Rain clouds covered the sky again the next morning.
The classroom looked dull and sleepy under the grey light entering from the corridor windows. Students sat unusually restless today.
Result day.
Some revised formulas nervously.
Some pretended not to care.
Some continuously discussed expected marks before copies had even arrived.
Anaya sat quietly near the middle row with her rough mathematics notebook open.
Not studying properly.
Just staring at unfinished calculations absentmindedly.
lim(x→0) (tan x − sin x) / x³
Half the page was scratched repeatedly.
Beside the question, small theory notes were written hurriedly:
If direct substitution gives 0/0 form, simplify first.
Use identities carefully.
Do not rush steps.
Her handwriting became messier near the last line.
Beside her, Ritu kept checking formulas anxiously.
"If he cuts marks for steps, I'm dead."
"He cuts marks for existing," somebody behind them muttered.
A few students laughed softly.
Anaya didn't react.
At the front bench, Naina calmly revised physics formulas while waiting for the result.
Her notebook looked irritatingly perfect as always.
Clean handwriting.
Straight derivations.
Short methods.
Even theory portions looked organized:
Convex lens forms real and inverted images when the object is placed beyond focal length.
1/f = 1/v − 1/u
Teachers naturally liked students like her.
Even Aarav's tone sounded normal while talking to her.
Not softer.
Just… normal.
Unlike with Anaya.
A few benches away, Alisha sat quietly spinning her pen between her fingers, looking more nervous than usual despite pretending otherwise.
The corridor outside suddenly became silent.
Aarav entered carrying the answer sheets.
Same expressionless face.
Same calm silence.
Without greeting anyone, he placed the stack on the desk and began calling roll numbers immediately.
"Rohan."
"11."
"Neha."
"14."
"Naina."
"19."
Expected.
Half the classroom looked toward the front bench automatically.
Naina accepted the copy calmly and returned to her seat.
No reaction.
"Alisha."
"16."
Alisha exhaled quietly while taking the sheet.
"At least pass toh hui," someone joked softly behind her.
Aarav ignored the class completely and continued.
"Anaya."
Her fingers tightened slightly around the pen.
Anaya walked toward the desk silently and took the answer sheet.
17/20.
For one second, even she stopped.
Question two was fully correct.
Even the longer method.
Before she could move away, Aarav looked once at the sheet again.
Then toward Naina's bench.
"You got this idea from there?"
The classroom became silent instantly.
Anaya froze.
"What?"
"That second method."
Flat voice.
No anger.
No emotion.
Just doubt.
"I solved it myself."
Aarav had already picked up the next answer sheet.
"I already knew that method."
No response.
Not even eye contact.
As if her explanation held no importance at all.
Anaya stood there another second.
"I didn't copy—"
"Next."
That was it.
Completely dismissed.
A few students exchanged looks quietly.
Someone near the back whispered,
"Seventeen? Seriously?"
Another laughed softly.
Heat rushed sharply into Anaya's face.
Not because of the question.
Because he didn't even care enough to hear her properly.
Back at her bench, Ritu looked at the marks quickly.
"You got seventeen?"
Anaya shoved the answer sheet inside the notebook roughly.
"Hmm."
"That limit question too?"
No answer.
Her chest still burned with irritation.
Khadoos.
If he already believed she was incapable, then why ask anything at all?
The next lecture began soon after.
Physics.
1/f = 1/v − 1/u
Ray diagrams slowly covered the blackboard while students copied lazily.
Below the formula, Aarav wrote:
Image distance becomes negative for virtual images according to sign convention.
Most students copied mechanically.
But Anaya's concentration kept breaking repeatedly.
Every few minutes, the same sentence replayed again.
"You got this idea from there?"
As if she couldn't possibly solve something difficult on her own.
The more she remembered it, the more irritated she became.
Why did he always assume the worst about her?
Why did he never even try listening properly?
Meanwhile, boys from the back benches continued their usual noise.
"Ask Anaya for answers next time."
"Yeah right, she acts like nobody exists."
"Madam topper ban gayi suddenly."
Laughter followed casually.
Anaya didn't even turn around.
Most boys in class felt emotionally invisible to her anyway.
Like background noise.
Present.
But meaningless.
Lunch break became louder after the results.
Students gathered around Naina's bench discussing methods and marks continuously.
Even Alisha joined them for some time, arguing about one wrong step in question three.
Anaya remained at her seat solving chemistry equations silently.
HCl + NaOH → NaCl + H₂O
Under it she wrote:
Neutralization reaction forms salt and water.
After some time, her eyes unconsciously drifted toward Naina's notebook again.
Short method.
Cleaner solution.
Simple theory notes beside formulas.
Anaya silently memorised one calculation pattern before looking back at her own rough notebook again.
No asking.
No discussion.
She would understand it herself later.
Like always.
By evening, heavy rain had started again.
Cold wind entered through the balcony window while rough pages remained scattered across Anaya's floor.
Physics numericals.
Chemistry practical files.
Half-finished mathematics derivations.
The test copy lay folded near her elbow.
Ignored.
But her mind kept returning to the classroom repeatedly.
"You got this idea from there?"
Anaya suddenly closed the notebook roughly.
Irritation burned inside her chest again.
Fine.
Let him think she was stupid.
Let him think she needed someone else's help.
She would still study.
Still improve.
Completely on her own.
Outside, rain continued striking the windows endlessly while Anaya reopened the notebook again with stubborn frustration still alive inside her, refusing to disappear.