Scholarship 2 – An Unexpected Help

Rahul was still in shock. The only phone that had hopes of being the potential lifeline to the scholarship or internship was, to top it all, currently with the most backstabbing person in his life.

While, thousands of miles away, a thunder of hope brewed in the airport lounge.

Vikram, Rahul’s closest friend, was pacing. He hadn’t been able to get through to Rahul since that morning. Every single time he attempts to call, the line drops. The feeling that something was wrong gnawed at his gut. He was Rahul’s brother, through thick and thin: the person with whom he shared everything- dreams, laughter, even secrets that nobody else knew. And now, Rahul wasn’t answering.

He tried again. “Come on, Rahul, pick up! Pick up the phone!“

It cut into a silence like the others. Vikram ran his hands through his hair in escalating fury. Something was off. He looked around the hustle and bustle of the airport, pelting his eyes across the crowd. Then he saw him.

It was Bony.

Vikram froze, ‘Bony’, the very name made his blood boil, the once-close friend, and now-the very embodiment of betrayal.

“Vikram?” a voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

He quickly turned to find a familiar face. “Hey, Ashwin,” he said in feigned calmness.

He didn’t waste a single second, taking a deep breath and headed towards Bony, calling out his name casually.

“Bony! Hey, wait up!”

Bony turned around; when his eyes met with Vikram, a sudden grin spread across his face. “Vikram? What are you doing here?”

Oddity was in the air for Vikram-perhaps it was the only one making it odd-and he could see Bony holding a phone in his hand. It wasn’t just any phone. It was Rahul’s.

Vikram’s heart skipped a beat. A knot formed in his stomach. Why would Bony have Rahul’s phone?

His mind raced. Maybe Rahul had gone to meet him? But Vikram quickly dismissed that thought.

Oh, not at any cost! Casting a questioning eye around, Vikram imitated the dress display. “What is that?”

Bony casually waved the phone in front of him. “This? Oh, just a little something I found. Maybe Rahul dropped it somewhere.“

As Bony stepped closer, still holding the phone, Vikram kept his composure. The phone was within his reach. But he couldn’t snatch it right there. Not yet.

They started walking slowly, and Vikram carefully steered the conversation, making Bony feel like nothing was out of the ordinary. He kept it casual, easy, not hurried, so that Bony would suspect nothing.

A few moments later, Vikram took the opportunity to suggest a change of scene. “Hey, I was heading to my place. You wanna come over? Catch up, you know. It’s been a while.”

Bony gave no more than a brief and faint giggle before he reassuredly replied, “Sure, why not?” The eyes, like the glittering of the light of a thousand heavenly stars. “Yeah. I remember that night,” he said quietly. “We were so sure of what we wanted.“

Vikram nodded. “And then everything changed. Rahul got the scholarship, got ahead, and somehow we lost touch. You started pulling away, and I never understood why.”

Bony shifted uncomfortably. “It wasn’t just that. I felt like I was always in Rahul’s shadow. He was the talented one; he was the one who always got what he wanted. And I just… I could no longer put up with it.”

Vikram’s voice softened as he said this; there was genuine concern in it, “I get it. But you didn’t have to take it out on him, on us. We were your friends. You didn’t have to do this.”

Bony swallowed hard, eyes narrowing as the old feelings rose in him. “You think I wanted to betray you guys? You think it was easy for me? I had nothing left. Rahul had it all. And I… I was invisible.”

Vikram ached at his heart for his old friend, but it was essential to act. “Bony, it doesn’t need to be like this. We can make things right. You don’t have to keep holding onto this bitterness.”

As Bony stared at his drink, lost in thought, Vikram saw his chance. He moved quickly, slipping behind Bony and silently taking the phone from his hand. Bony didn’t notice, lost in his emotions.

Vikram in-breaths deeply. “You know, man, we’ve gone through a lot. I never wanted it to come to all this. But you need to understand something.” He looked at Bony with intensity. “I’m still on Rahul’s side. He is my brother from another mother. He doesn’t deserve what you’ve done to him.”

Wide- eyed, Bony turned towards Vikram. “What’s your problem?“

But Vikram was not going to waste time. He pulled out the rope from his bag and then tied Bony to the chair. Bony tried to struggle, but Vikram’s grip was strong.

“What the hell, Vikram?” Bony shouted, eyes blazing with rage. “You’re making a really big mistake!“

Vikram ignored him, pulling out Rahul’s phone. “You’ll understand soon enough. I’m calling Rahul. We’re ending this, Bony. Once and for all.”

Vikram dialed Rahul’s mother’s number, the fingers were slightly trembling, and he waited as the phone rang.

Once. Twice. …

Finally, Rahul picked up, his voice shaky. “Hello? Where are you? What’s happening? Why are you—?”

“Rahul, I have the phone,” Vikram interrupted with a firm voice. “Don’t panic. We’ll fix this. Just stay calm. We are going to bring this to an end. Come to my place, now.”

Vikram dropped the line and turned in the direction of Bony, who was yet squirming against the ropes.

“I’m sorry, Bony,” came the voice of Vikram quiet, with a devil’s smile. “But this isn’t your game anymore. You’ve hurt Rahul enough. Now it’s time to make things right.”

Bony glared at him, but Vikram didn’t flinch. His focus was clear—Rahul’s future depended on this, and nothing would stop him.