I was taken to the principal's office. Mr. Piyush holding an ice bag onto his swollen face, occasionally shot me a glare filled with bloodlust.

The door opened and a tall man entered the office. He had a well-trimmed white beard and combed silver hair. He wore a hazel brown coat paired with a maroon tie and had a sophisticated aura to him.

"Hitting a teacher is an offense that cannot be excused. Principal, you have to expel this student!" Mr. Piyush complained the moment the principal sat on his chair.

The principal looked at me with his owlish brown eyes. He leaned forward and asked, "Asura, why did you hit your Physics teacher?" Even I was unclear as to why I felt so enraged. I actually knew the reason but had a hard time accepting it.

"He called my mother a begging liar." I sternly replied.

"I see." He responded in a very nonchalant tone.

The office door opened once again. Mom? She was panting heavily. She took the support of the wall and placed the other hand on her chest, taking deep breaths.

"Huff huff. S..sorry principal I came as soon as I could." she said as she struggled to catch her breath.

"Mrs. Singh, please have a seat." He poured her a glass of water, "Are you alright? You look exhausted." he said in his rich husky voice.

"No, it's nothing serious. I came rushing over the moment I received a call from the college. What did Asura do?" she asked. I could sense the nervousness in her voice.

"Your son has punched a teacher in front of the whole class. The college does not tolerate such behavior." She stared at me in total and absolute shock. I quickly averted my eyes, avoiding looking at her straight in the eye. She held her head down. Seeing her quietly listening to the complaints made me feel guilty. 

"I don't know what happened, but Asura isn't that kind of child. There must have been some misunderstanding." she said.

"There is no need to discuss anything! You have to kick this brat out of this college." spat Mr. Piyush. He seemed adamant about getting me expelled. 

She got up from the chair and kneeled on the floor and bowed down her head almost touching the floor, "Please don't expel Asura. Just give him one more chance. H..he won't cause you any more trouble." She burst into tears.

Why is she going this far to beg for me? Just to save me from getting expelled from this stupid college. This isn't worth your tears. Please stop.

"We cannot let him stay. Who knows what he will do next time?" he said.

"I beg you." Her voice cracked, "Please give my son another chance. After his father's death, he was depressed. But lately, he has been trying to make things normal again." She kept her head down the whole time.

Is that why the original Asura killed himself? How could he leave his mom who cared for him so much, alone to suffer alone?

"Mrs. Singh, please get up. I have decided not to expel Asura." said the principal.

"But..." Mr. Piyush spoke up but was cut off by the principal.

"Mr. Piyush let me finish. we won't expel him but we can't let him go without any punishment. Asura will be suspended from college for a week. He must use this time to reflect upon his actions."

Mom got up. "Thank you. Thank you so much, principal." She wiped her tears and thanked him, bowing repeatedly.

"Tch." Mr. Piyush didn't seem satisfied with the principal's decision but he didn't dare to speak up.

"Mrs. Singh, about the college fees. You haven't paid the whole amount yet." Her face turned grim on the mention of the fees.

"I will pay it as soon as possible. Just give me a few more days." she said.

The Principal looked at me, "Mr Piyush and you can leave." We stepped out. I waited outside the office for mom.

Mr. Piyush stepped in front of me, "You got away easy this time. Next time I will make sure to send you off for good." 

"I advise you to stay away from me and my mom or else you will regret it." I replied in a monotonous tone.

"Brat, don't mess with me." He shouted, "I think you don't understand the gravity of the condition you are in. I have connections and I have power. I can expel you whenever I want.."

The office door opened and Mom stepped out. "Tch.." He shot me a glare and left. As Rahul had predicted, I have become his target and he won't stop until he expels me out of this college. Not that I care if that happens. I guess I will have to keep an eye on him till then.

I thought it was finally time for me to get an earful of scolding. But mom didn't stop walking, she didn't even look at me. I quietly followed her.

Why isn't she speaking to me? I expected her to be at least a little angry. I had caused her so much trouble. In fact, I wanted her to get angry at me. This silent treatment was eating me from the inside which continued all the way to the home. She took the key out of her purse and unlocked the door. I couldn't wait any longer. I called her, "Mom." No reply.

She slowly leaned forward as she pushed the door open. It looked like the door wasn't being pushed by her, instead, it seemed to be pulling her.

Thud. She collapsed unconscious on the floor not moving a muscle. I hurried towards her, "Mom." She was motionless.

Her pulse was feeble and her breathing was faint. What happened? Did something hit her? I grabbed her shoulders and shook her, "Mom, wake up!"