The morning sun bathed the school grounds in a soft golden hue, reflecting off the polished windows of the building. The neatly arranged rows of students, clad in crisp uniforms, stood with varying levels of alertness—some straight-backed and attentive, others barely stifling yawns. Teachers patrolled the assembly ground, their sharp gazes scanning for any sign of mischief.
At the front, Ms. Kapoor, the principal, stood poised with her microphone, waiting for the murmuring students to settle down before she began the morning announcements.
Navya adjusted the sleeves of her neatly ironed shirt, rolling her shoulders to shake off the stiffness of standing still for too long. A yawn threatened to escape, but she quickly covered it up, blinking to wake herself. Beside her, Swati nudged her lightly, her voice a mere whisper.
“Roz subah subah line mein statue ban kar khade hone se achha hai, direct class chalte,” Swati murmured, flipping her ponytail over her shoulder with a practiced ease.
Navya smirked. “Agar aisa hone laga, toh tere jaisi neend ki devi abhi tak apni bed se chipki hoti.”
Swati sighed dramatically. “Haan yaar, sach bolu toh yeh morning assembly se achha toh alarm clock ka chillana lagta hai.”
Navya snorted but quickly straightened up when a teacher glanced in their direction. Meanwhile, in the boys’ row, chaos was already brewing.
Vihaan adjusted the cuffs of his blazer, his brows furrowing slightly. “Tu hamesha mere peeche hi kyun khada hota hai?” he asked, exasperation creeping into his voice.
Yuvraj smirked, his eyes glinting with mischief. “Tujhse door khada hone ka matlab hai bina tang kiye din shuru ho… aisa zulm main apne upar nahi kar sakta.”
Vihaan shot him a warning look. “Ek din tujhe—”
Before he could complete his sentence, Yuvraj, in a seemingly casual movement, nudged him forward. It was a light push, almost playful, but with Vihaan already slightly off balance, it was enough. His footing faltered.
And then—disaster struck.
With all the grace of a falling tree, Vihaan stumbled forward, his arms flailing for support that did not exist. Time seemed to slow as he lurched ahead, his polished shoes skidding against the ground, and in the most unfortunate turn of events—he crashed.
Face-first.
A stunned silence followed. For a heartbeat, nobody moved. The teachers froze, unsure whether to be concerned or to maintain their strict composure. The students, on the other hand, were merely processing what had just happened.
Then, like a dam breaking—laughter exploded across the assembly ground.
It started as a few snickers, then grew into full-blown hysteria. Students doubled over, clutching their stomachs, gasping for breath as they pointed at the unfortunate boy sprawled on the ground. A few even wiped tears from their eyes. Some dramatic souls whispered, “Legendary moment!” as if they had just witnessed history being made.
Navya was the loudest. “HAAHAA! Vihaan, yarr, kya entry maari hai! Lagta hai tujhe dharti maa ne bulaya tha.”
Swati, barely able to stand straight, wheezed, “History me likha jayega yeh moment.”
Even Yuvraj, the mastermind behind the fall, had to bite his lip to keep from laughing outright. But playing his role perfectly, he took a step forward, extending a hand to his fallen friend with a face full of concern.
“Bhai, tu theek hai?” he asked, though the twinkle in his eyes betrayed his innocence.
Vihaan, now attempting to gather the last shreds of his dignity, swatted his hand away and stood up, brushing invisible dust off his uniform. His face was a mix of irritation and sheer disbelief.
“Mujhe nahi, tujhe theek karne ki zaroorat hai!” he snapped, glaring at Yuvraj, who only grinned wider.
Meanwhile, some of the teachers were visibly struggling to maintain order, their lips twitching as they tried—and failed—to suppress their amusement.
Ms. Kapoor, ever the authoritative figure, cleared her throat into the microphone, the sharp sound echoing through the assembly. “Enough! Students, maintain silence!”
The noise died down—somewhat. Snickers still echoed in the air, and every now and then, someone nudged their friend, whispering about Vihaan’s ‘historic’ fall.
But the damage had been done. Vihaan’s fall had been permanently recorded in school history.
---
After the morning assembly and a few tiring classes, the much-awaited break finally arrived. As always, the school cafeteria was packed with students rushing to grab their food, their voices mixing with the clatter of trays and the smell of hot samosas and noodles.
Navya, Swati, Yuvraj, and Vihaan walked toward the cafeteria together, dodging students who ran past them as if they hadn’t eaten in weeks.
“Lagta hai sab zindagi ka akhri khana khane ja rahe hain,” Navya muttered as a boy nearly pushed her in his hurry.
Yuvraj smirked. “School cafeteria aur bhukhadon ka pyaar toh purana hai.”
As they walked, Swati suddenly felt a strong grip on her wrist. Startled, she looked up and saw Yuvraj holding her hand, pulling her along.
“Idhar se chal, warna bheed mein kuchal jayegi,” Yuvraj said casually, not even looking at her.
Swati’s heart skipped a beat.
Yuvraj had held her hand before—whenever they were stuck in crowds, he always did. But today, it felt different.
Her fingers tingled where his skin touched hers, and for some reason, her face felt warm.
