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It’s been a few weeks now, and honestly? I think I’m finally adjusting to this new environment.
The schedule is settling in, my mornings are becoming less chaotic, and I’m starting to feel….normal?
Well, as normal as someone like me can be
A few days ago, I found out something from Dad, apparently, our neighbour’s son is in the same class as me.
Well I’ve literally never seen him.
To be fair, he’s in the basketball team and leaves ridiculously early every day so our paths never cross.
Even the dinner plan where we were supposed to meet? Cancelled.
Rescheduled.
So, yeah I still haven’t met him or his family properly.
Though I did recently learn that our neighbour, his mother is actually a Chemistry teacher.
And before you ask…no, I didn’t recognise her at first.
At. All.
Apparently my brain has this talent:
Forgetting people I met just a day ago.
Great skill, right?
And I have been having the nice time at school.
I have gotten really close to Tanya and, well, I kinda adore her. She’s blunt. Like, brutally honest blunt. No filter. Just truth bomb in your face when needed.
But somehow, I love that about her. At least she says whatever she feels, unlike me, who takes approximately fifty years and three mental debates to decide whether to even open my mouth. She’s just…cool, you know?
Academically, things are going okay too, though I still have no clue what I am doing with my life. My brother finally moved in with us, and I’m really happy about that.
Mom and Dad are drowning in hospital duties again. I haven’t seen them in days but I guess that’s normal now.
Anyway, today we got this MKIQ form for the inter-school quiz. Gotta fill it out if I want to join.
And guess who else is joining? Mr. Arrogant himself.
Yeah. The same guy I yelled at on my first day.
Turns out, his name is Vihaan Raichand.
Fancy name, huh? Sounds like someone who was born in a mansion with his own butler and personal lighting crew.
I’m feeling pretty embarrassed about acting stupid around him. And another thing, I found out that Tanya, Vihaan, Yash, and Sid used to be in a group together since nursery. It’s kinda interesting.
It’s actually kinda nice that they let me be part of their group. When people include you, make space for you, it means something. Even a little kindness can spark a whole glimmer of hope.
I still don’t like Mr. Arrogant, but it’s okay, everyone else is really nice.
I was walking into school, minding my own business, when someone shoved me from behind.
Next thing I knew….I fell straight onto some boy, my books scattering like confetti, and my elbow burning from the scrape.
No…this time I didn’t fall on my own.
For once, it wasn’t me being my usual clumsy self.
If someone had told me that a school corridor could hold personal grudges, I would’ve laughed.
Now?
I believe it wholeheartedly.
This corridor hates me.
That boy stood up and looked at me in anger, “Idiot girl, can’t even walk properly, miss, go get your eyes checked.”
I inhaled sharply, ready to snap back, but before I could, a sharp voice sliced through the air.
“Say sorry to her, you idiot. I saw you literally walk into her on purpose.”
I looked up and saw Sid scolding that guy. He then smiled and comforted me with his eyes. The boy asked, “That doesn’t matter where I was walking in fact why should I apologize to that cheap girl who pretends to fall on boys for attention?” He said it with a smirk, and I felt really sad and disgusted by his mindset.
Someone accidentally pushed me and that’s why I fell but sure, people love skipping the facts and jumping straight to the drama.
Attention seeker?
Seriously? As if tripping in public is the kind of attention I’d sign up for.
No, Ruhanika…..you never did.
You have never needed to.
For a second, my mind drifted, not because his words hurt, but because they reminded me of a place I promised myself I’d never go back to. The school where whispers were louder than facts, where people judged before they even looked, where speaking up felt like talking into a void.
Then I heard a thud sound, the boy fell to the ground, and I saw Vihaan punch him so hard, saying, “That’s enough of your garbage. Learn some respect before you open your mouth again.'”
“You can’t hit me!”, that boy said.
“I just did. And trust me, next time will be much harder if you don’t watch your words…Learn how to respect girls. If not, then I’m here to teach you in my way.”
The boy just glared at Vihaan, anger pulsing in his eyes, muttered a string of curses under his breath…very bravely, only loud enough for ants to hear…then tossed out a stiff glare to me before stomping away.
Sid came and asked, “Are you okay, Ruhanika?
Relaxed at his calming tone, I just nodded and looked at Vihaan, “thank you.”
“No need, you should have tried to say something rather than listen to those garbage words,” Vihaan muttered, his tone was sharp, but his eyes…..his eyes were worried.
I just smiled, knowing he didn’t want to accept that he helped me.
Nevermind, I thanked him.
“Ruhii, are you okay?” Tanya asked, her eyes scanning me like I might fall apart any second.
I nodded, letting her hold my hand as we walked toward the classroom.
But Tanya being Tanya, asked again, “Ruhii…are you sure you’re okay?”
I exhaled slowly, “Yeah, but… you know I wasn’t trying to get his attention, right? I was literally just walking.”
The words slipped out before I could stop them.
Maybe it was because something old tugged at me.
My last school had left dents in me I was still trying to smooth out…tiny cracks in my confidence I never fully admitted to.
I still remember how a senior tried to touch me inappropriately, and when I complained to the principal, he basically said it was my fault for giving the guy hints like a grade 7 girl tried to give him hints.
Can you believe that?
I didn’t even know what ‘seduce’ meant back then.
