After ages, I found myself driving down the same road, the same street that led to my boarding school, my childhood home. It was a path filled with a blend of happy and sad memories: friends, studies, teachers, games, papers, gatherings, competitions, and... and him.
As the compound of the school drew closer, my heartbeat quickened. Memories surged like a flood, overwhelming me with the past in an instant. The nostalgia was indescribable, a mix of warmth and melancholy.
I rolled down the window, took off my glasses, and turned my head to the left. The same big blue gate greeted me. They should have changed the color by now—it's been years.
I pulled over, unsure why. I wasn't here to revisit my school; I was heading towards the audition room. Yet, here I was, stepping out of my car, my eyes fixed on that main gate. But why blue? I shook my head and approached the guard.
After explaining who I was, the guard nodded and opened the gate. As I took my first step inside, I was instantly transported back to when I was 12, taking this step for the first time.
The path, lined with trees and flowers, was just as I remembered. The school building stood unchanged. I felt an urge to turn right, towards the girls' hostel, but my feet took me left, towards the sports ground, which also had a short road leading to the main gate.
I stopped on that road, the very spot where I had met him for the first time. I remembered standing here, watching my parents leave through the main gate. Tears welled up, but I had held them back until they disappeared from sight. Now, standing in that same spot, I could almost see my younger self, feeling lost and alone.
Lets start
Saher was crying, her gaze fixed on the window, when a voice from behind startled her. "Your money," someone said. She turned around but saw no one at first. Her eyes finally fell on a boy, bending down to pick up her fallen notes.
"Keep them safe, or you'll have to survive the whole month without them," he said, standing up and extending his hand to return her money.
"T...t...thank you," she stammered, still hiccuping from crying.
"Don't cry," he said, looking at her kindly.
"I miss my parents," she said, fresh tears streaming down her cheeks.
"But you look like a pig," he chuckled, "See, you're even wearing a pink dress." She glared at him, her eyes narrowing.
Noticing her glare, he waved his hand dismissively. "I mean, a cute pig," he said, barely suppressing his laughter.
Before she could retort, a teacher approached them. "New students?" Both Saher and the boy looked at the teacher and nodded.
"Remember, girls and boys are not allowed to talk here. If someone else had seen you, you'd have had to endure a long lecture about rules and regulations. You're lucky I was the one who found you. Now, go to your dorms."
"Sorry and thank you, sir," they said in unison, and the boy dashed away.
"Rosydew!" he shouted as he ran. She turned to see him, but all she saw was his back as he joined a football game in progress.
"Battamiz," she muttered, heading to her dorm.
Years skipped
Saher's pov
It's been years, and still, I haven't made a single friend. I lay in my bed, pretending to read a book. The dormitory was huge, with twenty of us girls crammed into one room. I felt the loneliness acutely. They only talked to me with over-sweetened words, making me feel like a pawn in their games.
Their laughter caught my attention, pulling me out of my thoughts. I stood up from my bed, already dressed for school. I glanced at my watch; thirty minutes left before school started. I approached the vice head girl. "Make sure to count everyone before you leave," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.
With my bag slung over my shoulder, I headed toward the school building. The walk was short, just five minutes, but it felt like a world away. The green trees and chirping birds were a welcome distraction, and I found myself smiling. Maybe life wasn't so bad after all.
As I reached the school gate, a familiar voice made me roll my eyes. Rehaan was there, as usual, collecting gifts from the senior girls. I lifted my eyes to see him leaning against the wall, his hands full of chocolates while the girls giggled around him.
What a moron.
I ignored them and walked into the school. If the principal found them, they'd be dead for sure. Honestly, they could all get caught for all I cared.
Their voices faded as I entered the classroom. I took out my biology book, determined to focus. With board exams next year, I needed to study hard. I lost myself in the book, oblivious to the other students filtering in. The noise eventually broke my concentration, and I looked up to see that moron, Rehaan, hanging off the doorframe of my class, swinging back and forth.
Why does he always come to my class?
I glared at him, cursing silently, when I heard a shout from behind him. "Hey Rehaan, go to your class! Why do you always have to be in our class and block the way?" Diksha's voice was sharp.
