CHAPTER XXXII
We were in the middle of the party—laughter, music, lights all around—when suddenly my phone buzzed. It was a call from Joya, Mon's roommate. Her name flashing on my screen instantly caught my attention. I picked up.
"Please, Sam… come down to the park. I really need you right now."
Her voice trembled, and I could sense urgency in her tone.
"What happened? Are you okay?" I asked, worried.
She paused for a second, then whispered, "Just come, please. Don't tell Mon. I don't know how she'll take it… if she finds out we talked."
That last part made me stop.
Why wouldn't she want Mon to know?
Why would Joya need me in secret?
For a second, I thought maybe she was calling just to congratulate me privately—it was a big night, after all. Maybe she didn't want to say it in front of Mon and the others.
I tried to shake off the strange feeling creeping into my chest and replied, "Alright. I'll be there soon."
I turned to Mon and the rest of the group, trying to mask everything behind a casual look. I couldn't tell Mon the truth—not when Joya specifically asked me not to.
"I just got a call from the warden," I said, forcing a small smile. "She needs to see me urgently."
"Right now?" Mahi asked, looking puzzled.
"Yeah, why would she call at this hour?" Aarvi added, raising an eyebrow. "Do you want us to come with you?"
I gave them a reassuring smile, one I wasn't sure even reached my eyes. "No, it's fine. I'll handle it. You guys just enjoy the party. I'll be back soon."
They still looked unsure, but I didn't give them time to argue. I turned and started walking away, my footsteps slow but steady.
As I walked toward the park, my mind couldn't stop spinning.
Why would Joya sound so scared? Why wouldn't she want Mon to know? Why me? Why now?
With every step I took, the questions grew heavier, like a storm building inside my chest.
And deep down… something told me this wasn't just a friendly call.
Something was waiting for me in that park.
Something that could change everything.
I had gone to the park seeking silence — a moment to clear my thoughts, to escape the growing chaos in my life. And at first, I found it.
It was quiet. Too quiet.
The wind was still, the sky painted in thick clouds, and there wasn't a single soul in sight. The world felt paused — like it was holding its breath, waiting for something to break.
Even the insects beneath the trees could be heard clearly — their faint hums and rustles echoed like whispers in a haunted room. That's when I heard it.
A whisper.
Faint. Just behind me. A soft hiss, like someone breathing a secret too close to my ear.
I turned around instinctively — but before I could fully turn, a sudden, sharp pain exploded through my skull.
Something heavy — metal, maybe — cracked against the back of my head.
The world spun.
My balance vanished, and I stumbled, the ground rushing up to meet me. My vision blurred instantly, and the warm sting of blood began trailing down the side of my face. My breathing hitched as I struggled to stay conscious.
I turned, groaning, pain flashing behind my eyes…
And then I saw him.
Ranav.
Standing there with rage smoldering in his eyes. And beside him…
Joya.
The sight of her hit me harder than the blow to my head.
Ranav stepped forward, his hand grabbing a fistful of my hair and yanking my face upward so I'd look at him.
"You ruined everything!" he snarled, his voice shaking with anger.
"Not just here, Sam — not just in this stupid college. Because of you, I'm a joke everywhere. Every university in the States — they mock me. Because I lost one match. One football match… to you!"
His words were venom, and every syllable dripped with resentment.
"My girlfriend, Aarushi… she doesn't even look at me the same. She thinks I'm useless now. Because of you."
I tried to lift my arm to defend myself, to push him away, but my limbs felt like they were made of stone. Blood was now clouding my vision. My head was pounding like a drum, and I felt myself slipping — deeper into unconsciousness.
Then I looked at her.
Joya.
The girl who had pretended to be a friend. The one who smiled in front of everyone, but clearly wore a mask I had never seen through.
She stepped forward, crossing her arms, her eyes glittering with a satisfaction I had never seen before.
"Oh, Sam," she said sweetly, mockingly.
"Remember what you told me on the very first day of college? That I wasn't your type of girl? That girls like me — who flirt with everyone — don't match your standards?"
She tilted her head and smirked.
"I heard every word. And I never forgot."
Her smile turned bitter.
"You made me feel small. Like I wasn't good enough to be in the same room as you. You judged me before even knowing me. And I swore — that day — I would make you regret it."
She took a step closer and whispered like a viper,
"I've been waiting for this moment… for so long."
My body was numb, my breath shallow, and my eyes barely open.
Everything I saw had turned red — blood from my head now coating my lashes, distorting my vision. The world was spinning too fast. I knew I wouldn't be able to stand much longer.
Darkness was closing in.
But then…
something happened.
A tiny, almost invisible thing.
A raindrop.
It landed on my cheek — cool, pure, and gentle. It slid down slowly, mixing with the blood on my face.
And in that single, delicate moment, I felt something shift inside me.
Like God had sent a sign.
A reminder that I wasn't alone.
That the storm outside… might just cleanse the fire within.
That first drop of rain was like a shock to my soul.
It woke me up.
The dizziness didn't fade, the pain didn't stop — but a spark had been lit.
A whisper inside my broken body said:
"Don't give up, Sam. Not yet."
Because this wasn't just an attack.
This was betrayal.
This was humiliation.
And I wasn't going to let it be the end of my story.
