An episode of eve teasing

“I’m done with my exam. Where are you?” I said, pressing the phone in between my shoulder and ear, while I dumped the pens in my bag. “It’ll take me another ten minutes. Come over to block C and I’ll see you there.” My sister whispered on the other side.

I was new to this college, how can she expect me to know where the block C is, I thought. Nevertheless, I asked her for the route with respect to the place I was standing.  I looked up to see the block A and took the stairs on right just as she said. There were about five stairs after which a garden came into view. Each tree was encircled by a heap of rocks. There were hardly some people in there. I kept walking peacefully while observing the surrounding. A few steps later, I could hear boys talking and laughing, I glanced over as to where the sound was coming from. I noticed a gang of boys, sitting in the secluded corner of the garden. Shifting my gaze back to the path I was walking on, I saw an extended staircase which was slightly spiraled on its way down. Just as I walked past the building they were sitting on, suddenly all the laughter faded. Scary silence filled in the air as I felt someone or rather some people staring at me. ‘Stop thinking stupid things’ I scolded myself.

The campus was now dead silent, not a single human in my sight. I took a breath in, relieved. However, the serenity I was enjoying,  died the moment I heard hooting and howling. I stepped off the last step and turned to my right, proceeding to my destination. Fear shot up inside me as the corner of my eye caught a sight of the huge group of boys running down the staircase that I just crossed. Hooting and cheering were still in the air as someone yelled “Come on boy, I know you can get the girl. All the best bro”

OH GOD DAMN THIS HOLY FUCKING SHIT.  

My heartbeat raced up to infinity. I could hear footsteps coming closer and closer when I decided to increase my pace but went against it because I didn’t want to let know how scared I was. Clutching my bag tighter, I tried to keep myself as steady as possible. Just then an idea struck my head. I quickly unlocked my phone and pretended to call someone.

I heard the whispers, behind me “Let her finish the phone call, then we will talk”. I sighed a little thinking they wouldn’t do anything but talk. However, I kept talking on the phone without anyone on the other side. The surrounding now was just filled with the sound of steps and the echo of my own voice. Out of nowhere, I heard someone yell from a quite a distance behind me “Abey usku chodh de woh nahi pategi(Leave the girl, you’re not gonna get her)”.

NOW, WHAT IS THIS GOING ON?

Just as his sentence finished, the footsteps behind me came to a halt while I heard them shushing. I took this as a golden opportunity to escape and walked faster. The guy kept shouting continuously again “You can’t get her. Just come back guys, we have to leave”. The guys behind me kept cursing and shushing at him to which had no effect on him. He kept shouting without a break. I was graciously thanking the guy a hundred times per second in my mind, while I pretended to talk on the phone. Just as the block C came into sight I rushed in and collided with someone.  Not bothering to see who it was, I uttered a sorry and ran inside. My foot stopped the second I heard “Where are you going, idiot?”

 A feeling of content rushed through my veins as I saw my elder sister staring at me like I just killed someone.  Without explaining, a wide smile drew across my face as I said “Let’s go”

“Weirdo” she muttered under her breath handing me the keys. The moment we stepped out, I saw two guy’s waiting. Their ecstatic smirk dropped just as he saw me walk with a professor, my sister. Without wasting another second they started walking the other way. I sighed, contended.

Teaching him a lesson wasn’t on my bucket list because this was just another day in India. Crime cases sure do go in the courts and they never come to a conclusion. I realized eve-teasing wasn’t just on roads. The phone call drama I did and the guy who shouted, saved my day.