Chapter 3: Ramya is Scary

Sara's Quiet World

My home is incredibly strict. They barely let me step outside the house; I have to stay indoors all the time. It took endless begging and pleading just for them to allow me to travel by bus. Being a girl, they're extra cautious, almost to the point of being overprotective.

That's why I don't know much about the outside world. It's difficult for me to socialize with anyone new. If someone says something unexpected, I tend to freeze up, becoming completely silent. I have very few friends in life. Everyone either teases me for my awkwardness or tries to take advantage of me.

But for some reason, I don't feel scared around Rocky. Maybe it's because I've gotten used to seeing his chaotic energy every day. He's... different.

A Dream, a Bump, a Bus

(Cut to: Rocky is having a dream. The scene is bathed in vibrant, surreal colors.)

Rocky and Sara stood together inside the same aquarium they'd visited, holding hands. Outside the large hall door, rain poured down, blurring the world beyond. Inside, it was a whimsical wonderland: colorful fish, iridescent and shimmering, were actually falling from above, drifting gently through the air around them. It was a beautiful dream, rich with many hues. For a moment, one might think it was Sara’s dream, but soon, we’d realize it was Rocky's. Rocky and Sara gazed into each other's eyes, leaning closer, closer, ready for a kiss.

Suddenly, Sara's face melted and twisted, transforming into Ramya’s furious expression. Before Rocky could even react, she began to box his face relentlessly. BAM! POW! WHACK! Rocky yelped, jumping up and down frantically in his sleep.

(Shift to reality: Rocky is actually sleeping on the bus.)

The bus was going over a series of speed breakers, causing Rocky to bounce continuously on his seat. BOING! BOING! BOING! He opened his eyes, groggy. "What a dream!" he thought, rubbing his face.

Vicky was sitting next to him, wide awake. "Enough with the dreams. We have internal exams today. We need to get to college quickly, or they'll make us stand outside for an hour."

As they spoke, Ramya boarded the bus. Her eyes locked onto Rocky with a serious, almost stern, gaze.

Oh no, she's here, Rocky thought, a flicker of fear.

Vicky noticed his apprehension. "Why are you scared?"

"Right, why?" Rocky repeated, suddenly puffing out his chest and standing confidently.

Rocky and Ramya began to walk towards each other, meeting in the aisle, standing face to face.

Ramya: "You seem to have a lot of courage today."

Rocky: "It's in my blood."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the bus driver slammed on the brakes. SCREEEEECH! Rocky lurched forward, falling directly onto Ramya.

Rocky slowly, awkwardly, got up and looked down. Ramya was still lying there, with Rocky sprawled on top of her. Her face was a mixture of shock and shy embarrassment. Rocky, equally shocked, then broke into a strange, anime-like blush and a goofy smile. KICK! Ramya reacted instantly, kicking him in the face. Rocky flew out of the bus window in a perfectly executed cartoon comedy scene. WHOOSH!

Exam Woes and New Class Joys

(Cut to: Anjali is waiting outside a classroom)

Anjali paced impatiently outside the classroom. She was waiting for Rocky because her exam hall ticket was with him. This was going to be a cinematic hero intro, Rocky-style. In the distance, through the shimmering heat waves rising from the asphalt, Rocky appeared in a wheelchair, Vicky pushing him. Rocky's face and body were plastered with bandages, making him look like a walking, or rather, rolling, cartoon character.

Rocky (his voice weak and reedy, like an old woman's): "Who's that?"

Anjali: "Your husband (said it sarcastically) ." She turned to Vicky. "How did this happen?"

Vicky merely gestured with his head, pointing silently at Ramya, who was approaching from behind them.

Anjali: "Oh, I understand." She turned back to Rocky. "Where's my hall ticket?"

Rocky: "It's in the bag. Take it."

The exam began. Everyone was writing seriously. Vicky, Anjali, Ramya, and Sara were all focused, pens scratching across paper. SCRATCH, SCRATCH! Then, the camera showed Rocky. He was just sitting there, a mummified figure of bandages, not writing anything. He stared at the paper with a bizarre, distant look. How could he possibly write an exam in this condition? Sara turned back and glanced at him. Rocky slowly turned his head, first looking to the side, where everyone was furiously writing. The person behind him just stared, wondering why Rocky looked so... defeated. Then Rocky looked at his pen. He tried to pick it up, but his bandaged hand couldn't quite grasp it. As he tried, his hand suddenly slipped, and his head hit the bench with a loud CLUNK! The camera lingered on his bandaged, slumped form for a moment.

Sara's internal monologue: "He must have done something stupid again; that's why he's like this."

