Prologue
It was a bright sunny day, I was going to attend my first class in my new college. It was already 8 o'clock when I came out of shower so I skipped my breakfast and left home by 8:30. I was quite jammy as I managed to secure a window seat in the bus. I put on my earphones and looked outside, a lot had changed. I was glad to be back in the city I spent my childhood in, it had been a long time and I missed it.
My admission process was carried out by my sister so I had a hard time finding my class, thankfully I reached in time. I scanned for an empty seat and settled down.
"Excuse me, Sir. You didn't call my name, I joined late." My name was not called out for attendance.
"Oh,sorry. Your name?"
"I'm Vani. Vani Awasthi."
"OK. Welcome to DAV. Vani, you missed a few lectures so ask your friends for help."
I nodded with a smile. He seemed kind, I secretly prayed for everyone here to be kind so I could be at peace for the two years I was going to spend here.
"Hey! I'm Priya, tell me if you need some help." The class was over and I saw the girl sitting beside me towering over me.
I stood up and said, "Hi,Priya! Thank you, I'll let you know," I realized something and then said, "What is his name?" I pointed my finger towards the door.
She looked over there and then replied, "Oh, he's the head of English department and his name is Dr. Neelesh Verma."
I simply nodded. His way of teaching and explaining things was good and I instantly liked him.
"Where did you do your Bachelors from?" Priya asked after a few minutes of silence between us.
"Nainital. I lived there for 5 years."
"Oh,really! I was there last year, it's a beautiful place. Let's plan a trip together, I'll introduce you to my friends and we can hang out together. What say?"
"Sure. I'd love to."
Since the morning everything had been perfect,I got the window seat in the bus, I reached to the class at time and I even made a friend. There could never be a better beginning.
"Look, who's here! Miss Vani Awasthi, welcome back to Dehradun. And welcome to DAV."
My smile disappeared, what I feared had actually come true.
