"L.R. University?" My mom asked, her voice dripping with confusion as she put pancakes and three glasses of mango juice on the table. "I've heard of that fancy university, but isn't it like, in another city or something?" My mom squinted at Somiya, who was sitting across from her. I let them chat it up while I chowed down on my breakfast.
"Yes, Aunty, it's like, a zillion miles away. But it's like the Harvard of the Southern Hemisphere. And the buildings are like, so Insta-worthy. And the professors of that university are all considered the geniuses of the world. In both Sports and Academics competitions, they have always come out on top positions!" Somiya gushed, trying to convince my mom to let me go to that prestigious university. But the fact that she hadn't even asked me yet if I wanted to go there shows how much my word values them. If only I could kill them, I would have done it already!
My mom nodded, her face expressionless. "So you're planning on packing your bags and moving to the other side of the world?" She asked. Demi and I exchanged glances, then went back to sipping our juice. Somiya beamed, her eyes sparkling like a Christmas tree. "Yes, Aunty! We have planned to complete our study from there!" My mom's eye twitched, she raised her eyebrows and smiled. "We?" Lord gave Somiya everything except the ability to read the room. Demi and I shrank back, fearing for our lives while she was there with her chest out. "Yes, Aunty! Me, Demi, and Zeya! We pinky-promised to go to the same university!" As Somiya's voice echoed through the house like a banshee's wail, I could feel my insides turning to jelly. "Really, Zeya?" My mom's voice was as cold as the Arctic. I shivered, my voice barely a squeak. "I just found out about it this morning, I swear..."
"Aunty–"
"Aunty?" Here we go, the story of every household, the emotionally blackmailed dialogue of every moms. My mom cut Somiya off, her face devoid of any sympathy. "Now that you're all grown up, living with your parents is suddenly beneath you, is it? You can't wait to pack your bags and leave us here to rot in this dump. But it never occurs to you how your poor old mother is going to survive without her precious babies. Nine long months we carried you, only to hear this? There are plenty of perfectly good universities right here in this city, but no, you have to go running off to some faraway land where I can't keep an eye on you–"
"Mom–"
"Don't you dare call me mom! Do you have any idea how much this hurts!? One city away is okay! But why do you need to go that far to study!?" Somiya, Demi, and I all lowered our heads, my mom's wrath making us feel like we'd committed a heinous crime.
"But Mom, isn't it your dream for me to go to the best university possible?" I asked, guilt gnawing at my conscience.
"I don't care if you go to Clown College! You're not leaving my sight unless you're ready to marry!" She stormed off in a huff, leaving us sitting there in stunned silence.
"Your mom is far scarier than Hailey ma'am," Demi said, clutching her chest. Her voice was shaky. "I'm surprised she lets you out of the house at all." "Waaaahhhh!!!" Somiya burst into tears, burying her face in the couch. "I thought I was going to die! Waaaaaahhhh!!!!" Somiya sobbed, her voice trembling like a leaf in the wind. I shook my head and leaned back, exhausted from all the drama. I wondered how she agreed to let me go in last life. Though I know I kept on nagging her for almost a week.
"So, L.R. University is out of the question?" Demi asked. I couldn't bring myself to look at them, instead I stared blankly at the ceiling. My thoughts were consumed by the name of that university. L.R. University, where it all began. If I had heard about this university two or three days ago, I would have refused to study there without hesitation. A place where my whole life had been turned upside down.
When Somiya had first mentioned L.R. University, the first thought that had come to my mind was, No, at all costs I have to stop us from studying there. The university where Elli would lose her dream, the university where Sophia would lose her life, the city where Amaya would change, and the city where my life would turn upside down, never I'm going back, that's what I thought.
When you heal yourself first then only you can see things clearly. Do you understand?
But after putting every pain of the past aside, I found myself thinking something completely different. Instead of running away from a path I had never seen, why not just walk the path I had already seen and fight? I knew when, how, and where everything would go down, so why not prevent it from happening instead of running away? Trying to change mine and Amaya's path had been my first mistake. All I had thought about was myself. Yes, if I had altered our course, there was maybe a 0.1% chance of happiness in my life, but what about Amaya and Sophia? And Elli? It had been selfish of me to think only about myself.
"Zeya!" Somiya's loud shout startled me out of my thoughts. "What?" I asked, glaring at her. "Who were you thinking about so deeply? Don't tell me… you're in love!?" She shouted loud enough for the neighbours to hear. Demi also raised their eyebrows at me. Rolling my eyes, I just decided to lean back. "C'mon, what are we going to do now?" Somiya whined like a spoiled child of a rich family. Well, she is from a rich family. "We'll study at L.R University, no matter what. And I know my mom will agree in a few weeks. So relax." I said nonchalantly before biting into the pancakes my mom had made for us. They used to be Amaya's favourite.
"Yawn~ I swear I'm never going to let you sleep at my home ever again!" Elli yawned, her eyes still half closed. Her words dripped with mock seriousness, like honey slowly oozing from a spoon.
