Heartbreak and Happiness

We were surrounded.

Anant's group — all seniors — had encircled Ruhi, Simmi, and me like a pack of wolves preparing to strike.

But Ruhi…

Ruhi stood tall in the center, her shoulders squared, her eyes burning with fury, and not even a flicker of fear on her face.

She didn't look like a girl in danger.

She looked like a lioness — proud, fearless, and powerful — standing alone against a cowardly army of scavengers. And the image was so strong, so striking, that for a moment… I forgot to breathe.

The way she planted her feet, her posture radiating defiance… it was as if she was daring them to try.

And they did.

One by one, they approached her — seniors, stronger, taller, confident in their numbers. But Ruhi?

Ruhi dismantled them with ease. Not just with fists, but with precision, timing, and unshakable courage.

Each time someone lunged forward, Ruhi met them halfway — blocking, flipping, striking. Every move was sharp, calculated, clean. I watched in awe as she tossed one boy aside with a swift shoulder throw and sent another crashing to the ground with a kick that echoed in the corridor.

They didn't stand a chance.

She didn't let a single one of them reach Simmi or me.

Not even close.

Ruhi fought like she was born for this moment — like every injustice, every scar, every battle in her life had shaped her for this exact fight. She was more than just brave — she was unstoppable. A force of nature wrapped in the body of a girl with fire in her eyes and steel in her soul.

And suddenly, I understood.

I understood why Simmi trusted her so much.

Why she always looked at Ruhi with so much admiration in her eyes.

Because Ruhi wasn't just a fighter.

She was a protector.

She didn't fight for herself — she fought for us. For Simmi. For me. For every girl who had ever been cornered, scared, or silenced. And in that moment, in that hallway of chaos and broken pride…

She stood alone.

But she stood tall.

By the time it was over, Anant's so-called "powerful" group was scattered across the floor, groaning in pain, their arrogance shattered like glass.

And Ruhi?

She didn't even look tired.

She simply turned, brushed a strand of hair from her face, and asked, "You both okay?"

I nodded silently, my chest still rising and falling from the shock of what I'd just witnessed. Simmi didn't speak either — but the way her eyes shimmered with pride said everything.

In that moment, something shifted inside me.

A quiet awe. A deep respect.

Because Ruhi wasn't just a friend now.

She was a warrior.

And she had earned my respect — not just for her strength, but for her heart.

And I knew I would never forget this day.

The day a lioness walked into battle for us…

And won.

Just as Simmi began helping me out of the canteen—her arm around me, trying to steady my staggering steps—we were suddenly stopped in our tracks.

Ruchika.

And her entire group.

They appeared out of nowhere like shadows cast by a much larger storm. Faces smug, eyes sharp, they surrounded us in seconds, cornering Simmi and Ruhi like predators circling their prey.

Before either of them could react, two girls from Ruchika's group grabbed Ruhi and Simmi by the arms, holding them tightly like hostages.

"What are you doing?!" Simmi cried out, struggling.

Ruhi tried to break free, panic rising in her voice, but Ruchika only smiled—a cold, cruel smile that made my skin crawl.

"Try anything stupid again," Ruchika hissed in a low voice, her words meant only for Simmi and Ruhi. "And I swear, we'll paste your secret across the entire college."

Simmi's face fell. Ruhi's eyes widened.

"What... what are you talking about?" Ruhi asked, her voice shaking.

Ruchika held up her phone and whispered darkly, "A kiss. A cute little secret kiss. Between two girls. We have the photo—clear as day. One move from either of you... and by tomorrow morning, it'll be on every college noticeboard. Every wall. Every group chat."

Ruhi froze.

Simmi looked like the ground had been pulled from beneath her feet.

In that moment, they both knew—Ruchika wasn't bluffing.

They were trapped. Silenced. Paralyzed by the weight of a threat that could destroy their reputations, their peace, maybe even their families' trust.

And I?

I was too weak to do anything.

Before I could even make sense of what was happening, Anant had stormed forward again. His hand grabbed my collar, yanking me out of Simmi's grasp like I was nothing more than paper in the wind.

"You think you can hide behind girls, you filthy coward?" he spat in my face, his voice venomous. "Hiding behind skirts like a scared little dog?"

His rage boiled over.

"You pathetic excuse of a human," he growled. "Let me show you what happens when someone like you dares to get involved in something way above your place."

I wanted to speak, to scream, to defend myself—but my voice was gone.

Not because I had no words…

But because the fear, the humiliation, the helplessness had swallowed me whole.

There was no one left to protect me.

No Simmi. No Ruhi. Not even Nikhil.

Only me…

And the monsters I couldn't fight.

Pain throbbed through every part of my body—my ribs ached, my lip was bleeding, and my vision blurred with tears I refused to shed. But the worst part wasn't the pain.

It was the humiliation.

Anant, along with a group of other seniors, had taken turns hitting me—punch after punch, slap after slap. I had stopped counting after a while. My body was just… absorbing it, breaking under it, but my mind—my mind refused to shut down. I could hear everything. I could feel everything.

And then, they tied me to a chair.

Not metaphorically. Literally.

With ropes.

I sat in the middle of the canteen, blood on my clothes, my arms tied behind the backrest, and my ankles strapped to the legs of the chair. I was like a message they were trying to send. A statement.

Anant, breathing hard but not nearly done, turned to one of the nearby juniors and pointed a finger at him. His voice was venomous, loud, sharp like a blade being drawn.

"Go. Get Nikhil," he barked. "Right now. Tell him if he doesn't come, his little toy will be broken beyond repair."

The junior hesitated—terrified, unsure.

Anant stepped closer, grabbed him by the collar, and said with a terrifying calmness, "Tell him I'm reminding him today… of his place. He dared to mess with my brother. Now I'll destroy the one he tried to protect. And I'll do it in front of him—so he knows that no promise he makes will ever matter."

The boy ran.

And I?

I just sat there, tied up, drenched in sweat and blood, my heart pounding like a war drum inside my chest.

But more than pain… was the fear.

Not for myself.

For what this meant.

For what would happen if Nikhil didn't come.

For what would happen if he did.

Simmi and Ruhi were still nearby, held back by Ruchika and her group—hostages in their own right. Simmi's eyes were red with helpless tears. Her hands trembled, pressed against her mouth like she was trying to keep from screaming. Ruhi looked pale, her jaw clenched, fists shaking in rage, but even she didn't dare move—not with that threat hanging over them like a guillotine.

I looked at them… and I hated this.

I hated being the reason they were suffering.

I hated being so weak.

I hated knowing that I had walked straight into this storm just by trusting the wrong person.

I had no idea what was going to happen next.

Would Nikhil come?

Would he run?

Would he fight back?

Or would he let them break me… just like they said he would?

All I knew in that moment was this:

I wasn't scared of more pain.

I wasn't scared of Anant.

I was scared of being abandoned.

Scared that maybe—just maybe—Simmi had been right all along.

That Nikhil was never going to show up.

And if he didn't…

Then maybe everything I had felt… meant nothing.

Maybe I meant nothing.

And I wasn't sure if I could survive that kind of truth.

To be continue....