PART-5 WELCOME TO THE HOSTEL
8 years ago…
"Rizwan… Rizwan… get up… Rizwan..."
"Rizwan… are you alright..?! Please get up…"
I could hear Akash's voice even in my unconsciousness. He ran up to me as soon as those guys left after beating the shit out of me. I was lying in the middle of the mess. My face was brutally smashed and bleeding.
I wanted to get up but my body didn't have any strength left, not even to react to Akash's voice.
Even in the unconscious state of mind, one person is aware of his surroundings. He knows what is going on but at the same time he's unable to do anything in favor or in against of motion.
Then I felt a sudden elevation, it was like someone trying to lift me up. He wrapped my hand around his neck and held me by my waist in order to give me support. I could feel his firm grip around me as he walked to the medical room, where he put me on the bed and called the medical person.
There was hustle-bustle all around me, I could feel it. I could hear those haphazardly footsteps across the room.
For a moment, I was back in my consciousness but the vision was blurry,I saw a well built guy in a basketball vest standing at the door cleaning up the blood stain from his hands but I couldn't see his face clearly. Alongside him there was a short guy who was shaking badly, he must be Akash I thought before going back to sleep.
Meanwhile, the medical room person came in with a glass of glucose solution and woke me up, he cleaned up the blood on my face and applied some antiseptic solution on the wounds.
"Relax, you'll be fine." He said giving me a pain killer.
"Have you eaten something?" He asked
I shook my head in dissenting.
"Alright, I'll ask your friends to get you something to eat." He said and left.
After sometime, Akash came in with two sandwiches and a small bottle of Minute maid's orange juice from the store outside the campus. He placed the sandwiches on the side table and gave me a hand to sit up.
"Are you alright now?" He asked in his childish voice.
I nodded as I took a bite from the sandwich, it tastes better than the one they have inside the campus.
He sat beside me on the chair as I ate both the sandwiches and drank the juice. He kept on staring at me with his weepy eyes, I was avoiding his stare but I knew what was coming.
"I'm… I'm… I'm… sor…. sorry…" he blurted out and all of the sudden, he started wailing like a kid.
"Hey, it's alright… calm down, everything going to be fine… okay?!!" I said cheering him up.
He nodded and wiped his tears.
"That's better", I remarked.
His cute child-like smile was back on his face.
"You want to go to your room or sleep here?" He asked.
Since I didn't feel like moving out of the bed, I thanked him for being there and told him that he can leave now as I wanted to rest.
"Alright, you sleep. I'll see you in the morning. bye…" he said and left.
My phone rang in my pocket as soon as he left, I picked it up. It was my mother, checking if I was doing alright. I told her that everything is fine and I'm also good.
Of course I lied to her. How can I tell her that someone beat the shit out of me on the very first day of college?
As soon as the painkiller hit my bloodstream, it had started it's mechanism inside my body, I felt relieved, all the pain was gone. I closed my eyes and the next moment I was completely asleep.
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Next day...
I woke up with pain, my whole body ached as I tried to get up, my left eye was unable to open completely. It felt like there was some swelling occurring underneath.
Somehow, I got up from the bed and went to the washroom, in the mirror as I looked at my face, the view was not at all appealing to me. There were bruises all over my face and the blue swollen patch beneath my left eye was making my sight slightly blur , looking at my bashed up face in the mirror, all the memory from the last night came back to my mind and my blood rushed to my face, with clenched fist I was staring at the mirror, revenge was all I had in my head.
I washed my face and came out to see Akash standing next to the bed with Warden and the medical room guy.
The guy smiled at me and asked if I'm feeling well now. I replied with a nod and he left the room after placing the painkillers at the side table, instructing me to take them after breakfast.
Warden stood there waiting for him to leave before turning to me.
"Rizwan Ansari, how did it happen?" He inquired, referring to my face.
"It was an accident, sir," I said, "actually, I fell down the stairs and my face rammed hard on the floor causing this." I said, indicating my bruised face.
He frowned at first but then there was a smirk on his face. He knew what was going on and what I'm trying to do here. But since there was no complaint filed by me, therefore he couldn't take any action.
"Looks like you already know the rules around here" he remarked and walked towards the door "Just make sure that you don't invite any trouble for yourself." he added with a tone.
"Welcome to the hostel!!!", he left.
I looked straight and nodded.
"Why did you lie to the warden? He could've taken care of those boys." Akash asked as soon as the warden left.
"I didn't want him to take care of those rotted bastards" I swear.
"I just wanted to help, that's why I brought him," he said, lowering his head.
I looked in his eyes and said,"If you really want to help me, then please attend the lectures and make notes for me. Okay??"
He nodded and left for the class.