Veer bolted upright in bed, his heart hammering. He replayed the morning's horror: Aaradhya, his protector, lying broken in a hospital bed.
When school ended, Aaradhya turned to him."Gym?" she asked, "I can't today," he'd stammered.Without another word, she'd marched off alone, head high.
The Police at the Hospital ( jo ki kabhi sahi time ati hi nahi hai ):>
In City Hospital room 306, two uniformed officers stood before him. One cleared his throat."Are you her friend?"Veer swallowed. "Yes."They nodded gravely and stepped aside to where Aaradhya's parents knelt beside her bed, tears streaming. Her mother's sobs echoed through the corridor.
An officer gently led Veer into an adjoining room. "We need to ask you some questions." He slid a notepad across the table. "Group assault—what do you know?"Veer's mind raced; then he recalled the scuffle with Rohit Singh and his gang. He gave names, dates, even the exact spot behind the school where the attack must have happened.
"Where did you last see her?" the officer pressed."At the back gate," Veer replied. "She defended me from Rohit's men."
"Your friend was found unconscious behind the school," the second officer explained, voice low. "Multiple injuries—torn ligament in her left knee, a deep contusion on the right side of her face. She's just come out of surgery. The doctor says physically she'll recover with rehabilitation, but mentally…" He paused, "that's another battle."
Veer forced himself not to cry. He followed the police back to Aaradhya's room, where her family framed her bed with sorrow. Veer knelt beside her and took her hand. "I'm here," he whispered.
Five Days Later: Frustration and Fury
Five days had passed since the attack. Veer sat in the grimy, paper-stacked police station, facing the officer who'd questioned him before. The ceiling fan creaked slowly above, doing little to cool the thick frustration in the air. "We've reviewed everything we had access to," the officer said, rubbing his temples. "No security footage. The cameras behind the school haven't worked in months. No staff saw anything. The area's isolated. Not even students are stepping forward. No eyewitnesses, no physical evidence." Veer clenched his jaw. "So you're telling me no one saw a girl get jumped and left unconscious behind a school?"
The officer shifted uncomfortably. "Look, kid, we're not saying it didn't happen. We're saying—we can't prove who did it. No DNA, no fingerprints. Not even a dropped phone or bag.""What about the names I gave you?" Veer asked sharply. "Rohit Singh. His gang. Why haven't you brought them in?"
The officer closed the file and shook his head. "We questioned the boys you mentioned—Rohit Singh and the others. They denied it. Brought in classmates to back up their story. Their alibis check out on paper."The older officer leaned forward, sighing. "Believe me, son, I hate saying this. But unless someone talks or we find something new, our hands are tied."
Veer's eyes narrowed
The inspector pushed the file aside, but not before something caught Veer's eye—a blurry photo tucked between pages. A building. Old, run-down. Familiar.
"What's that?" Veer asked."Nothing," the officer said quickly, sliding the folder away. "Internal reference."Veer stood up. "That photo... is that near the back of the school?"
"It's unrelated," the officer said, too fast.
"Unrelated?" Veer snapped. "You just told me you have nothing, and now you're hiding pieces from me? I saw it. A building. If that's near the back gate, then maybe there's something—someone—who saw it happen."
"Veer, calm down—""No. I'm done sitting quietly while you wait for answers to fall into your lap." Veer stepped forward. "If you won't investigate, then I will. I'll go there myself."
The officer didn't stop him this time.As Veer stormed out, something had changed in him.
He wasn't just a victim's friend anymore. He was a hunter on the trail of truth.
The Midnight Confrontation
Under the dim streetlight near the school, Veer spotted Rohit and two cronies. Anger tightened his chest. He lunged forward."You!" he snarled at Rohit. "You did this to her!"
Rohit laughed, a cruel bark. "Oh, look—Veer the do-gooder. Thought you'd be scared?" His friend jeered, "Want to be half as broken as your girlfriend?"
One swift punch to Veer's jaw knocked him off balance. They rained blows down—fists, kicks—until Veer fought to stay on his feet. His vision blurred, but rage fueled him. He tackled the nearest bully, sending him sprawling.
Before things could escalate further, a shadow fell over the group. A tall man stepped forward, arms folded."Who are you, mister?" sneered Rohit.
The man's gaze was calm, unyielding. "I'm Raghav Mehta."
Veer looked up, stunned. This was Aaradhya's father, the coach—the man he was supposed to train under,
now standing between him and his attackers.
End of Chapter 2 :>