Aarti Gautam

That look people give when they hear the word “medicine.” Something between pity and curiosity. I hate that look.

As days are passing and college is slowly coming to an end, there is this strange feeling like I’m about to lose something, even though nothing has ended yet.

I found myself just looking around quietly… and that’s when I saw it. A lot of students were crying.

I almost laughed at the irony. Sir skipped my presentation and took only viva. Ma’am took only her presentation and skipped viva.

She held my hand, and for a moment, I felt embarrassed. A thought kept repeating in my head—what will she think of me? Someone who is scared of an escalator?

I sat there, listening to lectures half-heartedly, while silently cursing myself for being a girl. At that moment, I just wished I was a guy.

The chaos was so intense that all of us—me, Tissue, Mice, and Dragon—stayed up till around 2 am. Just finishing whatever we could.

When I reached the washroom, she was waiting. I gave it to her and stood outside. When she came out, the first thing I noticed was her back. No red stains.

The exam was something else. As I looked at the paper, one thought kept repeating in my mind… Where did these questions even come from?

I texted Tissue—“Aur issi journal writing ke saath TY khatam hone ka silsila shuru hota hai, good night.”