《Beautiful Life》


 Chapter 1: Reyansh Adani

    Reyansh Adani is an extremely lonely, depressed and insecure 17-year old student studying in a small town in Gujarat, India. Appearance wise, he is extremely skinny and bespectacled. He doesn''t really have any friends and he always isolates himself from the others. He only likes to read and write.


    He selected Physics, Chemistry and Maths as his subjects which belong to the Science stream. He is trying his best to somehow pass in all of the subjects.


    Aryan Joshi, on the other hand, is the topper of the class. He belongs to a rich Brahmin family, though nobody really knows any detail of his family background. He is also a bully and his prime target has always been Reyansh.


    Mrs. Tanya, their class teacher was absent that day so Reyansh decided to write. Apparently, this is the only thing that makes him cope up with his issues. Though, their class teacher being absent, and nobody coming to teach in place of her gave Aryan the perfect opportunity to bully him.


    "Hey, what are you doing?" a heavy voice came from behind and Reyansh immediately realized whose voice it was.


    "I-it''s none of your business..." Reyansh said, fumbling.


    "You''re right, it''s none of my business. It''s not like you are doing anything appreciative. You''re a failure after all." Aryan said mockingly. "And you''re always going to remain a failure. I wonder how you will be able to provide for your family."


    Aryan was saying the truth. Reyansh was not able to pass the tests and if he fails to improve in the next exam, he would have to repeat the year.


    ''He is right... I AM a failure...''


    Aryan waited for a few seconds before realizing that Reyansh wasn''t going to reply. "Well anyway, what are you planning to do in your life? Since I am the topper of this class, I might as well help you in getting a low-class job in future." Aryan''s associates started laughing. Aryan gestured them to stop, because he wanted to insult Reyansh some more. "But do you even deserve that?" Aryan asked, amusement clearly in his voice.


    "I am not planning to do anything right now. And why do you even care?" Reyansh scoffed, not even looking at Aryan.


    Aryan got annoyed. "keep your voice down, you piece of shit!" He warned.


    By this point, the whole class realized that Aryan was bullying Reyansh again. Nobody had ever tried to help Reyansh or stop Aryan because they were well aware of the fact that Aryan belonged to a rich family and he had some contacts so they never interfered. But this time, it was different.


    Rin Ahuja, the most popular girl of the class because of her looks and charm, went out of the class huffily. Both Aryan and Reyansh felt that she did it because of them.


    Aryan gave a considering look to his best friend Dhairya. "Hey Dhairya, what is up with your girlfriend? Why did she go out of the class like that?" he asked.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    "I don''t know, this is the first time. Don''t worry, I''ll see to it later." Dhairya replied, being just as surprised as Reyansh and Aryan. For some reason, Dhairya looked extremely concerned and angry regarding Rin''s actions.


    "Go write on blackboard: ''I am a failure''." Aryan ordered.


    "What?" Reyansh asked shockingly.


    This was different than all of Aryan''s previous bullying.


    "You heard me, go write on blackboard: ''I am a failure''." Aryan ordered him again.


    Reyansh thought about it. What was he supposed to do in that situation?


    It was always like that - Aryan would find some way to mock, tease or bully Reyansh depending upon his mood. For him, all of this was fun and amusement. It was like a kid taking break from the hefty study schedule - It was like a hobby to him.


    This was going overboard and Reyansh knew that. But he couldn''t complain to either his teachers or his parents for reasons nobody knew except himself. It seemed like he had no other choice but to do it.


    Before he got up from his seat, Reyansh noticed that his senior and his crush Madhuri was passing by. There was no way he was doing something like that in front of his crush.


    "I can''t do it. I am sorry. Please forgive me." Reyansh said slowly. He didn''t want Madhuri to hear his words.


    "What did you say?" Aryan asked annoyingly.


    "I said I can''t do it. I am sorry." Reyansh repeated, this time in a somewhat higher voice. "I promise I''ll do it tomorrow. Just not now. Please." he sounded like he was begging. He really didn''t want Madhuri to see him like that.


    Aryan slapped Reyansh. He was extremely angry at his reply to his orders. "Who the fuck said you have any choice here, you piece of shit? Go do it right now or I''ll fucking destroy you!"


    Madhuri heard the slap so she looked inside the class. She noticed that someone was getting bullied. She realized that it was Reyansh, the infamous student in the school. He was famous for his bad reputation - bad-mannered, disobedient, undisciplined and a failure. Nobody liked him in the entire school. He seemed really miserable, like a dead being having no will to continue living.


    ''Oh it''s him... Why is He the one getting bullied...? Strange...'' She thought. ''...Who is bullying him? And...'' She noticed that Reyansh was looking at her. ''... Why is he looking at me like that...? Is he asking for my help? What am I supposed to do here? I am the topper of my class, there is no way I am doing anything for a person like him! And besides, a person who doesn''t respect his teachers like him deserves to be bullied!'' Madhuri thought. She had gone to the staff room to help her teacher. She then realized that lectures are going on in her class at the moment and that she can''t afford to miss them, so she went back to her class.


    Aryan slapped him again as he was too busy looking at Madhuri go back to his class. That bought him back to the reality and snapped him out of his thoughts. "Now listen, you trash!" he slapped him again. "Pay attention when I am here!" and again. "You will ALWAYS do what I say!" and again. "Otherwise I will kill you!" and again. "And I will kill your mom!" and again. "And I will kill your sister!" and again. "Now write on the blackboard what you are. A fucking loser. Write ''I am a failure''."


    Reyansh couldn''t say a word. He was embarrassed, humiliated, and hurt in front of the entire class. He didn''t have any choice.


    ''Everyone looks down on me. The teachers, my classmates... Even my family does. I am not even considered worthy of being here. They look at me like I am their slave - no, even below that. Like all these things were not enough, I have to declare that I am a failure in front of the class and make fun of myself. Yeah, I am a failure, so what? You guys hate me? Well I hate you too! I hate this class, I hate everyone! I fucking hate you all!''Reyansh was crying.


    Now that Madhuri was not watching, Reyansh got up from his seat, wiping the tears off of his face and went over to the blackboard. He took up a piece of chalk but before he could write anything, a loud voice stopped him. "Hey, stop! It''s enough!"

 Chapter 2: Butterfly

    It was Aarav Jain, his classmate.


    "Stop really, it''s enough!" he exclaimed.


    "What do you want, Aarav?" Aryan asked annoyingly. "Why are you even here?"


    "I want you to stop doing what you''re doing right now." Aarav said, ignoring Aryan''s second question.


    "You do know who you''re talking to, right?" Aryan asked.


    "Yes I am full aware." Aarav said. "Don''t bully Reyansh. You''re going way overboard this time! Do you have any idea what you''re doing right now, how much your actions can affect him mentally?" He asked, narrowing his eyebrows.


    Aryan scowled. "Why the hell are you interfering in my personal matter?" He pointed at Reyansh. "And why would you defend this loser?"


    ''Yeah, why is Aarav trying to help me here? This has never happened before. It''s almost unbelievable.'' Reyansh wondered.


    "He is not a loser. So what if he is failing right now? Doesn''t mean he is going keep failing forever. He might achieve great thing too." Aarav said.


    ''Yeah, like becoming King of the Pirates for instance. This is not One Piece and I am not Luffy. This is not a manga either. This is reality. A loser like me can achieve great things? Is this guy for real?'' Reyansh thought to himself.


    Aryan and Dhairya burst into laughter after hearing Aarav''s words.


    "A loser... Like him... Might achieve... Great things... HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Aryan said while laughing. "God, you''re killing me right now!" He laughed again for a while. Dhairya was constantly laughing as well. "I''d be really surprised if he gets a 10,000 rupees per month (around 136$) job somewhere." he laughed again. "And considering the rate he is going at right now, he might not be able to get a job at all." and again. "But don''t you guys worry okay, I''ll get him a job of toilet cleaning at my office in future." and again. "I mean, it''s okay if Reyansh dies but I can''t see his family suffer because of this trash, right? Especially his mom and sister." and again.


    Reyansh wanted to punch him so badly after hearing that last sentence but he suppressed his anger and stopped himself because if he had done that, he knew that the situation would have turned worse.


    ''I can''t even defend the honor of my family. What a piece of trash I am.''


    Aarav rolled his eyes at him. "Are you done laughing?" he asked.


    "No, one minute please." Aryan asked, bursting into laughter again.


    After laughing for a while. "Okay, oh my god, thanks for the laugh Aarav!" Aarav rolled his eyes at him again. "Now let''s get serious, shall we? What do you want?" Aryan asked again.


    "I just told you, I want you to stop bullying Reyansh any further." Aarav repeated.


    "Who the hell are you to order me anyway? Have you forgotten what I have done for you? You should be grateful to me instead of defending someone like him and going against me. Go back to your seat and let me do what I want to do." Aryan ordered and turned his attention to Reyansh as if Aarav was going to follow that.


    "And you, why are you still standing there? Why haven''t-" before Aryan could finish, Aarav interrupted him. "Hello, I am talking here." Aryan turned his attention back to Aarav. "If you don''t go back to your seat-"


    "What? If I don''t go back to my seat, what would you do? You do know what I can do to you though, right?" Aryan asked, undercurrent of threat obvious in his voice.


    Aarav knew that Aryan could make his life worse but it was really enough for him. All things aside, he could barely watch someone getting bullied like that over and over again, but today Aryan was going overboard and he couldn''t stop himself from stopping him.


    "I swear to God, I am going to beat the living hell out of you right here and now." Aarav threatened him back.


    The entire class was witnessing the situation by this point.


    When Reyansh heard this, he got an intense urge to clap for him. Not just because Aarav was trying to help him but saying something like that to Aryan''s face in front of the whole class was really really admirable in his opinion and it took a lot of balls to say something like that to him. But he somehow stopped himself from doing that.


    He still didn''t understand why Aarav was trying to help him though.


    "What... What did you just say to me?" Aryan was extremely angry now.


    "You heard me." Aarav said.


