The bell rang, loud and sharp—cutting through the hallway noise like a knife.

Ridrakshika stormed out of the class, her face unreadable but her steps... furious. Her eyes were slightly red, jaw clenched. Esha and Sanskar tried calling her name, but she ignored them completely.

Behind her, Adyansh followed, guilt tightening around his chest like a vice.

"Thunder!" he called, walking faster. "Ruko na, yaar. Please."

She didn’t even flinch.

He finally caught up to her just outside the main building, grabbing her wrist gently. “Just... talk to me, Ridrakshika. Please.”

She jerked her hand away, turning to face him. The rage in her eyes hit him like a punch.

“Talk to you?” she hissed, voice low but heavy with emotion. “After everything?”

Adyansh took a step closer, his tone soft. “Mujhe laga tha... tumne galti ki hogi. I was scared for Aanya—”

She cut him off, trembling. “And tumne ek second bhi nahi lagaya mujhe blame karne se pehle? Tumhare liye main sirf ek suspect thi?” Her voice cracked. “Adyansh, I didn’t even get a chance to explain!”

“I panicked—”

“You humiliated me in front of everyone! Called me careless, irresponsible... jaise main koi stranger hoon!” she spat, her voice rising.

Students nearby had begun to slow down, their heads turning.

“And the worst part?” she continued, eyes brimming with unshed tears. “Tumhare ek sorry se sab theek nahi hoga. Main tumse expect hi nahi karti thi ki tum mujh par trust karoge. Aur tumne exactly wahi kiya... jo baaki sab karte hain.”

Adyansh’s mouth parted slightly, stunned silent.

Her next words came slower, heavier. “Maybe I was stupid to think... ki humari dushmani me shayad thodi si dosti ki jagah hai par nahi, tumne aakhir mujhe galat prove kar hi diya.”

He tried again, stepping forward. “Please, ek chance—”

But Ridrakshika held up a hand, stopping him cold.

“Nahi dena koi chance,” she whispered. “I’m done.”

She turned around and walked away, her back stiff with restraint, hiding the storm inside her.

And from a little distance, leaning casually near the notice board, Tanisha watched it all unfold with a cruel, satisfied smirk.

Her eyes followed Ridrakshika’s retreating figure and then shifted to Adyansh, whose entire stance had crumbled—shoulders low, eyes hollow.

“Finally,” Tanisha murmured to herself. “Everything’s going just the way I wanted.”

And in that moment, the air shifted again. The storm wasn’t over.

It had just begun.

------

Adyansh stood rooted, his fists clenched at his sides, knuckles whitening. His heartbeat roared in his ears louder than the murmurs around him.

"She walked away."

Those words echoed on a loop in his mind, each repetition twisting like a dagger.

Sanskar appeared beside him, his face tight. "Dude... you messed up."

"Yeah, thanks for the reminder," Adyansh muttered, rubbing his forehead.

"She trusted you," Esha added quietly. "Even after everything. And you— you broke that."

“I know!” he snapped, then sighed and looked away. “I know I screwed it up. But I didn’t mean to. I was—”

“—scared. We get it,” Sanskar interrupted, tone softening. “But it wasn’t about fear, bro. It was about faith. And right now? Yours failed.”

Adyansh looked down, then silently turned around and walked away. Not toward class. 

Toward the only place that could give him a shot at fixing things.

----

The basketball court stood eerily silent, except for the dull thump of a ball hitting the ground—again and again—until it bounced off toward the corner. Adyansh stood in the middle of the court, hands on his waist, breathing hard. He had come here to clear his head, but instead, every dribble reminded him of his failure. Every bounce echoed her voice, her hurt, her silence.

And then… the sound of slow, mocking claps broke through the quiet.

Rehan Oberoi.

Leaning casually against the bleachers, arms crossed, wearing that smug smirk that had always made Adyansh’s blood boil. He pushed off the railing and walked closer, letting each footstep fall heavier than the last.

“So this is where the mighty Adyansh Sachdeva hides when he loses his cool?” Rehan drawled, circling him like a predator. “Kya hua? Thunder chali gayi haath se? Must hurt like hell, bro.”

Adyansh clenched his jaw but didn’t respond. He turned away, not wanting to give Rehan the satisfaction of a reaction.

Rehan, of course, couldn’t stop.

“Tu soch raha hoga na—‘haan bhai, nikal gayi ladki haath se!’” he mocked with a fake gasp, eyes gleaming. “Pehle dosti, phir care, aur ab? Kya pyaar bhi ho gaya tha?”

That was it.

In one fluid motion, Adyansh turned and slammed Rehan against the fence, grabbing his collar with fire in his eyes. “Tujhse baat karna bhi mere standards ke neeche hai, Rehan,” he said coldly. “par aaj, tu deserve karta hai.”

Rehan pushed him back roughly, grinning like a devil. “Bata na kaisa laga tujhe, uska bhrosa tod ke?”

Fists flew. The first punch landed on Rehan’s jaw, harsh and unrelenting. Rehan staggered back but retaliated, shoving Adyansh, who hit the metal post behind him, then launched forward again with another punch. The court echoed with the thud of their blows, students from the far end of the field began running over, shouting, phones coming out to record.

Esha and Sanskar, alerted by the chaos, rushed toward the court. Ridrakshika followed close behind, her heartbeat thundering in her chest.

“Adyansh?” Sanskar called out.

But by the time they reached, the scene had escalated too far. Adyansh had Rehan on the ground, one knee digging into his chest, fist raised for another hit—when Ridrakshika screamed.

“ADYANSH, STOP!”

Everything halted.

Adyansh froze mid-air, his chest heaving, knuckles shaking. He turned—eyes wild—only to meet hers.

Ridrakshika.

Her expression wasn't scared. It was shattered. Disbelief swirled in her eyes, and that somehow stung more than any punch Rehan could ever throw.

He slowly lowered his hand, releasing Rehan’s collar. Rehan coughed, pushing himself up with a mocking laugh. “Dekha? She’ll never be yours. She doesn’t even look at you the same way now,” he spat.

Adyansh didn’t reply. He just stood there, defeated in silence.

Ridrakshika didn’t say a word either. She turned away from Rehan and stepped back.

And Adyansh?

He walked. Away from all of it.

Away from the court.

Away from the crowd.

Away from the girl he couldn’t even apologize to.

He disappeared around the corner, heading somewhere—anywhere—that could silence the war in his chest.

Behind them, Rehan dusted off his shirt and smirked, casting a victorious glance toward Ridrakshika.

His expression said it all.

He had won.

At least… for now.

__________________________________

Stay tuned for further updates 🎀 ✨

~shanshya🧿