Classroom___
Aria sat near the window, her book open in front of her.
Her pen moved.
Stopped.
Moved again.
Stopped.
Nothing was working.
No idea stayed.
No plan felt right.
Her fingers pressed harder against the page.
Still nothing.
Her thoughts shifted.
Rizwan.
That moment in Room Zero.
A quiet realization settled in.
She should do something.
That wasn't something small.
A treat… maybe.
Small.
But at least something.
She picked up her phone and opened Instagram.
Scrolled.
Found Rizwan.
Typed.
hii..
A reply came quickly.
New trouble?
A small ease settled inside her.
She typed again.
Dinner.my treat?today?
His reply came.
A date?
Her eyes widened.
Her fingers moved fast.
No,no,no
Not like that.
Just an treat.
His answer came again.
Free food.
Of course.
She fixed the time.
After school.
Done.
She was about to close it.
But her hand didn't move.
It shifted.
To another chat.
Sinas.
She paused.
Still opened it.
Scrolled.
Her thoughts started running.
Too clingy.
Was she being too clingy?
Maybe she should act normal.
Not too much.
Not too less.
Balanced.
But what if he liked that?
What if he didn't?
It was confusing.
Then another thought came.
Is he using her?
She stopped.
No.
That didn't make sense.
What would he even get?
He had everything.
She had nothing.
So no.
Not that.
Maybe he just saw her as a friend.
And maybe that was fine.
Maybe she could use that.
Get closer slowly.
Understand him more.
A notification appeared.
His post.
She opened it immediately.
Her eyes stopped.
The same girl.
The one she saw before.
Now closer.
More comfortable.
Too close.
Aria's chest tightened slightly.
She had seen this girl once before.
On the rooftop.
That moment flashed in her mind—
when she was checking his profile…
and Zorvath suddenly snatched her phone and dropped it.
That same girl.
Now again.
She stared at it.
She hadn't seen this girl in any of his vlogs.
Not even once.
But here—
They looked close.
Not new.
Not casual.
Like they had known each other for years.
That thought stayed.
Then her eyes moved to the caption.
Best day with my best friend.
Silence.
A slow breath left her.
Friends.
Just friends.
A small smile formed.
So she still had a chance.
She opened her camera.
Looked at herself.
Not like her.
That girl was beautiful.
Her figure.
Her presence.
Everything.
And GHSS.
That alone said enough.
She probably knew him for years.
Closer.
Better.
More perfect.
Aria stared at her reflection.
Then—
Her gaze steadied.
No.
Not now.
This wasn't important now.
The challenge.
KHSS.
That came first.
Everything else later.
She put her phone down.
Looked back at her book.
Same page.
Same mess.
Still no proper idea.
But her fingers picked up the pen again.
And she continued.
Even without knowing how—
She kept trying.
Aria's pen had just touched the page again—
When footsteps broke the silence.
Fast.
Uneven.
Rushing.
She looked up.
Sona.
She almost stumbled into the classroom, breath coming out in short, uneven bursts. Her short hair—dyed in blue, pink, and violet—was completely messed up, strands sticking to her sweaty face. She looked like she hadn't slept at all.
Behind her—
Danvy and Sreya followed.
Not any better.
Sreya pushed a few strands of her long, pink-tinged hair away from her face, her usually soft and composed appearance slightly ruined by the exhaustion. Her fair skin still held that natural glow, her baby-pink lips parted as she tried to catch her breath—but even then, she looked effortlessly delicate.
Danvy, on the other hand, looked completely done. Her short black hair was slightly ruffled, her baggy pants and loose shirt giving her that usual effortless, cool look—but right now, even she looked drained, her shoulders slightly slouched as she walked in.
All three of them stopped near Aria's desk.
Breathing.
Recovering.
Like they had just run across the entire school.
Sona lifted her head first.
Her eyes went straight to Aria.
Something restless
And something… off.
"So you truly decided to abandon me…?"
Sona's voice trembled as the words left her.
Not loud.
But heavy.
Filled with something that hurt more than anger ever could.
Sadness.
Disappointment.
Aria's grip on her pen tightened.
Her knuckles turned pale.
She closed her eyes for a second.
Opened them.
Took a slow breath.
"I don't have anyone to get attached to," she said, her voice steady.
Too steady.
"I'm a little busy. We can talk later."
"No."
Sona's voice rose instantly.
Raw.
"You've been saying that since yesterday. The whole day. You didn't pick my calls. You didn't reply to my messages."
A step closer.
"Why?"
Her voice cracked.
"What did I do wrong?"
Silence.
Aria said nothing.
Her gaze stayed fixed on the desk.
A few drops slipped from her eyes before she could stop them.
"When I saw you for the first time… I was happy," Sona said, her voice shaking harder now. "I trusted you. I still do."
A pause.
"I know I didn't do anything wrong."
Her hands trembled slightly.
"But if I did… tell me. I'll fix it. I'll do anything. I'll change."
Her voice broke completely.
"Just… don't avoid me."
"Don't abandon me, Aria… please."
For a moment—
Aria looked at her.
Really looked at her.
Straight into her eyes.
And something inside her broke.
But she didn't show it.
"I never told you to trust me," Aria said quietly.
"I never told you to believe me."
"I never told you to be my best friend."
Each word—
Carefully chosen.
Carefully sharp.
"I always tried to keep my distance."
A pause.
"And that was right."
Her voice dropped slightly.
"I'm sorry, Sona."
Then—
The final blow.
"There's nothing special about you to me."
"You're… just ordinary."
Silence fell.
Heavy.
Unbearable.
Sona stared at her.
Like she hadn't heard it right.
"…Really?" she asked softly.
"That's it… right?"
Aria's jaw tightened.
Then she snapped.
"What did you expect from me?" she shot back, her voice rising now.
"How? We've barely known each other for two weeks."
"And you expect me to stay in your life forever?"
A bitter laugh escaped her.
"That's not going to happen, Sona."
Her eyes hardened.
"You are no one to me."
"Understand that."
"Just leave me alone."
That was it.
Sona didn't speak.
Didn't argue.
Didn't cry out loud.
She just stood there—
Completely broken.
Her eyes stayed on Aria for a long second.
Then—
Danvy stepped forward.
"What are you saying, Aria? She—"
Sona raised her hand.
Stopping her.
Without even looking at her.
Then slowly—
Sona looked back at Aria.
And smiled.
A soft smile.
Beautiful.
But empty.
And then—
She turned.
And walked away.
Sreya stood frozen for a second, her eyes filled with disbelief… pain… something close to betrayal.
She looked at Aria one last time—
Then hurried after Sona.
Danvy stayed.
For a moment.
Her eyes rested on Aria.
Studying.
Understanding.
Then she spoke, low and quiet—
"…It's painful."
A pause.
"But it's good."
Aria's breath caught slightly.
Danvy turned to leave.
Stopped halfway.
Without turning back—
"…Just don't regret it later."
And then—
She walked out.
Leaving Aria alone.
With her silence.
And the tears she refused to let fall.