    "Challenge accepted." Dhairya accepted the challenge enthusiastically as if Aarav had challenged him and not Aryan.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    "Tch, he is challenging me not you. Shut your mouth for a second." Aryan said annoyingly much to Aarav and Reyansh''s amusement. Dhairya frowned. Seeing Aryan scolding Dhairya and the look on Dhairya''s face after that were the sights to remember.


    For a few seconds, both Aryan and Aarav glared at each other. Aryan was really angry but he knew that starting a fight in the class could get him and everyone else suspended. And if something like that happens, his reputation would be ruined.


    Aryan stepped back.


    Before Aryan and Dhairya got back to their seats though, Rin was back with Mr. Kashyap, their Physical Education teacher.


    Mr. Kashyap was a really nice and friendly teacher. He always knew that Aryan is a big bully and he always targets Reyansh as he one day witnessed the bullying with his own eyes. He tried to help Reyansh a few times by telling about it to the principal of the school and the other teachers of seemingly important subjects like Physics, Chemistry, Maths and Biology ignored his claims as he was considered the teacher of a subject that has a very negligible value.


    That, and Aryan''s uncle was the trustee of the school.


    "Sir, Aryan asked Reyansh to write on the blackboard that he is a failure. I heard that with my own ears." Rin said.


    ''What? First Aarav and now Rin too? So that''s why she went out of the class like that? Why are they trying to help me?''


    "Rin... What are you doing?" Dhairya asked slowly but the intensity of his voice could be felt; his face red with anger.


    "Sir, I would never do something like that. I am always encouraging Reyansh even though he keeps failing, isn''t that right?" Aryan said, looking at Reyansh expecting a positive reply. He wouldn''t stop making fun of Reyansh even at a time like this.


    "No..." Reyansh said slowly.


    Now it was the time for the entire class to laugh instead of Aryan and Dhairya. They didn''t like the bully too it seemed. But they stopped laughing when Aryan gave a mean look to them.


    "He is lying, sir. You can ask my classmates if I ever do such things." Aryan said gathering all the ounces of politeness he had.


    "I am well aware of who you and what you are, Aryan. I don''t need to ask anyone." Mr. Kashyap said finally. "Listen, this is my final warning to you. If you don''t stop, I would have to take harsh actions against you and I promise you that I will if you ever bully anyone again!" It seemed that Mr. Kashyap was tired of being able to do nothing and watch such events occur in the school. He did seem serious when he said this.


    Aryan scowled. He was not going to leave a single person who conspired against him. They were all going to pay for what they did today! He went back to his seat.


    "Thank you so much for helping me!" Reyansh thanked Aarav. "I would''ve never been able to forget this day if I had done something like that."


    "Don''t worry about it, I am glad I was able to help you. That was really intense! Scum like him should go to hell." Aarav said.


    ''Why did Aarav and Rin help me after all this while though?'' Reyansh wondered.


    "Anyway, wanna go to the park today?" Aarav asked, snapping Reyansh out of his thoughts.


    "Yeah sure, I go to the park everyday." Reyansh replied.


    "Really, which park?"


    -break-


    After the class ended, Reyansh thought about thanking Rin too. But he realized that that was not the right time as Rin and Dhairya were arguing about something. He was curious and had a feeling that it was somehow related to Rin''s actions earlier that day. When he went a bit near to them, he realized that his hunch was right - they were actually talking about him.


    "But the question is: why did you help Reyansh? You do know that I am Aryan''s best friend, right? I told him that I will handle this situation. Do you have any idea what he can do to us?" Dhairya asked, undercurrent of anger in his voice.


    "Please leave me alone! I have been doing nothing but watch him getting bullied over and over and you know what, I''ve had enough now! I will do whatever I can to help him! He is my friend!" Rin snapped back.


    ''I am her... Friend? Since when?'' Reyansh asked himself.


    They did use to talk with each other a lot before Aryan started bullying him 3 years ago. After that, Reyansh had no friends anymore. It seemed as if Rin still considered him a friend much to Reyansh''s surprise.


    Rin and Dhairya noticed Reyansh.


    Damn.


    "Uh... I-I am sorry... I just wanted to thank Rin..." Reyansh fumbled.


    "Get the hell out of here!" Dhairya ordered.


    "No, he won''t go anywhere!" Rin argued.


    ''Damn, she is scary!'' Reyansh exclaimed to himself


    Dhairya grabbed Rin by her chin and pulled her closer. "Listen... You''ll do what I tell you to do! Do you understand?" Then pushed her back.


    Rin got tears.


    "Hey, hey, I am sorry... Okay, I''ll go... Please don''t hurt her... I''m leaving." Reyansh said nervously.


    ''Damn, Dhairya is even scarier! I wonder if she is gonna be fine... Well I''ll ask her about it later.'' Reyansh thought as he left for his home. He didn''t have any other choice anyway.


    -break-


    Reyansh left the home to meet Aarav at the park.


    ''Wow today is going to be different than all the other days. I have someone to hang out with today. It''s really surprising.'' Reyansh thought.


    While Reyansh was walking towards the park, as it was walking distance away from his home, he came across to a river as usual.


    ''I love the river. There''s something about the sight of so much water... It really calms me down. My head goes numb, and I feel like I am at peace. What a stunning sight.''


    When Reyansh entered the park, he noticed Aarav sitting at the bench.


    ''Wow, he came here before I did.'' he thought.


    "Hey, what''s up?"


    After the greetings. "So are you okay?" Aarav asked.


    ''Does he actually care about me or is he asking just for the show?'' Reyansh wondered.


    "Ah, I am fine, why do you ask?" Reyansh asked back.


    "Because of what happened today." Aarav answered.


    "Well I definitely wouldn''t have been fine if you and Rin didn''t come for my aid." Reyansh said.


    "I am glad you''re doing fine now." Aarav said with a smile.


    A butterfly sat on Reyansh''s shoulders.


    "Oh wow, it''s beautifulll!! Let me click a photo!" Aarav said excitedly, taking his phone out of his pocket


    "No no, no please! Don''t click my photo!" Reyansh stopped him.


    "Why not?" Reyansh asked curiously.


    "Because I have social anxiety. I don''t know if it''s the right word, but I really can''t stand it, so please." Reyansh answered, his attention not diverging from the beautiful butterfly sitting on his shoulder.


    "Okay okay, no problem." Aarav said.


    ''Weird.'' Aarav thought, putting his phone back in his pocket.


    "I really love butterflies so much! This one especially, always sits on my shoulder whenever I am here. It makes me feel really happy! Before today, this was like the only friend I had, even though we can''t communicate with each other, if that makes sense." Reyansh said after a few seconds of silence.


    "No, yeah, I get it." Aarav said. He didn''t really get it but...


    "Anyway Reyansh, now that we are here, can I ask you something if you don''t mind?"

 Chapter 3: Passion

    "Anyway, now that we are here, can I ask you something?" Aarav asked.


    "Sure, what is it?" Reyansh said, giving him a questioning look.


    "You see, I have been wondering why you''re like this..." Aarav said.


    "What do you mean?" Reyansh said, not really getting the question.


    "I mean, like, you''re always sad and stuff. You always look depressed, you don''t talk to anyone, you always isolate yourself... Why? I mean, what''s the deal with you?" Aarav asked matter of factly.


    Reyansh gave him a quick smile and turned his attention away from Aarav.


    "Well..." Aarav said, realizing Reyansh wasn''t going to reply.


    "It''s nothing. I like to be alone. I am used to being alone." Reyansh said. Aarav could see a sad smile on his face.


    Aarav thought that it was perhaps not the right time to have conversations like those with Reyansh considering what he had to go through that day. So he decided that he''ll talk about it later, maybe after he gets to know Reyansh a bit more and if they get a bit closer than they are now. He decided to drop the topic for now.


    "Well, okay then... Umm... Anyway, can I be your friend?" Aarav asked.


    ''Friend... He wants to be my friend?''Reyansh wondered. He was really surprised.


    "A-ah, sure... W-why not... Sure, we can be friends, yeah. I mean, you were a god''s gift today! Yeah." Reyansh said, giving a nervous smile. "Glad to be friends with you." Reyansh and Aarav shook hands. It was a day and moment to remember for both of them, especially Reyansh. Such a long time before someone asked him to be his friend. He felt a bit better.


    "So... Tell me about yourself." Reyansh said.


    "Well, like what?" Aarav asked.


    "Hmm, like anything... Your hobbies, passion, life, ambition, goals... Anything." Reyansh said. He wasn''t really interested in knowing about Aarav''s life - he was, but not much. He was sure he lead a good life regardless, but as he didn''t have anything else to talk about, he decided to go with this and to be honest, he was definitely a bit curious about someone who helped him that day.


    "Well, my hobbies are... Umm, I like to play video games - I played a few games at a shop the other day and damn, it was really really fun. I also used to play Tekken games when I was a kid and that made my childhoold really good. My parents, unfortunately, don''t want me to waste my time on video games, so there''s that. And my passion is playing cricket. I love playing cricket. But my parents don''t want me to waste my time on that either. And I guess my ambition is to become a doctor." Aarav said.


    Aarav really was great at Cricket though, that was sure. Reyansh himself had seen him playing multiple times. His physique was really athletic as well.


    "Nice, playing video games huh? Yeah, they are really fun, I guess. Would really love to play a video game myself one day." Reyansh replied, getting along with the conversation. He was glad the conversation wasn''t awkward.


    "Uhh, so your parents don''t allow you to play them too?" Aarav asked curiously.


    "More like, my parents can''t afford." Reyansh corrected.


    "Oh... I see..." Aarav said, not sure what to reply to that. "So now it''s your turn. Tell me about your hobbies, passion, ambition, goals and whatnot."


    Oops, he didn''t expect Aarav to ask him the similar question back. Damn.


    "Uh, sure, I guess." Reyansh said, laughing to himself that Aarav wanted to know about a loser''s ambition and goals. "My hobbies, umm, I like to sing and I want to learn playing guitar someday..." Reyansh said. Aarav was surprised. "I also like to cook. And my passion is writing, I guess. I love reading and writing." Reyansh tried.


    "Really? What do you read?" Aarav asked.


    "Mostly manga these days." Reyansh replied.


