22- Dear Past

                                    

                                          
*REET* 
"Atharv, give me a chanc-" Maya's voice cracked as she tried to speak through her tears, her desperation palpable. 
"I said, get out!" Atharv's voice cut through the air, harsh and unforgiving. His eyes were cold, and his stance showed no signs of softening. 
I turned around, looking at him in disbelief, and so did Ariv. The intensity in Atharv's voice was startling, and it seemed to shake even Ariv, who stood frozen, his expression unreadable. 
"You can't do this to me, Atharv! My parents have abandoned me-I'm all alone. How am I supposed to go through this... alone?" Maya's sobs grew louder, her body trembling as her words fell apart. She was begging for something, for mercy, for hope-anything that could save her from the dark pit she was in. 
But Atharv... he didn't flinch. He didn't even look at her. Instead, his focus shifted to me, his expression void of any emotion. Grabbing my wrist, he whispered coldly, "Let's leave, Reet." 
I looked at him, confused, uncertain. His grip tightened as he turned away, his tone commanding as he called out to Ariv. "Ariv, let's go inside." 
But Ariv didn't move. His gaze was fixed on Maya, his lips parted slightly in disbelief. He looked... shattered. 
"Ariv! I said come ins-" 
"What happened to you, Maya?" Ariv's voice was soft, shaking. The coldness in Atharv's voice was nowhere to be found in his. Ariv stepped toward her, his eyes slowly dropping to her swollen belly, his breath catching as he asked again, "Who did this to you?" 
Maya sniffled, trying to steady herself, but her body betrayed her. Her shaking hand slowly rose, trembling as it pointed toward the one person I hadn't expected-Atharv. 
"It's his," she whispered, her voice barely audible, but the words hit me like a punch to the gut. "The child... is his." 
I gasped, my heart racing as I looked at Atharv, hoping, praying, that somehow this was all a horrible misunderstanding. But Atharv didn't even glance at me. His eyes remained on Ariv, as if none of this mattered. 
Ariv's gaze, once full of warmth and rage, turned ice-cold as he faced Atharv. This wasn't the Ariv I knew. Something inside him had shifted. 
Maya's voice trembled as she continued, "After your... after your expulsion from our previous school, I told Atharv about this, but... but..." 
But then She gave up as she collapsed onto the ground. In reflex, I tried to move towards her but atharv's iron grip restricted me. 
"Enough," Atharv muttered, gripping my wrist tighter, trying to pull me away, but I couldn't move. I couldn't tear my eyes from the scene unfolding in front of me. 
"Maya!" Ariv rushed to her side, kneeling beside her, his arms instinctively wrapping around her fragile body. He held her as she wept uncontrollably into his chest, her cries shaking his entire frame. 
"My parents... they've abandoned me, too... after they found out I was pregnant. I have nowhere to go... no one to turn to... I'm so scared," Maya sobbed, her voice growing weaker with every word. 
I could feel the tears welling up in my own eyes, my heart breaking at the sight of her crumbling world. Her head rested on Ariv's shoulder, and for the first time, I saw him-Ariv, the strong, stoic figure-break. His eyes were glassy, his jaw clenched as he looked at Atharv, his best friend. 
But this wasn't the Ariv I knew. His gaze was cold, filled with bitterness. He held Maya tighter as if shielding her from the cruel world around her. 
"Who will take care of me? My child? I have no one left!" Maya's cries echoed in the space, each word a dagger twisting deeper into all of us.