The mess hall buzzed with the usual chatter and clatter of trays, but I wasn't really paying attention. My eyes kept drifting back to the massive TV mounted on the boys' side wall. Its booming sound echoed through the room, but it wasn't the show or the news that held my attention. No, it was him.
Why was he everywhere today?
I tore my gaze away, my stomach doing an awkward flip as I focused on the brinjal curry in front of me. Normally, I'd savor it—one of the few decent things the mess served—but today, it tasted like cardboard. Maybe it was because I could still feel his gaze on me.
Is he looking at me again?
Trying not to seem too interested, I peeked up from beneath my lashes. I didn't care where he was looking, of course not, but honestly—who stares at someone while they're eating? That's just bad manners. But sure enough, he was staring, and worse, he was smiling. That cocky, self-assured grin that made me want to throw my plate at him, brinjal curry and all.
Just then, one of my seniors, who's basically like a brother to me, plopped down at a table behind him. He's always been there for me, and it doesn't hurt that he's best friends with our school captain, Veer Bhaiya. As he settled in, he caught my eye and I gave him a quick smile, scanning the room to make sure no teachers were watching us.
And just like that, Rehaan suddenly bolted up from his seat, plate in hand, and dashed out of the mess.
What the heck was his problem?
Whatever, good riddance. Now I can finally eat in peace.
Ooo
I was lounging on my bed after lunch, lost in "The Lost Child". Not exactly riveting stuff, but hey, it's school, right? I was trying to concentrate on the story—something about a kid getting separated from his parents at a fair—when Mahi, one of my housemates and classmates, strolled over. Her bed's right next to mine, so there's no real escape when she decides to pop up unannounced.
"Saher," she called softly. I glanced up from my book, trying not to look too annoyed. We were friends once, back when we first started here. Not best friends or anything, but she was the first person I befriended. Bonded over our family backgrounds and all that nonsense. She's the kind of girl who struts around in short skirts and designer shades like she's starring in her own little fashion show. I remember her confidently telling me, "Saher, we're going to be good friends. We don't have to fake anything; we have the same upbringing."
Yeah, about that.
Honestly, I couldn't care less about that whole "rich background" stuff. So, I put some distance between us. And as time passed, she started hanging out with the very girls she once warned me against. Double standards, anyone? Every time I think about it, I just shake my head. People are weird.
"Sorry, Mahi," I said, putting my book down, assuming she was here to bug me about some assignment. "I haven't finished the math homework yet. I'll get to it later."
She waved me off. "I'm not here for that." Then, without waiting for an invitation, she plopped herself down on my bed. Did I say she could sit?
No, no, I did not.
My eyebrow shot up, clearly showing my confusion. "You and Rehaan—are you friends?" she asked, like she was asking about the weather.
Wait, what? Me and Rehaan? Friends? I almost laughed out loud. Why would she even think that?
"Why would I be friends with a boy? I'm not trying to get expelled," I said with a snort.
"Then why did Verma sir say Rehaan was distracting you?" she pressed, like she was onto some big secret.
I rolled my eyes. "Look, I'm not Verma sir, so maybe you should ask him why he said that. And second, I don't get distracted—especially not by that idiot."
I leaned back against the wall, feeling like this conversation was a total waste of my time. Rehaan, distracting me? Please. The guy's just a walking distraction for himself, not for me.
"Can I get back to my book now?" I asked, hinting that it was time for her to leave. Luckily, she got up and finally left me in peace.
As soon as she walked out, I sat there for a minute, trying to make sense of it. What was her deal? Why the sudden interest in my supposed friendship with Rehaan? And, more importantly, why did I care?
I picked up The Lost Child again, trying to focus on the story, but my mind kept wandering. It had been over half an hour, and I still couldn't stop thinking about what Mahi said. My mind isn't sticking to the right things these days.
What's up with me?
I sighed. "Saher, mind your own business," I muttered to myself, flipping through the pages, hoping the story would finally capture my attention. But even as I read, my thoughts kept drifting back to that weird conversation.
My mind is not minding the right things these days.