    Aarav didn''t know what a manga is and wasn''t interested in knowing about it either.


    "Interesting." Aarav said. "Do you write?"


    "Yeah, once in a while." Reyansh answered. "I don''t really get time to do that much. I am always studying, you see."The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ''If he''s always studying, why isn''t he able to pass the exams? That''s weird.''Aarav thought.


    Reyansh was nervous. Part of why he was nervous was because he seemed to have creative passion and hobbies for a loser like him. He wondered what Aarav was thinking.


    He wished he could work on his passion but would a failure like him be able to do anything there too? He guessed no.


    "Well, I guess I have to go now. I need to study. Need to pass the year anyhow." Reyansh said, getting up from the bench.


    "Right." Aarav said, getting up.


    -break-


    Two days later, Dhairya was absent so it was the perfect opportunity for Reyansh to thank Rin.


    "Hey Rin. Thank you so much for helping me the other day. It means a lot to me! I hope I can be of some help to you someday as well!" Reyansh said.


    "It was not an obligation." Rin corrected him.


    "Ah, of course not. But still." Reyansh tried.


    "Don''t worry about it. Happy to help you~" Rin said smilingly.


    Reyansh wanted to ask her about her relationship with Dhairya and what happened later after he left but realized that he shouldn''t. For one, it was their personal matter. He shouldn''t try to interfere. Two, it might look weird to her. Three, and the biggest reason, he was just scared of having such personal talks. He still decided to ask her if she was doing fine though, no harm in doing that, right?


    "A-are you okay?" Reyansh asked nervously


    "Yeah, I am fine." Rin said. "Why do you ask?"


    "Well..." Before Reyansh could continue, "oh, because of Dhairya... No, don''t worry about it, I am fine..." Rin said nervously. Reyansh could see in her face that she was probably lying but didn''t push the conversation.


    "Glad to know." Reyansh said. "Well, see ya later then."


    -break-


    Two weeks later.


    Aryan had stopped bullying Reyansh but it wasn''t really surprising. It was probably more because of the coming exams than Aarav and Mr. Kashyap''s warnings and threats.


    Next day is their Physics exam, damn.


    Reyansh is studying.


    A knock on the door interrupted him trying hard to study.


    "Yes?" Reyansh asked.


    "Can I come in?" It was Reyansh''s mom. "Uh, Yeah." Reyansh answered.


    "Here." Mrs. Adani gave her son a cup of milk.


    "Thanks." Reyansh accepted, putting the cup on a table right to him.


    "No, drink it now!" Mrs. Adani said. "It would get cold otherwise."


    "Alright, I guess." Reyansh said, slowly drinking the milk from his cup.


    "So... How is the preparation?" Mrs. Adani asked.


    "Hmm, it''s a bit sugary. I prefer it without sugar." Reyansh said.


    "I am asking about tomorrow''s exam, dummy." Mrs. Adani said, facepalming.


    Reyansh gave her a fearful look. "Oh... No, it''s fine. It''s going fine, yeah. Don''t worry." Reyansh said, clearly lying.


    ''I really hate lying to my mom and I have no other choice but to do it... I am so sorry mom... What a fucked up life I am living...''


    "Good. Well, all the best for tomorrow''s exam. Goodnight~" Mrs. Adani said, leaving his room.


    ''I am still terrified of her.''


    -break-


    Next day, Reyansh went to the school earlier than usual.


    As soon as he entered the class, he saw Aarav, Rin and Arsh discussing about something, most probably about the exam.


    Reyansh tried to avoid them but Aarav noticed him. "Oh hey, here dude." Damn. Reyansh went to the group unwillingly. "How are you?" Aarav asked.


    "Pretty fine, I guess." Reyansh replied nervously. He was already so nervous about the exam and Aarav had to ask him such questions...


    "Hi, let me introduce myself. My name is Arsh Panjwani." Arsh introduced himself.


    Arsh Panjwaniwas seemingly the funniest student in their class, at least as far as the other students were concerned. He was a bit chubby in appearance. Everyone used to laugh to his comedy except Reyansh. He always found him annoying.


    "Dude, he knows who you are. We''ve been studying with each other for more than 10 years now." Rin remarked.


    "Right. Sorry about that. Let me take my introduction back then. Hmm, my name is Arsh, you must have heard my name." He said, winking to Reyansh.


    Aarav and Rin laughed but Reyansh was annoyed. It was his exam and Arsh was joking around, damn him!


    ''These guys are so cheerful. It''s so annoying.''He thought.


    "Anyway," Arsh said, snapping Reyansh out of his thoughts. "I was absent the other day but I heard about it all from Aarav and Rin. I am so glad. It seemed like Aryan is not going to bully you anymore, eh?" Arsh said, like he cared so much about Reyansh.


    ''Yeah, where were you when he bullied me for three years?''Reyansh thought to himself.


    Reyansh looked at Aryan and he seemed happy. He was talking with... Uh, who cares. Fortunately though, Dhairya hadn''t arrived in the classroom yet.


    "Yeah... It would have been messed up otherwise." Reyansh said, giving a nervous smile.


    "So anyway..." Now it was Aarav''s turn to speak again. "Are you prepared for the exam, Reyansh?" Aarav asked. THAT type of questions were the ones Reyansh hated the most.


    "I... Don''t think so..." Reyansh said, going for the truth this time. No point in lying to them.


    "Don''t worry!" Rin exclaimed cheerfully. "You can count on me! I''ll get you passing marks for sure!" Rin said enthusiastically.


    She really can help him if she wishes to. Her role number was right next to his as they shared the same first letter of their name. This could be a really fortunate for Reyansh. He never cheated before that day, because nobody was really willing to help him. He didn''t understand one thing though - why Aarav and Rin suddenly started to help him. That was really weird and suspicious. Did they have some hidden agenda behind them helping Reyansh? For now, one can only think.


    He realized he should concentrate on his exam rather than delving into such thoughts.


    He might be able to pass the exam with her help.


    "Alright, let''s go to our respective classes assigned to us." Aarav said.


    "Yes."


    Before Reyansh left the class to go to the class assigned to him for the exams though, he felt a creepy gaze coming from his right side. When he turned to his right, he realized that it was Aryan. He was giving him a gaze from the corner of his eyes. It was really creepy!


    ''What was the meaning of that? Why did he give me such creepy gazes?''Reyansh thought as he left the class.


    When Reyansh entered class assigned to him, he realized that he was going to be sitting right next to Madhuri in all of his exams.

 Chapter 4: Anemone

    Reyansh realized that he''ll be sitting with Madhuri in all of his semester exams. He gave her a dumbfounded stare, not understanding how he should proceed to his given seat.


    Madhuri hadn''t grasped the situation yet that she must sit with a "loser" as she was too busy revising.


    Reyansh proceeded to his seat.


    ''Should I tell hello and just smile? Or should I tell hello and wish her the best for her exams?'' Reyansh tried deciding as he sat on his chair.


    After Madhuri concluded her revision, she had a confident grin - as if she would excel the exam like she always does. With that smile, she glanced at her right and the smile promptly faded. Reyansh''s timid smile welcomed her.


    Oh no. That wasn''t... Why? Why does it have to be Reyansh?


    Madhuri gave a forced smile to Reyansh.


    Reyansh gathered all of his courage and murmured, "hello..."


    "Hello..." Madhuri whispered, then diverting her attention to her notebook. She didn''t want to look at the clumsy person.


    ''Oh god... I wanted to sit with Rin like I always used to during exams. What went wrong this time?'' Madhuri contemplated as she looked at Rin sitting behind her.


    Both Rin and Madhuri wished best of luck for the exam to each other.


    ''I wonder what she is thinking about me right now... Especially after what she witnessed three weeks ago...'' Reyansh reflected the harsh bullying on him carried by Aryan.


    "Hey." Rin patted Reyansh, snapping him out of his musings. Reyansh was extremely uneasy. "Don''t worry, you can count on me." said Rin, She must''ve noticed the fearful expression on Reyansh''s face.


    ''Why is she trying to help a loser like him?'' Madhuri mused as she gave a questioning stare to Rin, ''They never talked before in exams, Rin never tried to help him before, why now? Is it because... Maybe they are dating? But why would she date a loser like him? She is a bright student like me.''


    Rin stared back. "What?" She asked dubiously. "Why are you looking at me like that?"


    "Oh no, nothing," answered Madhuri. "I hope you do well."


    "Yes, you too!" Rin said smilingly.


    ''How am I going to cheat in front of my crush? There''s no way I am doing that. That would further ruin my impression. And here I thought I finally had some luck... Why does this always happen?'' Reyansh contemplated, pressing his forehead hard. These thoughts were overwhelming. He was trying his best to decide whether he was going to cheat.


    Mrs. Tanya, their Physics teacher, and Reyansh and Rin''s class teacher entered the class.


    ''No way! Is she going to be the invigilator of today''s exam? How am I going to cheat in front of her? She hates me the most out of the other teachers! Goddammit, I have the worst luck in the world!" Reyansh mused as he gave a fearful look to his teacher.


    After a few minutes, Mrs. Tanya distributed the question and the answers papers.


    Exams began.


    After reading the question paper, Reyansh was sure that without Rin''s help, he won''t be able to pass the exam. But he was in dilemma. He had two choices - either ruin his reputation further and cheat or fail the exam. Obviously, he decided to go with the former as there was no way he can afford to fail again because that would mean the ultimate failure. This was his last chance.


    While Reyansh was into such thoughts, he suddenly noticed Madhuri trying to cheat.


    ''What? Oh... Oh! So she cheats too?!?!'' Reyansh was positively surprised. ''Nice! Very nice!'' Reyansh had a bit of a smile as he started to cheat himself.


    After the first five minutes of success, Mrs. Tanya noticed Reyansh.


    "Reyansh!" she yelled. "Just because you''re going to fail this year, doesn''t mean I am going to allow you to cheat out of pity," she said. That was a warning.


    It was like Mrs. Tanya''s eyes were fixated on Reyansh after she finished her coffee. He was cheating cautiously and Madhuri''s methods of cheating were much more open and obvious. It''s not like Reyansh wanted Madhuri to get caught instead of him, but this was still unfair!