Mujhe aisa kyun lag raha hai? she wondered, staring at their joined hands.
He was her best friend. Bas ek acha dost. Right?
Before she could figure out her feelings, they reached their usual table, where Vihaan was already sitting, calmly eating his sandwich.
Navya, walking behind him, was too busy fighting with a juice packet to notice anything else. She pulled at the sealed edge with frustration.
“Yeh juice wale bhi na, seal lagate hain ya tala?” she grumbled, trying harder.
At that moment, Mishka and Tanya walked past her, chatting away.
And then it happened.
Just as Navya gave one last, strong pull—
POP!
The packet tore open, and bright orange juice flew straight onto Vihaan’s back.
For a moment, everything stopped.
Vihaan froze, mid-bite. Navya stood still, eyes wide. The cafeteria went silent.
And then—
“NAVYA!!!”
Vihaan’s loud voice echoed across the cafeteria as he jumped up from his chair. His white shirt was now completely stained with orange juice.
A second of silence.
Then the entire cafeteria burst into laughter.
Students clapped, some banged the table, and others laughed so hard they almost fell off their chairs. Even the canteen bhaiya chuckled while serving samosas.
Navya blinked at Vihaan’s ruined shirt. “Uh-oh.”
Yuvraj covered his mouth, his shoulders shaking. Swati turned away, trying not to laugh but failing miserably.
Vihaan turned to face Navya, his face full of disbelief. “Kya kar rahi thi tu?! Juice peene ka tareeka nahi pata?”
Navya smirked. “Pata hai, bas tujhe nahaane ka mauka de diya.”
The cafeteria roared with laughter.
Yuvraj wiped a fake tear. “Navya, tujhe toh pehle ye samajhna chahiye tha! Dekh, Vihaan kitna fresh lag raha hai ab.”
Vihaan groaned. “Main tujhe chhodunga nahi, Navya!”
Navya quickly held up her hands. “Main sach bol rahi hoon, meri koi galti nahi thi! Mishka aur Tanya ki wajah se hua hai.”
Mishka crossed her arms. “Haan haan, blame us, kyun nahi?”
Vihaan sighed, shaking his head. “Main kapde change karke aata hoon. Tum log tab tak maze le lo.”
As he stomped off toward the exit, Navya couldn’t resist one last line.
“Shirt mat badalna, Vihaan! Yeh orange rang tujhe suit karta hai!”
And just like that, the cafeteria burst into laughter again.
---
The sports ground was full of life as students spread out to their game courts.
Vihaan and Yuvraj stood on the basketball court, stretching and warming up for their practice match. A few feet away, Navya and Swati were on the badminton court, lazily hitting the shuttlecock back and forth.
As the games continued, the conversations on both sides took an interesting turn.
(On the Badminton Court)
Navya twirled her racket and smirked. “Teri aur Yuvraj ki dosti toh kamaal ki hai. Aaj jab usne tera haath pakda, mujhe laga koi romantic movie ka slow-motion scene chal raha hai.”
Swati’s grip on her racket tightened, and her heart did a little flip.
“Bas… aise hi pakda tha,” she mumbled, looking away.
Navya’s grin widened. “Acha? Phir bhi tere gaal laal kyun ho rahe hain?”
Swati quickly turned around and hit the shuttlecock harder than needed. “Tu zyada soch rahi hai, Navya!”
But even as she dismissed it, a small, hidden smile appeared on her lips.
(On the Basketball Court)
Vihaan dribbled the ball and passed it to Yuvraj. “Tujhe kya lagta hai? Main aur Navya ek din sach-much dushman ban jayenge ya yeh sirf ek natak hai?”
Yuvraj smirked and took a shot. “Pata nahi, par Navya tere dimag me toh poori tarah ghus chuki hai.”
Vihaan scoffed. “Bakwas mat kar.”
Yuvraj raised an eyebrow. “Phir har chhoti baat pe tujhe usse ladna kyun zaroori lagta hai?”
Vihaan went quiet for a second before shaking his head. “Main bas uski stupidity handle nahi kar sakta.”
Yuvraj chuckled. “Acha? Toh jab usne tujhe juice se naha diya tha, tab tujhe itni problem kyun ho rahi thi?”
Vihaan paused for a split second, then replied, “Woh sirf irritate karne ke liye tha.”
Yuvraj hummed knowingly. “Haan haan, bilkul. Aur uske saath har pal uljhne ka koi logical reason bhi nahi hoga, hai na?”
Vihaan threw the ball at Yuvraj’s chest, making him stumble. “Bas game pe dhyan de.”
Yuvraj laughed. “Meri ek hi advice hai—jo feel ho raha hai, usse ignore mat kar.”
Vihaan rolled his eyes. “Main kuch feel nahi kar raha”
But somewhere, even he didn't believe in his mind.
And just like that, another school day passed—leaving behind new realizations, endless banter, and a storm of emotions waiting to unfold.
___________________________________________
This was the chapter! Hope you like it
Alsoo I'm really sorry for this late update
So for making it up.. I'm posting a double update today.
But don't forget to complete the targets on both these chapters 🤍
Today's target:
95+ votes
25+ comments