Author pov....

The teacher was mid-sentence when the bell rang.

"Oh," she said, checking the time, "looks like it's lunchtime. If anyone has questions regarding today's class, you can meet me in the doubt room."

She gathered her belongings and smiled politely.

"We'll continue tomorrow. Have a good day."

As soon as she left, the classroom buzzed back to life.

Tanya walked straight toward Ishana's desk, her shoes clicking with purpose.

"Wow," she said, eyeing the empty seat beside Ishana.

"Tumhari kismat bhi na… bilkul kharab hai."

(Your luck is really terrible.)

"Sitting next to… that thing."

She didn't even bother lowering her voice because it was meant for Diya.

"Oh, thank you," Diya replied brightly.

"Waise sab mujhe weird hi kehte hain."

(By the way, everyone calls me weird.)

Her cheerfulness made Tanya's mockery fall flat.

Tanya frowned and she looked at Ishana with a question all over written on her face.

"Iske saath problem kya hai?"She muttered.

(What is wrong with her)

"Ignore her," Ishana said coldly, not even lifting her eyes from her book.

"Iske jaise log attention pe jeete hain."

(People like her survive on attention.)

"She's not worth your time."

Tanya sighed, then turned back to Diya.

"So," she said sharply, "what's your name ?"

Diya tilted her head, smiling."Pehle aap  batao."

(You tell me first.)

Tanya slammed her hand on the desk in irritation and anger.

"Ouch!" Diya winced dramatically.

"Arre dheere… itna gussa sehat ke liye accha nahi hota."

(Easy… this much anger isn’t good for your health.)

Tanya clenched her jaw, her eyes flashing with anger.

"Let's go to the canteen," Ishana said suddenly, standing up. Her voice was calm but final, she stood up from her seat and looked at Tanya with her eyes meant to leave from there she started to walk and didn't look back.

Diya watched her leave, her smile fading just a little.

"St. Alden Academy…" she murmured.

"Yeh saal interesting hone wala hai."

(This year is going to be interesting.)

Cafeteria......

The cafeteria was packed.

Voices overlapped, chairs scraped against the floor, and chaos grew louder with every passing second.

Arnav stood quietly near the counter, carefully filling his plate, trying not to draw attention.

"Heyyy... Aaaarnav," a voice drawled from behind him.

Arnav froze.

"Ghar pe khana nahi milta kya?"

(Don’t you get food at homThe the boy continued, a mocking smile stretching across his face.

He roughly grabbed his collar and started laughing at him.

Before Arnav could react, a strong arm wrapped around the boy's neck from behind. The grip was sudden and unyielding.

The boy choked, struggling to free himself from a strong grip.

"S-Sarthak! Chhod de yaar!"

(Let him go Another student pleaded.)

"Hum classmates hain! Is gutter ka side kyun le raha hai?"

(We’re classmates! Why are you siding with this gutter trash?)

Sarthak smirked slightly and loosened his grip, letting the boy gasp for air. But before anyone could relax, Sarthak grabbed him by the collar and yanked him closer.

"Gutter?" he repeated calmly.

"Tell me who is gutter here," he aggressively grabs his collar.

"Apni aukaat dekhi hai kabhi?"

(Have you ever looked at your own work?)He added, smiling. "You know damn well who's what here, you-"

"Wow," a voice cut in smoothly. "Phir se hero ban rahe ho?"

(Playing the hero again?)

Sarthak released the collar and turned toward the sound.

"As expected from Sarthak Agnihotri." the person speaks.

"At least main koshish toh karta hoon," Sarthak shot back.

(At least I try.)

"Unlike someone who only knows how to show off." his voice sharp as a blade.

The noise in the cafeteria slowly died down.

All eyes were on them now. Sarthak stepped toward the voice, his expression unreadable.

"Mr Kunal," he said coldly.

"Papa se permission leke aaye ho bolne ki?"

(Did you get your daddy’s permission to speak?)

Kunal's jaw tightened. His fist clenched as he lunged forward but someone grabbed his wrist.

Kunal turned sharply.

"Why the hell do you always interfere?

He shoved Ishana aside, shaking her grip off.

"Oh right," he sneered, his eyes burning red.

"Tum to meri baby sitter ho na " (You're my babysitter)

Ishana straightened, unfazed. She met his gaze without blinking.

"Yes, she said calmly.

"I am. Because this baby clearly needs one."

Her voice was calm but somehow, it hurt worse than a slap.

Sarthak let out a chuckle, running a hand through his perfectly styled hair.

"Well then, Miss Ishana," he said lazily, "make sure you take good care of your child."

The air around them turned sharp.

No one dared to breathe. Ishana turned toward Sarthak, making a playful hand gesture

"I don't take orders from someone who can't even pass without his friends' help."

Sarthak chuckled softly. He reached out and gently brushed a strand of hair behind Ishana's ear.

"It's alright," he said calmly. "That's still a thousand times better than being someone's babysitter."

For a split second, Ishana's smile vanished.

Then she leaned closer, her voice dropping as she spoke near his ear.

"It's okay, Sarthak," she whispered. "At least I'm not a failure like you."

Sarthak froze for a sec.

He shifted, resting his hand against the table beside him, letting out a humourless laugh.

"That's rich-coming from you."

"What happened, Sarthak?" Kunal cut in with a mocking tone.

"Got into an accident again?"

The cafeteria had gone unnaturally quiet.

Every eye was on them, yet no one stepped forward.No one dared to interrupt.

No one dared to take a side. A slow clap echoed from a distance.

"Wow," a voice drawled. "Fighting again?

Sarthak, Ishana, and Kunal all turned toward the sound.

"Ishana,

The newcomer said casually, draping an arm over her shoulder "Why are you even talking to losers like them?"

Ishana glanced at him-and immediately shoved his hand away.

"I'm not talking to them," she said coldly" crossing her arms. Her gaze swept across the cafeteria.

"I'm just reminding them that everyone is watching."

"Oh Kabir," Kunal cut in, breaking the tension. "When did you get back from vacation?"

He stepped forward and pulled Kabir into a hug.

Kabir returned it easily.

"Today," he replied. "Just got back."

Kabir turned toward Sarthak and said, "Dude!" before hugging him.

Sarthak hugged him back