    Rin looked at the gloomy Reyansh. How was she supposed to help him pass the exam now?A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    ''Oh no, he can''t even cheat... I feel pity for him.'' Madhuri thought as she went back to writing the paper.


    Reyansh was not going to try to cheat again because if he gets caught, Mrs. Tanya might call his parents and there was absolutely no way he''d let that happen. He chose not to take any risk, accepted his fate as a failure like he was doing until now and looked down. It was his mistake to think that he can pass - even if it was with Rin''s help.


    Now that Reyansh was sitting idly, not writing anything, he started thinking about Madhuri''s opinions regarding him again. He knew his impression was further ruined now.


    Reyansh slept idly, looking at his right. He was depressed.


    After fifteen minutes, Mrs. Tanya went to Reyansh and snatched his answer papers. "Get out." She mumbled.


    "What..." Reyansh was perplexed.


    "Get out, I said." Mrs. Tanya repeated.


    Both Madhuri and Rin gave incredulous looks to Mrs. Tanya. Madhuri was sure Reyansh didn''t cheat again. What the hell was going on?


    Reyansh thought about it for a second. He was surprised. "But I didn''t cheat ma''am."


    "You did." Mrs. Tanya said, "Didn''t I warn you?"


    "Yes, but after you warned me, I didn''t cheat again. I wasn''t even writing the exam." said Reyansh in his defense.


    "Enough. No arguments." Mrs. Tanya said. "Are you going to get out or do you want me to take further actions?" Mrs. Tanya threatened. Reyansh realized what she meant. He got up from his seat and shuffled out of the classroom.


    ''Why didn''t he argue? This was wrong! She doesn''t have any right to punish the weak students without any cause! He didn''t cheat again, then why?'' Rin mused as she stood up furiously. She couldn''t take it anymore. "''But ma''am...!" Before she could finish her sentence though, Mrs. Tanya interrupted her. "Who gave you the permission to stand up? Sit down if you don''t want me to do the same with you." She said as she went back to her chair. Rin followed.


    Madhuri still didn''t have a clue on what was going on and she was giving incredulous looks back-and-forth to Mrs. Tanya and Rin.


    Not just Madhuri, but everyone was surprised at the event that had just transpired in front of them.


    "Everyone, focus on your exams." She said and everyone followed.


    Rin was really angry at Mrs. Tanya but more than that she was angry at Reyansh for not defending himself.


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    After the exam ended, the students went out of the school. Rin noticed Reyansh walking sluggishly. "Hey, wait!" she said, walking towards him.


    Reyansh knew that she was going to ask about the exam - something he wasn''t in a mood to talk about.


    "Why did you not say anything in your defense?" Rin asked seriously, not wasting a second.


    Reyansh realized that she was angry at him.


    "Look. Dhairya might see us. You better go for now. We''ll talk about this later."


    "Fuck him!" Rin cursed. "I don''t care! All I I wanna know right now is why you didn''t say anything in your defense. Like you accepted your punishment as if you deserved it... What the hell is wrong with you?"


    "Calm down," said Reyansh, gesturing her to calm down. "There was no point in taking it further, you know. It''s not like I was going to pass the exam anyway." Reyansh tried to defend himself.


    "That doesn''t mean you would accept the punishment for something you did not do." Rin argued.


    "Look," said Reyansh. "I am sorry but I had no choice."


    "You did. You should''ve taken a stand. It''s not like you were going to lose anything if you did, right? Because like you said, you were not going to pass the exam regardless of whether you accept the punishment or take a stand for yourself. Then why did you choose the former?"


    Reyansh was really getting annoyed. It was being too much for him to handle without losing his patience. "We''ll talk about this later. I am really not in the mood to argue here. Please."


    "Do whatever you want!" Rin left.


    Reyansh took off the glasses and wiped off the tears. His actions hurt both him and Rin. He wondered why Rin had become so caring suddenly as he proceeded to his home.


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    "How was your exam?" Mrs. Adani asked smilingly.


    Reyansh saw her smile and tried his best to suppress the tears.


    "It was fine mom." He said, taking his shoes off.


    "Glad. Your sister''s exam went great too!" Mrs. Adani said. "Lunch is ready, go wash your hands."


    ''I am sorry for lying mom.'' He mused as he went to his room.


    "I hate my life." He said, lying down on his bed.


    He was hopeless. He was going to fail the year now. Not only did he ruin his own reputation, but his family''s as well.


    "I really wish I was dead," he mumbled.


    After a few minutes, Reyansh''s sister knocked on the door. "Lunch is ready. Come on." She said.


    "Coming." he said, getting up.


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    Later in the evening, he went to the park. He noticed really beautiful Anemone flowers. He started walking towards the said flowers. Before he could pluck one of them though, he was stopped by a bespectacled boy around the same height as him. His hair covering his forehead.


    "Nah fam, you shouldn''t do that." the boy said smilingly.


    "I shouldn''t do what?" asked Reyansh.


    "That flower bro. You shouldn''t touch it." He said. The smile on his face wouldn''t disappear.


    "Why shouldn''t I? asked Reyansh. "It''s a beautiful flower and I love nature."


    "I love nature too!" the boy exclaimed. "That''s why I am here. But that flower is prettyyyyyy dangerous."


    "How exactly?" asked Reyansh dubiously.


    "Anemone species are sometimes targeted by cutworms. There are so many bacterial, fungal and viroid diseases associated with the said flowers. You better stay away from them bro." the boy explained.


    "It doesn''t make much difference to me," Reyansh said with a sad smile. "And really, don''t call me bro. It''s annoying." he mumbled.


    "Hahahaha~" the boy laughed. His laugh was really different and it sounded somewhat creepy. "What happened~? Were you abandoned by someone you loved~?" he asked funnily.


    ''Why did I stumble upon this annoying dickhead? What''s with the way he talks. He is creepy. I should leave as soon as possible.'' Reyansh thought. "No no, nothing like that. Don''t worry about it." he said.


    "Okay~. you can share about it later~." the boy said smilingly. "My name is Vansh, by the way." the boy introduced himself. "Nice to meet you."


    "My name is Reyansh." Reyansh introduced himself emotionlessly. "And it''s nice to meet you too." he lied.


    "There is~... No need~... To~... Introduce yourself~." said Vansh.


    "Why not?" Reyansh said. What a rude bastard.


    "Because~... I know~... Who~... You are~." Said Vansh, giving Reyansh a big smile.


    "What?! How?! How do you know me, I mean?" Reyansh asked shockingly.

 Chapter 5: Fated Meet

    "What?! How?! How do you know me, I mean?" Reyansh was baffled.


    "Well..." Vansh began with weird facial expressions. He looked at his left with the corner of his eyes and then to his right. Really, just what the hell was wrong with him? "...That''s a secret hehehe~." he said with a grin.


    Vansh was getting more and more annoying but before Reyansh can find out how Vansh knew him, how can he possibly get away from the conversation?


    "No, tell me," Reyansh said. "How do you know me? I am really curious."


    "I told you, it''s a secret." Vansh pouted.


    Vansh was getting more and more creepy as well. First, he helps Reyansh, then he acts rudely, and then he starts messing up with him. Reyansh really had enough of his bullshit and he decided he was going to avoid him from that point. He was on the verge of walking away from the conversation when Vansh said, "ummmmm, okay, here''s a deal - You help me with something and I''ll tell you how I know you the next time we meet. However, that is IF you agree to help me. How does that sound to you?" Vansh asked pleasantly.


    Reyansh had a wide variety of emotions swinging around his mind at this point. He was annoyed, surprised, confused and just so many other emotions he was not able to comprehend himself at that point. Did he really want his help? HIS help? Couldn''t he find anyone else? How did he know him? What was the deal with him?


    "Well?" Vansh asked, snapping Reyansh out of his thoughts.


    "What kind of help do you want from someone like me?" Reyansh asked with downcast eyes.


    Before Vansh could answer that question, he got a phone call. "Hello?" He picked up the phone. "Hmm, yes mom? ...I''ll be right there... No, I am just at the park... Mom... I think I finally found a friend! Yeah, he is realllyyy interesting! ...No, I didn''t ask him where he studies... No mom, I also don''t know if he is a Science student." he looked at Reyansh and gave him a grin as if he was lying to his mom. Reyansh wasn''t sure if that''s what the grin implied but he decided not to think too much about it for now. He had no idea what the hell was going on anyway. "I just met him today... Yeah, for the first time... I am sure he is my friend now because... I think we are similar in some way. Anyway yes, I am on my way to home. I''ll be there soon. See ya." He cut the call. He wasn''t as creepy-sounding while talking with his mom.


    "So Reyansh, my friend, I think I am going to head home now because my mom is reallllyyyyy strict and she wouldn''t at all be pleased if I am late, you know. She wants me to study aaaaaaa..." he said with a crying voice was obviously deadpanning. "About the deal... I think it''d be fair if I tell you what kind of help I might want from you when I am ready to tell you how I know you, eh? So... till the next time~." he gave Reyansh an extremely polite smile, waved his hand and left the park. Reyansh was too baffled to say anything. So many thoughts were running on his mind.


    Reyansh went back to his usual seat.


    Oops, Reyansh forgot to ask Vansh''s contact number or address. He didn''t want to meet Vansh anymore but he definitely wanted to know what kind of help he wanted from a "loser" like him. He was surprised when he asked for his help. It made him feel like he was... Needed? Reyansh wasn''t sure but he was kind of glad that he asked for his help even if he was joking. Another thing that he didn''t understand was how he looked interesting to him. He wondered what Vansh meant by "later" when he told him that he was going to see him later.


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    Reyansh was too depressed because of the exams so he decided that he was not going to go to the park before he is done with his exams.


    Two days later on their Chemistry exam, when Reyansh entered the class, he realized that Rin and Madhuri had already arrived. He went to his seat and looked at Madhuri to greet her but she ignored him, feigning unawareness about Reyansh''s arrival. She was pretending to study before the exams start.


    He had downcast eyes.


    Reyansh turned to his back. "Hey Rin... I... I am sorry for misbehaving two days ago..." He said nervously.


