I should've known nothing good ever comes out of Adi thinking.

"We need a coincidence," Rohan said, rubbing his chin.

"A strategic coincidence," Adi corrected.

Rohan nodded. "One that doesn't make you look like a stalker but still gets you close to her."

They both turned to me with devilish grins. I immediately regretted sitting with them.

"Okay," Adi started, "here's the plan. We make sure you end up next to her in the canteen queue. Then, at the last second, you pretend to be broke and-"

Rohan caught on, grinning. "-ask her to lend you ten rupees!"

I stared at them like they had lost their minds. "You two do realize my dad is the trustee of this school, right?."

Adi patted my back. "That's the fun part, bro. No one knows you're a billionaire's son except us. This will make you relatable."

Rohan snickered. "Imagine the headlines Trustee's Son Goes Bankrupt - Needs 10 Rupees to Survive!"

I groaned. "This is the dumbest plan I've ever heard."

"Which is why it'll work!" Adi declared.

---

As planned (more like schemed), we ended up in the canteen queue. And, by some miracle (a.k.a. Adi's shameless shoving), I was standing right next to her.

She was scrolling through the menu board, deciding what to order, completely unaware of the chaos brewing beside her.

I exhaled and turned to Adi. "Fine. Let's get this over with."

Adi grinned and, in the most dramatic voice ever, announced, "Bro... I forgot my wallet."

Rohan, the terrible actor that he is, gasped. "No! How will we survive?!"

I rolled my eyes and turned to her. "Uh... do you have 10 rupees?"

Silence.

She blinked.

Her friend, Urvashi, who had been listening the whole time, snorted.

"Ten rupees?" she repeated. "Bhai, usse sirf five-star chocolate milegi."

Siya, her other friend, giggled. "Exactly! Inflation dekha hai?"

I wanted to disappear.

Urvashi smirked. "It's okay, though. Today, we'll treat, but tomorrow it's your turn."

Siya nodded enthusiastically. "Haan, itna to hum classmate's ke liye kar hi sakte hain!"

Adi and Rohan were straight-up cackling.

I was about to reject the offer (and my existence) when Adi dramatically sighed and said, "Oh my god, Yash, look at this. People care about you. Accept their kindness, bro."

Rohan wiped a fake tear. "We're not alone in this cruel world."

I glared at them. They were enjoying this too much.

Before I could die of second-hand embarrassment, Urvashi turned to Adi. "Also, tu kab se gareeb bana?"

Adi shrugged, grinning. "Bas, life mein naye experiences chahiye."

Urvashi rolled her eyes. "Naye experiences chhodo, tum bas free khaane ke chakkar mein ho."

That kicked off a full-fledged Urvashi vs. Aditya roast battle, featuring insults about food habits, exam marks, and who copied whose homework last week.

Meanwhile, I was just standing there, contemplating my life choices.

She, on the other hand, was smiling.

I may have embarrassed myself beyond repair, but if it made her smile?

Maybe-just maybe-it was worth it.

Some days, I wondered if I was just an extra in the chaos that was my classmates' lives.

Today was one of those days.

I was standing in the canteen queue with Urvashi and Siya, minding my own business, when I heard something ridiculous from the guys standing behind us.

"Do you have 10 rupees?"

I blinked.

Then blinked again.

Because the person asking was none other than Yash Khanna.

Yash.

The guy who definitely didn't look like someone who needed 10 rupees.

Before I could process this, Urvashi, being Urvashi, immediately snorted.

"Ten rupees? Bhai, usse sirf five-star chocolate milegi."

Siya, who was always ready with facts, nodded. "Exactly! Inflation dekha hai?"

I bit my lip, trying not to smile.

Urvashi, clearly enjoying this, smirked at Yash. "It's okay, though. Today, we'll treat, but tomorrow it's your turn."

Siya agreed. "Haan, itna toh hum classmate ke liye kar hi sakte hain!"

That's when I realized Yash was standing there, looking like he wanted the ground to swallow him whole.

His two friends, however? Absolutely thriving.

