he looked at his empty hand and then began to sob. He didn't even looked at her the whole time. He was just looking at the ground. She silently listened. He was so much burdened by tose harsh memories that they were haunting him and he let them weaken him.
"I went to her house to see if she's somehow alive but somone threw her body outside her house half hour ago. I was also reported as a missing child, my parents were looking for me. The police was there to investigate so they handed me over to my parents. I remember the crime investigation tape was there. They threw her there. The police found no suspect.I literally begged her parents that I knew something about the scene but they said it would affect my studies and their sorrow even more. My parents agreed but when her parents refused so they advise me that I should not force anything." He sobbed even more. She felt pity.
From the time, she joined the class, there were only a few times she saw him smile. And today she saw him smiling, blushing and sobbing too. Eventually, a tear left her eye. "That must not have been done with Laura."
"And you didn't even tell anyone except your parents",her words brought him back to reality. He looked at her when a following tear escaped his eye. His nose was redened and eyes were filled with tears. He harshly gulped his saliva before saying" they would rather make fun of me", he pressed his lips to control his stuck breath. He wiped his tear with the back of his hand.