Rhea's POV — Back to School, Back to Chaos
The next day at school, I walked in like a soldier returning from battle.
Alive.
Slightly traumatized.
But alive.
I should've known the peace wouldn't last.
The moment I stepped into the classroom, the front benchers turned.
Not all of them.
Just enough.
"Pageant star," someone whispered. Loudly.
"Participation queen," another added, not even subtle.
I ignored them. Sat down. Opened my bag. Pretended the floor was fascinating.
That's when Samar slammed his bag on the desk.
"Guys," he announced, "let's be respectful."
I blinked.
Wow. Support.
Neel nodded seriously.
"Yes. Rhea already suffered enough."
I smiled gratefully—until—
"She practiced so much," Samar continued, "only to lose."
Neel added, "Tragic arc. Very emotional."
I turned slowly.
"Are you defending me… or roasting me?"
"Both," Samar said honestly.
The middle benches were living for it.
Someone laughed.
Someone whispered, "This is better than assembly."
Front benchers scoffed.
"At least Aditi won," one of them said smugly.
"She has grace."
Samar gasped dramatically.
"Grace?"
Neel tilted his head. "Is that a new subject?"
I kicked Samar's chair under the table.
"Ow!" he hissed.
"For moral support," I said sweetly.
The teacher hadn't arrived yet. Which meant—
Pure chaos.
Middle benchers joined in.
"Rhea, autograph?"
"Next year pakka win."
"Dance again!"
I buried my face in my notebook.
"STOP."
Samar stood again.
"Everyone calm down. She is sensitive."
Neel nodded.
"Yes. Very fragile."
"I AM RIGHT HERE," I snapped.
Kabir sat quietly, writing something.
Not looking.
But listening.
One of the front benchers muttered,
"Why did she even participate?"
Before I could respond—
Neel smiled.
"Because she wanted to."
Samar added, "Unlike some people who only do things they're guaranteed to win."
Oof.
That hit.
The middle benches clapped softly.
Front benchers shut up—temporarily.
The teacher walked in.
Silence fell instantly.
As the period dragged on, whispers still floated, but softer now. Less sharp.
During notes, Samar passed me a chit.
Still proud of you.
Neel passed another.
Even if you lost.
I scribbled back.
I hate you both.
They grinned like idiots.
As the bell rang, chaos resumed—bags slammed, chairs scraped, noise everywhere.
And just like that, school was normal again.
Messy. Loud. Unkind. Kind.
I wasn't the pageant girl anymore.
I was just Rhea.
And somehow… that was enough.
The Biology Ambush
Just when I thought the day couldn't get worse—
"Take out a sheet of paper."
Three words.
Pure terror.
"Surprise test. Biology."
The entire class collectively died.
Samar froze mid-yawn.
Neel whispered, "Sir is joking, right?"
Sir was not joking.
The question paper landed on my desk like a threat.
I read the first question.
Explain the mechanism of…
I blinked.
Read it again.
Blink.
I knew… some things.
Not everything.
So I did the sensible thing.
I answered what I knew.
And what I didn't—
I left blank.
Respectfully.
With dignity.
Meanwhile, behind me—
Samar whispered, "What's the answer for question two?"
Before I could respond, Kabir murmured something calm and correct.
Samar's shoulders DROOPED.
"Oh," he whispered sadly. "I wrote something else."
Neel leaned in. "What did you write?"
Samar whispered proudly,
"General knowledge."
I turned around slowly.
"THIS IS BIOLOGY."
Neel nodded. "Exactly. I wrote—'It is important for life.'"
I closed my eyes.
Another whisper.
"What about question five?"
Kabir answered again.
Neel groaned.
"I wrote—'Because of climate.'"
"CLIMATE OF WHAT?" I hissed.
They looked genuinely confused.
I sneaked a glance at Samar's sheet.
Big mistake.
One answer read:
This process helps humans to survive and stay healthy.
SIR ASKED FOR A DIAGRAM.
Another answer:
It was discovered by scientists long ago.
WHICH SCIENTISTS?
WHEN?
WHERE?
Neel had drawn something that looked like a potato.
I don't know why.
I don't want to know why.
Samar proudly underlined words like important, energy, and environment like that would save him.
The bell rang.
Papers were collected.
Samar leaned back. "I think I did well."
Kabir glanced at him. "You didn't."
Neel sighed dramatically.
"I tried to emotionally connect with the examiner."
I stared at them.
"How do you both manage to survive daily life?"
They grinned.
"Talent," Samar said.
"Pure talent," Neel agreed.
I looked down at my half-blank paper and smiled.
At least I didn't write GK in a biology test.
Small victories.
Math Period Chaos & Quiet Moments
We shuffled into the math classroom, bracing ourselves. Samar and Neel were already in full panic mode.
"Maybe he's sick," Samar whispered dramatically.
"Maybe he got abducted," Neel added.
"Or maybe aliens finally realized they need a genius like him," Samar said, eyes wide.
I rolled my eyes.
"Or maybe he's just late."
They gasped. "Rhea! You dared to say it?"
Kabir was quietly settling in at the back, watching, as always. His pen clicked softly against the desk, completely detached from our nonsense—but I could see the corner of his mouth twitching occasionally.
Ten minutes passed.
No sir.
"Something terrible must've happened," Samar whispered again. "He would come even if there was an earthquake."
"Yeah, earthquakes don't stop Mr. 'I'm a human calculator'," Neel added, eyes dramatic.
Another five minutes.
Still no sir.
Then a girl popped her head in.
"Math sir is on leave today."
Cue: absolute chaos.
The classroom erupted.
"YESSSS!"
"Free period!"
"Snack time!"
Samar and Neel cheered like they had personally saved the school from doom.
I laughed so hard I almost snorted.
Naturally, we decided to play Chits.
Four chits per person, shuffled, mixed, and dealt. The goal: collect all four of the same type. Simple in theory. Complete war in practice.
Samar and I immediately started fighting.
"You cheated!" I yelled.
"No, you stole my chit!" he argued.
Neel provided commentary, dramatic as ever:
"And Rhea lunges! Incredible!"
Yuhan jumped in occasionally with witty remarks, holding a chit as if it were nuclear launch codes.
Kabir, as always, joined whenever he felt like it, quietly slapping a chit onto the pile when he was ready, completely unbothered by the chaos.
Somehow, the room erupted in laughter every time one of us got close to winning. Every stolen chit, every exaggerated cry of betrayal, every fake dramatic collapse on the desk—it was like a tiny carnival.
Then, at one point, the room settled down for a split second.
I glanced at Kabir.
He wasn't laughing.
He was just watching me, quietly, like he had noticed something.
And for the first time, I noticed how calm he was amidst the chaos. How steady.
"Your turn," he said softly, handing me a chit.
I took it. Our fingers brushed. Small. Quick. But noticeable.
We didn't need to say anything.
The room was still a storm of teasing, shouting, and silly commentary—but for that second, only we existed.
Samar squealed behind us, "Rhea! Did you just…?"
Neel: "STOP. THE ROMANCE COMMENTARY."
I glared at them, but my heart was racing.
The game continued.
The laughter continued.
And somewhere between stolen chits and shouting friends, I realized: these small, chaotic, ridiculous moments—they were mine.
Even Kabir's quiet, steady presence.
Even the way he casually joined only when he wanted.
Even this—a single moment of calm in a storm of madness.
And I smiled.
Because chaos was fun, friends were fun…
And maybe, just maybe, he was fun too.