Aadhya's POV
Damnit.
PE class today.
I froze mid-step in my room.
"Uniform…"
I rushed back, opened my cupboard like it personally offended me, and started digging through it like a raccoon. Finally found it. Victory.
I stuffed it into my bag.
And then—
Flashback.
That ball attack.
My soul left my body for a second.
"Nope. Not today."
I immediately grabbed the bandage box and shoved it into my bag too.
Prepared. Ready. Survivor mode ON.
Then lunch.
"I made sandwiches today…" I muttered proudly, packing them.
I hope Avi and DJ like it.
If they don't—
I'll still eat it. Food is food.
I slung my bag and walked out, took my cycle and started riding to school.
Morning breeze. Peace. Calm.
And me—
Singing. Obviously.
"Man mera… mann mera…"
I paused.
"…wow my voice is amazing."
Then continued dramatically—
"Tujhko hi dhundhe… har jagah…"
"Hey—"
I turned.
Him.
That Indian foreign species.
Why is he everywhere??
What if he's a criminal?
A secret agent?
A kidnapper??
My brain: run.
I ignored him instantly and pedalled faster.
No interaction with suspicious humans. Safety first.
Suddenly—
HONK.
I turned—
Not him.
Nikansh.
"What—"
He stepped out of the car, annoyed.
"Are you deaf? I've been calling you since earlier. Who were you talking to?"
His tone—
Interrogation mode.
"I don't even know him," I said instantly.
Which is TRUE.
Why would I lie??
He just looked at me for a second.
Didn't say anything.
Sat back in his car.
And drove away.
…
"What the hell?"
Mood swings level: Vivaan.
I shook my head and continued riding.
Reached school.
Same chaos. Same monkeys. Same nonsense.
I sat on my seat, took out my books.
And then reality slapped me.
"EXAM IS TOMORROW."
My soul left again.
"I haven't studied a WORD."
I immediately opened my notes and started reading like my life depended on it.
Some things I remembered.
Some things looked like they were written in alien language.
"Did sir even teach this…?"
Existential crisis.
Sir entered.
Everyone sat.
"Prepare well for tomorrow's exam," he said.
Okay normal.
Then—
"Your results will be posted on the school bulletin."
…
WHAT.
The class exploded.
Noise. Panic. Drama.
He said it's for motivation.
Excuse me??
What if someone like me gets demotivated instead??
I slowly kept my head on the desk.
"I'm not ready for public humiliation…"
Next period—same reminder.
Next—same again.
WHAT IS THIS TORTURE.
Finally—
Lunch break.
We went to our new spot.
Stairs.
Because Samar and Jiya have officially occupied our old spot like it's their kingdom.
We sat.
Ate.
Teased each other.
Normal chaos restored.
After two periods—
PE class.
Everyone started changing.
Right there.
IN THE CLASS.
I froze.
"…no."
I grabbed my clothes and RAN.
Straight to the girls' washroom.
Changed in peace. Like a civilized human.
Came back.
And then—
…
Why are they still changing.
Some of them were still half dressed.
And then—
My eyes went there.
Vivaan.
I don't know why.
I just—looked.
For a second.
Okay maybe two.
Then—
"Hmm… nice view."
I almost jumped.
Avi.
Appeared out of nowhere like a ghost.
I glared at him.
Ignored him completely.
"Shut up," I muttered.
We reached near the auditorium ground.
PE class.
Battlefield.
"10 rounds. Warm-up." sir said like he just asked us to breathe.
TEN???
I stared at him.
"Sir… are we training for Olympics?" I whispered dramatically.
No one cared.
Betrayal.
We started running.
Round one. Fine.
Round two. Manageable.
Round three—
"Why am I alive…"
By round four I was already questioning my life decisions.
Avi running beside me like he's on a picnic.
DJ? Calm. Steady. Like a disciplined soldier.
And me—
A struggling potato.
Then suddenly—
My eyes shifted.
Other side.
Section A.
…
Oh.
Great.
Perfect.
Just what we needed.
Audience.
