Musical Inspiration (full playlist on my Spotify): Everybody Talks by Piano Tribute Players (Piano Tribute To Neon Trees), That's My Girl by Party Tyme Karaoke (Party Tyme Karaoke - Instrumentals 26), Ready To Fight? (Heartstrings OST Part 3)
Taani Desai royally regrets the day she stepped foot into St. Louis University.
This was supposed to be her way of starting fresh and reconnecting with her big brother, but instead, she was stuck with Vishakha's neverending nonsense, Rey's ridiculously pretty eyes and the mob of students before her who seemed to live off a single shared brain cell.
She glanced down at the crowd, toying with the frayed hem of her white shirt as she mentally prepared herself for the onslaught of questions she would be bombarded with in less than four seconds. Letting out a deep breath, Taani adjusted the podium's mic so that she could speak.
"Rey and I can't be a couple because I'm already in a relationship."
Silence finally befell the room at Taani's words, taking everyone by surprise… but none more so than Rey himself, who felt inexplicably upset.
How the hell can Taani be in a relationship with someone without me knowing about it? he thought to himself, I'm her bloody GS, we spend the majority of our time together, she hasn't even made any new friends here other than... no. NO! Taani cannot be in a relationship with Shivam fucking Dutta of all people.
"Then tell us who he is!" someone in the crowd shouted, bringing Rey's attention back to the matter at hand.
"How else will we know if he even exists?" someone else called out. "After all, it wouldn't be the first time you lied to get yourself out of a mess like this."
Vishaka's head snapped up at the jibe, the smirk on her face quickly forming into a scowl. Did it bring her great joy watching Taani's world crumble right before her? Absolutely! But there is no way in hell that she'll let some dumbass rando who thinks that Jodhpur is a freaking village have that honour. Taani Desai was hers to destroy and hers alone.
Ready to get off the stage and unleash hell on the idiots of St. Louis, Vishaka made her way towards the steps when a familiar hand grabbed hers. She instinctively grazed her thumb over the back of the hand that hugged her own, an all too familiar scar causing the very feelings that she'd so desperately been trying to squash to resurface once more.
Fucking Taani man.
She finally glanced over at her supposed arch-nemesis, smiling despite herself when she saw that Taani's entire demeanour had gone from frazzled butterfly trapped in a jar to killer bee ready to attack. Fidgeting hands now gripped the sides of the podium in a chokehold. Tense, slouching shoulders now whip straight, looming over the crowd like an ominous shadow. Her fearful expression now ready to strike fear into the very souls of every single person present.
There's the Taani Desai I know and love- I mean loathe, she thought to herself. Vishaka decided that she can be Team Taani just this once, letting go of the other girl's hand, but not before giving it one final reassuring squeeze.
Finally placing her other hand on the podium with a thud, Taani's steely gaze springs forth a flurry of eyes widening cartoonishly in panic, all thinking, Oh shit she's gonna' kill us.
"You," Taani's icy tone stabbed out, pointing a finger at the beautiful moron who was so very concerned about the existence of Taani's boyfriend and had the sudden urge to check her pulse. "Urvashi Chanda, right?" The girl in question nodded her head vigorously, hoping for her neck to just snap right off because anything's better than looking Taani Desai in the eye right now. "Third year in your third year?" Multiple eyes turned their attention from Taani to Urvashi. "Since you seem to be so keen on telling the truth, can we talk about how you were almost expelled for plagiarizing your philosophy paper on 'Honesty in Academia'?"
The majority of the student body was too paralyzed with fear to laugh at the sheer irony of Urvashi's beyond idiotic action… except for the one moron that did, regretting it immediately as Taani's eyes snapped towards him.
"I don't know why you're laughing, Khush Raichand, since the only reason you're currently not on academic probation is because you can throw a ball in the air."
Vicky could've screamed 'I FREAKING KNEW IT' at the top of his lungs right then and there if he wasn't scared shitless. He adores Taani, he really does, but there's no telling who she'd fucking annihilate next.
"We just want to know what type of guy our GS is interested in," one of the boys in the crowd called out, stupidly winking up at Taani.
That one, that one right there.
It takes Rey, Vicky, and even Simmi to keep Sharon from lunging at the idiot because 'no Sharon, you can't claw his face off, yes please settle for ours instead' even though they were ready to throw hands themselves.