All the exams were finally over. It was time for the marks shuffling. This time, everyone seemed to have done well, even Vicky. They were all ecstatic as they realized they were getting into the same class. But when it was time for Rocky's marks to be announced, he was nowhere to be seen, lost in a dark corner of the results area.

Anjali asked Ramya, "Where's Rocky?"

Ramya pointed vaguely. "He's over there, in some corner. You can't even see him." It was indeed a very funny scene. Rocky was in the back because all the front spots had been filled.

While his friends celebrated their reunion, Rocky remained out of the frame, lurking in a dark corner, seething with jealousy. He even stayed in his corner during lunch.

The teacher eventually noticed him. "I can't see you like this anymore, come sit here," he said, moving Rocky to a better spot. Rocky immediately started his wavy, happy dance again.

Rocky found himself seated with his friends, all of them behind the girls. First, Sara looked back, a quick glance. Then Ramya saw Sara looking, and shot Rocky an angry look. But as she watched him, a tiny, almost imperceptible smile touched her lips.

Rocky, who had been maintaining a serious expression, made a strange, confused face when he caught Ramya's fleeting smile. It was slow, dawning on him.

A Confession and a Dilemma

(Cut to: During lunch, Rocky is still deep in thought.)

Rocky pondered: Why did she smile first, then get serious, and then smile again?

Anjali's voice from behind him: "Hit him!" she told Vicky.

Vicky obliged, playfully hitting Rocky with a pan. WHACK!

Rocky: "What was that for?!"

Anjali: "Eat! And why is Ramya, who's always so angry, smiling now?"

Rocky: "I don't know."

Anjali: "How's the girl in front of you?"

Rocky: "I haven't looked properly. I'll see when we leave."

After lunch, Rocky walked happily to class. He finally got a good look at the girl sitting in front of him. She was dark-skinned but strikingly beautiful. Rocky immediately fell for her, utterly smitten. He sat on his bench, staring openly.

Rocky: "Hey, what a beauty!" He started talking to her. "Honestly, if I saw you first, I would have tried for you, leaving everyone else aside. But it's okay, no problem. Wait a minute."

He slides on the bench towards Sara. Rocky, emboldened, began to flirt with both of them.

Rocky: "I want both of you!"

As he said that, Ramya arrived, absolutely furious. She delivered a devastating punch. PUNCH! CRASH! Rocky went tumbling, falling through the floor, then the next, like a cartoon character plunging through multiple levels.

Class started. The teacher was writing on the board. At Rocky's spot, there was now a gaping hole in the wall, with Rocky stuck inside it, perfectly molded to the shape of the impact. His friends peered at him, their expressions asking: Was all that really necessary?

After class, Rocky made a decision: he would end this ridiculous fight with Ramya once and for all. He approached her, determined to clear the air.

Rocky: "Enough with the fighting. It started because of me a long time ago. It's my fault. I'm compromising. I'm sorry, and I want to end this."

Ramya turned her face away without a word.

Rocky: "Even after I apologize, that's not enough? What else do you want me to do? Why do you hate me so much?"

Ramya (turning back slowly, her voice soft, barely audible): "Because I love you."

Rocky froze, utterly bewildered. He didn't understand.

Ramya: "Why did I hold your hand at the aquarium? When there were no college people there, why did I go there? Because I came looking for you. I saw you there and thought I wouldn't get another chance, so I held your hand. But you felt disgusted." Her voice trembled. "We've been fighting since then."

Rocky: "You could have said that later."

Ramya: "I felt very bad about what happened at the aquarium. I waited to apologize the next day. But when I saw you, I remembered you hitting me, and I ran away. But then, when I waited for you to apologize, you were moving close to Sara. I got angry. I thought you would stay away if I told you. I waited for the right time. But you were looking at me like I was a villain. I didn't know how to talk to you. I waited for the right time." Her gaze searched his. "When you said you missed me after I was absent because of the fees, I was very happy."

Rocky: "Then why are you telling me now?"

Ramya: "How long can we go on like this? That's why I'm telling you now. I don't even know if you'll talk to me normally again. I've said what I needed to say. Now it's your decision."

She turned and walked away, leaving Rocky in a state of utter shock and confusion.

Rocky, still in a dilemma, walked back to the classroom. The beautiful dark-skinned girl who sat in front of him gestured for him to come closer, wanting to talk.

The New Girl: "We've both come to a decision. Sara and I both like you. We want you to be our boyfriend." She stated it clearly, without hesitation.

Rocky looked at Sara, who blushed, a soft flush spreading across her cheeks.

Rocky slowly slid down to the floor, collapsing in a heap.

Rocky (from the floor, a bewildered whisper): "What is my life? I wanted to set up one, and now three are set up?"

What is Rocky's situation now? Watch the next episode...