SUDDEN TWIST Read online

  “Fuck! I feel like an idiot right now,” Sakshi thought to herself.

  Of course Sakshi’s day got even worse when Natasha called Mathew to her room to help him with his studies. It was more like tuitions though with Natasha constantly hitting Mathew on the head for every wrong sum he did some times she would smack him with those thick reference books.

  She blamed his daytime naps and laziness for his poor mathematical skills.

  She even threatened to shave off all his beard if he kept acting that way.

  Natasha on the other hand confined herself to her study room hoping Mathew wouldn’t come in there.

  The door knocked twice. “What is it?” Sakshi asked.

  “Its me I am leaving,” it was Mathew’s voice.

  “Great then leave you have been noisy enough already,” she said busy reading.

  The door opened and Mathew stepped in.

  “What now!” Sakshi asked annoyed.

  “Sorry about the other day it was a prank I couldn’t resist, I just wanted to see how you would react that’s all,” Mathew said looking at the shelf of books stacked neatly.

  “If you thought I was a slut then I am sorry for disappointing you,” she said fuming.

  “Ya looks can be deceiving,” Mathew said.

  “Yup applies to you perfectly who knew a decent looking guy like you would be a pervert,” she thought to herself.

  “Let’s just forget it happened okay and be friends again?” Mathew said opening one of the books.

  “Forget? Ha! When I have your head on a pike then I can forget it!” she though clenching her fists.

  Mathew saw something inside the book and smiled then said “Okay! gotta go, bye!”

  “Phew that was close,” Sakshi was relieved.

  The next day Natasha and Sakshi met Ritesh and Mathew. Mathew was late as usual “I am getting a lot of attention these days its all your fault,” he said pointing at Sakshi.

  “Me what did I do?” she asked outraged.

  “You made the bet remember,” he accused her.

  “But…..but...” Sakshi began stammering.

  “Opps!” Mathew said softly.

  “What bet?” Natasha asked.

  “Money! She promised me 5000 if I broke more than 5 bottles in a row,” Mathew answered Sakshi was relieved.

  “Oh…. anyway we are here for the project meeting,” Natasha said moving ahead.

  “So we need to prepare a plan,” she handed over them printed sheets.

  “I can get the raw materials you 3 can finish building and testing it,” Mathew said.

  “Excuse me! Why do we have to do all the hard work while you get all the marks huh?” Sakshi was starting to hate him already.

  “Because I said so,” he said relaxing.

  “As if! We will file a complaint to the project guide,” Sakshi threatened him.

  “Why are you so worked up today Sakshi?” Natasha asked. “And you! I will cancel your scholarship if you laze around,” she said pointing at Mathew.

  “Fine fine I was just kidding,” he said.

  “We’ll meet again next week,” and they were preparing to leave.

  “Mathew can we talk for a minute?” Sakshi asked Matthew.

  “Sure what’s up?” he asked her casually.

  “Next week is Natasha’s birthday,” Sakshi said.

  “Okay so?” Mathew asked.

  “So stop being a jackass and do something special for her,” she said annoyed.

  “Will we be getting a party then?” he asked her excited.

  “No her parents don’t celebrate her birthday in fact she doesn’t know her own birth date,” Sakshi said with a sad tone.

  “Really? How come?” Mathew asked surprised.

  “Its complicated you wouldn’t understand,” Sakshi replied. “Anyway since it will be our last years together I want to make something special for her this time,” she continued.

  “But who’s gonna pay?” he asked her.

  “Doesn’t have to be grand you stone-head just something that she will cherish,” she said taking out her phone.

  “You should call your friends to I will do the same,” she told him.

  “I don’t have any friends,” he told her.

  “What?! Are you kidding?” she was surprised to hear that.

  “Do I look like a friendly guy to you?” he asked her.

  “But C’mon you must have somebody you can call a friend anybody?” she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

  “Well a few but they are not here and I have not been in contact,” he told her.

  “Seriously! How did you even survive all this time without anyone?” she asked.

  “I had you of course and Natasha you two are my only friends I got,” he told her.

  “Oh! I am sorry…but we are girls you know you should have some guys too. I mean you can’t talk to us about everything you know?” she was touched and concerned at the same time on hearing that.

  “I cant socialize too well,” he told her scratching his head.

  “Can you sing?” she asked him.

  “Yep, why do you ask?” he replied confused.

  “Well there is this rock band that was looking for a singer they don’t care much about who you are as long as you can sing maybe you can make friends with them eventually,” she informed him.

  “Hmm okay sounds cool I am a rock fan anyway,” he said pulling his beard.

  “Really?! Me and Natasha are rock fan’s too!” she told him excited.

  “Oh my! It feels like we are destined for each other,” Mathew said suddenly.

  There was a long silence as Sakshi kept staring at him.

  “Okay! I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that,” she said finally.

  “Why not?” he asked her surprised.

  “Because I don’t fancy perverts like you, you are not my type,” she told him firmly.

  “What are you talking about? I meant we were destined to be friend’s,” he corrected her.

  “Oh…. but….but…..the last sentence of you being a pervert is true,” she was trying to change the subject she had never felt so embarrassed before.

