Mr Dangerous

The first ray of morning light slipped through the window and landed right on my face, and my eyes fluttered open on their own. I grabbed my phone to check the time - 7:30. Both my 6 o'clock and 7 o'clock alarms had already rung themselves out and shut off without me noticing. "Oh shit." That was how my day began. Because today wasn't just any morning - today was my first day of university. There was a strange mix of excitement and restlessness in my chest, the kind that wouldn't let me lie there for even one more second. I shot up out of bed and went straight to the dressing table. I caught my reflection in the mirror and couldn't help but smile at myself. Staring back at me was the same small, cute-faced girl - light brown eyes that looked even more striking in the morning glow, framed by long, thick lashes that fluttered softly. My long brown hair fell all the way to my waist, still a little tangled from sleep, and I ran my fingers through it, trying to smooth it out. At just 5 feet tall, my height only added to the innocent, doll-like look on my face. "mashAllah..." I whispered to my reflection, repeating my own name back to myself. "Meera, today a whole new chapter of your life begins." I was buzzing with excitement. New people, a new environment, an entire new world was waiting for me. I mentally started packing my bag and hurried toward the washroom to get ready. When I stepped out, I checked myself in the mirror one last time - the yellow hijab paired with the white skirt looked really pretty on me. "I hope I make a ton of friends and actually have fun at uni," I said to myself, grabbing my bag and heading for the door. "You are NOT leaving this house without breakfast," a deep voice boomed from behind me. My dad. The only person in this world I love more than I love myself. How could a girl ever grow up to hate men when her father has been both her mother and her father, all rolled into one? "Dear Baba, you're absolutely right, skipping breakfast isn't good for my health," I said, all dramatic, "but being late to class on my very first day? Do you know how bad an impression that'll make? Think about it." "Hm, fair point - which is exactly why you should've woken up on time. Not my fault, is it?" Baba said, setting the food down on the table. I didn't have a choice. I plopped down and started eating - and unlike the heroines in dramas and movies who take one dainty bite of an apple and float out the door, I finished an entire paratha with egg before I got up. "Best of luck," Baba said. "Thanks, Daddy," I said, and finally headed out the door. I walked five hundred meters to the bus stop and waited. An elderly aunty sitting beside me kept glancing at me warmly, smiling. I smiled back. "My daughter is your age too - she goes to university as well," the aunty said. "Oh!" I said, finally understanding why she'd been smiling at me like that. "What are you studying?" she asked. "Psychology," I told her. "MashaAllah, mashaAllah," she said, resting her hand gently on my head. Something about it made me so happy - like, just for a second, I'd gotten to feel what a mother's love might be like too. Right then, the bus pulled up. I stood, but the aunty stayed seated. "The bus is here, come on," I told her. "Oh no, I'm not going anywhere, beta - I just came to drop my daughter off. I'm going to sit here a little longer," she said. "Oh, okay then. I'll head off - please give my salam to your daughter," I said. She smiled, and I climbed onto the bus. Ten minutes later, I was standing outside the university gates, practically vibrating with excitement. I moved toward the entrance - and the security guard stopped me. "Card," he said. "Oh, right," I said, still relaxed, reaching for my bag. "Card," i said. This time I wasn't relaxed at all - this time the ground was starting to slip out from under my feet. "Card," he said again, and I could feel tears building, because my card was sitting on the little table beside my bed - I'd been looking at my own picture on it the night before and had completely forgotten to put it in my bag. I looked at the guard with the most innocent expression I could manage. "I- I forgot my card at home," I said. "Well then, why don't you go home and forget yourself there too." the guard said. "Please don't say that, it's my first day today," I said. "Oh, that's even better - nothing really happens on the first day anyway, so relax. Bring it tomorrow," he said. "I'm already here, I already lost sleep over this, please just let me in," I said. Nobody was listening to me - and then, from behind, a deep voice cut through. "Move." I turned around. God, what a guy. Six feet tall, light brown eyes, curly hair, a black jacket thrown on like it belonged to him - and an undeniably handsome face. His bag hung carelessly off one shoulder. And the guards actually stepped aside the second he said move. "What? Why? He didn't show a card either!" I said. He glanced at me, hitched his bag higher on his shoulder, and completely ignored me-the exact way a student ignores a teacher who keeps asking questions. But the real problem wasn't the