The whole incident had shut me down back then. Because I was alone and nobody bothered to listen.
My classmates didn’t trust me; they pulled away like I was some headline they didn’t want to be linked to.
So yeah, when this guy accused me today, for a second my voice hesitated.
Not because I couldn’t speak but because old echoes sometimes show up uninvited.
And somehow, my brother had found out about it back then.
Don’t ask me how, he handled things quietly.
Too quietly, considering it ended with him getting suspended after teaching me how to punch the guy.
And yes, unfortunately, I did punch him. And no, I don’t regret it.
“Shhh,” Tanya said, pulling me out of the memory and gently squeezing my hand.
“You don’t need to justify anything to me. I know you.”
I swallowed, feeling the sting behind my eyes not the breakdown kind, just… the relieved kind.
Because being trusted?
It hits differently when you’re used to standing alone.
I slipped into the classroom and sank into my seat, the chatter around me fading as I began filling out the MKIQ form. Just holding the paper made something settle inside me—a strange mix of calm and focus.
Our teacher had explained the rules earlier, a three-level competition, the best minds from each school battling it out, ending with a final showdown between ten schools.
Our school had never made it to Level Three.
I wanted to try this.
Vihaan walked in right on cue. His eyes landed on the MKIQ form in my hand and of course he smirked.
Perfect.
Just what I needed.
The universe clearly woke up today and chose, “Let’s irritate Ruhanika”
He raised a brow, “You? MKIQ?”
The way he said “you” carried the weight of twenty-seven different insults.
Stupid.
I crossed my arms, “Yes, me. Why? Afraid I’ll beat you?”
He blinked once, slow and dramatic, like my existence confused him, “You do know it’s not a personality quiz, right? It’s an actual competition… with actual brains.”
I gasped softly, “Oh really? Then what are you doing here? Lost?”
Sid and Yash burst out laughing. Tanya pressed a hand to her mouth, trying not to wheeze.
Vihaan’s jaw tightened. He stepped closer, hands tucked in his pockets, leaning just enough to invade my oxygen.
Is he forgetting that we are in the classroom.
I shifted to my seat so that we can have enough space….yeah enough.
“So you think you can beat me? In MKIQ?” he challenged.
“I don’t think.” I shrugged. “I know.”
For a moment, he just stared at me—then that gave me his wicked smile.
The “I’m-going-to-outscore-you-and-enjoy-it” smile.
Huh. He is so delusional.
“Alright, Miss I-Know,” he said softly. “Let’s see how long that confidence survives when we’re on opposite teams.”
“I’ll still answer more than you,” I said sweetly. “But don’t worry….I’ll slow down so you don’t feel completely humiliated.”
Sid and Tanya exchanged a look…the kind people shared right before grabbing popcorn and witnessing chaos.
Yash, who had been pretending very hard not to eavesdrop, slid into the conversation like he’d been waiting backstage for his entrance.
“Urrgh, Ruhanika, can you please explain this topic to me?” he groaned dramatically, waving his notebook like a white flag. “These graphs are attacking my last three brain cells.”
He tapped my shoulder twice, like officially claiming me for his team.
Vihaan scoffed. “Why would she explain it to you?” he asked, stepping closer. His voice was calm, but his eyes? Sharp, annoyed, and very obviously watching me.
Yash didn’t flinch, “Because she is nice.”
I couldn’t help it….I chuckled.
Sid choked. Tanya elbowed him. Vihaan just….stared at me for a second, then scoffed again and dropped into his seat with unnecessary aggression, like the chair had personally betrayed him.
Yash grinned, victorious, “See? One point for Team Ruhii.”
“Keep dreaming,” Vihaan muttered, flipping his pen like he was preparing for war.
•••••
Today was a rough day for me. I was walking down the corridor when the bell rang, trying to submit a document in the school office.
Suddenly, I accidentally collided with a girl, and we both stumbled.
Why the hell I only ended up colliding in a corridor definitely this corridor is literally unlucky for me.
My foot twisted painfully.
“Ouch!!” I pouted, lifting my leg slightly.
Thankfully it was minor, not like the last time when I twisted it so badly I had an involuntary one-month holiday in bed.
When my gaze fell in front of a human who collided with me, I noticed the girl, she had beautiful charcoal black eyes, light brown curly hair, and a cute nose. She has a light dusky skin tone and is absolutely glowing as sunrays are falling on her.
Gosh she is so pretty but I noticed it was bleeding from her hand and looked upset, her face had marks of dried tears and I could see her eyes were still filled with tears but she was controlling herself, but why?
I rushed to help her, “hey are you okay, let me check your wound, is it hurting?”
But she coldly pulled away and said,”leave it it’s just a minor wound it’s not hurting or anyways bruises heal faster than feelings”
Before I could say anything, she turned and walked away, quick, stiff steps, as if stopping for even a second would break her completely.
She wasn’t in a school uniform.
Maybe a visitor?
Maybe a transfer student?
She disappeared before I could ask.
My eyes dropped to the floor where she had stood.
A small sketch lay there just a simple drawing of eyes.
But god, it was beautiful.
Detailed. Sharp. Expressive.
Eyes filled with stories and shadows.
The sketch had a name written on it: “Vani”
————————————
Finally Chapter 8…!!
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