  “Stop changing the subject you and your dirty thoughts,” he said shaking his head in disbelief.

  “I am romantic not pervy like you,” she said flustered.

  “Oh common don’t tell me you don’t enjoy a bit of Jade Wilson,” he said sniggering.

  “Oh C’mon there’s no way I would like someone as old as him,” she said angrily.

  “Oh so you do know about him…I knew it!” he said smacking his fists together Victoriously.

  She wanted to say something but only a squeak escaped her mouth.

  “He is a pornstar,” he corrected her. “You wouldn’t know about it unless you watch porn yourself,” he said laughing heartily.

  “I…I...I only watch the kissing thing that’s all,” she said blushing red in embarrassment.

  “Its called soft-core and you can watch movies sex scenes if you need that,” he informed her.

  “How did you find out,” she asked him avoiding his eyes.

  “Well you carelessly left one of your CD’s in the book I opened,” he said gloriously.

  Sakshi bit her lip in regret.

  “I wonder what all the guys would think of you if they found out,” he said mischievously.

  “Please don’t I am begging you!” she said almost kneeling.

  “Don’t worry I am not so heartless just be careful next time,” he said leaving.

  “Thanks god!” she said to herself as her heartbeat slowed down.

  A Touching Present

  “So how are we gonna make it a special day,” Mathew asked Sakshi in the library.

  “I don’t know!” Sakshi said annoyed.

  “Then what do you know? It was your idea remember?” Mathew reminded her.

  “I know, I know, would you stop bugging me already I need some space to think,” she said irritated.
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br />   “How about we take Sachin’s help?” he asked suddenly.

  “Oh please not him! Lets keep this between us,” she said rubbing her eyebrows.

  “Hmm yep definitely him he his good at partying after all I’ll tell him to keep it simple in fact he will be more than happy to help,” he said ignoring her.

  “Did you even hear what I said?” she asked angrily.

  “Yep he will be delighted,” he said happily.

  “I said no!” and she smacked him on the head.

  “Ouch that hurt!” he shouted.

  “Silence please or ill kick you both out!” the librarian shouted from the desk.

  “Okay first of all I didn’t ask your opinion, second her boyfriend has the right to know,” he told her.

  “I don’t care,” she said dismissively.

  “Wait you don’t have a crush on him do you?” he asked her chuckling.

  “No I don’t!” she said flustered.

  “I knew it! Everybody’s got a crush on him so sad!” he said trying to muffle his laugher.

  “One of these days I am gonna throw you off a cliff,” she said clenching her teeth.

  “Anyway we’ll tell him I am sure she will fall for him after that!” he said nodding to himself.

  “I wont allow it!” she said firmly.

  “You will or else I will tell everybody about your little secret!” he said winking at her.

  “Are you blackmailing me now you damn bastard!” she said outraged.

  “Yes I am it’s so convenient,” he said nodding.

  “How could you! Do you have no shame threatening a helpless girl like me?” she said her eyes were wet with tears.

  “I am pretty sure you are not so innocent like Natasha so I don’t think you are that helpless—” he said before stopping midway.

  Sakshi burst into tears crying softly.

  “Hey…..I am sorry…..oh C’mon!” he tried to console her but she pushed him away and ran out of the library.

  “I hope that works!” Sakshi thought to herself. “Nothing can melt a guys heart like a woman tears! Now all I gotta do is wait and see!” she thought wiping her tears.

  And just as she thought Mathew came to her after a while with her bag she was sitting in the class alone by herself.

  “Fine you win! I won’t tell Sachin,” he said finally sitting next to her.

  “You…you can invite him for the party if you want he is her boyfriend after all,” Mathew nodded at that.

  She then explained to him her plans for next week.

  Natasha was sitting in the class when the professor came in it was the last class of the last day of the week.

  Mathew and Sakshi were sitting quietly along her left and right they were unusually silent today.

  “Guess they still haven’t settled things among themselves have they how long are they gonna keep this up?” Natasha thought to herself.

  “Why don’t you sit this side,” Natasha asked Mathew.

  “I’m cool,” he said raising his hand.

  “Okay students,” the professor started “Today lets talk about the history of birthdays!” he said.

  “What!” Natasha thought in shock.

  “The idea of celebrating a birthday originated first as a pagan tradition,” the professor continued.

  “What’s going on? This is engineering not arts!” she was totally confused.

  Then she looked around her and noticed that all the students were listening to him intently nobody seemed to notice the fact or even bother to wonder why he was explaining the history of birthdays at an engineering class.

  “Am I dreaming?” she wondered, she nudged Sakshi and asked her “What’s going on in here?”

  “What do you mean?” Sakshi replied.

  “He is talking about birthday’s during EEM class!” she said.

  “What’s EEM?” Sakshi asked blankly.

  “Electrical Engineering Materials how could you forget?” she asked panicking.

  “We don’t have any engineering material class,” she said calmly.

  “What?!” Natasha said.

  She opened her bag to look for her notes but to her surprise there wasn’t one and she froze suddenly when she found a printed material about “The history of birthdays,” in her bag instead.