card. The real problem was - why did they let him through without one just because he was handsome? "Kid, this is his father's university. He can walk in whenever he wants," the guard said. "Ohh," I said. Now it made sense. Turns out, all you really need is money to look good. "Okay, listen - if I show you a picture of my card, will that be enough to prove I'm actually a student?" I asked. "Fine, we'll let it slide today. But from tomorrow, you bring the actual card," the guard said. "Sure," I said. I called Baba, he sent a picture of my card, I showed it to the guard, and finally I was in. "Thank God," I muttered the second I stepped through the gate. I was a full twenty minutes late, and I still had to find my classroom. A group of girls walked past, and I stopped them. "Excuse me!" I said. They paused. "Where's the Psychology department?" I asked. "Fresher?" one of them asked. The second I heard that word, I knew exactly what was coming. I was cooked. Nothing was saving me from ragging now. "Yeah," I said. "Come on, we'll walk you to class," they said. "No, it's fine, just point me in the right direction, I'll find it myself," I said. "No, no, it's university policy - freshers have to be walked to their rooms on the first day," they insisted. "Okay," I said, because honestly, I didn't have another option. I followed them. They stopped me outside a room. "Here it is," they said. The room looked more like a storage closet than a classroom. "If you all are trying to rag me, please stop, I'm already running late," I told them. "Oh no, don't worry, ragging isn't allowed here at all," they said. Yeah, I knew exactly how 'not allowed' it was. I stepped inside anyway. A crowd of students stood around laughing, and in the middle of it, three boys were being forced to dance while two girls were made to clap for them nonstop. And now I was apparently the third girl added to the lineup. "What's so funny?" I said. "Oh, you don't find this funny?" one boy said. "No one's forcing you to laugh, sure, but you're definitely going to do what these girls are doing to make us laugh," one of the girls said. Everyone burst out laughing again. "What a bunch of cringe people," I muttered under my breath. "What - what did you just say?" the boy stepped forward. "I was just saying that I-" I turned, shoved the girl blocking the door out of my way, and bolted straight out of the room. The girl came chasing after me. I was running, and right then, the same guy from the gate appeared in front of me. I tried to stop myself in time, but I was still about to crash straight into him - when the girl grabbed me from behind and yanked me back toward her. She had literally ruined the entire dramatic scene that was about to unfold. Meanwhile, the guy just walked past, completely unbothered, like we hadn't even been standing there. "Get inside," the girl said. I looked at Mr. Unbothered one more time. "Oi, nepo kid," I said. He stopped and looked at me. "Excuse me?" he said in that same deep voice. "Sorry, but can you please help me? These bullies are dragging everyone into a storage room and messing with them," I told him. "Who are you?" he asked. "We literally just met at the gate, remember?" I said. He looked at me for a second - and then ignored me completely, the way you ignore a friend who's trying to ask for their money back. "Enjoyed getting embarrassed? Now, Come on, inside," the girl said. "I'll deal with him later," I muttered. And just like that, I was back in front of the whole group. "She was trying to get help from Aryan," the girl announced to everyone, and the whole room burst out laughing. "Aryan," I repeated. "Alright, save the claps for the boys, come on, Shabash," they all said. I had no choice left. I started clapping along - and right then, a kid burst in from outside. "Run, sir's coming!" Everyone grabbed their stuff and scattered. "Saved," I breathed. The three boys who'd been forced to dance sat down, exhausted. "Are you okay?" one of the girls from the group asked me. "Yeah, thanks," I told her. Just then, a teacher walked in. "Freshers?" he asked. "Yes," everyone said. "Come on, I'll walk you all to your classes," he said. Everyone got ready to leave. "Which departments are you all from?" the teacher asked. Turns out the girl who'd asked about my well-being earlier was in the same department as me. I already had a feeling - she's going to be my friend now. Right after class ended, that same girl hurried off, clearly in a rush, and I trailed after her. She turned a corner and I turned right behind her. "I'm making friends with her today, no matter what," I told myself. But when I turned the same corner she had, she was already gone. Just a staircase in front of me - one going down, one going up. Now what. My sixth sense told me to go up, so I did. There were three classrooms up there, all empty. But the view from outside the third one was gorgeous - I stopped just to take it in, my hijab fluttering in the breeze, and for a second I felt like I was living inside a movie scene. Then something crashed, and my beautiful cinematic moment flipped straight into a horror scene.