I swear, it's like I have no control over where my thoughts go anymore. One minute I'm trying to focus on The Lost Child, and the next, Mahi's ridiculous question about Rehaan is swirling around in my head. Enough of this.
I closed the book with a sigh, checked the clock—yep, it was sports time. Finally, an excuse to get moving. I quickly changed into my sports clothes and tied up my shoes before heading down to the ground. On the way, Twinkle, my bench partner, caught up with me.
"Saher, did you finish the math homework today?" she asked as we fell into step.
I shook my head. "Nah, I'll do it in the evening."
She let out a groan. "There's this one question that's killing me. I've tried solving it like a million times, but it just won't click."
I glanced at her with a sympathetic smile. "Okay, let me try first. We can tackle it after practice."
By now, we'd reached the ground. Our school has space for pretty much every sport you can think of—football, basketball, cricket, you name it. But handball? Yeah, that's the odd one out. We don't have a dedicated court for it, so we're stuck sharing the field with the football players. Not ideal, but we make do.
The ground has two goal nets, so our sports teacher split it up—one side for the boys playing football, the other for us girls with handball. Fair enough, right? Well, kind of. Except the boys never seem to stick to their side.
Me, Twinkle, Mahi, Diksha, and a bunch of other girls from my class gathered on our side, ready to start our handball game. It's the only time we get to blow off some steam and not think about school.
And today, I was really in need of that distraction.
We were in the middle of our game, and I was feeling it—dodging, passing, and aiming for that goal like my life depended on it. But, as usual, the football team couldn't stick to their own space. No surprises there. Their ball came flying over to our side, interrupting our game. And of course, Rehaan was the one who came jogging over to get it.
I caught a glimpse of him from the corner of my eye, but I quickly looked away, focusing on the game instead. Not giving him the satisfaction of knowing I noticed him.
"Saher! Over here!" one of my friends called out, snapping me back to reality. I whipped around, passed the ball, and we were back in action. Forget Rehaan and his annoying interruptions. I had a game to win.
We were completely absorbed in our game, so deep into it that I could practically feel the adrenaline buzzing in my veins. But just as I was about to make a pass, their stupid football came crashing into our side again. Seriously? What the hell was he thinking?
I glanced over and saw him—Rehaan—making his way over to our court, yet again. That was it. I wasn't going to let this slide. "Ma'am!" I called out to our sports teacher, my voice louder than I intended, but at this point, I didn't care. I jabbed a finger in Rehaan's direction. "Ma'am, how are we supposed to play if their ball keeps flying into our court?"
Rehaan strolled up with that annoyingly casual swagger of his, a smirk playing on his lips. He glanced at me, then at the ball now in my hand. "But Ma'am, it's not like we have a wall there. If someone kicks the ball a little too high, we can't exactly control where it goes, right?" he said, acting all innocent.
Yeah, right. Like he doesn't know exactly what he's doing.
"But, Ma'am, what about us? We never throw our ball into their court," I argued, narrowing my eyes at him. He just stood there, still smirking like he found this all amusing.
Rehaan shrugged, unfazed. "Ma'am, we're playing football. They're playing handball. There's a difference," he added with a smug smile, as if that explained everything.
Our sports teacher glanced between the two of us and sighed. "Saher, unfortunately, we only have one ground. Please try to cooperate. It's not that big of a deal," she said, waving for me to hand him the ball back.
I wanted to throw that ball so hard it'd burst. But, of course, I couldn't. With a deep breath, I stepped forward to give it back to him. And there he was, standing right in front of me, still smirking. He positioned himself between me and Ma'am, his back to her so she couldn't see the little game he was playing.
He tilted his head slightly, gave me a mock salute with two fingers, one eyebrow raised like he was enjoying this way too much. As he took the ball from me, our fingers brushed for just a second. And, for some reason, a shiver ran down my spine. I quickly stepped back, almost tripping over my own feet.
What was that?
I stared at him for a split second, caught off guard by that weird jolt of... something. Was it annoyance? Frustration? Whatever it was, it left me feeling rattled, and I couldn't shake it as I watched him jog back to his side of the field.
