Chapter 5: Rocky and Anjali's Friendship?

Rocky had fallen asleep the previous night, his mind replaying the vibrant scenes of the Navy Air Show. The next morning, he woke a bit early, still buzzing from the eventful day. He found himself daydreaming, imagining himself sitting with them—Ramya, Sara, and Jully—Vicky by his side, silently encouraging him. A faint smile touched his lips as he drifted in these pleasant thoughts.

Still lost in his reverie, Rocky arrived at college. Just then, he saw Anjali running towards him, tears streaming down her face. His carefree mood shattered. Shocked, he looked behind her and saw Suman. Rocky knew exactly who Suman was, and a cold certainty settled in his stomach: Suman must have done something wrong again. This wasn't the first time Suman had upset Anjali. Rocky felt a surge of pure anger whenever anyone hurt his friends. He set his jaw and began walking purposefully towards Suman, ready to deal with him.

A Friend's Fury

(Cut to Anjali, still crying, the reason yet unknown to us.)

Then, a friend rushed up to her. "Anjali! Rocky's fighting with Suman!"

Anjali's eyes widened in worry, and she immediately dashed towards the commotion. When she arrived, she saw a cluster of people holding Rocky back, Vicky among them, trying desperately to restrain him. Suman’s face was already swollen, clearly from a punch. Rocky, misunderstanding the situation, had lashed out, convinced Suman had made Anjali cry again.

Seeing Suman's injured face and knowing Rocky was responsible, Anjali's own hurt transformed into blazing anger. Without a word, without asking for an explanation, she slapped Rocky. SLAP! She continued to vent her fury, her voice sharp and harsh.

Anjali: "Are you just used to fighting with everyone?! Can't you control yourself?! Do I have to babysit you every single time? Selfish! It's always about you... you never care about others. I'm tired of looking after you two! Enough! Don't interfere in my personal life!"

She turned and walked away, her sobs echoing her words. Before leaving, she paused to apologize to Suman and help him clean himself up. Rocky nodded, muttering "that's it. okay, I'm done" Rocky is angry on himself. Rocky's inter thoughts were like "even now Suman is making Anjali cry. and what did I got helping Anjali. Nothing..!". After cleaning Suman, Anjali then hurried away as well.

Her last words hung heavy in the air, wounding both Rocky and Vicky deeply. The impact was profound. As Anjali ignored Rocky and went to care for Suman, Rocky fell completely silent. He simply got up and walked away, his shoulders slumped. Vicky watched him, understanding his friend's pain, but decided not to disturb Rocky further, sensing he was already too upset. Vicky, too, felt the sting of Anjali's words—she had implied their friendship was a burden. He decided it was best to keep his distance for now and remained silent.

Rocky entered the classroom. Class hadn't started yet, so everyone was relaxed. Sara was sitting on the front bench, Ramya had taken Rocky's usual spot, and Jully was leaning against the wall, chatting with them. They had no idea what had happened; the fight hadn't occurred anywhere near the classroom.

Jully: "Hey, darling!"

Ramya and Sara blushed, but Rocky's face remained blank, devoid of any reaction. He walked past them without a glance and sat down on the very last bench. The girls watched, shocked and confused. They had expected the good vibes from the previous day's Navy Day outing to continue, but he'd walked away without even looking at them. They exchanged puzzled glances, Ramya already suspecting something significant had occurred. Rocky sat alone, isolated on the last bench. Just as Ramya was about to go and ask him, the teacher entered. Everyone quickly moved to their respective places. Vicky also entered right behind the teacher, taking his seat.

The class began.

Jully: "What happened to our friend? Why is he sitting on the last bench? And where's Anjali? Why didn't she come to class?"

Vicky: "I'll tell you after class."

Ramya overheard this and glanced at Rocky. He wasn't listening to the lecture; he was sitting sadly, lost in his own world. Ramya felt a pang of worry for him.

Unraveling the Past

Now it was lunchtime. Rocky continued his self-imposed isolation, sitting alone in a corner, embodying the image of a lonely, dejected soul. Vicky, growing annoyed with the dramatic act, finally spoke up.

Vicky: "Enough with your Oscar-worthy acting! Will you stop?" he said, trying to inject some humor.

Ramya: "What actually happened?"

Sara: "Did something happen to Anjali? Is that why Rocky is like this?"

Vicky offered Sara a kind smile. "Nothing happened to her. She went home for personal reasons."

Jully: "Okay, but what happened to Rocky? Why is he behaving like this?"