"Oh, the audacity of yours! When did my house become yours?" Amaya asked, walking beside her.
"Didn't you promise you'll give me that house as my dowry?" Amaya raised her eyebrows, flabbergasted by her audacity to lie in front of her face. Her expression was a mixture of amusement and exasperation, like a cat playing with a mouse.
"I'm surprised you didn't demand the entire city while you were at it," Amaya sighed, her voice dripping with mock sympathy.
"Oh Ama, I am not that much greedy. I'm just a poor, innocent child. Don't you pity me?" Elli asked, mimicking the voice of a pitiful woman that was betrayed by the world.
"Poor? Innocent? And you? Oh lord, why didn't you take my ear before I listened to this!?" Amaya questioned heaven, making her face even more pitiful than Elli. With a light kick, Elli jumped and hugged Amaya. "What did you say!? Am I not innocent!?" She asked.
"Let me go!" A smile lingered on Amaya's face as she tried to playfully get away from her. Her laughter was like a silver bell, tinkling with joy.
"Oe! You guys are late!!" Fred shouted, waiting for Amaya and Elli with Seth and Sophia in a cafe. Amaya and Elli waved at Fred and the others. They walked inside the cafe and put their bags down.
"Two milk teas!" Elli ordered, sitting with Amaya.
"Yawn~ let's hurry to class. I don't have the energy to deal with Hailey ma'am early in the morning." Amaya yawned and said, tears escaping from her eyes. Her words were like a gentle breeze, carrying with them the weight of exhaustion.
Seeing the red eyes of Amaya and Elli, the other three raised their eyebrows together. Their expressions were a mixture of concern and amusement.
"At what time did you two go to bed?" Sophia asked, her voice laced with both anger and concern.
"We slept around 1 o'clock but this girl kept the alarm for 3 o'clock." Amaya nudged Elli's head with a bitter face. "We woke up and got ready, then when we came out it was still night. Then again we went to sleep around 4 o'clock only to have another alarm in my phone for 4:50 A.M." Amaya explained. Her voice was like a waterfall, tumbling over rocks with a mixture of frustration and resignation. Sophia shook her head in disappointment.
"Why did you have a 4:50 alarm?" Seth asked in confusion. Amaya thought for a while but she couldn't remember why she had put that. "I don't know." Her words were like a whispered secret, carried away by the breeze.
After finishing their teas, they all stood up and carried their bags, walking towards the school gate. Entering inside, they were stunned when someone shouted their names. "Amaya! Sophia! Elli!" They all turned around only to see a few girls running towards them. Their smiles were like radiant suns, lighting up the entire hallway.
Mitasha and Vinya ran and embraced Amaya tightly. Amaya hugged them back, glancing at the other girls too. Sophia and Elli exchanged a glance with Seth and Fred finding it strange.
"What's going on? Is the Math teacher absent or did I win some lottery?" Amaya asked, not understanding the reason for such a warm welcome.
"Wait a minute! Don't tell me you guys want me to go on a date with someone again!?" Amaya widened her eyes in horror, trying to get away from Mitasha and Vinya's hugged. Her voice was like a frightened bird, fluttering its wings in panic.
"Subash sir got jailed." Shreya informed, her words were like a ray of sunshine, piercing through the darkness.
Amaya blinked her eyes and glanced at her friends. They were as clueless as her. "H-how?" Amaya asked. Her voice was like a whisper, barely audible above the din of the crowd.
"The day before yesterday, the education minister, chairman and other executive and board of directors were called. Six of us told everything what Subash sir did–"
"Don't add sir. It's disgusting." Sophia interrupted then motioned for her to continue the story. Amaya glanced at Sophia and lowered her eyes a little, smile slowly disappearing from her face.
"Six of us told everything that Subash did to us, then the chairman called the police and took him away." Vinya said, beaming from happiness. Her words were like a melody, filling the air with joy.
Elli smiled at Vinya and caressed her cheeks. "We're glad you guys stood up for yourself." Elli whispered, her voice was like a warm embrace, enveloping them in a blanket of love and support. They all nodded their heads agreeing with her. They were indeed proud of them.
"I never knew our school was so great." Seth said with a smile. His words were like a gentle breeze, carrying with them a sense of pride and admiration.
"Not only that Seth brother! Hailey ma'am even kicked Subash!"
Everyone opened their mouths in shock. "What!? Really!?" Seth asked, finding it amusing. He couldn't help but surprise and delight.
"Hailey ma'am is a black belt in karate actually." Amaya said. Her words were like a bombshell, exploding with unexpected information.
"What!!??!?"
*Ting*
The bell rang indicating the start of the class.
"Go to your classes. We'll talk during the break." Fred said before hugging the girls. His words were like a warm embrace, filled with both love and support. Seth, Sophia and Elli also hugged everyone before sending them away.
"I suspected he would either resign or get suspended. Didn't expect for our school to call the police." Seth said with a smirk. His words were like a beacon of hope, shining brightly in the darkness of injustice.
"He deserved that." Sophia said, her words were like a sharp knife, cutting through the air with precision.