"Yeh gadha toh marne wala hai," Nilesh groaned, half excited to see Taani end him, half hoping this doesn't have them facing a lawsuit because honestly, Sharon is enough as is, he can't have Taani going batshit crazy at the drop of a hat too.
"Abbe ruk na!" he heard Bharat hiss, turning his head to find Bharat having to pull Vishaka back from committing a freaking homicide.
Weirdest day ever, he thought to himself, sighing as he turns back to see Taani strangling the boy with her weaponized eyes.
"I can tell you right off the bat that it's definitely not you, Rajeev Khurana, self-proclaimed 'stud' who we all know is dating the entire freshman class at once."
Outraged shrieks filled the room as Rajeev gets shoes of all kinds thrown at him, including a particularly large stiletto heel courtesy of one Rinni Shah.
Noticing the questioning glances from her friends, Rinni chirped, "Oh, I never dated him, I just wanted to participate."
Amar chuckled, shaking his head at her response. "This is why I love you."
It took him about two seconds to severely regret his words.
Taking a beat to process what she had just heard, all Rinni can let out is, "Wait, what?"
"Oh look, Taani's about to say something!"
Rinni turned her attention back to Taani excitedly, causing Amar to breathe out a sigh of relief.
"Smooth," Neha whispered in his ear.
"Fuck off."
Neha smirked at her friend's irritation before turning her attention back to Taani, who she has never been more proud of.
"My personal life is my business and mine alone, and the same goes for Rey. The only reason why I even bothered to share my relationship status is because clearly, none of you have any intention of letting this matter go and frankly, I think it's high time that we put the rumours to rest. I am not dating Reyansh Singhania. I never have and I never will."
"Ouch," Rey muttered, his voice barely above a whisper, unable to take his eyes off Taani.
Unbeknownst to Rey, the pain from his rejection had already started to creep back into Taani's heart like a parasite, the memory playing in her brain on a friggin loop that made her head spin. Taani takes a deep breath, desperately hoping to swallow the tears that she knew were on their way.
"I am only going to be saying this one last time, so listen up! Please stop asking us if we are dating, because we are not, and stop asking our friends the same thing. Honestly, it's as if none of you care that midterm exams are scheduled to start today." Squawks of 'holy shit that's today' and 'fuck I'm so screwed' fly across the room, causing Taani to bite back a smirk before she continues. "Most importantly - and mind you Sharon has already issued a warning regarding this more than once - stop flooding the college discussion board with all your theories and opinions because it is not and has never been meant for gossip…"
The students in the crowd exchanged nervous glances as Taani trailed off, only becoming more confused when a giddy grin overtakes her face.
"Except for whoever started that thread that Rey and I were actually the ones to start these rumours in the first place as a ruse due to our real relationships, because I want to know where you're going with this so that can definitely stay up. Also, feel free to come to talk to us about that thread specifically because it's the one good thing to come out of this entire mess, I genuinely enjoyed scrolling through the entire thing."
A few chuckles manage to ring through the air, seeing as Tornado Taani has most likely simmered down since she's cracking jokes rather than single-handedly ruining everyone's lives because she can.
But alas, St. Louis's resident fuckboi and dumbass extraordinaire - Rajeev Khurana, still being beaten up by women's footwear - opened his big mouth as if Taani hadn't just ended him two minutes ago.
"What a load of bullshit! Do you really think you can silence us and get away without a proper explanation just because you know a few things?"
Murmurs of agreement began to fill the room - because 90% of this college is so easily persuaded that it's actually concerning.
"Yeah Taani, tell us!" a new voice called out.
Everyone finally managed to draw their attention away from Taani and towards the stranger.
"Okay fine," he happily continued, "if you don't want to tell everyone, then I will. My name is Varun Mittal and I am Taani's boyfriend. Not that she's obligated to share this information with the entire college or whatever, but if it'll get you all to stop insisting that she's dating her GS when she is clearly not, then so be it."
Mutters of disappointment continued to fly around the room as the crowd dispersed. The gang remained frozen in their spots on the stage as they watched Taani approach the stranger, Rey in particular holding onto the idea that this is all part of some big joke and Taani's gonna slap this guy or at least lecture him into oblivion but noooooo, apparently he isn't allowed to experience nice things.
