Page 9 of Reckless Dare

Ava smiled at the woman. “Thank you.”

All the students were settling into their spots while she made her way to the lowest level, closest to the stage. Her seat was between two girls who she knew must be new students.

She sat down and looked to her right to introduce herself. “Hello, I’m Ava,” she greeted the girl to her right with a wide smile. “Avantika Patel from second year Medicine.”

The girl turned. Ava noticed how put together the girl was even in a uniform. And although the girl turned, she didn’t return the smile, and her face was unreadable.

“Samantha.”

Before Ava could ask her which year and department Samantha studied in, the girl turned away to look in the front at the stage.

Ava didn’t know whether to consider it as a snub. Deciding not to take it personally, Ava turned to look at the girl on her left.

“Hi, I’m Ava.”

The other girl returned the smile. And like Ava, she looked pretty excited and anxious.

“I’m Namrata.”

Before Ava could ask which year and department Namrata was enrolled into, the lights began to dim. Ava’s heart raced with excitement as the commencement event began.

A petite woman clad in a crisp cotton sari walked to the center stage. Although the woman was small, there was an air of command around her. As a result, the entire auditorium fell exceptionally silent.

Ava knew she was looking at Neelima Raj, the university dean. The woman who ran a prestigious university that was well-known to produce quality leadership in business, politics, and science and in every other industry.

“Good morning, everyone,” Neelima Raj spoke in a firm, authoritative voice. “I’m going to keep the speech brief since I know all of you are excited to be back at Simha, and you can’t wait to catch up with your friends and plan parties for the rest of the year.”

There was good-natured laughter from the audience.

Neelima Raj smiled. “I would like to reiterate what Simha University stands for. We not only put value on quality education, we also put focus on quality character. Most of your parents might be millionaires or billionaires. But at Simha University, you will be taught humility and modesty. The years spent at Simha will mentor you to be empathetic leaders in the future. Success comes in various measures. By graduating from any elite university, you are ensured monetary success. But at Simha, along with achieving monetary success, we teach you to make a positive impact on a group of people and add value to society. That is considered a true success. Always keep that in mind.”

There were claps. Ava joined the crowd in acknowledging what the university dean conveyed. Although the speech was brief, Ava agreed with each word that was said.

Neelima Raj nodded regally in acknowledgment. “The student council has arranged a mid-year commencement event. Since we have a few new students, it will be a welcome event too. I wish you all the best. Make Simha proud.”

There were cheers.

Ava was excited about the welcome event. She hoped to make some new friends. But even as she planned to meet her new classmates, her heart raced with another thought.

The student council was putting the event together. Which meant the president of the student council would also be there.

*****

The event was held in a large banquet hall right behind the main hall. Ava saw the student council president right away. He was standing across the large room where the event was held, surrounded by a group to whom he was giving out instructions.

With her heart thudding, she went towards the student council group to collect her allocated cell phone that was being dispatched to the new students. Even though he was still talking, as though sensing her gaze, his eyes fell on her and stayed locked on her face.

Her heart raced while her cheeks heated.

Feeling flustered, she dragged her eyes away from him before walking away.

She couldn’t afford to be distracted. She had to concentrate on which house team she would be allocated and make some new friendships.

There were four house teams—Vipers, Eagles, Panthers and Tigers.

Ava was allocated to the Eagles team, which had green and gold colored jerseys and jackets to be worn during team events. She smiled and introduced herself to the various members of the Eagles team. When another transfer student came in to collect the Eagles’ house jacket, Ava was excited. It was the girl she had met inside.

“Hello, Samantha.”

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