Aditya, his partner-in-crime, dramatically sighed like we were in a Bollywood movie. "Oh my god, Yash, look at this. People care about you. Accept their kindness, bro."

And then Rohan, the other one, wiped a fake tear. "We're not alone in this cruel world."

At this point, I was convinced these three had zero shame.

Yash just closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, and looked like he was seriously reconsidering his friendship choices.

That's when Urvashi turned her attention to Aditya.

"Also, tu kab se gareeb bana?"

Aditya, without missing a beat, shrugged. "Bas, life mein naye experiences chahiye."

Urvashi rolled her eyes. "Naye experiences chhodo, tum bas free khaane ke chakkar mein ho."

And just like that, the conversation devolved into a full-on roast battle between the two.

"Tujhse behtar toh mera dog hoga, at least woh loyal hai!"

"Tere marks dekh ke lagta hai tera dimaag bhi dog ke barabar hai!"

Siya and I just exchanged a look. This was going to take a while.

I glanced back at Yash, who, despite his earlier embarrassment, was now watching the argument with mild amusement.

And for a second-just a second-our eyes met.

There was something different about him today.

Maybe it was the way he looked at his friends, both exasperated and fond. Or maybe it was the way he handled the teasing-without anger, without ego, just acceptance.

I quickly looked away.

This wasn't my scene.

I wasn't someone who got involved in dumb, dramatic canteen moments.

I was just an observer.

And yet...

A small smile tugged at my lips.

Maybe-just maybe-this wasn't such a bad thing to witness.

I sighed, watching Urvashi and Aditya bicker like it was their life's mission.

"Tu bas free khaane ka bahana dhoondta hai!" Urvashi accused, arms crossed.

Aditya dramatically gasped, placing a hand on his heart. "Excuse me? I am a hardworking, self-sufficient student!"

"Haan, jo sirf attendance lagane school jaata hai," she fired back.

Rohan, munching on his sandwich like he was enjoying a live TV drama, muttered, "She's got a point, bro."

I shook my head. They are impossible.

Siya leaned toward me and whispered, "Kitne ajeeb hain na?"

I nodded, but-truthfully-I didn't mind.

Their chaotic energy was so different from my usual quiet, predictable life.

I wasn't one to join in such silly fights, but watching them? It was... oddly entertaining.

Just then, Yash, who had been mostly quiet (probably trying to recover from his 10-rupee embarrassment), turned toward me.

"Tum hamesha itni chup rehti ho?" he asked, curiosity in his voice.

I blinked at him.

For a second, I wasn't sure he was even talking to me.

"Uh... kya?"

"Mera matlab," he said, scratching the back of his head, "class mein bhi, tuition mein bhi... tum sirf sun'ne wali team mein ho. Kabhi participate nahi karti."

I hesitated.

Why was he asking? Nobody really cared about what I did or didn't do.

"Mujhe bas unnecessary baatein karne ka shauk nahi hai," I finally said.

"Aur necessary baatein?"

"Woh sirf zarurat padne par."

He smirked slightly, as if he had expected that answer.

"Toh kabhi kisi se unnecessary dosti bhi nahi ki?"

I frowned at his weirdly specific question. "Kya?"

But before he could say anything else, Urvashi suddenly grabbed my arm.

"Chal na, Siya! Yeh dono pagal hain, par hume aur pagal nahi banna," she declared, pulling me away.

Siya quickly followed, and we left the boys to their nonsense.

As we walked toward our classroom, I found myself stealing one last glance back at Yash.

He was still watching me.

I quickly looked away.

I didn't know what his deal was.

But whatever it was-

I wasn't interested.

At least, that's what I told myself.

---

"Mujhe bas unnecessary baatein karne ka shauk nahi hai."

Her words kept replaying in my head even after she walked away.

What kind of answer was that?

Who the hell didn't like unnecessary conversations? That's the best part of talking!

I turned to Rohan and Aditya, who were still snickering about the whole 10-rupee incident.

"Bhai, woh ajeeb hai," I muttered.