Ugh, what was that? I shook my head, trying to focus on the game again.
After sports time was over, it was that dreaded part of the day when the boys and girls had to pack everything up—put all the equipment back in its place. Today, it was Red Senior House's turn, which meant it was on us. Sometimes I wonder if we're really "heads" of the house or just free labor, the way they have us working like actual workers.
I had the key to the sports room, so I was standing there like a supervisor, watching as the students hauled everything inside. One by one, the footballs, handballs, cones, everything was put away. Once it was all done, Rehaan came over, casually carrying the last of the stuff.
I grabbed the checklist and started reading off the names of the items, while he checked if everything was there, counting the balls as I spoke.
Everything was normal. Quiet, even. And then, out of nowhere, Rehaan decided to be Rehaan and asked, "Did I really distract you today?"
Distract me? The nerve of this guy.
My heart did this weird jump, and I could feel the heat creeping up my neck. I wasn't about to let him see that, though. So, I did what I always do—I shut it down. "We're not supposed to talk about anything except work stuff," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. But of course, Rehaan being Rehaan, he couldn't just let it go.
"Why do you always act like I stole something from you?" He turned to look at me then, leaning back against the wall with that smug expression on his face. He had this way of acting so casual, like none of this ever bothered him, but I could feel that tension just beneath the surface.
I narrowed my eyes and crossed my arms. "Because you're always busy breaking the rules! That's why."
His eyebrow arched, and he smirked, as if he was just waiting for me to say something like that. "Oh really?" he said, his voice full of that infuriating smugness. "And you're not breaking the rules by talking to me right now?"
I clenched my teeth, trying to keep my cool. His eyes had this challenge in them, like he was daring me to admit he was right. Ugh, he was so annoying. "That's different!" I snapped, though even as I said it, I knew it was weak. "You're always doing something you're not supposed to. Like, I don't know—kicking your ball into our game or distracting people during class."
His smirk only grew. "Antics, huh? You make it sound like I'm deliberately trying to mess up your life."
I rolled my eyes. "You are. You never take anything seriously. You just—" I waved a hand in the air, not even knowing what point I was trying to make anymore. He always had this way of throwing me off balance. "—you just goof off all the time. I never even see you study!"
He straightened up then, his expression darkening. "You're not my housemate. You wouldn't know what I do after hours."
There was something in his tone that made me pause. He turned away from me, but I could feel the shift. The way his shoulders tensed, the coldness in his voice—it was like I'd hit a nerve. Rehaan, the guy who was always so laid-back, didn't want me to think he was a slacker.
And maybe, just maybe, I was wrong about him. But I wasn't about to admit that. Not now.
I frowned, feeling defensive. "That's not what I meant," I muttered, though part of me knew that's exactly what I meant. "But seriously—how did you get that close to beating me in the exams? I've never seen you crack a book open."
He turned around again, this time shaking his head like I was completely hopeless. "You really don't think I'm capable of working hard, do you?"
"I mean..." I trailed off, unsure how to answer. He wasn't exactly giving me much evidence to work with. "You're always out on the field or doing something ridiculous."
He looked at me, his expression softer now but still guarded. "Maybe that's just what you see. There's more to me than what you assume."
I felt a strange pang of guilt. Maybe I had been too harsh. Maybe I didn't really know him as well as I thought. But before I could think too deeply about it, he gave me that teasing look again.
"But hey, keep breaking the rules by talking to me. I'm enjoying it," he said with a smirk, pulling me right back into the frustration zone.
I rolled my eyes, waving him off. "Just finish the counts so I can lock up."
He chuckled and turned back to the equipment, but I couldn't help the strange feeling in my chest. He was irritating, no doubt about that.
But maybe, just maybe, I didn't have him completely figured out.
1. How's the chapter, guys?
2. Did you also live or have you lived in a boarding school?
3. How was your school life?
4. Is there anyone from your class whom you hated for no reason?
Sorry for the late update. I will try to update earlier next time!
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