Page 4 of Reckless Dare

“Almost all of the kids at Simha University are too rich, too powerful and too everything. Our Ava is a homebody. What if she has trouble fitting in?”

Ava had overheard her mother expressing concern with her father on that fact. But her father had assured her that although Simha University had children of billionaire businessmen and world leaders attending the university, the age-old institution gave utmost importance to molding the characters of the students.

“Neela is currently the dean at Simha. I heard she runs a tight ship and does not tolerate any entitled behavior.”

Although Neelima Raj was Ava’s father’s classmate and an old friend, Ava’s father did not let that fact influence the outcome of the application process. Ava was proud of her father’s strong integrity which she had always drawn as her inspiration since childhood. She had applied to Simha University purely on her own merit.

It might have taken her two attempts, but she was proud to accomplish acceptance to the prestigious university. And like her father had said, Simha University was unlike any college in the world. It was built with more than just education in mind.

“Oh wow,” Ava whispered.

She expected the lounge to be like the ones in normal airports with fixed metal chairs. But the lounge was more like a five star luxury hotel lobby with polished granite floors and gleaming furniture and fixtures. A wide spread of refreshments were placed against a wall. There was hot food along with packaged boxes with gourmet sandwiches and bottled drinks.

Ava was too tired and excited to eat right then. Instead, she went to the other side of the lounge to freshen up.

Several girls were inside the restroom area. They were freshening up their makeup and straightening their already perfect dresses. Ava splashed cold water on her face before drying with a towel and reapplying her lip balm. She pushed her hoodie back and adjusted her long ponytail.

She envied how pretty and perfectly put together the other girls looked. But, once again, she wished she had paid attention and learned how to apply makeup from her younger sister.

Maybe it’s not too late. I can learn from the friends I make here.

She smiled at that hopeful thought.

Ten more minutes remained for the buses to start. But she decided to wait outside.

Following the exit signs, she went out and looked at the luxury buses that had huge windows and a glass top. She got into one where a few students were already seated inside. She heard the buzz of conversation.

She took a seat by the window and looked at the large screen in front of her. A video with information about the three thousand six hundred acre university and its history played on repeat. She had seen the videos a million times on the website, but still, found it captivating.

She was quite immersed in the video that showed breathtaking views of the campus when someone slid next to her. It was a girl.

Ava smiled and was about to introduce herself, but she noticed that the girl had wireless headphones on and was busy with her sleek phone. Not wanting to disturb her, Ava turned away and continued to watch the video.

The bus filled up quickly and soon it began to move. Ava looked away from the screen and instead watched the beautiful landscape through the huge glass window.

The bus drove up the hill along winding roads overlooking lush green valleys and gushing rivers. She was lost in the breathtaking waterfall when she heard distant rumbles.

She knew it could not be a plane or any of the helicopters because they could not fly over the campus buildings. Instead, she looked down the hill over the curvy road and spotted a group of bikers in red and black jackets riding up on the same route.

Her breath caught in her throat at the wild way those bikers drove on the narrow roads. A slip of a wheel and they would fall down the valley, injuring themselves or worse.

How reckless!

Sudden squeals and shrieks of joy began to emit from inside the bus, and students began to throng towards the windows. Feeling confused, Ava wondered what was happening.

“Oh my God! It’s them!” the girl next to her said excitedly, trying to peer out of the window.

“Who?” Ava asked.

“The Simhas!”

Ava was confused. Aren’t all the students studying at the university Simhas?

She didn’t get a chance to voice the question as the cheers and squeals got louder. A part of her was amused by how the poised and distant nature of the students vanished and they were behaving as though they spotted their favorite celebrities.

She watched as the bikers rode closer to the bus. At one point the bikes caught up with the bus as they drove up the hilly road.

“That’s Abhi!” one of the girls called out, pointing to the motorbike riding just below where Ava’s window was. “Check out the Vipers jacket with the Presidential logo on the back.” The guy was wearing a red and gold jacket with the words Vipers and President written on it.

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