The Chaos Continues
Chahat stomped across campus, aggressively ignoring the dozens of students who were very obviously whispering about her.
This is fine. She told herself. I'll just go to class, lay low, and—
Her phone buzzed.
Jay:We need to talk. Now.
Chahat groaned. Of course.
Before she could even type a response, Jay appeared in front of her, looking mildly annoyed and highly suspicious.
"Chahat."
"Jay."
They stared at each other.
Jay crossed his arms. "So, uh, you wanna tell me why half the college thinks you and Kiya are in some kind of secret relationship?"
Chahat forced a very painful smile. "Nope. I'd really rather not."
Jay narrowed his eyes. "Right. And you don't think it's weird that Kiya is fully playing along?"
"Oh, I think it's weird, alright," Chahat muttered. "I just don't have the power to stop her."
Jay sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Chahat. I know you. You hate drama. But this? This is textbook Kiya-level chaos. How did she drag you into this?"
Chahat clenched her jaw. "I was trying to shut down rumors about you and me. Then Kiya took over. And now, apparently, I'm the main character in some romantic conspiracy theory that I didn't even sign up for."
Jay gave her a long look. "So what's the plan?"
Chahat hesitated. "…The plan?"
Jay raised an eyebrow. "You do have one, right?"
Chahat wanted to say yes. She wanted to believe that she had a clear, solid plan to escape this mess.
But then she remembered who she was dealing with.
Kiya.
Tiya.
And the entire college rumor mill.
Her shoulders sagged. "I have nothing."
Jay sighed. "Okay. Then let's end this before it gets worse."
Chahat blinked. "We?"
Jay shrugged. "Yeah. If I don't help, I'll probably end up in another stupid rumor. So let's fix this."
Chahat stared at him. "…You're willingly stepping into Kiya's chaos?"
Jay cringed. "I hate that I am. But if it means shutting this down, then yeah."
Chahat folded her arms, considering. "Alright. But first, one question."
Jay sighed. "What?"
Chahat narrowed her eyes. "Are you secretly in love with me?"
Jay gagged. "EW—NO!"
"Cool. Just checking."
"OH MY GOD."
But before they could strategize, a very familiar voice interrupted them.
"Well, well, well. What do we have here?"
Chahat froze.
Jay groaned.
And there she was—Kiya, standing with her arms crossed and a smirk that screamed trouble.
"Oh, don't mind me," Kiya said, stepping forward. "I just love watching the two of you scheme."
Jay glared. "Kiya, enough. We're shutting this down."
Kiya gasped. "Oh nooo! Not my beautiful, messy love triangle!"
Chahat smacked her forehead. "Kiya. Stop it."
Kiya just smirked. "You know, you could shut this down, Chahat… Or, and hear me out—"
"NO MORE CHAOS, KIYA!"
Kiya pouted. "You're so boring."
Chahat let out a deep, exhausted sigh.
At this rate, she wasn't sure what would happen next.
Back to Normal—Sort Of
Chahat flopped onto the couch in her home, completely drained.
The whole college-wide disaster had finally died down, thanks to the sports fest distraction.
Now, she just wanted peace.
Mehendi walked in, setting her bag down and stretching. "You look like you fought a war."
Chahat groaned. "I basically did."
"What happened now?"
Chahat waved a hand dismissively. "Ugh. Just the usual. My name got dragged into a love triangle, Kiya made it worse, Aman enjoyed my suffering, and Jay looked like he wanted to drop out of college. But it's fine now. We threw a bunch of sports events at the students, and they moved on like goldfish."
Mehendi blinked. "…That's a lot to unpack."
"Nope. We're not unpacking it. We're locking it in a box and throwing it into the ocean."*
Mehendi smirked. "Fine, fine. So, what now?"
Chahat sighed, leaning back. "Now? I just want a normal, boring day for once. No drama. No Kiya nonsense. Just peace."
Mehendi chuckled. "You? A boring life? That's a stretch."
Chahat threw a pillow at her. "Shut up."*
And for once, everything actually felt calm.
For now.