Just Another Guy

Chapter 2:

2020-04-28T22:55:00.000-07:00

You know the excitement before you start a new job , or the anxiety before a big day . Well I was shit scared for what was about to come , I agreed to work with Rishi but it was more or less going to be for rishi .

12 June , 2017

I met up with Aaron and Ayan at the shack and it was a matter of minutes before Radhika got there . The vibe was pretty negative , it was the season of break ups . Radhika broke up (not surprised) , Ayan broke up (didn't deserve it) , Aaron(deserved it) and so did I (I deserved it too tbh) . Radhika was and will be the most dramatic person I have ever seen , but she could make a good drink so we let her stick with us . She gets on top of this table we had and shouts ,"from today I am no more Radhika call me tracy " and Ayan remarked that its a stripper name . I don't know whether it was the comment or the booze but she fall right on her face after that .

I had to make a delivery that day , Ayan didn't know anything about the deal and fight . Vicky gave me the package and dropped me off at the place . I meet up with the person and it turns out it would be a pity to just leave it as a customer seller relation .
" Tripti "( thirst )
"Will I be enough to satisfy yours ?"

As I was leaving her place I realise something , I left my phone with her . I make my way back only to find another guy at the door . Shit didn't even get real , shit got confused . I recollect myself and walked up to the door , took my phone and left . I knew this will not be the last of her .

I updated the details to rishi , and as I went back to the shack I saw Raj . The dude was a piece of shit.
I didn't know him well but he walked upto me held my arm and took me to a corner .

" I know what you're doing , and also for whom . A piece of advice get out of it as soon as you can ."
"fuck off"

I showed him the finger and just ran out of there , I knew rishi was dangerous but it was only three years later I realised how much .

16 June , 2020

Everything had changed . I was out of the business , with a girl I actually liked and like I have control over my life . I was going about in my life like a normal kid when Radhika called me and told about a situation . Currently Ayan got to know about rishi and our deal . He was on his way to confront him and tell him to leave us alone , with that she send me some screenshots from her chat . With the screen shots there came some messages from my girl friend ranting about something i said from a day or two earlier . I realized it must have been tracy so I just made an excuse to close the topic.

In an hour I was with tracy , and Aaron at the shack . Aaron was just shouting and screaming that it was my fault to drag them into this , Tracy as a I remember was about to cry , it was too much to bear. That is when it happened , the phone beeped ,all three of our's . It was an address from rishi .
The address of our shack , we opened the door to find a bloodied Ayan lying infant of us, in a condition worse than anything I had ever seen. It was enough to make Tracy vomit . We just stood there sobbing for our friend .

For the following two weeks , I secretly worked day and night for him so that the others could be safe . I gave up everything .Two days after that night my girlfriend broke up with me .There was nothing i could do. A friend life was on the line , the girl i loved broke up with me and nothing there was i could do.

I was either making deliveries , or at the hospital . You see feeling heartbroken is one thing , but the feeling of being evil and every other person looking at you with disgust is on a whole another level. A million things was racing in my head , but the only thing in my head was a friend could have died because of me .

Chapter 1 : PART II

2020-04-19T04:06:00.003-07:00

You know those days , the special ones when you are just too hyped up. A birthday , an award ceremony , first day at job . In my case it was the day I was going to wage a war against the people who in all probability could be murderers .

2:35 PM , QUARY BAR

Me : " Lets roll "

We barge in , all four of us , Aaron , Aaryan ,Radhika and me . The entire bar was empty , even the other customers were not there . We searched the place , to understand what could have happened. That's when we see Aaryan was missing.
"GUYS THE DOORS ARE LOCKED " , Aaron exclaimed .

After 20 minutes , we heard the door opening .Rishi walks in with two men , followed by a third man dragging a beaten up Aaryan by the hair . Aaryan was bleeding , I think his nose and one of his legs were broken . I knew it , my little deal with rishi would lead to something like this . It was too miserable to look at and the fact it was me who caused this to him made me feel disgusted . Aaron and Radhika stood there confused for they knew nothing of my deal .

That day , the shack was going to become the allies with the very people we wanted to get rid off. Rishi walked upto me and told the conditions :

No word of what we do goes out
Outside of our deal there would be no other relations between us .
Incase of an emergency , we would be the ones serving as scapegoats.
The shack will become a part of their gang but it will retain its own name

I knew that in the distant future a conflict will happen , and the one who survives will be the one to get it all . In case you are wondering how did things take such a turn let me go back a few hours.

A FEW HOURS BACK

That morning I felt like I should call Ayan and tell him our plan , it didn't feel good . Radhika told us to keep him out of it , but I thought it was important for him know.
<phone rings >

Ayan : "hello?"
Me:"its me , you okay ?"
Ayan : "well yeah , its kind of better "
Me : " just so you know we are going all out on Rishi today"
Ayan : " wait what "
Me : "what do you mean ?"
Ayan : "it wasn't rishi who thrashed me , it was Aaryan"
Me : "I am sorry what ? as in the Aaryan we know ? the loser one ? "

Aaryan had played the shack . I still didn't know whether Radhika too was involved in this . I called Aaron and told him . It was two hours until the fight went down . There were two options either drop the entire plan or to take help from the very person I hate, Vicky.