He bristled at the sight of Taani enveloping the stranger in a warm hug, as though they'd known each other forever.
"Hey Rockstar! Did you miss me?"
"Of course I missed you, you idiot!" exclaimed Varun.
Taani's mouth widened into an 'o', an offended gasp being let out as she starts hitting her best-friend with her bag.
"Varun, did you just call me an idiot?"
"Well, I can't exactly respond unless you stop hitting me."
"No, keep hitting him!" shouted Swayam, who had arrived at the assembly hall right when Varun introduced himself to the entirety of St. Louis as Taani's boyfriend.
Taani and Varun turned to Swayam in shock.
"Bhai?"
"Swayam, what kind of best-friend are you?"
"What kind of best-friend am I?" Swayam snatched Taani's bag out of her hands and started to hit Varun with it. "You asshole, what kind of best-friend are you? Why didn't you tell me that you guys were dating?"
Taani and Varun merely glanced at each other before their laughter began to ring throughout the room, causing Swayam to finally hit pause on his assault on Varun. He blinked at them laughing their hearts out, utterly perplexed. Noticing her brother's expression, Taani finally stopped laughing long enough to ask, "Bhai, do you seriously think that I'd ever date this idiot?"
Rey felt a strange wave of relief wash over him as he heard these words leave Taani's lips.
"What do you mean?" asked Swayam.
"What she means is," Varun grabbed the purse from Swayam's hand before continuing, "we're not really dating."
Choruses of 'huh', 'what', and even an 'are you mad?' from an agitated Rey, began to fill the room, causing Taani to let out a tired sigh.
"Calm down guys, let me explain!" Once she saw that the gang was finally ready to let her speak, Taani continued, "I was freaking out about all of this and I didn't know what to do. I wanted to help solve this problem once and for all and then Shivam actually gave me a great idea - lie and say that I'm already in a relationship. But because this is St. Louis, I called Varun and asked him to be my fake boyfriend, kind of as a precaution. So basically if the students wouldn't listen to reason, Varun would assess the situation and decide when to burst in, which he did."
"In short, him becoming your fake boyfriend was the only option that you had left," Sharon finished, the first to catch on.
"Exactly!"
"You could've told us!" Rey snapped, biting his tongue right after he does so.
"Sorry, must've slipped my mind while I was losing my shit trying to make this ridiculous plan work so it wouldn't blow up in all our faces," Taani bit back, catching everyone including herself by surprise.
"Having a fake boyfriend slipped your mind?" yelled Rinni.
"A little louder Rinni," hissed Vishaka, "I don't think Ecuador heard you!"
"Ah, Vishaka," muttered Varun, "charming as always I see." Taani elbowed him in the ribs, glaring at him to keep his big mouth shut.
"Well, whatever," said Vicky, hoping to cut the tension in the room, "all our problems have officially been solved."
Nilesh nodded in agreement. "I know, I kind of want to party."
Simmi rolled her eyes. "You always want to party."
Before anyone else can say anything, the peon appeared in front of them, poofing out of thin air as he usually does. "VP sir has called the GS, AGS, CS, and ACS, to his office."
Taani, Rey, Swayam, and Sharon stared at each other in confusion before following the peon to VP sir's office.
"Thank you all for coming," VP sir said as the four members of the student council stepped into his office to stand before him. "I am glad that you have managed to finally put this situation to rest, although I do not approve of all your methods."
This earned him a synchronized eye roll from Rey and Sharon.
"Sir, I'm assuming that's not the only reason why you have called us in here," Swayam butt in before Rey and/or Sharon could get on VP sir's nerves.
"Nice to see that you are as perceptive as your sister, Mr. Shekhawat. You're right, I have actually called you in here to inform you that the college has to shut down for a few days due to some renovations, which means that exams have to be pushed back."
"Sir, this will affect the schedule for the entire year!" Sharon bellowed. "Isn't there any way for us to do these renovations over the weekend?"
"Or during midterm breaks?" Rey added.
"Sorry guys, but the team that we have hired can only start this week and these renovations must get done as soon as possible. On top of that, we have already given them a very small time frame to get their work done which has affected our budget significantly."
