The morning sun filters weakly through the curtains, spilling soft light across the room. The air smells faintly of train smoke and the old perfume my mother always keeps near the window. My body still feels heavy from the long journey. The ceiling fan hums lazily, and for the first time in days, I feel like I'm home again.
I stretch, rub my eyes, and glance at the clock. It's almost noon. The train reached late last night, and by the time I unpacked a few things and fell asleep, it was already close to morning. I can still feel the faint rhythm of the train in my body — the rumble, the distant whistle.
School has already started today. I told myself I wouldn't go. It's just the first day, and everyone's only finding their new sections. I can go tomorrow, I think. There's nothing important today…
By evening, the tiredness fades. I'm sitting on my bed, scrolling through my phone lazily when it suddenly buzzes.
Aashi Calling...
I pick up instantly.
"Hey! You reached?" she says, her voice carrying that same familiar excitement and warmth.
"Yeah," I reply, smiling softly. "Just woke up late today. I'll come tomorrow. How was the first day?"
There's silence for a second. Then I hear her sigh.
"You're not going to like what I'm about to say…"
I straighten a little. "What happened?"
"So, they finally announced the section list today."
"Oh, that's great!" I say. "So… we're together, right?"
Another pause.
"Yeah… me and you — we're together," she says quickly, her voice rising a bit as if to soften what comes next. "But, uh… Rayan and Arnav— they're both in Section A."
The smile on my face fades before I even realize it.
"What?"
"Yeah…" her voice cracks a little. "They're both in A. We're in B."
For a few seconds, I can't say anything. The sound of a passing train drifts faintly through the window again. It feels strange — how quickly something that used to be so close can suddenly… shift.
"Hey," Aashi says, her tone trying to sound light. "It's okay, right? We can still meet during lunch or—"
But I can already hear her voice breaking. "I'm just—" she laughs through the sniffles — "I'm just going to miss all of us being together, you know?"
I swallow hard, forcing a smile even though she can't see me.
"Hey, don't cry. We'll figure something out, okay? Maybe they'll change it later. People do that sometimes."
"Yeah, maybe," she murmurs.
After we hang up, I just sit there quietly. The room feels unusually silent. The last bit of sunset paints the sky orange, and the evening wind carries the faint scent of dust and something like rain.
I think of their corner bench — our bench. How we used to laugh between classes, how Arnav would joke about everything, how Rayan would roll his eyes but laugh anyway. It's stupid, I tell myself. It's just a section change. But my throat tightens anyway.
Maybe it's just the end of something small. But it feels big.
---
The next morning, I wake up early. I don't even know why — maybe because I want to see them, maybe because I don't want to. The sky is clear, and there's that quiet chill that always hangs in the air before assembly.
I reach the school gate earlier than usual. Everything feels the same but different. New charts on the notice board. New names written under Section B.
I walk to our old classroom first, out of habit. The corridor is half-empty. When I peek inside, no one's there yet. Just empty benches, sunlight falling across them. My eyes drift to the second bench near the window — our place....
Where i and Aashi used to sit..and he and Arnav in front.....
It's funny how fast things change.
I went to upstairs to my new class room 10B.
"Hey!" a voice calls from behind. I turn.
It's Arnav, his bag slung over one shoulder, looking sleepy as usual.
"You came back!" he says, grinning.
"Yeah," I smile faintly. "Reached yesterday."
"Good," he says, walking up beside me. "Aashi told me about the section thing." I told him .
"Yeah," he reply, his voice softer. "I heard."
He opens his mouth to say something, but just then, Rayan appears at the end of the hallway. He's carrying his bag on his one side , his other hand lazily tucked in his pocket. His hair's a bit messy, as always, and when his eyes meet mine, he gives that familiar small smile — the one that feels too calm for the chaos he carries.
"You finally decided to show up," he says lightly.
"Shut up," I reply, smiling despite myself.
He laughs — that quiet, careless laugh that somehow makes everything else pause.
We stand there, the three of us, talking about nothing and everything — the vacation, the new timetable, the teachers. I try to sound normal, to laugh the way I always do. But there's something different beneath it all...
I don't like it that we are on different sections
---
Aashi arrives later, a little breathless, muttering something about traffic. She joins us, and suddenly, it's almost like old times again. Almost
When the bell rings, we hesitate. The path splits — Section A to the right, Section B to the left
Rayan glances at me.
"So… I guess this is where we say goodbye," he says, his tone playful but eyes unreadable.
"Don't be dramatic," I say, forcing a small laugh. "We'll meet during breaks."
"Hmm," he hums softly. "We better."
As he turns to go, something inside me stirs — a small ache that I can't quite name.
I walk toward my new classroom with Aashi, and as I sit down.And I think it bearable because I am not alone..my best friend is with me ...Aashi, my bench partner forever.
Maybe nothing really changed today. We're still in the same school, still just a few doors apartor few steps apart. But still, it feels like we're drifting — like a small thread quietly stretching between us, thinner with each passing second.
And maybe… that's what growing up feels like — things still close enough to see, but far enough to hurt.
---
When the last bell rings, the corridors fill with voices and footsteps. I stand near the window of our new classroom, watching the sunlight slant through the grills. Across the narrow stretch between buildings, I can just see the old window of our previous year class— where we used to sit, where we used to laugh.
The wind slips through the half-open pane, brushing against my face. It smells faintly of chalk dust and rain, carrying with it the echoes of our old jokes, our careless laughter, Arnav quiet teasing, Rayan and our hindi class together.
I wonder did we get to sit together again in Hindi class? because our section is changed now .
For a moment, I close my eyes and let it wash over me — the warmth, the ache, our memory of something simple and beautiful.
Maybe change isn't always loud. Sometimes, it just comes like this — a soft breeze at the window, taking pieces of yesterday with it.
And yet, a part of me stays there too, on that second bench near the window, where we laughed without knowing how fragile that time was.
The wind at my window still carries our laughter.
And every time it does, I can't help but smile.