    "Don''t worry about it," Rin said. "I should''ve known that you might have your own reasons for not taking a stand for yourself. But perhaps you should talk to me about these "reasons" of yours someday and maybe that would convince me that you''re actually not weak and maybe there are other reasons." she said with a low smile.


    ''Weak... What does she mean by weak? Am I weak? Not taking a stand for myself makes me weak? Does... Not doing anything and keep getting bullied makes me weak even if Aryan is ten times more powerful? Is that what she is trying to say?''If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "Hey, are you okay?" Rin asked, snapping Reyansh out of his musings. "What happened?"


    "No... I-I am fine. Don''t worry." Reyansh said with a nervous smile.


    "Oh okay. Anyway, I''ll try to help you pass this exam. If you pass rest of the exams, you can just give a re-exam for Physics if you fail in it overall and move to the next grade." Rin said.


    It seemed there was still some hope.


    Madhuri heard the entire conversation and was more curious to know about Reyansh now than she ever was. She had so many questions like why Reyansh apologized to Rin, why Rin asked him to take a stand for himself from now when he was the one misbehaving and insulting teachers even when he was a failure? Even though what she saw two days ago contradicted her opinions regarding Reyansh, she still wasn''t entirely sure about anything so she decided that she will ask Rin about it after their exams end.


    He was wrong. There was no hope. Their Chemistry teacher was definitely not as unbiased and strict as Mrs. Tanya was but just like her, the teacher''s eyes were seemingly fixated on Reyansh. Other students were cheating as well but the teachers wouldn''t catch them as often. However, the same couldn''t be said for Reyansh. He tried to cheat once and he was warned. It was obvious that the teachers would look out for him though, as not only was he failing the year but he was also the most infamous student in the school. Anyway, he was not going to take any risk just like he didn''t take it in his last exam.


    He slept depressively. He had an ominous feeling that the teacher was going to casually come to him, snatch his answer papers from him and ask him to get out of the class as a punishment but thankfully, something like that didn''t happen this time.


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    Later that day, Madhuri went to her home and greeted her bed-ridden mother happily. "How are you mom?" she asked enthusiastically.


    "I am fine... Though, Nevermind about me... how was your exam?" her mom asked slowly.


    "It was great mom. You''ll see...! I am going to become a great doctor!" she replied energetically.


    "Yes... You''ll be a great doctor... My blessings are with you." her mom smiled.


    Madhuri couldn''t suppress her tears so she left her mother''s room, wiped off her tears and went to the kitchen to cook.


    Rest of the exams were mostly uneventful.


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    After the exams ended, Aryan and Dhairya were going somewhere in their car.


    "It would''ve been great if Arsh was with us," Aryan said. "It''s almost sad that he is no longer a part of this group. Imagine all three of us beating that piece of shit (Reyansh) together..."


    "Haha, yeah. Would''ve been a sight to watch." Dhairya agreed.


    After driving for a few minutes, they reached their destination. In front of them stood an apartment. They went to the second floor and knocked on the door of one of the rooms. Mr. Kashyap opened the door and shoed them in.


    "Please have a sit." Mr. Kashyap asked politely but when Aryan and Dhairya didn''t comply, he became sure that they were there to talk about Reyansh. Aryan had a serious look in his eyes.


    "I am going straight to the point," Aryan said intensely. "I don''t want you to interfere in my personal matter with Reyansh." he said.


    "Are you really asking me to just do nothing and watch you guys bully an innocent and weak student?" he asked with an undercurrent of anger in his voice.


    "Innocent...? Bully...? Oh, first of all, I am not BULLYING an INNOCENT weak student, okay? And second of all, it''s none of your business. So yes, I am going to repeat what I said - I want you to stop interfering in my personal matter." He warned.


    "Things you do to him... That''s clearly bullying." Mr. Kashyap corrected him.


    "NO!" Aryan yelled. "That''s not it... You... You don''t understand... ANYTHING!" he protested.


    "Bu-" before Mr. Kashyap could argue, Aryan interrupted him. "Enough! You do know that my uncle is the trustee of the school, right? Well, now, he is planning to buy the school itself. And you live in a relatively small place..." he looked around. "What''s the rent here? Will you be able to pay if, for some reason, you lose your job tomorrow?" he looked at Mr. Kashyap. "Are you getting my point? You have mouths to feed as well, don''t you? It would be good for you if you comply." he threatened as he walked towards the door to leave. "One more thing before I leave. I don''t like this place and I don''t want to come here again. So listen, if you don''t do as I say, you''ll lose your job. And if you still don''t stop interfering, you might lose something more." he threatened again as he and Dhairya left. Mr. Kashyap couldn''t say anything, being too shocked at the threat.


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    The day after their exams ended, Reyansh''s class teacher Mrs. Tanya entered the class with a boy around the same age.


    Reyansh was sleeping as he didn''t get enough sleep in the last few days because of depression and anxiety.


    He had avoided informing his parents about the results of his previous minor tests. He was able to do that because the school wasn''t necessarily strict on making their students get their answer papers signed by their parents but that was only for the minor tests and not for the semester exams. Who knows, the school might even arrange a parent-teacher meeting this time.


    Reyansh woke up because of the commotion in the class. He looked at the teacher and the boy with fuzzy eyes. After wearing the glasses, his eyes immediately widened out of surprise when he saw Vansh standing with Mrs. Tanya.


    "Dear students, this is my son." Mrs. Tanya said. "His name is Vansh and he is the new student in this class. Please welcome him."


    Vansh had a smile on his face as he started to look around the class. Reyansh took a book and covered his face because he had a hunch that Vansh was looking for him and he was in no mood to talk to an extremely annoying person at the moment. That, and he was creepy as hell.


    Vansh eventually found Reyansh and before Mrs. Tanya could say anything, "yay~!" he jumped and sprinted towards Reyansh. He quickly sat beside him in an empty chair.


    "Hello, my young friend. We meet again~." he said with a creepy smile.

 Chapter 6: Toy Binocular

    Reyansh gave a considering look to Vansh.


    "Okay guys~, clap for me and my best friend Reyansh please~!" Vansh said loudly with a smile.


    The students were too surprised at what was going on so none of them started clapping.


    "Guys...~ if you don''t clap, you might not get good marks.~" he said with a grin. After hearing that, everyone started clapping much to Mrs. Tanya''s frown.


    "Okay, good, good.~" Vansh said. He turned his attention to Mrs. Tanya. "Ma''am, I''ll be sitting here." he said cheerfully.


    "Why are you sitting there with Reyansh?" Mrs. Tanya asked with a scowl.


    "Why? Do I need a reason to sit with my best friend?" Vansh pouted.


    Mrs. Tanya didn''t want to sound discriminating so she didn''t say anything but her intention was to make him sit with Aryan since he wasn''t just the topper of the class but also the nephew of Mr. Brijesh Joshi, currently a trustee of the school and possibly the owner of the school soon. There were only two sits empty in the class, and he decided to sit with Reyansh. He was going to get a big scolding at home.


    She then said that their result will be announced 5 days later and that they will have to get the signature of their parents.


    ''Oh no. I think I am going to die. How the hell am I going to get the signature of my parents? I don''t want that smile on my mom''s face to disappear...''


    "Hey, what happened?" Vansh asked after looking at Reyansh''s fearful face, snapping him out of his musings. "Concentrate in the class man."


    "Right."


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    After the period was over...


    "It''s nice to meet you again." Vansh said smilingly.


    "It''s nice to meet you again too." Reyansh said, smiling nervously. He was lying.


    "Don''t lie." Vansh pouted.


    "Huh?" Reyansh asked incredulously.


    "Ah, nevermind." Vansh said. "So... You didn''t expect me to see here, eh?" he asked.


    "Of course not." Reyansh answered. "Dude, you''re starting the class in the middle of the year. Why?How will you pass the year? You''ve missed the minor tests and even the Semester exam."


    "Oh, don''t worry about that," Vansh said. "I''ll pass~." he said while looking at the blackboard.


    "How the hell will you pass?" Reyansh asked.


    "My mom is a teacher," Vansh answered. "I am here on a special case. For some reason, I couldn''t attend any school for the first semester of this year so if I pass the rest of the exams, they''ll pass me overall as well." he said.


    Reyansh had never expected that Vansh was the teacher of a bitch. What a lucky bastard.


    "Anyway," Vansh said. "Now that we''ll be sitting together, let''s introduce ourselves properly, shall we?"


    "Uh, yeah, yeah sure... I guess." Reyansh replied unwillingly.


    "My name is Vansh." Vansh introduced himself again.


    "Vansh... What?" Reyansh asked.


    "What do you mean?"


    "I mean, what''s your second name?" Reyansh clarified his question.


    "Oh no, I don''t have a surname," Vansh said. "Or, umm, more like I don''t want to have a surname."


    "Oh..." Reyansh said. He didn''t know what to comment on that, to be honest.


    "Let''s drop the petty introductions and get to something interesting, hmm? Tell me about your hobbies, interests, life, ambitions, desires, crush or girlfriend if you have any and whatnot." Vansh said enthusiastically.


    Reyansh was in no mood to talk about something like that especially with Vansh after he got the news of the results. Why was he so interested in knowing about him anyway? Not only was he annoying and creepy but he was extremely suspicious as well.


    "I am not interested to talk to you about something like that right now," Reyansh said annoyingly. "Besides, you should not be too interested in knowing about someone who''s a failure. Someone who has ruined his family''s name, someone who''s not even a normal human. So please."


    Vansh gave a questioning look to Reyansh. "Who said you''re a failure?"


    "I AM a failure," he said with a scowl. "You''ll know after five days."


    "You mean you''re gonna fail in these Semester exams?" Vansh asked.


    "Yes. And because of that, there''s no way anymore for me to pass this year. All of my... Uh, friends or umm, so-called friends will be going to the next class while I''ll be here repeating the year, wearing a metaphorical band of a ''failure'' on my forehead while everyone looks down on me next year too." he said with a sad look.