They were sitting in their corner. Watching. Talking. Whispering.
And obviously—
Looking here.
At us.
At me.
Damn it.
I straightened a little while running.
No weakness. No dying.
Reputation at stake.
Even if it's already zero.
"Why are you running like that?" Avi whispered.
"Running like what?"
"Like you're in slow motion movie scene."
I glared at him.
"I'm conserving energy."
He snorted.
Rude.
Round five.
Breathing? Gone.
Soul? Gone.
Legs? Not mine anymore.
Vivaan's POV
"What do you mean?" I asked, my voice low, controlled—but already irritated.
Nikansh doesn't speak nonsense.
So why does this sound like one?
"I saw him," he said, firm. "He was talking to… her. And before he drove away, his eyes met mine.
I let out a dry chuckle.
Impossible.
Completely impossible.
"How can she talk to him?" I said, more to myself than to him.
Nikansh didn't back down.
"That guy…" he continued slowly, "has those eyes blue. I'm sure it was him."
Silence.
For a second, everything went still.
Then—
I laughed.
Cold. Short.
"That guy died four years ago," I said. "What you're saying is impossible."
Dead.
Gone.
Nikansh's jaw tightened.
"But I'm not wrong," he insisted. "I saw him."
I looked away.
Annoyed.
No—
More than annoyed.
That name…
That memory…
It shouldn't come back.
Ever.
"I can ask Aadhya," he added. "I'll show her his picture—"
"Don't."
My voice cut through instantly. Sharp. Final.
"Don't say his name here."
My head was already heating up.
I didn't need this.
Not now.
Not here.
My gaze shifted—
Section A.
Of course.
Everything always connects back
To him.
To that night.
That cursed night.
The memory hit—
Like a flash.
And then silence.
Gone.
He was gone.
And the reason—
Reyansh.
My jaw clenched.
I hate him.
More than anything.
Because of him—
Everything changed.
Because of him—
He disappeared.
And now—
Nikansh is saying he's back?
No.
That's not possible.
I won't accept it.
I won't even think about it.—
I'll make Reyansh regret it.
Completely.
"What the fu—"
Something bumped into me.
Hard.
I looked down.
Aadhya.
"Sorry, you were in the middle," she said quickly, already running again like nothing happened.
…
I stared at her for a second.
This girl.
Always in the way.
Always creating chaos.
First a nuisance.
Then a headache.
Now—
A problem.
"Damn you…" I muttered under my breath.
But then—
A slow smirk formed
Another point.
Against Reyansh.
Aadhya's POV
"Catch me if you can!" Avi shouted like an absolute menace, sprinting across the ground with zero shame and full confidence in his stupidity. I had just discovered his biggest crime till date—this idiot had downloaded Facebook on my phone, added the entire Section E, and on top of that sent friend requests pretending to be me. The audacity. The betrayal. The criminal mindset.
"Damn it, come here Avi!" I yelled, running after him with full speed, my brain already planning ten different ways to end his existence. If I caught him today, it was over for him—no mercy, no last words.
I ran past people, barely noticing who I bumped into until I crashed straight into Samar. He stumbled back and I immediately blurted, "Sorry!" without even slowing down because priorities—revenge first, manners later. Next moment I ran into Dheeraj, who was busy waving at someone like he was in some romantic movie scene. I followed his gaze, then slowly turned to him with a suspicious look. "Your girlfriend?" I asked, raising a brow. His entire face turned red in seconds and that was it—I lost it. "Oh my god, how cute…" I teased before running again, laughing to myself.
"Adi! Adi!" someone called. I turned mid-run and saw Naman from Section A waving at me. I waved back casually like I wasn't chasing someone with murder in my eyes and then—CRASH. I slammed into someone so hard that I fell straight to the ground. For a second everything spun, and when I looked up, I already knew. Of course. Out of all people—it had to be him. Vivaan.
"What's your problem?" I snapped, annoyed, brushing dust off myself.
"Tch. You're blocking the path," he said in that bored, irritating tone of his and ran ahead like I didn't even exist.
