Page 19 of Reckless Hate

She changed.

He recalled Samantha during their childhood when she always had a sweet, ready smile, and they spent time together laughing and chatting about anything and everything.

“I’m handling Avantika Patel just fine,” Abhi added. “I haven’t punched anyone like Ved.”

Ved looked at his cousin. “You haven’t punched anyone. Yet.”

“I doubt if I would ever do that,” Abhi said drily.

Ved was amused. “Neeraj Batra was talking to his gang about Avantika Patel.”

Abhi’s jaw immediately clenched.

Rana laughed. “Never say never, bro. You both are hopeless.”

Ved looked at his cousin, Rana. “Really? You mooning over a girl you have barely known for a couple of days is completely normal?” Ved was talking about the new exchange student to whom Rana took an instant liking.

Rana’s laughter turned into a sheepish smile. “Fine. All three of us are hopeless then.”

Rana was right. But at least Rana’s girl wasn’t someone Rana hated.

A part of Ved wished he could go back in time and change the past. But he knew he couldn’t.

Samantha Roy’s and his past were fucked up. And the hate he felt for her was too big for any other feeling to take over.

She has to leave. There is no other choice.

CHAPTER 10

For the rest of the week, Samantha continued to get glares and curious looks. Some guys threw in lustful stares, but no one approached her again with a sleazy comment.

She saw Ved each day at the cafeteria or near the sports area. Although she felt his eyes on her, he didn’t speak to her or taunt her again. She knew it wasn’t because he had changed his mind. Her former best friend hated her, and he was determined to drive her out of the university.

Ignoring him and the rest of the students, she immersed herself in classes and tennis practice to get closer to her goal.

After what seemed like the longest week ever, Friday night arrived. She spent most of the time on video calls with Sohan. She knew she had to eventually cut short the calls because it would only make Sohan realize that the holiday she was supposedly on was extending for too long.

But it was hard to not see her baby brother’s innocent face and laughter. She was in the middle of a video call when her mother walked into Sohan’s room.

Her mother peered into the phone camera. “Samantha… where are you?”

Samantha knew right then that her mother was quite drunk. Seeing the slightly wrinkled clothes and her mother’s smeared makeup, she knew her mother and stepfather must have just returned home after a night of partying.

It was seven o’clock in the morning in local Paris time. Her mother never woke up before ten.

“I’m in my housing unit at Simha University.”

Her mother looked shocked. She blinked a few times. “What? When did you go there? I thought you were still home.”

Samantha was no longer shocked by her mother’s indifference or negligence.

“I flew to the campus last week.”

“Oh! I completely forgot.” There was a giggle instead of guilt. “How is the place? Is it the same as it was during my time? I remember how you and Viraaj’s son always looked at the old picture albums of Simha University.”

Samantha was surprised that her mother had bothered to notice that she and Ved often poured into the photo albums of Simha University. Both her parents and Ved’s father had studied at Simha.

“Yes, the campus is almost the same.” Samantha didn’t bother telling her mother that Viraaj Simha’s son was also enrolled at Simha and was trying to make her life like hell to make her quit.

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