  “What’s this?” she asked showing her the material.

  “Oh that, the professor gave that to us yesterday to have it copied, you got the Xerox copy in your hand there,” and Sakshi showed her own copy.

  “This must be a dream,” she thought and decided to pinch herself, she felt the pain but nothing changed the professor continued his lecture on birthdays and the students listened.

  “Mathew! I’ll ask him,” she thought hoping at least he would know what’s going on.

  “Mathew don’t you find all this strange?” she asked him.

  “No, why what wrong?” he asked her.

  “Nothing,” she said.

  She nudged the girl in front of her Ramya and asked her the same thing but the response was not what she expected.

  “Maybe I’ll just close my eyes and sleep then maybe I’ll wake up,” she thought.

  “What are you doing miss Natasha!” the professor yelled from the front.

  “Sss…sir this is eng…. engine…..engineering class sir wh…why are you teaching about birthday’s?” she asked she was so terrified that she was stuttering now.

  “Is she okay?” he asked Mathew.

  “I am not sure myself” Mathew said and everyone laughed.

  “Oh no! Please god! This is not happening!” She didn’t know what to do.

  “Mm…may I leave the class f…for a while sir?” she asked because that was the only thing that came to her mind at the moment she could hardly think of anything.

  “No! You may not now SIT DOWN!” he yelled at her.

  Her legs automatically lost strength and she fell to her seat. “Mummy!” she whispered in fright.

  When the class finished Natasha ran down to the toilet but to her surprise there were students in front of the door blocking the way they were cutting a plum cake and singing the happy birthday song.

  “EEKKS!!” Natasha squeaked.

  “Why are they celebrating their birthday in front of the toilet? This is crazy,” she thought.

  “Oh god I have to get out of here,” she said to herself.

  She ran out to the main entrance but bumped into Sachin.

  “Hey!” he said.

  “Hi I am sorry I am in a hurry,” she said trying to dodge him.

  “Wait! Didn’t you notice how strange things are here today?” he asked her holding her hands.

  “You noticed? Thank god I thought I was going crazy,” she said.

  “We can’t go out trust me!” he said pulling her along with him.

  “Why?” she asked nervously.

  “There’s something I gotta show you follow me,” he said.

  They came to a corridor which had two paths left and right.

  On the left was a board on which it was written “If you think this is real go this way” and another board to the right said “If you think this is a dream go this way.”

  “This way” she said turning to the right.

  There was a door which read “Exit,” and some voice from inside said “Your password is your birth-date”.

  “My birth date? I don’t remember! How did I forget my own birth date?!” she yelled frustrated.

  “I hate my dream please wake up,” she yelled in her mind.

  “What about today what’s today’s date?” Sachin asked.

  “Right! My phone,” she searched but couldn’t find it.

  “Here,” Sachin said giving her his phone.

  She read “15-2 -1995” and the door opened.

  “Wow! Today’s my birthday?” she thought.

  And the lights lit and everyone inside yelled at once “Surprise! Happy birthday Natasha”.

  Mathew jumped from behind and
sprayed her with crazy ribbon from a can.

  She cringed and squeaked “eekks!”

  “Oh my god! Today’s my birthday….w..wait this is real? I mean this is not a dream?!” she was so confused she didn’t know what was real and what was not.

  “No you silly girl this is real,” Sakshi said hugging her tightly.

  “Hey I need a hug too,” Mathew said.

  “Hey me first! I am her boyfriend,” Sachin said stepping in front of him.

  “Hey I am her friend too and a boy,” Mathew said and everyone laughed.

  “Come here both of you,” Natasha said and hugged them both.

  “I still don’t get it, the class and all how did you pull it off?” she asked Sakshi.

  “We told them all about your story and they felt sorry for you even the professor was moved,” Mathew said.

  He moved closer to Natasha and whispered in her ear “Didn’t know professor Rathan was such a softly he almost cried when I told him how your parents didn’t celebrate your birthday”.

  “Really? I thought he was a no nonsense guy,” Natasha said surprised.

  “Quite the opposite,” Mathew replied.

  “Everyone thank you this means a lot to me…. i….i…,” she said breaking down in tears and Sakshi comforted her.

  “C’mon no crying its your birthday lets party!” Sachin yelled and the music started.

  “You know it would have been grander if you had only told me a bit earlier,” Sachin started.

  “I know but this is my gift to Natasha I wanted to pull it off on my own,” Sakshi said looking at Natasha.

  “You must have spent a lot of money on this I can tell my dad—” Sakshi placed a finger on her lips and stopped her.

  “Actually everyone contributed to this not just me and you have Mathew to thank, even though he is a loner he has a way with words he convinced everyone we met,” Sakshi informed her.

  “Besides if I had let Sachin handle that, it would be the same like his birthday only on a grander scale I didn’t want that,” she continued.

  “I won’t forget this Sakshi this is the best thing you have done for me... ever!” she said hugging her again.

  “Ow! You sound so cute when you say that,” Sakshi said smiling.

  “Here,” Sachin said giving her a box Natasha opened it, there was nice bag in it with S&N embroidered on it as a logo.