Something inside me just snapped. Oh. So that's how it is? Fine. I got up instantly, anger replacing my exhaustion, and ran faster—straight behind him. Before he could react, I crashed into him again, this time intentionally and with full force. He lost balance and fell, and suddenly the entire auditorium went silent like someone hit pause on reality.
"What the—"
"She's dead."
"Someone call Nik."
"Who are you betting on?"
"I'm betting on Aadhya."
Section E, of course. Idiots till the end.
But I wasn't listening anymore. My eyes were fixed on him as he stood up slowly—too slowly—and something about that calmness made my heart drop. When he turned, his eyes were blazing with anger, so intense that it felt like it could burn through me. My throat went dry instantly, and my body instinctively wanted to step back, but I forced myself to stand still. No weakness. Not in front of him.
"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?" he shouted, his voice echoing across the ground. My knees almost gave up at that volume, but I held my ground somehow.
"It's you! You started it first!" I shot back, even though a part of me knew I was making things worse.
His expression darkened for a split second before that terrifying smile appeared—the kind that doesn't reach the eyes, the kind that warns you that you've just made the biggest mistake of your life. And then he started running toward me.
My brain screamed before I could even think—run.
I turned and ran as fast as I could, my heartbeat going wild, my breath uneven, my legs moving purely on instinct. I looked back for one second—bad decision. He was already too close. Panic hit me instantly, and before I could escape, he grabbed me, lifting me slightly by my collar.
"You think you can get away from me? From Vivaan Oberoi Windsor?" he said, his voice low but dangerous, that same sinister smile still on his lips.
For the first time, fear actually crept in. Real fear.
Then suddenly—"Let her go."
Reyansh.
Relief washed over me instantly. Maybe this would end now. Maybe—
Vivaan let go of my collar, but instead of releasing me completely, he grabbed my arm tightly and turned toward Reyansh.
"Why do you care?"
"She's my cousin. Of course I'm concerned," Reyansh replied, his tone calm but firm.
For a second, I actually felt… safe.
"I don't care," Vivaan said coldly, his grip tightening. "She's part of Section E. Whatever we do to her is none of your concern."
Reyansh's expression hardened. He stepped forward and grabbed my other arm, pulling me toward him.
And just like that—
I became a rope.
They both pulled.
Back and forth.
Hard.
Pain shot through my arms as their grips tightened, neither willing to let go.
"Stop—! It hurts!" I shouted, my voice cracking, but it was like I didn't even exist for them anymore. It wasn't about me—it was about their ego, their fight, their power.
Suddenly Vivaan pulled harder, and I lost my balance, stumbling forward straight into him. Before I could even process it or step back, his hand slid to my waist, the other moving to my neck, holding me firmly in place.
Everything slowed down.
My mind froze.
And then—
He crossed a line he never should have.
He kissed me.
For a second, I couldn't even understand what was happening. My brain refused to process it. The world around me blurred, the noise faded, and all I felt was shock—pure, overwhelming shock. This wasn't just anger anymore. This wasn't just a fight. This was something else. Something wrong.
I tried to push him away immediately, my hands pressing against him, my body resisting, but he didn't let go instantly. It felt suffocating, humiliating, like I had lost control over my own space, my own self. And then he finally pulled back.
We both stood there, breathing heavily.
He looked at me—
And smirked.
Like it meant nothing.
Like I meant nothing.
That smirk…
That was it.
Something inside me shattered.
My face burned with embarrassment, my ears felt like they were on fire, and anger rose so fast it almost choked me. Without thinking, without hesitating even for a second, I stepped forward and punched him straight in the face with all the strength I had.
The impact was solid. Real.
He fell.
Silence spread again, thicker this time.
My hands were shaking, my chest rising and falling rapidly, my whole body trembling—not from fear anymore, but from rage and humiliation tangled together.
"Serves you right," I muttered, my voice low but firm.
I didn't care who was watching anymore.
I didn't care what anyone thought.
All I knew was—
He crossed a line.
And I wasn't going to stay silent.