Rhea's POV
Next period.
As if the universe felt guilty for earlier trauma and decided to compensate with… nonsense.
The teacher walked in, adjusted her dupatta, cleared her throat—
Before she could even open her mouth, Samar and Neel spoke in perfect sync.
"GOOD MORNING CLASS. I HOPE YOU HAVE COMPLETED YOUR HOMEWORK."
Same tone. Same pause. Same disappointment.
The teacher blinked.
"I—" she began.
"TODAY WE WILL CONTINUE THE CHAPTER I EXPLAINED YESTERDAY, WHICH MOST OF YOU CLEARLY DID NOT UNDERSTAND."
Copy. Paste. Ctrl + C, Ctrl + V.
I bit my lip so hard it almost hurt. My shoulders were shaking. I stared at my notebook like it had personally offended me.
Don't laugh.
Don't laugh.
Don't—
Kabir noticed.
He didn't say anything. Just glanced sideways. The corner of his mouth lifted slightly when he saw me struggling. Calm. Soft. Like he was relieved I was… okay.
Yuhan and Neel were quietly snickering behind their hands.
And then—
Prrrrt.
Clear. Loud. Undeniable.
Silence fell like a funeral.
I froze.
Samar's head turned slowly toward Neel. Yuhan's eyes widened in horror.
"What…," Samar whispered dramatically, "was that sound of betrayal?"
Neel's face went red. "It wasn't—"
Too late.
Samar clutched his chest. "MY NOSE—IT'S BLEEDING."
Yuhan gagged. "I CAN'T BREATHE. THIS IS BIOLOGICAL WARFARE."
They staggered around like wounded soldiers. Samar pretended to faint. Yuhan opened an imaginary window and gasped for air.
I buried my face in my hands.
Kabir leaned slightly closer and muttered, "Ignore them."
I nodded. Failed. Laughed anyway.
Just a small laugh. Quiet. Just for us.
He looked at me then. Really looked.
No anger. No tension. Just… calm.
For a moment, the classroom noise faded.
Then—
"OUT. BOTH OF YOU. NOW."
The teacher's voice thundered.
Samar and Neel froze.
Yuhan immediately put on his most innocent face. "Ma'am, I was… affected by emotional distress."
She glared.
He limped dramatically to his seat instead. Somehow—somehow—escaped.
Samar and Neel were dragged out, still arguing about chemical weapons and friendship betrayal.
I exhaled.
Kabir slid his notebook slightly closer to mine. Our fingers almost touched.
Neither of us moved.
Not away.
Not closer.
Just… there.
And for once, the chaos felt far away.
Rhea's POV — Cafeteria Chaos Edition
Lunch period.
Which, in our group, meant free TED Talk with zero qualifications.
We had barely sat down—trays clattering, fries already disappearing—when Samar slammed his hand on the table like a revolutionary leader.
"I want to officially announce," he said, "that Mathematics is a scam."
Neel gasped. "Finally. Say it louder."
"WHY," Samar continued, standing up slightly, "is Math constantly asking us to find X?"
He pointed at the air. "Brother, if X didn't want to be found, why did it leave clues?"
Neel nodded seriously. "Also, X has been missing since Class 6. At this point, it's a criminal case."
I choked on my juice.
Kabir leaned back, amused. Yuhan was already smiling like he knew this was going to escalate.
Neel wasn't done.
"Now let's talk about English," he said, offended on a spiritual level.
"Why. Do. Silent. Letters. Exist."
He stabbed his fork into the air. "If you're silent, be silent. Don't stand there in the spelling just judging us."
Samar added, "Like 'K' in knife. Sir, who invited you?"
People at the next table started turning around.
Then came Science.
Samar sighed dramatically. "Science claims to have laws. Very serious. Very strict."
Neel interrupted, "BUT THEN—exceptions."
"So why are they called laws?" Samar yelled. "In real life, if you break laws, you go to jail. In science, you just get an asterisk."
Someone behind us nodded deeply.
Yuhan raised his glass. "As a science student, I would like to say—fair."
Now Social Science entered the battlefield.
Neel leaned forward. "Social is basically gossip but make it educational."
Samar snapped his fingers. "YES. Just vibes and dates."
"History," Neel said solemnly, "is just people fighting, losing, and then us memorizing when they lost."
"And Geography," Samar added, disgusted, "is Earth saying, 'Here's a mountain. Memorize it.'"
I looked around.
Juniors had fully turned their chairs toward us. Sitting straight. Listening. Obedient. One even put down his spoon.
A teacher walked past. Slowed. Listened. Nodded.
Kabir leaned closer to me and whispered, "Should we charge entry?"
I laughed. "At least attendance."
Yuhan clapped slowly. "This is the most sense Social has ever made."
Samar bowed. Neel wiped an imaginary tear.
"Thank you for attending our lecture," Neel announced. "Marks will be deducted for common sense."
The cafeteria erupted in laughter.
And for a moment—
Chaos felt perfect.