Vicky: "I'll ask you about a guy. Do you know the famous Suman from the class ahead, the one who always studies and and is rich?"

Ramya: "Yes, the top ranker. He's always studying and is very popular with the girls. His name is Suman."

Vicky: "Yes, Anjali loves him."

All three girls gasped in unison. "What?!"

Vicky then began to tell them Anjali's story from their school days.

Suman's Burden

(Vicky's narration blends with flashbacks, showing not only his version but also Anjali's and Suman's perspectives simultaneously.)

Rocky, Anjali, Vicky, and Suman had all attended the same school as kids, though not in the same class. Rocky, Anjali, and Vicky were in Class B, while Suman was in the advanced Class A.

Suman's mother had passed away, leaving him with only his father. His father was an unyielding man who constantly pushed Suman to be perfect in everything, to mature quickly, and to take care of himself. Suman's father believed strongly in self-reliance.

Suman's Father: "Why should I take care of you? A man should be able to take care of himself and his family. Don't be a crybaby. You have to shape yourself from childhood, like a mature adult. No one will help you. Who helped me? Your mother spoiled you too much. Always 'Mom, Mom.' You have to earn it."

(Flashback to when Suman's mother was alive.)

Suman's mother had loved him immensely. He was her only son, and she adored raising children. She herself had been raised very lovingly by her own mother, taught independence and how to think for herself, growing into a well-adjusted woman. She had wanted to raise Suman the same way. Because of her good upbringing, she preferred to keep her distance from anyone outside her immediate family. Her family had arranged her marriage with a well-settled and punctual man—Suman's father.

Suman's father had been good at first; he hadn't forced Suman to be overly strict. Perhaps it was because of that trust that Suman's mother passed away peacefully. She had a rare form of cancer. She spoke a few last words to Suman, then died in the hospital. Suman still remembered her final words clearly.

Suman's Mother: "Study well, son. Everyone should say Rocky is a good boy. Don't trouble Dad. He'll take good care of you and give you everything you need. You'll have a good and real friend in school. Then you won't miss your mother."

She died as she was saying this. Suman, a small child, watched his mother die. He held his father's hand during the funeral, crying heartbrokenly. His father, however, did not cry.

(The narration highlights that Suman, as a child, only knew what happened to him, not the full dynamic of his parents' relationship. He only learned about their marriage details from them later. Suman's paternal family was still alive, but they were as strict as his father. In the recent past, Suman's grandfather had passed away, leaving only his grandmother, who was also stern and unyielding.)

(Back to the incident that sparked Anjali's pity.)

In school, it was common to see mothers coming to feed and care for their children during lunch. Seeing this, Suman missed his mother even more intensely. Since his father wasn't like his mother, his longing was profound. He began to cry, demanding his mother. Then, his father hit him. WHACK! Anjali witnessed this, shocked to see Suman's father strike him. Anjali felt a deep pity for Suman, especially knowing his mother had passed away.

(Back to Anjali's perspective.)

Seeing Suman's father hit him, Anjali's pity swelled, and she went to comfort Suman. She slowly introduced him to her friends, including Rocky and Vicky. Anjali took good care of Suman, and he grew to like her very much. He spent time with her, gave her things she liked, and openly expressed his affection. Anjali also enjoyed playing with Suman. He hadn't been very famous in school; he mostly kept to himself, isolated. Anjali, however, paid more attention to him than anyone else.

Jealousy and Misunderstanding

Rocky didn't like any of this, but Vicky understood the situation. Even though Vicky didn't like it himself, he comprehended the dynamics, but Rocky lacked that same emotional maturity. Hence, his jealousy festered.

In one particular incident during lunch, Anjali, who used to feed Rocky herself, was now feeding Suman. Seeing this, Rocky grew very serious. He unleashed a torrent of harsh words, even telling Suman to leave. Suman's face crumpled into a deeply sad expression. Anjali didn't say anything, but Suman got up and left. Rocky continued to mock and chase Suman away. Suman was profoundly hurt. Anjali still didn't say anything; she even laughed along with Rocky. Because Anjali knew Rocky always joked, she didn't take his words seriously. But Rocky had said it out of pure jealousy, and Anjali mistakenly thought Suman might take it as a joke too. Suman, however, took it very seriously.

After that incident, Anjali tried repeatedly to become normal friends with Suman again. But because of the humiliation Suman had faced, and Anjali's inaction—her laughing along—Suman was even more hurt.

This is their backstory. Let's see what happened in the present, in the next episode.