Something had changed the moment that first raindrop kissed my bloodied cheek.
The weakness in my limbs, the fog in my mind, the pain in my skull — it all melted away, replaced by one powerful surge coursing through every inch of me:
Fury.
Pure, righteous, burning fury.
I stood up, slow but fierce, my breath sharp like lightning tearing through the storm. My legs trembled for a second, but my resolve didn't. I could feel my blood dripping from the back of my head, soaking into my shirt, trailing down my spine — but I didn't care.
Not anymore.
Ranav blinked in disbelief. "What the—?" he muttered, raising the hockey stick again to strike.
But this time…
I was ready.
With a sudden burst of strength, I grabbed the stick mid-swing, halting it inches from my face. The shock in his eyes gave me my opening.
And I hit him.
One solid punch — right across his jaw.
His body staggered back with the impact. My short, wet hair clung to my face, strands dripping rainwater and blood. I flung my head sharply, sending drops flying through the air — and some of that blood splattered across Joya's face.
She gasped, horrified. But I didn't stop.
Ranav was still reeling when I struck again — this time with his own weapon.
I swung the hockey stick with every ounce of strength in my body and cracked it across his nose.
CRACK.
He let out a howl, stumbling to the ground, hands covering his face as blood poured between his fingers.
Still, I wasn't done.
Now it was Joya's turn.
She looked terrified. For once, the girl who mocked me, who judged me, who schemed behind my back — had fear in her eyes.
And I didn't hesitate.
I stepped forward and grabbed her by the collar.
"You think I'm weak?" I whispered, my voice trembling with rage.
"You thought I'd just cry and run?"
She tried to back away, but I landed the first slap so hard her head snapped to the side.
Then another.
And another.
Until blood spilled from the corner of her lips, until she dropped to the ground with a scream.
But I wasn't just releasing my anger.
I was reclaiming my dignity.
My hands shook with emotion, my chest heaving, rain pouring over my face — and yet, I bent down, pulled her by the collar again, and said loud and clear, through the storm,
> "If this boy had only hit me…
Maybe I would have walked away.
Maybe I would have let it go."
I glanced toward Ranav, now groaning on the ground.
> "But the moment he touched my hair…"
"The moment he dared to lay his hands on my pride…"
I turned back to Joya, who now looked more shattered than arrogant.
> "You don't understand, do you?
For centuries — for generations — we've been told that a woman's hair is not just beauty.
It is her honor. Her identity. Her strength.
And if anyone dares to insult that…"
"She must never forgive them."
My voice cracked — but it was not weakness.
It was the storm breaking through.
I let her go and stood tall in the rain, watching both of them crawl in pain, while thunder rolled through the skies above.
In that moment — blood on my skin, mud on my feet, lightning flashing behind me — I knew one thing for sure:
They would never forget this night.
Not because I fought back.
But because I rose.
Because I chose to protect what mattered more than my body —
my soul.
The rain had never felt heavier.
Each drop slammed against my skin like tiny shards of glass, soaking me from head to toe. My breath came in short gasps, my body still trembling from the fight with Ranav and Joya. Blood mixed with the rainwater, trailing down from the wound on my head, and though pain pulsed through my skull… I kept walking.
I had to leave the park.
I had to get home.
I had to be safe.
But fate… had other plans.
I barely made it past the old bench near the park gate when—
CRACK!
A sharp, crushing blow landed at the back of my head.
Not a hockey stick this time.
It was heavier.
Harder.
Like a rod. Or a thick iron pipe.
The pain was blinding.
My knees buckled. My vision exploded into white flashes, and I stumbled forward, barely able to breathe. My fingers clawed the wet ground for support as thunder rumbled above — loud, violent, like the sky itself was warning me.
I tried to turn.
I needed to see who it was — who had struck me this time.
But all I heard…
was laughter.
Not one person.
Not two.
A group.
Their voices rang through the rain, distorted and echoing — like monsters hiding in the storm.
> "Sam…"
"You thought that was it?"
"You think winning one fight makes you strong?"
"Hahahaha… look at her now!"
The laughter grew louder. Cruel. Mocking. Unforgiving.
My heart began to race, not just from the pain, but from something else — something colder than the rain.
Fear.
This wasn't Ranav.
This wasn't Joya.
This was something worse.
Something I hadn't seen coming.
Strangers cloaked in shadows… who hated me for reasons I didn't even know.
Their faces blurred in the darkness, hidden beneath hoodies and shadows, but their rage was real. I could feel it in the air. Like I had unknowingly stepped into a trap, perfectly laid, waiting for the right moment to strike.
And now…
I was surrounded.
One of them whispered near my ear, "You made too much noise, Sam. Girls like you don't get to roar. We silence girls like you."
My hands trembled as I pressed them against the muddy ground, trying to get up.
Trying to run.
Trying to survive.
But I couldn't.
My body refused to move.
My blood felt cold.
And my thoughts began to fade into a blur.
This wasn't just another attack.
This… was a message.
A warning.
And I had no idea how I would escape it.
But deep in my soul — bruised, beaten, and bloodied — something refused to give up.
Even as the rain poured.
Even as their voices mocked.
Even as the world spun around me…
I whispered into the storm:
> "You can try to break me.
But I swear… I'll rise again."
To be continued...