Rehaan didn't even look at her. He just smiled at his friend, my classmate, Samarth.
Just switch to his section, you...
His voice boomed through the room. "Hey Samarth, why are there so many mosquitoes in your class? Didn't the students on cleaning duty do their job?"
How arrogant can he be?
I clenched my fists, feeling the urge to kick him out or shout at him. I needed to go to the washroom, and he was blocking the way. Come on, idiot, leave already and let us breathe freely.
"It's going out of control now. I can't stand it. I should talk to him. Why does it feel so hard to talk to him?" I thought, steeling myself to stand up. The line of students waiting outside the class didn't help my nerves. Why would he listen to me?
But just as I rose from my seat, Rehaan finally moved, freeing the way. Thank goodness.
"Let's go fast, Samarth," he said, placing both hands in his pockets and stepping aside.
At least he should say sorry, but what am I even expecting from an arrogant brat like him?
Time skipped
We all stood on the assembly ground, each of us heads of our respective houses, tasked with counting everyone and checking for any fashion violations.
"Your nails are too long!" I shouted at a girl, my voice stern. Others nearby had open hair, lipstick, and all sorts of inappropriate things. "Come on, sweethearts, save that for the mall, not school. Don't make me babysit," I muttered under my breath, hating this part of the job.
"Wait a second," I said, scanning the crowd.
"When the head boy of the red house himself never follows the rules, how can the boys in his house? Did he even check them?" I tilted my head, searching for him.
Ahh, there he was, as expected. I rolled my eyes. Rehaan was buttoning the top button of his shirt and tightening his loose tie.
What am I even expecting from this guy?
I continued my inspection and stood in front of the senior girls of the red house. This week, the green senior boys were on assembly duty. All eight of them stood in a row behind the big pillar in front of me. My neck hurt from constantly looking left during assemblies.
At last, Principal Sir arrived, wearing his suit with his hands clasped behind his back, his balloon-like stomach straining against his shirt.
Our senior, the school captain, stood on the stage. Principal Sir nodded, signaling us to report the students.
All the house heads reported, and now it was the red house's turn, starting with the junior red girls and then the seniors.
I stepped forward and announced, "Good morning, Sir. Senior red girls reporting. Total: 100, present: 96, 2 are sick, and 2 are on leave. Thank you." I then ordered my girls to stand at ease.
As I finished my report, I felt a mix of relief and irritation. Another day, another assembly, and the same old chaos.
And now it was the junior red boys' turn to report, followed by that moron. I wasn't even interested in that brat, but I turned my head slightly to the left to see him.
"GoodmorningSirRedSeniorBoysReportingTotal100Present98And3SickThaaaaannnkkkYouuu," Rehaan rushed through his report in one breath.
What was that?
The school captain looked at him, smiled, and nodded. They always settled for this nonsense.
"Rehaan, no one's taking your cow. Next time, announce slowly. Veer is not a robot who will understand this," Principal Sir told Rehaan, who nodded sheepishly.
When the pledge leader stepped up, we all extended our hands and started to repeat after him. I never actually said those lines. I always clammed up at the "brothers and sisters" part. That line didn't make any sense to me.
Brothers and sisters, really? They could be boyfriends or bitches, but brothers and sisters? No way, at least not "ALL."
"Join your hands and close your eyes, everyone. Get ready for prayer," Veer Bhaiya announced, his voice echoing across the assembly ground. The students obediently followed his command, and as house heads, we all turned back to ensure everyone was complying with the school captain's order. Once we were sure, we turned around and did the same.
The music group, led by our music teacher, began singing and playing their instruments. The melody filled the assembly ground as they sang, "Itni shakti hame dena data, man ka vishwas kamzor ho na."
After they finished, we all repeated the verse. Honestly, none of us were great singers, but somehow, our combined voices didn't sound half bad. Most students were busy either singing or finishing up their sleep.
But not me. I was busy doing something else entirely. While everyone had their eyes closed, I quietly opened one, sneaking a glance at him. And to my surprise, he was actually singing the prayer today.
Is this for real?
