STRINGS and STANDOFFS

Radha Deshpande(aka The Girl Who Could Slay You With A Sarcastic Line and a PowerPoint Presentation)

The girl who'll win every debate and then help you fix your heartbreak playlist.
Singer. Songwriter. Dancer. Guitarist. Academic beast. Radha's the type who can argue her way through court (thanks, lawyer parents) and still look like a dream doing it. She's brave, blunt, and has a secret soft side buried under layers of "I-don't-care" eye rolls.
Her only weakness? Anirudh Shah's stupid, smug face. (And okay, maybe her fear of water. Don't mention it.)

Anirudh Shah(aka The Menace With a Brain and a Smirk You Can't Unsee)

If golden retrievers were academically terrifying and owned six cars.
He's got a smile that could charm your mom, and a playlist that could make you cry in the rain. Anirudh is the perfect mix of smooth talker, low-key nerd, and basketball MVP. Being born rich didn't spoil him ,it just made his ego a little shinier.
Only Radha manages to bring out the absolute worst in him. Which sucks, because he's starting to think she's also the best thing that's ever happened to him.

Trisha Mehta(aka The Overachiever With A Planner, A Playlist, a busy schedule shipping people ,And A Soft Spot for That One Idiot)

Drama club queen. Chaos coordinator. Certified ship captain.
She's sunshine in a crop top, your personal hype woman, and the reason 90% of the friend group's relationships exist. Trisha is a performer on and off the stage and the only person who knew Radha and Anirudh were soulmates before either of them hit puberty.
Oh, and she's definitely ignoring her own crush for the sake of shipping others. Classic.

Rudra Patel(aka The Chill Bro Who's Low-key Smitten and High-key Confused By His Feelings)

Basketball + ballet doodles + soft boy energy = walking paradox.
Rudra's the ride-or-die bestie with more loyalty than sense. He flirts with danger (and Trisha), doodles during lectures, and will roast you lovingly. A chronic over thinker in disguise, he's been in love with his best friend forever but would rather die than admit it.
Also: has probably done karaoke with Kriday and cried. No one's allowed to bring it up.

Shree Nambiar(aka Mr. Deadpan Delicacy Who Will Wreck You With One Line)

Emotionally unavailable. Secret musical genius. Probably judging you.
Cold? Maybe. Quiet? Always. Shree is the human version of a 2 a.m. lo-fi track. He writes poetry he'll never share, makes music no one hears, and somehow still ends up being the group's moral compass.
No one expected him to fall in love,not even him. But then Rishi happened. And now everything's weird and wonderful.

Rishi Banerjee(aka Lover Boy Best Friend Who Deserved His Own Spin-Off)

Extrovert. Bird of chaos. Hug dealer. Secret romantic.
He talks fast, loves hard, and has enough personality for three people.Everyone assumes he's dating Radha (he's not), that he's straight (he'sdefinitely not), and that he's all jokes (he's so much more).
Fell for Shree like an idiot. Waiting for him to get it. Also activelydying from second hand embarrassment whenever Radha and Anirudh start fighting again

Kavya Jadhav(aka The Sassy Narrator of Chaos Who Is Never Wrong)

The main character's energy. 100% slay. Would burn the world for Radha.
Pretty, powerful, and terrifyingly perfect, Kavya is your neighbourhood it-girl with a soft spot for her best friend and zero tolerance for male mediocrity.
She throws the best parties, gives the best advice, and will fight Anirudh in a hallway if he hurts Radha (again).

Ashi Mehta(Loyalty 100. Chill level... questionable.)

Wallflower energy. Secret firecracker. Future bestseller.
She's soft-spoken, sharp-witted, emotional, and always taking mental notes for the novel she's totally going to write one day. Will drop truth bombs out of nowhere and then giggle about it later.
Low-key might be writing fanfiction about Radha and Anirudh. No one knows. Yet.

Kriday Shah

10 years old. Smarter than all of them. Chaos incarnates. Part prodigy, part gossip machine. Full-time cutie.
Lives in his own little world of sketchbooks, riddles, and Radha.A mini genius who draws better than your art teacher and knows everything about everyone. He calls Radha his "girlfriend," which makes Anirudh combust. Has no friends his age. Doesn't need any. He's too busy making Radha stay forever and being the cutest part of this entire story.

Mr. Shalva Deshpande

Papa Bear. Softie in court, softer at home.Until you mess with Radha.
Criminal lawyer with courtroom swagger and an overprotective dad mode thatactivates every five minutes. Probably has a blood pressure machine stashed inhis drawer because his daughter slapped Anirudh Shah. Again.

Mrs. Ruchi Deshpande

Ice queen exterior, molten lava core, and absolutely done with everyone's nonsense.
She's sharp-tongued, emotionally distant, and secretly building an empire to protect the one person she loves more than anything,Radha. Still grieving, still healing, still terrifying in a sari.

Mr. Ram Shah

Producer dad. Motivational quote machine. Kinda iconic.
Thinks every child should chase dreams, unless it's illegal or deeply stupid. He sponsors acting schools but can't remember his own lines in a fight with Mira. Will absolutely quote Shakespeare during dinner.

Mrs. Mira Rai-Shah

Ex-actress. Insta queen. The mom everyone wants.
Radiates grace, glitter, and "My children are my life" energy. She's got3M followers and still finds time to braid Kriday's hair. Has adopted Radha inher mind already. She just doesn't know it yet.

Faculty Members (collective energy)

They wanted to teach music and culture. Gotstuck in a live K-drama.
From drama club mentors to university heads, these poor souls are justtrying to survive the semester. Every group project is a therapy sessionwaiting to happen, and they're not paid enough for this.

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(of course there are too many characters, of course there will be hardcore friendships.)