Who is Vicky ? A childhood friend , more like someone I knew from my childhood . He does deliveries for rishi . The most important question being "why will he help me ?" , because he is my distant cousin .

I call Vicky and tell him my problem , he agreed on one condition that was a favour , a favour he could ask anytime for anything. The price was too high , but if I didn't do it I lose the only chance I had . Vicky talked with rishi and the deal was made . The conditions were given later , and all of this in exchange for Aaryan. And so it happened .

The winds had changed and our lives were never going to be the same.

Chapter 1 : PART I

2020-04-14T21:22:00.000-07:00

BEEP BEEP BEEP

"sh*t"

The clock hits 8:00 AM and for me that's 3 hours of sleep . Well guess what someone needs to stop sneaking out after all its a matter of time when I'll be sleeping on the road passed out due to the exhaustion.Someday this might stop , like really stop I mean I gotta stop I really should stop.

I sit down by the table trying to remember what day it is , ask my mother where my phone is ,she tells me I should drink the phone instead of coffee just the loving family morning. And I realise something , I needed to complete my history project or I don't know there was something with history? Or was it my browser history ?

"SH*T, I HAVE MY HISTORY EXAM"

"I got this , I mean I can score a passing grade right? "

Looking back that was the last time I ever trusted myself .

I call up this guy from school .

me :"kuch padha ?" (did you study?)

him : "ha"(yes)

m : "pass karadega?"(will you help me pass)

h : "English language Mei pass Karne jaisa kya hai"(bro language is easy too pass)

m : "aaj history hai "(we have history today)

h : "sh*t"

And there it goes another thing going wrong like nothing ever goes right .

Today as a completely normal , sane grown up person I would say the decisions I took in the following moments (I should say the plan I made) , was the most dumb thing you can do.

1:23 PM Exam hall

"Time to roll"

I raise my hand to ask the teacher if I could go to the washroom , well for a kid with a squeaky clean reputation it was quite the shock when she refused , with that phase I of the plan failed .Time for plan B .

Now the invigilating teacher was not the nicest of all people people , I would say she was was devoid of 'nice' . I take in a breath , another two breaths followed by a sip of water , prayer to god and I stand up .

I look straight in the eyes of the invigilator , and proceeded to walk up to her. I tell her something I will regret for the rest of my life , " I shit my pants " in a tone , a tone unknown to man , a grave tone which haunts me till day . Then I walk out of the room , the remainder of the ones giving the test and the startled woman looking at me blankly.

Now the important question did I get suspended ? the answer is yes , I did get suspended for three days . You see I have no problem getting suspended , no student ever has a problem getting suspended . The problem arises when you drag our father into this . So as a person of great caliber I did what any person would do I arranged an uncle for me take place for my father.

YES , I did another mistake to hide my previous mistake , which is not the deal you should ever take , I should've taken care of the teacher in a non threatening way and the fact I am writing this might get me into more trouble . I am so messed up that even a global pandemic cannot get a lock on my stuff.

Anyways , it was around 7 PM that Aaron called me up asking for help with some external matters . The last time he said this I ended up carrying a passed out friend of his midnight but that's something for another time .

I show up at our usual spot , or as we call it "Shack" . I meet up with Aaron and it was unnatural to see Radhika come with him . Then as they proceeded to tell me the problem , it wasn't quite a shock but not the normal stuff too . Looks like somebody thrashed up Ayan while he was returning home from the shack , it was not even dark . it was around 5 .
me : "is it them again ?"
Aaron : "rishi ? I suppose...we don't have enough to go against him tbh "
me : "yeah...he is a big deal but why"
A : "nobody likes when you steal their business bro"
me : "We should quit all this honestly its all too risky "
A : "why don't you then ?"

He knew , I knew , each one of the shack knew the night 2 years ago , a group of nerds , outcasts standing before an empty apartment swore to become better stronger , and there it was the birth of our second home the shack.

Rishi was getting too full of himself something was needed to be done , that evening was going to change our life forever . I knew the other to-shots were seeking to remove him from the hierarchy , ready with their fangs dripping with poison to bite and fulfil their greed . This alone was an opportunity for us , I called up Aaryan , told him we have an offer . The shortest horse in the race but the one with the wits , the one with a cunning and mischievous mind . The day after was a Saturday , rishi and his people would be all gathered at the bar . I figured there must be at least twelve people , and us only three , four on one , this is when Aaryan comes into the scene for he owned the bar and every such bar in the area .

And finally the plan was constructed , the complete credit goes to Aaryan . But plans never always

workout.