The school playground was filled with laughter and energy.
Students were running, chatting, and playing different games under the bright morning sun.
Near the corner of the ground—
a girl stood with a badminton racket in her hand.
Naira Rathore.
Focused. Calm. Perfect.
Her movements were graceful, each shot precise and controlled—just like her personality. The shuttle moved exactly where she wanted it to.
Her friend laughed, struggling to keep up.
"Slow down, Naira!"
But Naira didn't smile.
She simply continued playing, her eyes fixed on the game.
At that moment—
A sleek black car stopped near the school gate.
A boy stepped out.
Kartik Malhotra.
Calm. Unreadable. Uninterested.
His eyes held no curiosity, no excitement—just quiet distance from everything around him.
"Come on," his sister Ishita said, adjusting her bag.
He didn't reply.
He simply walked ahead.
Behind him were his friends—Shivansh and Abhir.
New school. New people.
But nothing felt new to him.
Inside the Classroom
Kartik and his group entered and moved straight toward the last bench.
But three boys were already sitting there.
"Hi… you all are new here?" one of them asked.
"Yeah," Shivansh replied casually.
Kartik spoke, his tone calm, "I'm Kartik Malhotra. This is Shivansh Singh… and Abhir Roy."
The boy smiled.
"I'm Kabir Singhania. He's Virat Singh, and he is Abhimanyu Sharma."
Kabir grinned.
"So… we're friends now?"
"Yeah," Shivansh said with a slight smirk.
"Let's go to the playground," Abhimanyu suggested.
Everyone agreed.
Back to the Playground
They walked toward the ground, talking casually.
Kartik's eyes scanned the surroundings without interest—
And then…
He saw her.
For a moment—
he stopped.
A girl playing badminton.
Simple. Focused. Different.
His gaze lingered longer than it should have.
Something about her felt… unusual.
"Who is she?" he whispered.
Virat followed his gaze and smirked.
"She's Naira Rathore. Topper of the class… and head girl of the school."
Kartik didn't respond.
His eyes were still on her.
Naira Rathore…
Just then—
The school bell rang loudly.
"Attention everyone! Assemble for prayer!" the announcement echoed.
Students began moving toward the assembly ground.
Naira stopped playing, picked up her racket, and walked away with her friend—
Without even noticing him.
Kartik watched her go.
Silent.
Unbothered…
yet not completely.
Morning Assembly
Rows of students stood in discipline.
Naira stood at the front, leading with confidence.
Perfect posture. Calm expression.
At the back—
Kartik stood quietly, his gaze occasionally drifting toward her.
After Assembly – Classroom
Time passed.
Inside the classroom, students settled into their seats.
On the front side, Ishita sat with a group of girls.
"You're new here?" one of them asked.
"Yes, I'm Ishita Malhotra," she smiled. "And you?"
"Hi, I'm Surbhi Singh. She's Naira Rathore… and she's Tanya Gupta."
"Hi," Ishita replied softly.
Tanya smiled warmly.
"Now we're friends. If you have any problem, tell us. Naira is the head girl and class monitor."
Naira gave a slight nod.
"You can tell."
Just then, the teacher entered.
The classroom fell silent instantly.
"New students, introduce yourselves."
Kartik stood up and walked to the front. Ishita followed.
"I'm Kartik Malhotra."
"I'm Ishita Malhotra."
"Alright. Take your seats."
Without hesitation, Kartik walked back to the last bench.
For a brief second—
Naira glanced at him.
Just one look.
Then she looked away.
Uninterested.
But Kartik—
Didn't look away.
Not this time.
🖤 To be continued…
Next chapter coming soon.
⭐ Vote with power stones
💬 Comment your thoughts