Tomorrow was Monday, and Lavanya was once again going to face the same man. Thinking about the next day, Lavanya got on bed. As she started thinking more about Agastya and her past all the things of her past started playing as a flashback in front of her eyes.
Flashback
(6 Years Ago)
Lavanya was running quickly, mumbling to herself, "Oh God, not again, please. I don't want to be late for class and get scolded again. Come on, Lavanya, faster."
Finally reaching the classroom door, she sighed with relief, seeing that the professor hadn't arrived yet. As she entered, the students turned to stare at her, but Lavanya was used to it. She was attending this prestigious college on a scholarship, while most of the other students came from wealthy backgrounds. They never liked her, often showing disgust towards her clothes, her shoes, and everything about her modest background.
During lunch break, Lavanya was heading to the canteen when her path was blocked by a group of rich kids...three boys and two girls. They looked at her as though she was something filthy. Lavanya tried to walk past them, but they continued blocking her way.
Rishabh, one of them, sneered, "Do you think you can just slap my friend and get away with it? How dare you lay a hand on her? We could easily have you thrown in jail, but we'd rather deal with you ourselves."
Though Lavanya tried not to show fear, inside, she was anxious about how they planned to retaliate. Yesterday, Shruti, one of their friends, and the 'Diva of the campus' had mocked Lavanya and her grandmother. Normally, Lavanya ignored such taunts, but Shruti had crossed a line, mocking the one person who mattered most to her..
her grandmother. Lavanya tried to avoid her, but when Shruti crossed her lines, in a moment of anger, Lavanya had slapped Shruti in front of everyone and walked away. Now, Shruti's friends were here for revenge.
While Lavanya was thinking about the events of the previous day, a hard slap landed on her face, delivered by Soniya, Shruti's best friend. The blow was so hard that Lavanya nearly fell to the ground. The others grabbed her bag, throwing its contents all over the floor, mocking her all the while. A crowd of students had gathered to watch. Some pitied Lavanya, while others ridiculed her for daring to stand up to the college diva.
As if the slap wasn't enough, Soniya then poured a bottle of cold drink over Lavanya's head. Laughter erupted from the onlookers, with some even filming the scene on their phones, enjoying Lavanya's humiliation.
Everyone was enjoying the scene when..."What's going on here?" a firm voice cut through the noise, and suddenly everyone fell silent. Lavanya slowly raised her head and saw Agastya Mehra... the man she admired most on campus. Agastya wasn't just Lavanya's crush; he was her inspiration. Agastya was a disciplined, A-grade, topper and popular student. Everytime she saw him, she got motivated to work hard and make her grandma feel proud.
"Are you all so free that you have time to enjoy such things instead of attending your classes?" he asked. At his words, the crowd began to disperse. Agastya approached the group of bullies. "Is this how you treat people?" he asked.
"But, Agastya," Soniya responded, "yesterday she slapped your cousin Shruti. We were just teaching her to stay in her place. These street kids don't know their limits."
"Enough!" Agastya yelled. "I know my cousin, and I know how she treats others. Stop acting like she's the victim here. Go to your classes, now. Everyone!" No one objected him because everyone knew his family background.
Reluctantly, the group dispersed, though not without giving Lavanya a final hateful glare. Soniya, in particular, was furious. She had always had a crush on Agastya, Shruti's older cousin, but he had never shown her any romantic interest. Seeing him defend Lavanya now made her even angrier.
Once everyone had gone, Agastya knelt down and began gathering Lavanya's scattered belongings. Handing her bag and books back to her, he said, "All this happened because of my cousin, and your things have been ruined. I'll compensate for the damage on behalf of her and her friends."
Lavanya, who had kept her head down out of shame, tried to stop him, but before she could say anything, Agastya placed some money in her hand and apologized before walking away. Lavanya felt even more humiliated. She hadn't wanted his money, but Agastya didn't give her a chance to refuse.
Agastya was in his final semester of MBA, while Lavanya was finishing her undergraduate degree..B.Com. First time she saw him at a college event and had fallen for him immediately. Since then, she had learnt everything she could about him. Agastya's grandfather was a trustee of the college, and Agastya was pursuing an MBA. He completed all his education till graduation in London and was working in a company to have some experience before joining his father in his own family business. But, two years ago his grandfather fell ill and wanted to spend time with his grandson so Agastya quitted his job and came back to Mumbai, India and took admission in MBA.
Normally, Lavanya never missed an opportunity to see Agastya..
whether at college events, on the playground, in the canteen, or in the library. But after the day he gave her money as compensation, she avoided him out of shame. Sometimes she even thought of returning the money to him, but it also needed a lot of courage and confidence.
The wealth gap between them had become painfully clear, and Lavanya convinced herself that she should not dream of something that could never be hers.
...........
Soon, the semester came to an end, and the final exams were over. As Lavanya and her two friends left the exam hall, they talked about their future plans. Sneha, her closest friend, asked, "Lavanya, what are you planning to do after graduation? Are you going to pursue higher studies or find a job?"
Lavanya paused to think. Although her academic performance had always been strong, and she could likely secure a scholarship for further studies, she knew she needed to support her grandmother. "I'll find a job," she replied.
Since Lavanya's parents died, her grandmother had earned money as a cook, working in different households, but two months ago, she had fallen ill and could no longer work. Her kidneys had failed due to diabetes, and the doctor had recommended either a transplant or dialysis... both of which were expensive. Lavanya had only learnt about her grandmother's condition one month ago and had taken up a part-time job as a hotel receptionist. She wasn't even graduate and the hotel was paying her better than other jobs that she tried for. Atleast she could pay for her grandma's dialysis twice in a week. Now, with graduation approaching, she knew she needed to find a full-time job to provide for her family.