I couldn't help but wonder what it was about him that everyone liked so much. I mean, he's annoying—constantly getting everyone into trouble. Yet, somehow, people seem to lose their minds over him.
What's so special about him?
The prayer had ended, and I was still lost in my thoughts when our principal started his daily speech. I tried to focus, squinting at the stage, pretending to care about what he was saying. But let's be real—who actually listens to these speeches? He gives the same one every day, like he's on a loop. Doesn't he get tired?
Just as I was zoning out again, a teacher approached me, leading a girl who looked like she might faint at any moment. "Can you take her to the dispensary?" the teacher asked, barely giving me time to answer before she hurried off.
The girl's friend was behind her, practically begging me with her eyes to let her come along. I rolled my eyes, sighing. "Fine, go on. But bring a water bottle to the dispensary," I told her. She flashed me a grateful smile and sprinted off, probably thinking she'd won the lottery.
Dragging my feet a bit, I led the sick girl to the dispensary, my mind still half-focused on the principal's droning voice. I helped her sit down on one of the cots, and that's when I noticed a boy already sitting there, his red cap catching my attention.
Red cap. He's from red house but clearly a junior. What's he doing here?
I was in the middle of helping the girl lie down when her friend came running back, not with one, but two water bottles. I shot her a questioning look. "Why two bottles?"
"For me," she replied casually, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
I wasn't having it. "Who said you're staying? Get back to the assembly ground," I snapped. She pouted but scampered off, clearly not intending to return to the ground anytime soon. I knew her type.
Sitting beside the girl, I handed her some water, trying to keep my mind from wandering too much. That's when I heard a voice. "Hey."
I didn't react at first. There were three of us in the room, and it's not like we're supposed to talk to the boys anyway. I figured he must've been talking to the other boy. But then curiosity got the better of me. Who was it?
I turned, and there he was. Of course. Just my luck.
Rehaan.
My luck really had to run out today, didn't it?
He was staring right at me. I kept my mouth shut, quickly turning back around. Was this moron actually trying to talk to me?
"Hey... Saher," he said, and I felt my stomach flip. This was the first time he'd ever spoken to me.
Ugh, don't talk to me, you idiot. Just stay away.
Reluctantly, I turned back to face him, bracing myself for whatever nonsense was about to spill out of his mouth. Instead, he pointed to the boy sitting cluelessly nearby and said, "Can you give me that extra bottle? He needs it."
"Huh?" I blurted, trying to catch up with what he was asking.
"The bottle... water... if you can," he repeated, his voice oddly patient.
"Yeah... bottle... water... right," I mumbled, grabbing the bottle from the table and handing it to the small boy. "Take it."
The boy accepted it, and I noticed Rehaan muttering something under his breath. I couldn't make out the words, but the tone was enough to annoy me.
What's his deal? Is he mad or something?
I decided I'd had enough. I turned back to the girl, giving her final instructions. "I'm going back now. Don't go to class until the teacher checks on you, okay?" She nodded, but I could tell she was already planning her escape.
Liar.
I turned to leave the room, but of course, there he was, standing right in the doorway, blocking my exit.
Why does it always have to be him? Seriously, why?
I couldn't help but roll my eyes, more out of frustration than anything else. I took a deep breath, preparing myself for what I thought would be our first-ever argument—or at the very least, the first real conversation we'd have. My heart started to beat a little faster, anticipation and annoyance mixing in equal measure. I stepped forward, ready to face whatever nonsense he was about to throw my way.
But then, just as I was about to speak, he moved. Without a word, he stepped aside, letting me pass. No snarky comment, no smirk, nothing.
I stepped out of the dispensary room, half expecting him to say something, but all I got was silence. A strange relief washed over me as I exhaled, the tension in my shoulders easing.
What was that all about?
But as I walked away, I couldn't help but replay his voice in my head, the way he'd said my name. It was annoying. Really annoying.
So why couldn't I stop thinking about it?
————————————————————————————
1. So, how's the first chapter, guys? Do you like it? Please let me know.
2. How was your first day of school?
3. Any crushes on head boys or boys from another section at school?
4. What do you think Rehaan was muttering under his breath when Saher gave the bottle to that boy?
Write a comment ...