Aditya wiggled his eyebrows. "Matlab tu interested hai."

"Maine kab kaha?"

"Jis din tu kisike baare mein itna sochne lagega na, samajh lena khel ho gaya shuru," Rohan said wisely, like some old monk.

I rolled my eyes.

I wasn't interested. I was just... curious.

Kirti was different.

Not in a Oh wow, she's so unique, I've never seen a girl like this before way.

More like a "Why is she the only one who doesn't act like the rest of us?" way.

She wasn't shy, but she didn't speak unless necessary. She wasn't rude, but she didn't bother with casual friendliness either.

She had friends, but only two.

She was unbothered.

And for some reason, that bothered me.

The moment Mr. Sharma finished distributing the quiz papers, the class settled into its usual post-results chaos—some crying over their fate, others celebrating their survival. I leaned back in my chair, smirking as I glanced at my paper. 49 out of 50. Not bad. Actually, great.

"Toh bhai topper banna kaise lag raha hai?" Rohan nudged me, grinning.

"Hamesha ki tarah," I shrugged, acting like it was no big deal.

But Aditya?

Aditya was going through the five stages of grief.

"Bhai, 18 marks! Sirf 18!" he whined, shaking his paper like it was personally responsible for his suffering. "Yeh Sharma sir ka dukh nahi dekha jaa raha mujhse!"

"Mere se bhi nahi dekha jaa raha," Mr. Sharma muttered from his desk.

The whole class erupted into laughter.

"Tera kuch nahi ho sakta, bro," Rohan sighed dramatically. "Ab toh tu scholarship ka sapna bhi chhod de."

"Bhai, maine kabhi scholarship ka sapna dekha hi nahi!" Aditya shot back.

"Aur kabhi dekhega bhi nahi," I added, smirking.

He groaned. "Yaar, tu mera dost hai ya dushman?"

"Main tera dost hoon," I patted his shoulder, "bas sach bol raha hoon."

Just then, Mr. Sharma clapped his hands. "Alright, back to class. No more jokes."

We all quieted down.

He started explaining the solutions to the questions. I listened for a while, but then… my eyes wandered To her.

Kirti.

Sitting in her usual spot, completely focused, eyebrows slightly furrowed as she scribbled notes.

I smirked.

Math class? Aur concentration itna? Interesting.

But just as I was about to look away—

She turned.

And caught me staring.

Shit.

My brain short-circuited.

For a solid second, we just… stared at each other.

Then she blinked. I blinked.

I panicked.

And did the worst possible thing.

I grabbed my notebook and pretended to be writing something.

Problem?

Notebook was upside down.

Freaking upside down.

Kirti’s eyes flickered down to my notes.

Then back up at me.

And I swear—I saw the tiniest smile on her face.

But before I could confirm, she turned back to her book, leaving me sitting there like an absolute idiot.

Aditya, of course, noticed.

"Bhai, tu abhi tak zinda kaise hai?" he whispered, eyes wide. "Agar koi mujhe aise pakad leta na, toh main school chhod ke bhag jaata."

"Shut up," I hissed, flipping my notebook the right way. "Kisi ko pata nahi chalega."

Unfortunately, Rohan overheard.

And loudly announced—

"Yash ka notebook ulta hai!"

The whole class turned to look at me.

I wanted the earth to swallow me right there.

Even Mr. Sharma looked up. "Yash, kya ho raha hai wahan?"

I cleared my throat, pretending to be unbothered. "Sir, bas notes likh raha tha."

"Haan sir," Aditya smirked. "Bas ulta likh raha tha."

The class lost it.

Even Mr. Sharma almost smiled before shaking his head. "Back to work, everyone."

I shot daggers at Aditya and Rohan, who were dying of laughter.

"Bhai, tujhe ab naye naam milne wale hai," Aditya teased. "Ulta Topper, ya phir Pyaar Mein Gadbad Khopdi?"

I groaned, slamming my head on the desk.

Across the room, Kirti still hadn’t turned back.

But I knew she was smiling.

And that?,

That was worse than the embarrassment.