Morning. The bus is here.
Me (softly, to Dodo): Bye Dodo! My bus is coming.
Dodo: Bye Jiji! Have a nice day.
The bus starts. The morning is fresh. Sunlight is warm but the wind is cold. My baby hairs are falling on my face like a movie character. A yellow butterfly sits peacefully on my sleeve. My half hand is outside the window. My white shirt is shining in the sun. I want to capture this moment, but I cannot.
Ren (suddenly shouting beside me): Hey! Jiji, what are you doing? Your white shirt will get dirty! Fly away the butterfly!
Me (still looking at the butterfly): Ren, say a little slowly. I can wash the shirt. That butterfly is really beautiful.
Ren: Now the butterfly has gone. I don't know why you wear a white shirt.
Me: Really Ren, I wear this shirt many times.
Ren: Oh, let's go. Our college has come.
Sigh.
IN CLASS - Kazehana University
Me (whispering, irritated): Stop it, Ren! Now open yesterday's notes and revise it. Is it necessary to know others' stories?
Ren: Jiji, you study. I will revise later.
Sigh! Okay.
Just then, the classroom door opens with a loud thud. A girl enters and shouts loudly.
Girl: Who is Jiji? Professor Han is calling her in his cabin!
My heart starts beating so fast. Dhad-dhad. Suddenly all eyes are on me. I don't even know who this professor is. Maybe he is from a different department? But how does he know me on the second day of college? It is really confusing.
Ren (looking at me, curious): Jiji, why is sir calling you? Does sir know you?
Me: I don't know, Ren, why sir is calling me. Can you come with me?
Ren: No! No, sir is calling you only.
Me: Okay, fine.
I already knew her reaction. I did a mistake asking her.
I step out of the class. My footsteps are fast at first, my fingers are fighting with each other nervously. But as I reach near sir's cabin, my steps become slower. My hands are ready to knock. I don't know how many times I prayed in that whole path.
Me: Knock knock!
A cold voice from inside: Come in!
I enter the room confidently, because I don't want to show my nervousness.
Me: Good afternoon, sir!
I see a man sitting on a chair, covering his face with a file. By his physique, he seems very young.
The man slowly slides the file from his face. Big brown eyes with specs on them, black hair fixed with gel, little beard on white skin, white shirt, black jeans, formal shoes. A cold and strong aura comes from him.
Professor Han (in a cold, order-like tone): Sit here!
Me (in a low voice): Yes sir, what happened sir?
Professor Han (eyebrows shrinking, in a sarcastic tone): I am really impressed with you. On the first day of college, you did a very nice work?
I am lost in my thoughts. Did I really do anything yesterday? I barely talked to anyone.
Me (in a very low voice): What did I do, sir?
Professor: You don't know?
Me: No, sir?
Professor: Don't be innocent. On the very first day, you fought with boys in class and created chaos.
I can sense his anger from his face.
Me: No sir, I did not.
Professor: Am I looking like a fool to you? What do you think, if I am not in the class, you can do anything?
Me: Wait sir! I did not fight with anyone in class.
Professor: How can anyone be so shameless? Instead of feeling guilty, you are lying to me. Yesterday in commerce class, you did not fight with boys?
Me (shocked): Commerce? Sir, I am a student of Science, not Commerce.
Suddenly, two strong hands strike on the desk and he stands up.
Professor: Miss Juji, are you a Science student or Commerce?
I see his angry eyes. Now I want to cry because he is blaming me in a very bad way. Wait... what did he say? Juji? But my name is Jiji. Now I understand - he mistook me.
Me (controlling my tears): Sir, you mistook me. I am Jiji from Science. If you don't believe me, you can check my student details or ask our class professor.
Professor (in his mind, staring at her tears): I don't know, but by seeing tears in her eyes, I don't want to scold her anymore. Also, she said she is not Juji. I think I have to check.
Professor: Okay, I am checking. If it is a lie, you will get punishment.
I just nod, controlling my tears. He pulls the Science students' file. His eyes fall on a name - JIJI HATAKI. Then he matches my photo with my face, and he realises what he did.
Professor: Yeah! You are right. I think due to similar names, confusion was created. You should have told me before.
I am just standing there. I want to say nothing. I want to go.
Me (eyes full of tears, breathing slow): Okay sir, I am going.
I leave the cabin.
Professor (in his mind, looking at the door where she left): Wait... she already left. It's so easy for teachers to scold students, but I don't even know how to say sorry. Today I really made a big mistake. I blamed an innocent girl without checking. If she tells anyone how I mistakenly blamed her, it will create a huge blunder. And already my relation with the Science department professor is not so good. What have I done? Sigh!
Outside the cabin, my held-back tears are now flowing freely. Hiccups start coming. My white shirt, which was shining in the morning sun, is now completely drenched in my tears. My eyes, which were shining like a movie character in the morning, have now lost all their shine. My happy lips have turned silent.
Me (in my mind, crying and angry): How dare he! He is a professor at least! He should have at least checked first if I am that student or not. He was not even listening to me! I was saying again and again that I am not her, but he just kept blaming me. Why is it always me?
Me (wiping my tears angrily): Why am I wasting my precious tears for someone else's stupidity? Let's go, Jiji. No one is going to come to wipe your tears. No one.
I take a big, shaky breath, put a fake smile on my face to hide my red eyes, and start walking towards the class again, as if nothing happened.
I enter the class and directly sit on my seat without looking at anyone, because I know they are curious to know the reason why sir called me.
Ren (with a curious face): Hey Jiji, why was sir calling you?
Me: Oh, he just mistook me for another girl from commerce. He was not calling me.
Ren: Oh, then why are you so late? You missed one lecture.
Me: Actually, he first checked my details and then I went to the washroom.
I know it's a lie, but I don't want to tell anyone. For others, it's just a gossip matter, but for me, it's serious. How much we want to escape, but whatever is written in destiny will happen. And who knows me better than me.
Ren: You know, after you left, the whole class was gossiping about you.
Me: Yeah, I can sense it after coming back.
LATER - AFTER CLASS
College is over. The bell rings. All students are coming out of their classrooms, laughing, pushing each other, rushing towards the main gate.
I am also walking down slowly with my bag, trying to avoid everyone's eyes.
Just then, from the stairs, a cold, loud voice echoes in the whole corridor.
Voice (in a cold, commanding tone): STOP!!
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