It's April 15.
Ayushi was walking through the corridor when she noticed a crowd gathered outside her classroom. Curious, she slowly walked toward it.
Two boys were fighting in the middle of the corridor while everyone around them simply watched.
For a moment, Ayushi wondered why nobody was trying to stop them.
Then suddenly, a voice came from behind the crowd.
"Just talk it out. There's no need to fight."
The moment the two boys looked toward the voice, their expressions changed immediately.
"It's Hriday…"
one of them muttered quietly.
"Forget it, let's just go."
Within seconds, both of them walked away toward their classrooms.
The crowd slowly started dispersing too.
But the whispers didn't stop.
"Look who's talking about stopping fights."
"A scum from Section D."
"What a joke."
Ayushi silently looked toward Hriday.
He ignored everyone and quietly entered the classroom.
As usual, he walked toward the last desk near the window and sat down there.
He sighed softly and started looking outside the window.
Ayushi noticed him from her desk.
A few minutes later, the teacher entered the class and started taking attendance.
"Roll number 32, Hriday Verma?"
Before Hriday could answer, someone from the class whispered,
"He doesn't belong to this class."
"Present," Hriday replied calmly.
Maybe they were right.
Maybe I really didn't belong in this class.
Just then, a soft voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Don't listen to them. Just ignore these silly things."
Ayushi said softly.
Hriday smirked and said,
"I stopped caring about these things a long time ago."
During lunch break, Hriday was sitting in the classroom and talking with Ayushi.
Suddenly, Samaira entered the classroom and looked around.
"So this is your new class?" she asked before glancing toward Ayushi.
Hriday laughed lightly.
"Yes, unfortunately. But maybe my new classmates don't like me that much."
"But it looks completely opposite to me," Samaira replied teasingly.
Hriday shook his head slightly and stood up.
"See you later," he said before leaving the classroom and heading toward the ground.
Now only Ayushi and Samaira were left inside the classroom.
Samaira sat beside her and asked,
"So, what do you think about Hriday?"
Ayushi thought for a moment before replying,
"He's kind. But the other students treat him badly for no reason."
Samaira smiled faintly.
"It's true. He always gets misunderstood, and honestly, I don't know why he never defends himself."
"Maybe he's trying to avoid meaningless conflicts," Ayushi said quietly.
"And that's what I like about him."
Samaira looked at her carefully.
"You two seem pretty close."
Ayushi immediately replied,
"We're just friends. We barely know each other. It's only been around fifteen days."
Samaira nodded slowly before asking,
"Did he tell you about his crush?"
Ayushi looked confused.
"He has a crush on someone?"
"So he really didn't tell you," Samaira said softly.
On the ground, the summer heat had made everything unbearably warm.
But the small shade beneath the tree still felt cool.
Hriday was sitting there quietly, relaxing alone.
"You really are a good liar."
Hriday looked up.
Ayushi was standing in front of him.
"And why do you think so?" he asked calmly.
"Why didn't you tell me about your crush?" Ayushi asked.
Hriday leaned back against the tree and replied,
"You never asked."
Ayushi folded her arms.
"So you actually do have a crush on someone."
Hriday looked at her for a moment before speaking again.
"Who told you that?"
"That girl we met in class," Ayushi replied.
"Samaira."
Hriday sighed softly.
"Samaira told you…"
For a few seconds, neither of them said anything.
Then Hriday finally spoke.
"Yes… there's someone I admire."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"And actually, we're already in a relationship."
For a moment, Ayushi stayed quiet.
Somehow, she couldn't understand why he had hidden it from her all this time.
So, out of confusion, she asked,
"And how many people know about that?"
Hriday looked at her and replied,
"You're the first one."
Ayushi looked surprised.
"Then why did you hide something like that?"
Hriday avoided eye contact for a moment before replying,
"Can't you see how people treat me?"
"And if they find out I'm dating someone… they'll probably start saying things like,
'Imagine the kind of girl who dates someone like him.'
Maybe they'll call her scum too."
After hearing that, Ayushi stayed quiet for a few seconds.
Then she finally asked,
"What actually happened?
Why does everyone treat you like this?"
At first, I hesitated.
But she kept asking.
So eventually, I spoke.
"When I was in 10th standard… there was a fight."
I paused briefly before continuing.
"And someone innocent died because of it."
Ayushi immediately went silent.
"Died…?" she whispered softly.
"And who was it?"
But before she could ask anything else, I stood up.
"I don't want to remember that incident."
And after saying that, I quietly walked away.