College Clash Arc : Episode 02

Time: 12:25 PM | Location: PG College Stairwell

Dhruv climbed the stairs with heavy steps, his mind clouded by frustration and rage. Each step seemed to echo the dark thoughts spinning in his head. He was barely aware of the familiar voice calling out to him from behind.

"I know you're hurt, but is this really the right way to handle things?"

Dhruv clenched his fists, his voice cold and sharp as he replied without turning. "I know exactly what I’m doing. That bitch thinks she can use people and get away with it. She needs to learn she can’t walk all over everyone. I’m not like the rest of them. I have every right to take my revenge."

The voice softened, almost pleading now. "Dhruv, I’m not here to stop you. But think it through. Make your decision when you're calm. Anger can cloud your judgment. You don’t want to end up doing something you’ll regret later."

Dhruv sneered, feeling his patience wearing thin. "Regret isn’t my concern right now." He stormed forward, pushing open the classroom door only to find it completely empty.

“What the...?” Dhruv scanned the room, his confusion quickly turning into irritation. "Where the hell is everyone? Bingo?"

He fished out his phone, scrolling through his notifications until he saw the campus-wide message: *Classes Cancelled.*

“Of course,” he muttered under his breath, rubbing his forehead. “How could I forget? It’s probably because of her. Bansee’s everywhere—in my life, in my damn head.”

Still frustrated, Dhruv pulled out his phone and dialed Dave’s number.

---

Time: 12:45 PM | Location: PG College Garden

Dave sat in the shade of a large tree, absorbed in a book. The calm, quiet hum of the garden was a stark contrast to the storm brewing in Dhruv’s voice on the other end of the phone.

“Where are you?” Dhruv’s tone was sharp. “I forgot classes were cancelled.”

“I’m in the garden, reading,” Dave replied calmly. “Come down here.”

A few minutes later, Dhruv arrived, his face still set in a grim expression, frustration rolling off him in waves. He dropped onto the bench across from Dave, his mind clearly still churning. The peaceful garden and distant student chatter seemed irrelevant to the tension that hung between them.

Dave glanced up, setting his book aside. “So... what’s the plan now?”

Dhruv leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the ground. “I don’t know,” he finally admitted, his voice low and simmering. “Part of me wants to keep this going until finals. I’ve got too much at stake to let it fall apart now.”

Dave raised an eyebrow. “What exactly are you riding on?”

Dhruv let out a sharp breath. “Before I even set foot in PG, I had one goal: to be top of the class. That was the plan during my bachelor’s, too, but then COVID happened, and everything went to hell. I got lazy. Lost my edge. I swore I wouldn’t let that happen again.”

Dave nodded. “Yeah, I remember. COVID messed things up for everyone.”

Dhruv’s eyes darkened. “Exactly. But PG? It’s a different world. This place is crawling with sharks. Everyone’s out for blood. It’s not enough to just work hard. You need an edge. That’s when Bansee came into the picture.”

Dave smirked slightly. “Ah, Bansee. The source of all this frustration.”

Dhruv’s lips curled in contempt. “Yeah. Bansee and her little crew—smart, ambitious, the type who know how to game the system. I figured if I got close enough, I’d get the edge I needed. So I made her my girlfriend.”

Dave blinked, caught off guard. “Girlfriend? That’s... pretty strategic.”

Dhruv chuckled darkly. “Strategic, yes. Ruthless, absolutely. But that’s how things work around here. You can’t trust anyone. Everyone’s a rival. Friends? They’re just enemies waiting for the right moment to strike. Bansee was the perfect target—smart, ambitious, and pretty. I figured she’d be useful when things got tough.”

Dave raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “So, how did that work out for you?”

“At first, it worked perfectly,” Dhruv said, though his voice held a bitter edge. “She was sweet, supportive, always around when I needed her. But then, within weeks, her real self started to show. She became rude, argumentative, picking fights over the smallest things. I lost interest fast.”

“So, you ended it?” Dave asked, already knowing the answer.

Dhruv gave a bitter smile. “Of course. I figured she was just as bored as I was, so I cut her off. Moved on.”

His eyes hardened as he recalled what happened next. “Then I met another group. Ritu’s group.”

“Rituparna?” Dave asked, curiosity evident in his voice.

“Yeah. Ritu’s the only one here who can really compete with me academically. Guy’s sharp, no doubt about it. He introduced me to his circle—some smart girls, a few wannabe intellectuals. One of them, Archana, caught my eye. Brains, looks, ambition—the whole package. I thought she’d be a better fit than Bansee.”

“So, did you go for her?” Dave asked.

Dhruv smirked. “I was about to. But things didn’t go as planned. Instead of Archana, I ended up getting close to Tisha. She wasn’t as pretty, but she had drive. Leadership potential. The kind of person who could push me forward.”

“So, did you ask her out?”

Dhruv laughed, but it wasn’t a pleasant sound. “No. Turns out she was already with Ritu.”

Dave, in the middle of taking a sip of water, nearly choked. “Wait, what? Seriously?”

Dhruv handed him a napkin with a smug grin. “Yeah. It was a mess. After that, I stopped bothering with any of them. Focused on my studies. Didn’t miss a single class. I put in the work, and it paid off. I was climbing the ranks. I could feel it—I was better than them.”

Dave shook his head in disbelief. “But Bansee wasn’t done with you, was she?”

“No,” Dhruv’s voice grew cold, his tone hardening. “She wasn’t. She noticed the change in me. Started circling back, dropping compliments, acting all sweet, trying to worm her way back in. But I wasn’t falling for it. Not this time.”

He paused for a moment before adding, “But then I saw her in the library one day, reading manga. Same app I use—MT. It caught me off guard. Suddenly, she wasn’t just this manipulative rival anymore. We had something real in common. We started talking again, texting, staying up late. I almost believed she’d changed.”

Dave raised an eyebrow. “So... did you ask her out again?”

Dhruv sighed, leaning back against the bench. “I was going to. But then I realized something—maybe I hadn’t misjudged her. Maybe I was just getting pulled back into her game.”

Dave’s expression shifted to one of concern. “You’re twisted, Dhruv. You’ve played this entire situation like a game, and now you’re caught in your own web.”

Dhruv shrugged, a dark grin spreading across his face. “Yeah, I guess that’s how it goes. You play the game, and sometimes... the game plays you.”

Dave stared at him, unsure whether to laugh or be concerned. “So... what now?”

Dhruv’s grin faded, replaced by something colder, more calculated. “Now? I let her think she’s won. And when the time is right, I’ll pull the rug out from under her. Completely.”

The bell rang, signaling the end of their break. Dhruv stood, glancing at his phone. Bansee’s name was still blocked, her last messages hanging unanswered, like loose threads waiting to be cut.

As they walked back toward the main building, Dave shook his head, his voice low. “You’re dangerous, Dhruv.”

Dhruv’s eyes glinted with dark amusement. “Yeah. But only to people who deserve it.”

And with that, they vanished into the crowd, the tension between them palpable, like the calm before a storm.

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