"Sir, if I may suggest something?" Taani finally spoke up, waiting for VP sir to give her the okay to continue. "Why don't we switch the weeks for midterm exams and midterm break? None of the students are ready for exams to start due to this Blue Valley article taking up most of their time and attention, so if we give them a week off this week and have exams take place next week, then that way Term 2 can start as scheduled and renovations can be done properly."
Everyone simply stared at Taani as though she just handed them the trophy for Footloose.
VP sir was the first to speak. "While that's the best idea I've heard all day Miss Desai, how do you expect to handle students who still want their week off before the new term?"
"Sir, they're already getting a week off-" Sharon starts to protest when Taani signals for her to let her handle this.
"While that is understandable, it's not an impossible problem to solve. Because so many college functions and competitions take place during the second semester, students always have a lighter course load, so ending the year a week early to give students an extra week of vacation shouldn't really be an issue."
For the first time since he had stepped foot into this college, VP sir finally smiled.
"Well Miss Desai, I would hate to be the person who doubts your capabilities as an AGS after hearing this plan. Mr. Singhania," Rey finally darted his eyes away from Taani and toward their vice principal, "if you're not careful, then you might just get demoted to AGS very soon."
Swayam and Sharon bit back their laughter as Rey's brain had yet to register the jibe VP sir had thrown at him.
Taani smiled brightly, happy to actually be of help. "Thank you, sir! We'll put a notice up."
"Don't worry, I will inform the students about the new change. Just use this time wisely to get some studying done, okay?"
"Yes sir!" they all exclaimed in unison.
"Good luck with your exams!"
With that, they nodded and smiled politely before leaving VP sir's office.
The minute they stepped outside, the gang and Varun pretended as though they weren't listening in on the conversation.
Taani simply rolled her eyes, used to their antics by now.
"Guys, we know you heard everything."
Sharon, Rey, and Swayam chuckled at this.
"Okay, fine," said Simmi, "since you guys already know that we know, let's talk about what everyone's going to do for the next week.
"Um, study?" Everyone, including Varun, glared at her. "Okay, I can't be the only one that's at least four chapters behind in every class."
"Well, who the fuck told you to be a CompSci major?" Vishaka barked.
"Vishaka, you haven't even taken the plastic wrap off of your Business 800 textbook! You've been using Amar's for the whole term."
The resident tutting expert of the group happily nodded in agreement because frankly, taking a class with Vishaka is basically a full-time job.
"Okay, okay, let's all calm down." Swayam stepped in between his sister and his friend, praying for the day that they finally resolve their issues.
"Swayam's right!" Sharon declared. "We've finally solved one problem, so don't you two dare start another one."
Taani and Vishaka simply glared at each other, both choosing to not utter another word, which Sharon decided is as good as it gets.
"So, does everyone want to get together at my place sometime this week and study?"
"I'm gonna head home," Swayam blurted out, avoiding any sort of eye contact with Sharon.
"What, by walking? I gave you a ride this morning, your bike's at home," Rey reminded him.
Swayam sighed, causing Varun to add, "So I'll just give him a ride home then."
"Me too!" Taani piped up, tiptoeing to throw an arm over her brother's shoulder, causing him to smile despite himself because he loves these idiots so much.
"Okay, fine, chalo!"
Before leaving though, Swayam turned back one last time to shout, "See you guys next week!"
Once Swayam is gone, a fuming Sharon snarled, "Change of plans!"
Everyone turned their attention to her immediately.
"We're gonna' go to my farmhouse right now because we all deserve a break. We will be back by Wednesday night, which will give us at least four days to study, which I think is more than enough time, so get packing and meet at my house in an hour."
With that, Sharon marched away in a huff, the sound of her heels smacking the floor echoing even after she's outside.
Everyone else exchanged knowing glances before rushing home to pack because if they were even a second late, they knew they would have to deal with Siren in all her 'well Swayam pissed me off again, which we all know is the true peak of my anger so have fun with that' glory.
Must be Monday.
A/N: I wish I could say that Varun was my OC, but he's really not. He's a character from a show called 'Best-friends Forever?' and I love him, so I use him in a lot of my stories. The next like, ten characters that I'm introducing are very much mine.
Translations:
"Yeh gadha toh marne wala hai." - I believe this literally translates to "this is idiot is gonna die" or something like that... it's just funnier in Hindi.
"Abbe ruk na!" - Loosely translates to "will you stop" or maybe just "stop" like, again, it's just funnier in Hindi.