    "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA!" Vansh laughed hard which attracted everyone''s attention. What the hell was so funny about that? "Lol metaphorical band of a failure? Dude," he literally pronounced the word ''lol'' as it is. Weird. "Just because you''re a failure in the class, doesn''t mean you''re a failure in your life." he said loudly giving a hopeful smile to Reyansh. Everyone heard it and were baffled at Vansh''s statement.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Reyansh was shocked. ''What... What does he mean... I am not a failure in my life?'' he mused. "Vansh. You don''t know anything about my life."


    "I don''t need to know about your life to decide whether you''re a failure or not lol," he said looking at the ceiling. "No teenager can be a failure in their life. This is just the beginning, my dude." he said with a smile.


    Before Reyansh could reply anything to that, their Maths teacher arrived. It was the time for the Maths class.


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    After the Maths class ended, "Okay... I''ll tell you what," Vansh said. "After you are done with everything related to your semester results, let''s talk at the same park we met for the first time."


    "Why?" Reyansh asked depressively.


    "Well... Because I have something of mutual benefit." Vansh said.


    "Sure." Reyansh agreed and went to sleep until the next class starts.


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    After the school hours, Aarav, Arsh, Reyansh, and Rin met outside the school corridors.


    "So... You have a best friend now?" Aarav asked.


    "No, no. I wouldn''t call him a friend. Hell, I don''t even know him properly. I don''t know why he keeps calling me his best friend when we barely even know each other... Or, I mean, when I barely know him." Reyansh clarified sweatily.


    "Well, have you guys met before?" Rin asked.


    "Yeah. In the evening of the day our Physics exam ended, Reyansh said. "We met in the park. He saved me from touching a dangerous flower so I am thankful to him but he is creepy and just awfully annoying. I thought that I didn''t like him but on that day... I don''t how to describe... but he made me feel that I was needed. ...And today when he said that I am not a failure in life, I started questioning so many things... So I really don''t know what to think or say about him..."


    Oops, he said more than it was necessary. Why did he have to bring the failure part in the conversation?!


    "That''s true actually." Arsh agreed with Vansh. "Just because you''re a failure in school doesn''t mean you''re a failure in life." Aarav and Rin agreed as well.


    "Ah, I don''t know." Reyansh said. "He said he wants to talk to me but I said I wasn''t interested so he told me that he''ll wait until after I am done with everything related to my result." he refrained himself from mentioning the mutual benefit part as he didn''t trust them enough. Aarav and Rin suddenly started helping him which was suspicious.


    "Good." Aarav said. "Let''s see what he has to say."


    "Yes..."


    "Anyway Rin, I''ve been meaning to ask you something if you don''t mind." Arsh said, turning his attention to Rin.


    "Sure." Rin nodded.


    "How is it going with Dhairya?" Arsh asked.


    ''I''ve been meaning to ask her about her relationship with Dhairya as well but starting personal topics is difficult for me.'' Reyansh thought to himself.


    "It''s... It''s fine." Rin said nervously.


    "Are you sure?" Arsh asked. "Because I know Dhairya and from what I heard, he abuses you?"


    "Yes, I have seen that with my own eyes." Reyansh interfered. Rin gave an angry look to him for confirming the rumors.


    "That''s okay... I mean, I am fine being abused as long as he loves me." Rin said, turning her attention back to Arsh.


    "Wait, what?! Don''t tell me that you''re actually fine with all the abuses as long as he loves you!" Arsh exclaimed.


    "Yeah. I mean, come on Rin, you have to think about yourself first." Aarav said. "Do you have any idea how dangerous it can be to be in a relationship with an abusive person?"


    "I... Guess." Rin said nervously. "Let''s talk about something else for now."


    "No. You should break up with him as soon as possible." Arsh said seriously. "You do know that me, Aryan and Dhairya used to be friends, right? I know who he is. Trust me, you need to get away from him if he is abusing you."


    ''They used to be friends? Ah, now that he mentioned it, I remember the three of them hanging out on multiple occasions.'' mused Reyansh.


    "I love him!" Rin exclaimed. "Okay? Now can we talk about something else?"


    Meanwhile outside the gate of their school...


    "Hey, Vansh!" Aryan said, waving his hand. He was with Dhairya. "Long time no see."


    "Yeah, haha," Vansh said playing with his hair. "My god, how have you been~?"


    "I''ve been... Fine." Aryan replied. "What about you?"


    "I am always great bro~!" Vansh answered cheerfully.


    "Nice to know," Aryan said. "Anyway... You mentioned today that Reyansh is your best friend..."


    "Oh no, he is not." Vansh clarified.


    "Then what was that all about?" Aryan asked with an undercurrent of a scowl.


    "Oh well... All of that is because... Umm, you know, I want to have some fun with him." Vansh said.


    "What do you mean?" Aryan asked.


    "Ah~... Let''s just say I am associating myself with him to help you." Vansh winked. "I''ll provide you with all the information about the things related to him and in return, you will..." he whispered something in Aryan''s ear.


    "Sure, it''s a deal then," said Aryan, shaking Vansh''s hand. "How do you know that I hate Reyansh though?" he asked curiously.


    "I know everything fam." said Vansh. "Oh and one more thing, we won''t be talking in school from now because if Reyansh caught us talking, my plan would fail..." he said with a pretending sad look. "...And I can''t let that happen."


    "Don''t worry about it." said Aryan. "Whenever you have any information, just call me. Here''s my contact information..."


    After exchanging their contact information, Vansh looked at Dhairya. "Pfft, who''s this clown here?" he asked laughingly.


    "What did you just call me?" Dhairya asked angrily but Aryan stopped him before he starts a fight. "He is my friend," Aryan replied. "Any problem with that?"


    "Hahaha~, no, why would I have any problem with that? I like that strategy. It''s always great to have one or two clowns beside you to get some good laugh when you''re stressed. HAHAHAHAHA!" Vansh started laughing again.


    "YOU-!" Before Dhairya moves ahead to punch Vansh, Aryan stopped him again. "Bear it for now," he said slowly.


    "Keep your anger down, my man. You''ll have to go to the hospital otherwise." Vansh said with a grin.


    "He knows martial arts. You''d be defeated in a minute." Aryan informed Dhairya.


    Dhairya grunted. "I''ll fucking show you!" he said angrily as he and Aryan started walking towards Aryan''s car.


    "No, I''ll show you! I''ll fucking show you bro!" Vansh exclaimed.


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    "Mom, you wanted to see me?" Vansh entered the room with a toy binocular in his hand.


    "Yes. Let''s talk." Mrs. Tanya gestured him to sit down on the chair in front of her. Vansh complied.


    "What is it?" he asked, playing with his toy.


    "What''s up with you?" Mrs. Tanya asked with an undercurrent of anger in her voice.


    "What do you mean?" Vansh asked. He knew what his mom was going to talking about.


    "We had a clear discussion that you''ll sit with Aryan, then why did you sprint towards Reyansh like that and sit with him? That, and what the hell was ''clap for me and my best friend'' thing you pulled off? He is your best friend?! HE?! Why?! How?! When did that happen?" she asked angrily.


    "Calm down mom," Vansh said, leaving the toy at the table in front of his chair and grabbing his mom''s hand. "Don''t worry, I have everything taken care of. You really don''t have to worry about anything now~." he said smilingly.


    "What are you babbling about?" she asked annoyingly. "I want you to sit with Aryan tomorrow and that''s final!"


    "No~! Never~!" Vansh exclaimed kiddingly, standing up. "I am not going to sit with anyone except my dude Reyansh." he walked towards the door. "Now bye mom~, I have to study now~." he said cheerfully. "See ya later~.


    "Wai-" before Mrs. Tanya could stop him, he left the room.


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    After five days, Mrs. Tanya entered the class with her students'' answer sheets and the report cards.


    "Your results are finally here." she said.

 Chapter 7: Results

    "The results are finally here." Mrs. Tanya said excitedly but only a few students other than herself were excited.


    Reyansh had a fearful look on his face but, ''just because you''re a failure in academic life, doesn''t mean you''re a failure in your life itself.'' he reflected and looked at Vansh but he, on the other hand was looking at Aryan. Why was he looking there...


    Mrs. Tanya distributed the answer sheets and the report cards to her students and just like Reyansh expected, he failed in Physics, Chemistry and Maths and was only able to pass in English and Physical Education. Damn, how was he going to discuss this kind of result with his parents?


    ''I failed... I failed again... I had the last chance but I screwed that up too... Why am I alive... Just why...?'' Reyansh mused with a fearful look as he went through his results.


    "Woah~, you were right," Vansh said with a smile, snapping Reyansh out of his musings. "You really did fail, didn''tchu?"


    "Yeah, I did..." Reyansh said depressively with downcast eyes. He was sad because he had no choice but to discuss his result with his parents, and at the same time he was also awfully scared of the fact that now the whole class will be looking down on him including his teachers and maybe this time, his family might start looking down on him again after realizing that their son is a huge failure. Plus Aryan''s bullying might continue again.


    Aryan scored 89% and topped the class again. Aarav scored 87%, Arsh scored 84% and Rin scored 85%.


    After the class was over, "okay students, get the signatures done tomorrow. The school is going to conduct a parent-teacher meeting next month and it''s compulsory for all the parents to attend as we have several things to talk about. Your future, for example."


    ''Eh... She didn''t make fun of me in front of the whole class this time... What went wrong? Is it because of Vansh?'' Reyansh mused as he looked at Vansh but the other person was too busy looking at the ceiling. ''I guess I''ll ask about it at the park.'' he thought as he put his results back in his bag.


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    In the lunch break...


    "Did Reyansh fail again?" a voice came from Reyansh''s left and he promptly realized whose voice it was as his eyes widened scarily. It was Aryan and Dhairya again.


    "Oh, why are you looking at me with those eyes? ...What, are you going to finally complain to your parents about me? With marks like that?" Aryan and Dhairya laughed. "Why does this happen to you allllll the time?" Aryan asked mockingly.


    "Because it''s his fate?" Dhairya replied.


