The classroom felt heavier than usual.
Not because of the heat.
Not because of the lectures.
Because of him.
Sarthak sat quietly, his gaze fixed on the desk.
But his mind—
Was anything but calm.
"She will suffer too… just like her."
That message refused to leave.
It echoed.
Again.
And again.
He had tried to ignore it.
Like everything else.
But this time—
He could not.
"Sarthak."
He looked up.
Mahi.
She was standing beside his desk, her expression more serious than before.
"We need to talk."
"…There is nothing to talk about."
"That is where you are wrong."
Her tone was firm.
Unusual.
Sarthak glanced around.
Students were busy.
No one paying attention.
"…Later," he said quietly.
Mahi held his gaze for a moment.
Then nodded.
But before she could say anything else—
"Wow."
A new voice.
Sharp.
Confident.
And clearly—
Not friendly.
Both of them turned.
She stood near the door.
Ananya Singh.
Straight posture.
Cold eyes.
And an expression that did not even try to hide her judgment.
She walked in like she owned the room.
Each step precise.
Controlled.
Her gaze locked onto Sarthak.
"So this is him?"
The words were casual.
But the tone—
Was not.
Vansh leaned toward Sarthak, whispering, "Do you know her?"
"…No."
"Then why does she look like she wants to kill you?"
Good question.
Ananya stopped right in front of his desk.
For a moment—
She just stared.
Observing.
Measuring.
Then—
She spoke.
"I heard you are good."
Silence.
Sarthak did not respond.
Ananya's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Or at least, you were."
That got his attention.
"…You have the wrong person," he said calmly.
"Do I?"
Her voice was almost mocking.
"I do not like people like you."
A pause.
"People who pretend to be weak."
The classroom started to quiet down.
Not completely.
But enough.
Attention was shifting.
Sarthak could feel it.
Still—
He stayed calm.
"You should not judge without knowing anything."
Ananya smirked slightly.
"Oh, I know enough."
She leaned slightly forward.
"Top student. Sudden drop. No effort. No interest."
Her voice lowered.
"…And a face like you are carrying the weight of the world."
Silence.
That hit closer than expected.
"You are wasting your potential," she continued.
"And I hate that."
Sarthak's expression remained neutral.
"That is your problem."
The words were simple.
Cold.
But something—
Shifted.
Ananya's eyes hardened.
"…No."
She straightened.
"It becomes my problem when people like you bring others down."
A pause.
"People who actually try."
For a brief second—
Her gaze flickered.
Toward Mahi.
And then—
Toward the empty seat where Riya usually sat.
Sarthak noticed.
Of course he did.
"…Stay out of it," he said quietly.
Ananya laughed.
Short.
Sharp.
"Or what?"
Silence.
That question—
It lingered.
Because he did not have an answer.
Or maybe—
He had too many.
For a moment—
Everything around him faded.
The classroom.
The noise.
The people.
All gone.
Only one thing remained.
That day.
Rain.
Chaos.
A scream.
"Why didn't you save her?!"
His breath hitched slightly.
His hand tightened into a fist.
And for the first time—
It showed.
A crack.
Ananya saw it.
And instead of stepping back—
She stepped closer.
"There it is," she said softly.
"Your real face."
Silence.
Vansh frowned. "Okay, this is getting out of hand—"
"Stay out of this," Ananya said without even looking at him.
Her entire focus—
Was on Sarthak.
"You think hiding will fix anything?" she continued.
"You think acting weak will erase whatever you did?"
That was it.
Something snapped.
Sarthak stood up.
The sudden movement startled a few students.
For a moment—
They were face to face.
Close.
Too close.
And for the first time—
His eyes—
Were not empty.
They were cold.
Sharp.
Dangerous.
"…You know nothing," he said.
His voice—
Low.
Controlled.
But carrying something heavy underneath.
Ananya did not look away.
"Then prove me wrong."
Silence.
Tension.
One wrong move—
And everything would collapse.
Mahi stepped in between them.
"Enough."
Her voice cut through the moment.
Both of them paused.
"This is not the place," she said firmly.
A few seconds passed.
Then—
Slowly—
Sarthak stepped back.
His expression—
Gone.
Back to normal.
Like nothing had happened.
"…You are right," he said calmly.
"There is nothing to prove."
Ananya watched him carefully.
And then—
She smiled.
Not kindly.
But knowingly.
"…Coward."
The word was quiet.
But it landed.
Sarthak did not react.
Because reacting—
Would mean she was right.
He picked up his bag.
And walked out of the classroom.
Without looking back.
The corridor felt colder.
Quieter.
But inside—
Everything was louder than ever.
A vibration.
He stopped.
Slowly—
He took out his phone.
Unknown Number.
Again.
He stared at the screen for a second.
Then opened it.
"Angry?"
His jaw tightened.
"Good…"
His fingers curled slightly.
"Now let's see how long you can control yourself."
Silence.
For a few seconds—
He just stood there.
Still.
Then—
Slowly—
A faint smile appeared on his face.
But this time—
It was not calm.
It was dangerous.
"…Try me."
For the first time—
Sarthak Roy was not running away.
And that—
Was far more terrifying.
To be continued…