CHAPTER 8

Author's Note:
    
            Hey Guys! Hope you all had a great weekend. Sorry for disappearing last week.I had my internal exams that time. Anyways here is this week's chapter!Enjoy!

CHAPTER 8

I AM A QUEEN. AND QUEENS DOESN’T FALL BACK FROM BATTLE.

After chatting for sometime we all decided to part ways.

On the walk back to our home Reshma started the conversation, “I like the boys. Yeah, Jason and Sebastian maybe a little bit sketchy and distant but I don’t think they are bad. What do you think Jhansi?”.

“Yea, I don’t think they are bad too. It will be good to have some friendly people  when we go to college.

“Well I hope you have learnt your lesson today.”, stated Jessica to Jhansi.

“And what lesson would that be?”, she asked with her eyebrow raised.

“Not everybody likes strawberry. Hot guys like chocolates. I can’t believe you fell for my trap today!”, Jess replied and started laughing.

“You little criminal minded oompa-loompa!! Stop! I will show you who fell for whose trap now!”, she followed after Jessica who had started running.

Reshma and I reached our home and fell on our couch watching both of our maniac friends bicker at each other.

What great best friends we all have! But I know I wouldn’t be here without them here!

I know one thing for sure.

Whatever things life may throw at us , I know we will stick together and look out for each other. To hell with guys! We all love each other with all of our hearts!

After the diner episode we all decided to stay in and watching movies and  eating junk foods. We spent the entire day indoors quietly and went to bed early.

The next day morning when I woke up , only one thought was looping in my mind.

I am going to college. In a day.

Besides staying away from my brother and parents for three years and I now also have new responsibilities and have to take care of myself and protect myself. Even though my friends are here and know about my panic attacks, they have never seen me having one. The panic attacks always comes during nights and I had my brother to take care of me in such times.

That is the reason why he chose a college near our hometown. So that he could go to college daily from home and come back to take care of me. I too had planned to go to the same college, but I wanted to be independent. Plus my friends were coming here , so I wanted to come study here.

Now, I am all alone. With no one knowing how to take care of me during the attacks.

This thought instilled fear in my usual bold and confident self. 

My trembling hands reached for my phone and dialed the number I knew by heart.

My brother, Nathaniel, answered the  phone in the third ring, “You ugly faced devil, speak only if its utterly important else cut the call”, responded my brother in a sleepy voice.

“You master the arts of answering phone calls ,Nate”, I replied.

“As I said , cut the call if its unimportant.”, came the reply.

“I am terrified , Nate”, I said in a low voice.

“Did you look at yourself in the mirror this early in the morning?”.

“Nathan!”, I whispered swallowing a sob.

“Hey! What happened? Did it come again yesterday?”, he asked seriously. I call him as Nathan only when I am extremely sad or extremely terrified and about to fall apart.

“No, but I am terrified of what will happen when it comes? How will my friends manage me? We are barely 18. They can’t even take care of themselves , then how will they take care of me? I am going to be a burden to all of them. It’s so stupid of me to even think that I can live independently. I can’t even survive! Let alone live!! Please come and take me back Nathan!”, I completed in a single breath ending with a sob.

“Shh. Shh. Stop it Rani. Remember that you have survived far worse things and you can survive life too! Damn you will live one hell of a life that everyone will be jealous of you. And you are not a burden to anyone. Don’t ever think of yourself like that. You are Rani, a queen. That’s how our parents wanted you to be. Always keep that mind.

And your friends, they will do anything for you, to take care of you, and about that I am very certain.

Now calm yourself and take deep breaths as we practiced. In and Out. In and Out. In and Out.”

After listening to my brother’s talk and a 5 minute breathing session later , I cut the call.

Maybe I can survive this alone with the help of my friends.

Maybe I can try to be independent.

But I should put in effort from my side first. I am a Queen. And queens doesn’t fall back from battle.

They plan, practice and fight like fire.  Except my battle isn’t with my enemy but with myself.

After lying on the bed for few minutes , I woke up and got ready then went downstairs for breakfast.

Reshma and Jessica were already up and were watching TV lying on the sofa.

“Morning guys!, what ya doing?”, I asked them  and settled next to them .

“Oh, we were just waiting for you guys to come downstairs. Jessi wanted to do some shopping before finally we start college.”, replied Reshma switching between the channels and finally stopped at a channel showing a horror movie.

“Yea, you won’t believe what’s out in the  market now!”,Jessi waved her hands wildly in excitement. “The Gucci finally released its brand new model  leather pump shoes in green color that matches perfectly with that dress I have and Gods know that I have been saving money forever to get this shoe!!”.

“Alright! Alright! We will go shoe shopping today, ok? Happy? Get ready now.”, I said and shooed away both of them into their rooms but not before snatching the remote from Reshma and changed the horror movie to music channel.

It is bliss, sitting on the sofa listening to music uninterrupted trying to soak whatever amount of inner peace I can gather before starting the college.

After some time Jhansi came down and I explained to her about the shopping trip and we both went together upstairs to get ready.

Exactly after an hour we stepped outside the door ready to face the battle of shoe shopping and little did we know that today would be the day we would face the queen devil unleashing her wrath upon us.

Author's note :

   Hello Readers! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I am incredibly sorry to say that I wont be posting any chapters next week. Instead I will be posting 2 chapters after 2 weeks. 

                     Have a great week ahead!

“Be spontaneous, be creative, go out and have fun, let things happen naturally.”                                                                                                           

                                                                - Conor McGregor