    "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" Vansh laughed hard, grasping everyone''s attention in the class including Aarav, Rin, and Arsh, just like he always does. "Who, in the hell, are you, to decide, his fate?" Vansh asked matter of factly, looking at Dhairya. "You barely managed to score about 50% yourself and you talk about fate? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" he laughed hard again. Reyansh was looking at him bafflingly and Aryan was too confused to say anything.


    Dhairya grunted. Seriously, just what the hell was this guy''s problem? "At least I managed to pass in all the subjects." he said.


    "Doesn''t mean you have passed in your life~." Vansh said, giving a stabbing look to Dhairya. This made him speechless. Aryan wasn''t sure what Vansh was talking about as he was supposed to be on his side. But he ignored his remarks for now as Vansh didn''t particularly remark anything offensive to him.


    "What''s going on...?" Rin asked Aarav and Arsh as the three of them gathered.


    "You sit here because Dhairya might abuse you again if you take a stand for us. We''ll see what''s going on." Arsh said as he and Aarav went to Reyansh.


    "What''s going on?" Aarav asked worriedly. He had half expected that Reyansh was being bullied again.


    "Look, bro, it''s okay." Aryan told Reyansh, ignoring Aarav. "I understand that you cannot do anything in your life. You cannot achieve anything. Once a failure, always a failure. Once a loser, always a loser. So why not try solving this problem? Why not do something about this situation? Are you fine living like this? Are you fine living as a failure, a loser your whole life?" Aryan asked with a grin. "Instead, I have two better options for you: either kill yourself or spread the message that you''re a failure in your society so that everyone can know who you truly are. You can advertise yourself as a failure with pamphlets and posters and have them spread everywhere in your society. Don''t worry I have enough money to lend you." he said, taking out ?5K (around 68$) out of his pocket. "Here." Aryan stretched out his hand but Reyansh was too shocked to respond. "Take. The. Money." Aryan said angrily. "Or die." he shrugged. Reyansh looked Aryan in the eyes and realized what he should do - he took the money hesitantly.


    "What the hell are you doing?" Aarav asked Aryan angrily.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    "Can''t you see? I''m giving him better options and you should stay away from my personal matters, really. Better not forget what I''ve done for your family." Aryan said, turning his attention back to Reyansh. "So, which option?" he said with a smile.


    Aarav got indignant at what Aryan just did but before he could punch him, Vansh caught his hand.


    "Okay now, everyone. Calm down, calm down~." he said, gesturing with his hands to calm everyone down.


    "You tried to put your hands on me?" Aryan asked Aarav angrily, ignoring Vansh. "You''re done for good, Aarav."


    "There''s no need to make a scene in the class, we might get suspended, brothers~," he said, feigning sadness. "Okay I''ve decided, Reyansh will go with option two." he said smilingly.


    Aryan was too shocked at what Vansh just said. He was too confused about what was going on. Was he trying to help Reyansh? But he didn''t specifically do anything offensive to Aryan or tried defending Reyansh... Hmm, maybe it was just a part of Vansh''s nature... Or his plan.


    "Later~." Vansh said, bowing down to Aryan implying that he should leave and that they can talk about it later.


    "Option 2 it is then. It should be done within two days." Aryan said, but as they took steps to leave, Aryan and Arsh''s eyes met. They gave a brief stare to each other for a few seconds, before finally leaving.


    "What the hell was that?" Aarav asked Vansh angrily. "Why did you stop me from beating him?"


    "What would have happened if a fight had broken out here?" Vansh asked firmly.


    "We would have gotten suspended?" Aarav replied.


    "That, anddd this matter would''ve been discussed with your parents by the teachers. Wouldn''t it~? Your parents would have got humiliated and insulted by everyyyonee in the meeting, and that wouldn''t have been that much fun now, would it?" he asked, giving sad expressions.


    Aarav''s eyes widened. Vansh was right.


    "Don''t try to take actions based on your feelings too soon, my man~. Anger is not good for anyone. Try to think about what''s the right choice of action from the next time." Vansh said as he poked Aarav on his forehead.


    ''Don''t try to take actions based on your feelings too soon.'' Arsh''s eyes widened as he reflected a fight that he had gotten himself involved with once.


    "He is right, Aarav. It''s Aryan we are talking about after all." Arsh said as they headed back to their respective seats.


    "You know..." Reyansh said with downcast eyes. "I was going to go for... Option 1..." he said nervously.


    "Why?" Vansh asked with narrowed eyes. He wasn''t too surprised at what Reyansh just told him though...


    "Because... I don''t know how I''ll be able to face my family with this result..." Reyansh said depressively.


    "What''s there in this stupid result bro, lol." Vansh said with a facepalm.


    "You can never understand my situation right now as you''re a new student..." Reyansh said.


    "More like, I don''t care what people think about me~." Vansh said with a grin. "Go through it, my man. Boom boom, you can do it~. You can realllyyyyyy do it~! YEEEEE!" It seemed Vansh became a bit crazier than he was before. There were times when Reyansh doubted if Vansh was normal, but then again he didn''t consider himself to be normal...


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    As soon as Reyansh entered his home, he saw his mom standing in front of him.


    "It was your result today, right?" Mrs. Adani asked with a smile.


    "Well... Yeah..." Reyansh said nervously as he started taking his shoes off.


    "Let me see them." Mrs. Adani said smilingly.


    Reyansh handed out his report card to her. His sister was a tad bit excited for her brother''s result too.


    "What''s this..." Mrs. Adani asked incredulously after going through her son''s report card.


    "That''s... It, mom. That''s what I am..." Reyansh tried to explain.


    "What do you mean ''that''s what I am''? You failed?!" Mrs. Adani asked shockingly.


    "Yeah, mom. That''s what I am... A failure." Reyansh said. He didn''t have the courage to look at his mom''s face. He was responsible for that smile to disappear after all.


    "Didn''t you tell me your exams were going fine?" Mrs. Adani asked, not realizing the full truth yet.


    "I... Lied. I was lying to you..." Reyansh tried his best to tell her the truth this time. He had no other option but to do it anyway.


    "You were lying to me... All this while?" Her mom asked shockingly. There was an undercurrent of both anger and sadness in her voice and that''s probably what Reyansh was afraid of the most.


    "Y-yeah..." Reyansh admitted sadly.


    "Why?!" Mrs. Adani asked angrily.


    "B-because... I was afraid to tell you the truth... You, dad and even Mansi... You all looked down on me just because I couldn''t perform well in the previous grade." Reyansh answered nervously.


    "Why would I look down on my own son?! However as you are, you are my son and I love you..." Mrs. Adani said with despair.


    "I didn''t mean to hurt you, mom." Reyansh said defensively.


    "I am not sad just because you failed... But more than that, I am sad because you were deceiving your entire family for the last 6 months." Mrs. Adani said.


    Reyansh looked at Mansi but even she was giving him mean looks.


    Mrs. Adani got tears.


    "Mom, mom... I didn''t... I didn''t mean to lie to you, mom... Please understand... Please. It''s not because I wanted to lie... Please mom, please..." Reyansh got tears but he quickly took off his glasses and wiped them off.


    "No, how can I ever trust you again? You''re a liar! We''ll discuss your result when your dad is home. Go to your room and get changed." Mrs. Adani said.


    "But mom-" before Reyansh could say anything, his mom went inside her room.


    Reyansh then went inside his room and closed the door.


    ''First a failure, a loser, and now... A liar. That''s really what I am, isn''t it? That''s really who I am, isn''t it? I am a failure of a person. Why... Why was I born in this world? Why...'' Reyansh mused as he started crying. He punched the wall over and over again as he got on his knees. ''I wish I was dead.''


    ''Reyansh was lying to me this whole time... I thought his exams were going fine, but no. Why did he lie to me? He hurt me so much today. Everyone''s going to ask me about this now...'' Mrs. Adani mused.


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    "Mom! Mom! I got my result!! I topped again!!!" Aryan yelled as he ran towards his mom''s room after the servant opened the door of the house.


    As soon as he went inside his mom''s room, "oh please. Get out of my room, let me rest for a while. I am tired. Can''t you see I am sleeping?" Mrs. Joshi said as she shifted her posture.


    "But mom... Look, I am first again! I topped! I did it again, mom!" Aryan said enthusiastically.


    Mrs. Joshi got up. She gave Aryan a mean look.


    Aryan''s eyes widened as he left his mom''s room. He then went inside his own room, ''I know... I just have to try harder...'' Aryan mused as he went to sleep.

 Chapter 8: Results (2)

    "Mom, can I ask you something?" Vansh asked Mrs. Tanya while eating lunch at home.


    "Eat your food first." Mrs. Tanya answered.


    "Mommm...!!" he feigned a cry. "Please!!"


    "Okay, okay... What do you wanna ask?" she asked curiously.


    "Umm mom, can I kill myself?" he deadpanned, watching his mom for a reaction.


    "What... What kind of question is that? Please don''t joke around with your mom like that!" she exclaimed shockingly. The question made her tremble.


    "Mom please, answer the question!" he feigned a cry again. "Can I pleassseeee kill myself~?" he deadpanned again smilingly as if the question was so simple to ask and something so easy to answer.


    "But why are you asking me something like that? Why do you want to die?" she asked huffily.


    "I''ll answer after YOU answer!" Vansh pouted.


    "No," she said, "you CANNOT kill yourself, okay?!"


    "But why mom?" Vansh asked childishly. "It''s an individual choice, right? If I wanna die, I can kill myself, right~?" he asked making a musing face.


    "No!" she exclaimed with anger. "What would I do without you?"


    "You would live without me?" Vansh answered.


    "No, I didn''t mean that. I meant how would I be able to live without you." She corrected.


    "If you can''t live without me, that''s your problem~." he said smilingly.


    "Vansh, please don''t ever ask me something like this! I would never be able to live without you! Please! Don''t ever think about doing it. I love you so much!!" she said. Vansh was extremely untrustworthy. She could never know if he is serious or joking and a question like that would make any mother tremble out of fear.


