Aadhya's POV
Something was wrong.
I didn't know what exactly—but I could feel it. It was in the air, in the way the class ended, in the way everything looked normal but didn't feel like it.
The teacher walked out. Chairs scraped. Bags zipped.
And then everyone just… left.
Together.
Without me.
I stood there for a second, blinking. "...okay?" I muttered, adjusting my bag. Weird, but fine. Maybe I was overthinking.
I followed them.
But they didn't slow down.
If anything, they sped up.
And not just that—they were avoiding me.
Actually avoiding me.
"Excuse me??" I frowned, slowing down. That was not normal.
I sniffed myself, casually but very seriously. Left side. Right side. "…nope." A pause. "Main toh fresh hoon."
So then why were they acting like I was radioactive??
My eyes scanned the corridor until I spotted Mahi. Finally. Someone normal.
"Hey, Mahi!" I called out.
He didn't stop.
Didn't even turn.
I blinked.
Wow.
"Attitude aa gaya hai," I muttered, rolling my eyes, and jogged up to him anyway. I reached out and grabbed his shoulder—
And he shrugged me off instantly.
Like I burned him.
That…
That felt weird.
"…I was wondering if you wanted chocolate," I said, my voice coming out a little awkward. "I had extra for Avi but—"
"I don't want any."
Flat. Cold.
And he walked away.
Just like that.
I stood there, staring after him. "…okay," I muttered slowly. "Wow. Nice."
I swallowed, something tight settling in my chest. Not hurt. Not really. Just… off.
Still, I tried again.
"Hey… are youokay?"
"Yeah."
One word.
And he was gone.
This time, I didn't follow.
I just looked around.
And that's when it hit.
It wasn't just him.
It was everyone.
People I knew. People I didn't. All doing the same thing—avoiding eye contact, walking past me like I didn't exist, conversations dropping the second I got close.
Like I was invisible.
Or worse—
Untouchable.
"I know about Rey… Vivaan… Nikansh…" I muttered under my breath, trying to make sense of it.
But this?
This didn't connect.
"But why Mahi?" I whispered, frowning. "Why everyone?"
That strange heaviness came back, sitting in my chest like something unfinished. Not painful. Just confusing.
I shifted slightly—
And then I saw him.
Vivaan
Standing at the classroom door.
Still.
Watching me.
No—staring.
And not his usual annoying, punchable face kind of stare.
This one was different.
Sharp.
Burning.
Like he knew something.
Like he was holding something back.
For a second—
I actually felt scared.
It was quick. Barely there. But real enough to annoy me.
I straightened immediately, pushing it down.
"…not my problem," I muttered.
I broke eye contact, turned, and started walking.
"Whatever."
I adjusted my bag, forcing normal back into my steps.
"I'll call Avi later."
Vivaans POV
"What now?" Nikansh asked.
"What what now?" I shot back, irritation cutting through my voice like glass.
My jaw was tight—too tight. It felt like if I clenched any harder, something would crack. Maybe bone. Maybe control.
"She's his cousin."
The words didn't just land. They echoed.
Like a hammer striking the same nerve inside my head.
"That Aadhya…" Nikansh muttered, fists curling, "…she's that bastard's cousin."
"I know."
Rage sat there—slow, steady, poisonous. Not loud. Not reckless. The kind that burns without urgency because it knows it has time.
Then my mind dragged me back to the cafeteria.
The way Nikansh had looked at Yuvika.
Claiming. Possessive. Unchanged.
He still had feelings for her.
That hit harder than anything else.
Nikansh kept talking, suspicion rising—what if Aadhya had been sent here? What if Reyansh was using her to watch us?
This time, I didn't dismiss it.
Because it made sense.
I'd been on Reyansh for months. Inside school, outside school—it didn't matter. I made sure he felt it. Every shove. Every hit. Every reminder of where he stood.
Below.
He never fought back directly.
So maybe he changed the way he played.
Someone close. Someone unexpected.
Aadhya.
Loud. Reckless. Easy to underestimate.
Too easy.
The thought settled, sharp and clear.
Maddy walked in, handing me the information without wasting time. I scrolled through it, expecting nothing important.
I was wrong.
Forty-eight offences.
Fighting. Punching. Skipping. Gambling.
A dry reaction slipped out.
Then the last line.
"Punching a student… almost causing death."
Silence followed.
I stared at the screen, then at the image of her in my head.
Small. Dramatic. Annoying.
It didn't match.
Or maybe it did, just not in the way anyone expected.
Interest replaced irritation.
She wasn't random.
She had edges.
That made her useful.
Romi handed me more—her background.
Broken family.
Missing father.
Recently shifted.
Taken in by her maternal aunt.
Information. Nothing more.
Nikansh repeated his suspicion.
This time, it sounded right.
Not a guess.
A move.
Calculated.
Reyansh didn't confront. He avoided. If he was acting now, it wouldn't be direct.
It would be through her.
Romi hesitated before giving the last piece. I read it twice. It didn't clarify anything. It changed everything.
Reyansh wasn't clean.
Not even close.
A smirk formed, controlled and sharp.
Now I had something real.
Something to break him with.
My grip tightened slightly, not from anger, but focus.
"I'll play this properly."
No rush.
Because this wasn't about winning.
It was about ruining him.
Slowly. Completely.
And Aadhya—
Whether she was his weakness or his move—
Didn't matter.
I'd turn her into mine.
A weapon.
The thought settled without resistance.
Cold. Precise.
A faint smirk stayed on my lips.
Let's see how long she lasts.
Because from here—
She's stepping into hell.