    "So, you say that you don''t want me to kill myself because YOU would not be able to live without me, isn''t that right~?" Vansh asked with a smile. "And then you say that you love me... So if you can''t go through life without me and that''s why you don''t want me to die, isn''t that more of an attachment than love?" he asked while touching his chin, making a thoughtful face. "Is it not being selfish? It''s like, ''please don''t die because I am so attached to you, I would get so depressed and lonely and sad,'' instead of ''please don''t die because there''s so much life ahead and you can always find happiness.'' or something like that, hmm~?" he asked getting up from his seat. This made Mrs. Tanya extremely shocked! Just what the hell was her son talking about? She was so speechless, she couldn''t say anything. "Anyway, I was just kidding lol, and sorry to bother you. You can finish lunch on peace now, haha~."


    She could never understand her own son. She reflected the time when Vansh was taken to a Psychiatrist four years ago...


    "Mom, I am not retarded. I am fine. Please don''t take me to a psychiatrist. I am absolutely fine..." Vansh said with tears.


    "No, you''ll have to come. Who said you are retarded? You''re not. There are differences between retardedness and mental illness." She said, trying to drag her son to the car.


    ''No matter how many psychiatrists I took him to, all of them had only one thing to say: ''he is fine''. But his unusual behavior would always make me think if my son is okay...'' Mrs. Tanya mused.


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    "So..." Mrs. Jain said as she welcomed her son. "How is your result?" she asked.


    "I scored 87%." Aarav answered enthusiastically.


    "Congratulations!" Mrs. Jain said as she clapped. "That''s great!"


    "Yeah, he did great, but...!" Mr. Jain said as he entered the house.


    Mr. Akash Jain, Aarav''s dad is a clerk in the school Aarav studies in.


    "I have been getting a lot of complaints from the teachers, the staff, and today, the principal himself talked to me about your friendship with Reyansh." Mr. Akash said. "Just how many times have I asked you to stay away from him? Do you not get it? Do you not respect me?"


    "That''s not it, dad! Reyansh is a good person, trust me!" he tried to explain.


    "Oh, of course, you''d defend your friend," he said matter of factly. "And how can I trust you when all the teachers are complaining about your erratic behavior in the class?" he asked. "How many times do I have to ask you to stay away from Reyansh?" he asked angrily.


    "My... Erratic behavior?" he asked shockingly.


    "Yes, your erratic behavior!" he said angrily. "You''re behaving erratically towards teachers. You disrespect and insult them. You should think about my reputation before doing these kinds of things. Please don''t make it any hard for me to work there than it already is for god''s sake!" he said frustratingly. "I am going to say this for the last time - I don''t want you to be friends with Reyansh... Or I would stop considering you my son."


    ''You''re done for good, Aarav.'' Aarav mused what Aryan had said earlier that day.


    Aarav looked at his mom but she was speechless.


    "But da-" before Aarav continued, he was interrupted by his dad. "Yes or no?" he asked.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    "But Reyansh-" Aarav was interrupted by his dad again. "Didn''t you hear me? Yes or no?" he asked with an undercurrent of anger in his voice.


    "Yes." he answered.


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    "So you''re third in the class, right?" Mr. Ahuja asked.


    "Yes, dad!" Rin nodded enthusiastically.


    "You''re such a wonderful child." Mrs. Ahuja said as she came from the kitchen. This made Rin smile.


    "Yes but, I heard that you''re going out with someone. Is that true?" Mr. Ahuja asked out of nowhere.


    "What?!" Rin''s eyes widened out of shock. "Where did he hear that from?" Rin asked. "No dad, don''t worry. I am not going out with anyone," she answered nervously. "I just hang out with my friends."


    "Female friends, I presume?" Mr. Ahuja asked.


    "Yes, of course." Rin answered. She didn''t even have any female friend except Madhuri and they rarely hang out with each other.


    "Please don''t do something which would make us bow down out of shame." Mr. Ahuja said.


    ''Why do you hurt me by flirting with other girls?''


    ''I wasn''t flirting with them. They are just my friends. They are my classmates.''


    ''You are not supposed to flirt with your classmates.'' Rin mused how she was almost caught dating her previous ex.


    "Rin?" Mr. Ahuja broke Rin out of her musings.


    "Oh, dad... Yeah, I won''t!" Rin nodded.


    "I am so glad to hear that." Mr. Ahuja said smilingly.


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    "I scored 84%." Arsh answered.


    Mrs. Panjwani smiled. "And how much did Aryan score?" she asked.


    "89%" he answered, realizing why the question was asked to him.


    Mrs. Panjwani''s smile promptly disappeared. She was suddenly unhappy with her son''s result. "Just when... Just when will your surpass him?" she asked with an undercurrent of anger in her voice. "Both Aryan''s family and our family are the richest families in the society. But no matter how many times I tell you, you''re don''t get it. If he can get the first rank, just why can''t you? Everyone talks about how Aryan is always ahead of you. When will you learn?" she sighed.


    "But mom, both of us have our own pros and cons (except Aryan doesn''t seem to have any pros except getting the first rank every damn time). You need to understand that. Just because he is scoring more than me, doesn''t mean he is better than me or vice versa." Arsh tried to explain like he always does.


    "I don''t want to hear your stupid explanations!" she said angrily. "Keep your philosophy to yourself. Getting third or fourth rank would not be enough if you want to be a good doctor. Do you have any idea how much your dad and I have struggled to get as rich as we are right now? It''s not so easy!"


    Arsh was tempted to tell her that it was his dad who struggled and not her but he stopped himself from doing it.


    "I know and I understand but mom, no matter how hard I try, I am not able to get the first rank. What else should I do?" he asked so matter of factly. He really did give his best every time.


    "That you have to see." she said with a scowl.


    "Alright mom..." he said depressively, giving up. He was in no mood to argue with her.


    Mrs. Panjwani went to the kitchen as Arsh sat on a chair.


    ''It has always been like this. Me, Aarav, Aryan and Reyansh used to be good friends four years ago... Especially Aryan. He was my best friend but every time I came home with my result, I was compared with Aryan.''


    "Mom, mom, I am finally second in the class!" 13-year old Arsh said enthusiastically.


    "And how much did Aryan score?" Mrs. Panjwani asked coldly.


    Arsh''s smile disappeared.


    ''Aryan this, Aryan that... My parents were always more concerned about their reputation than their son.''


    "Mom, I scored above 90% for the first time!" 14-year old Arsh exclaimed enthusiastically.


    "How about Aryan?" Mrs. Panjwani asked coldly.


    Arsh''s smile disappeared.


    ''They never tried to look at me. It was like a condition that if I want their love, if I want their attention...''


    "Mom, dad, look at me... Please." Arsh said while kneeling down, crying.


    ''...I would have to score better than Aryan first. And for that, I tried hard, I gave my best, I studied for hours each day and every day but it was never enough, no matter how hard I tried, I failed to surpass Aryan. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn''t get my parents'' attention. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn''t get my parents'' love.''


    Then one day four years ago, Arsh went to Aryan in the park as tears were running down on his face. "Why are you always ahead of me? Why are you better than me?" he said as more tears streamed out of his eyes.


    ''I started feeling jealousy. I was so jealous of Aryan that our friendship started to shatter into pieces. And slowly, that jealousy became hatred. I started to hate him. I always used to think, ''why is he always the one to get the first rank in the class and why not me when I am giving my absolute best''?''


    "What are you saying?" Aryan asked shockingly.


    Arsh promptly pushed him and a fight broke out. Aryan was too shocked to defend himself. Arsh knocked him down and punched him. "Why?" and punched him again. "Why?" and again. "Why?" and again. "Why are you always ahead of me?" and again. "Why?" and again. "Why?" and again.


    Arsh beat Aryan till he was tired and then he started crying. "Because of you... Everything is because of you!" he kept crying.


    After a few minutes, Arsh realized what he had done. His eyes widened out of shock.


    "I..." he said with his wide eyes and a shocking look on his face. "...I am sorry..." he tried to wake Aryan up but he wouldn''t wake up. Arsh couldn''t believe what he had just done. "I am sorry... Hey, I am sorry! Wake up!" he tried to wake him up again but he was unconscious. People quickly gathered at the scene and took Arsh away.


    ''Ironically, from that day, my parents started ignoring me more than they ever did as I had ruined their reputation. I really regretted beating my best friend that day. It wasn''t his fault. ''Why did I beat my best friend'', ''why did I beat my best friend?'' I kept asking myself the same question over and over again. I would spend hours crying because I had beaten my best friend like that.''


    Next day, Aryan came in the class with plasters on his chin, cheek, forehead and his right eye.


    "Hey Aryan, what happened? Who beat you?"


    Aryan didn''t say a word and proceeded to his seat. Students gathered around him and started asking him about his injuries but Aryan wouldn''t say anything. This made Arsh cry and curse himself even more than he was already doing at that point.


    ''And even though I wanted to apologize to him so badly, I couldn''t do it because I felt I didn''t deserve to be anywhere near him. I thought it would be better for him if he stays away from a piece of shit like me. Strangely enough, Aryan never tried to beat me back as a revenge. He would just ignore me and I would do the same. I wanted to talk to him, but I couldn''t. I wanted to be with him, but I couldn''t. I wanted to be friends with him again, but I couldn''t... Because how could I? There was no way he wanted to be friends with someone like me again.''


    ''To feel better, I would make people around me laugh... But that was never satisfying. I wanted Aryan to laugh, not anyone else.''


    ''...And suddenly, after a year, Aryan was changed. He started bullying Reyansh. He would only bully Reyansh and nobody else.''


    "Aryan, I know there are so many things that have happened between us but can you stop bullying Reyansh? Bullying is wrong! What are you trying to achieve by doing this?" Arsh gathered all the courage he could that day to face Aryan because bullying was just too much.


    "It''s better if you stay away from my personal matters." Aryan said as he left.


    ''And I couldn''t stop him from bullying Reyansh. I couldn''t stop him because I had no right to stop him. It used to be ''our'' personal matters back then, but it was ''his'' personal matter now. I didn''t just want to fight with him again no matter what but even if I was ready to fight with him once again, this time for a better cause, I still wouldn''t have as doing something like that would''ve tarnished my parents'' reputation further.'' Reyansh mused as he looked at the ceiling of his house. "I wish I could go back to the days when we were best friends." he smiled tearfully.