KHSS___
Zorvath is walking through the corridors of KHSS, his steps slow and controlled. He isn't heading anywhere in particular—he is listening. Voices drift toward him from different corners, broken whispers forming gossip groups.
Gossip Group One__
A girl whispers, "So… are you guys going to participate in the Sports Day?"
Another girl hesitates. "Yeah, Zorvath says we should, but my mind just isn't agreeing."
"How can we go there after everything that happened?" a third girl asks.
"And I'm sure Zorvath is hurting the most."
Someone adds, "What about Rithul? He must be completely heartbroken."
"I agree," another girl says. "Zorvath too. He's acting strong, but there's no way he isn't."
A girl frowns.
"Then why did he agree to this? He was the one who pushed us, right?"
"Maybe Aria forced him," another girl suggests.
A boy scoffs.
"Do you think our Zorvath is a kid who gets forced around?"
"There has to be a reason behind this," he says.
Some don't agree.
Zorvath's jaw tightens as he continues walking.
Gossip Group Two__
A boy says, "The past is the past. Zorvath has a point. We can't hide forever."
A girl snaps back, "What do you mean? I can't even face that place." "I can't even look at that block."
"And I heard the Sports Meet is happening in the same auditorium," another girl says nervously. "If the stadium was different, maybe I'd think about it."
"It's not the auditorium," one girl says quietly.
"It's the crowd. Everything gives me the vibe of that day—the most tragic day."
A boy tries to reason, "Let's focus on the present."
Another boy sighs.
"Yeah, but when I think about Rithul, it just makes me sad."
"And isn't Aria being a little too much?" someone mutters.
Zorvath stops.
Anger burns in his chest.
He turns sharply and walks toward the hall. Spotting Leo, he says,
"Call a meeting."
Then he looks at Mirzand.
"Where is RITHUL?"
Mirzand hesitates.
"He hasn't come to school today."
Zorvath goes silent for a moment. Then he lifts his hand toward Leo, who is about to announce the meeting.
"Stop," Zorvath says.
He turns away.
"First, ask Rithul to meet me."
With that, Zorvath walks toward the rooftop.
Leo and Mirzand look at each other.
What the hell just happened?
After 2 days____
In the playground of KHSS, students are busy practicing. Danvy stands at the center, giving instructions like a true leader. Whistles blow, footsteps thud, voices echo—but Sona doesn't hear any of it.
She sits in the resting area beside Sreya, her eyes fixed on her phone. Again. And again.
Sreya notices.
"Did Aria text you?" she asks softly.
Sona shakes her head. "No. Did she text you?"
Sreya exhales. "She texted me two days ago. That day… I wasn't in the mood to reply. Later, when I texted back, her messages were gone. I called her. She didn't answer. I don't know what's happening."
Sona's grip tightens around her phone.
Just then, Danvy jogs over after a round of running.
"What are you guys talking about?" she asks casually, then pauses. "Hey—where's Aria?"
Sona and Sreya fall silent.
"Haven't you two cleared things up with her yet?" Danvy asks.
Sona looks up. "Did you?"
Danvy nods. "She texted me. I replied and asked her to wait for two weeks."
Sona and Sreya speak together, startled.
"Why?"
Danvy looks at them steadily. "Because I thought it'll take two weeks for you to clear your minds."
Both of them go quiet.
Sreya frowns. "Why are you so chill about this? Aren't you angry at Aria?"
Danvy's expression hardens. "Why should I be? What did she even do wrong?"
She takes a breath, her voice firm now.
"The only mistake Aria made was loving us. Everything she did—she did it for us. Just imagine. She could've left KHSS anytime and gone to GHSS. Her crush is there. A safer life. A better future."
She looks straight at Sona.
"But she stayed here. For us. She chose KHSS. She chose to raise this place for us."
Danvy's voice trembles slightly.
"And we didn't even tell her the truth. We stayed silent. And when she acted without knowing everything, we blamed her."
She steps closer.
"I'm ashamed of you, Sona."
Sona lowers her eyes, the words hitting harder than any shout.
Sona finally speaks, her voice trembling, on the edge of breaking.
"Yeah… I understand," she says quietly. "That day, I was angry too. I don't even know why—don't ask me why. Everyone was angry, so I was too."
She swallows hard.
"But when I think about it now, I understand. Aria was innocent. Zorvath was right. It's me who didn't change."
Her eyes blur.
"And now… now I can't even tell her the truth."
She lets out a shaky breath.
"I thought after a few days, once I cleared my head, Aria would still be there—walking behind me, begging me to talk to her. Smiling at me like she always does."
Her voice cracks.
"But now… when I turn back, she's gone."
Sona looks down at her hands.
"I don't even know where she is. And I keep feeling like… she's moving farther and farther away from me."
Sreya lowers her head, her voice just as heavy.
"Yeah. I thought the same. I thought after everything, she'd come to us like always, trying to fix things."
She pauses.
"But this time… I think we actually hurt her."
She looks at Sona.
"We blamed her. We disliked her. We almost hated her… for something she didn't even do."
Silence settles between them—thick, regretful, unbearable.
Danvy says, "There was an idea in my head, but since you both weren't ready, I didn't share it."
Sona and Sreya look at her.
Danvy continues, "Let's just go and check on her at her house."
They all look at each other.
Then a voice comes from behind them.
"No use."
They turn around.
Leo is walking toward them. Behind him, Mirzand follows.
Mirzand says, "We already went there yesterday."
Sona's heart drops.
"What do you mean?" she asks.
Flashback__
In front of Aria's house, Mirzand and Leo arrive early.
Leo is wearing a neatly pressed white shirt and well-fitted trousers. His hair is tied properly, his shoes are clean, and for once, he doesn't look like himself. He looks… respectable. Suspiciously respectable.
He had even asked Mirzand to dress properly for once.
Mirzand, however, shows up in his usual half-sleeved casual outfit.
All his tattoos are on full display.
All his usual accessories are present.
His hair is messy, wild, and completely unapologetic.
Leo keeps staring at him in disbelief.
Mirzand stares back—innocent, blank, like a baby who has done nothing wrong.
"What?" Mirzand asks.
Leo exhales sharply.
"What the hell did I ask you to do yesterday?"
Mirzand asked innocently,
"Didn't you tell me to come presentable? Am I not presentable?"
He struck a pose in front of Leo, showing himself off.
Leo groaned.
"We might meet Aria's mother. What if she doesn't like tattoos and jewellery? Usually, none of the mothers do, right?"
Mirzand blinked.
"Is Aria's mother going to marry me?"
Leo stared at him for a full two minutes.
Then, without arguing anymore, he walked toward the gate of Aria's house, clearly accepting defeat in this conversation.
They stood in front of the door.
Leo raised his hand and pressed the calling bell.
Ting–tong.
As expected, Aria's mother opened the door.
The moment she did, Leo greeted her politely.
"Namaskaram, aunty. How are you?"
He then glanced at Mirzand, who was standing there casually.
Leo lightly pinched him and signaled.
Startled, Mirzand immediately straightened up.
"Hello, aunty. How are you?"
Even though Aria's mother didn't recognize the boys, she smiled warmly and stepped aside.
"Come in, come in, come in. Sit, sit, sit. I'll make some tea," she said.
(Indian culture activated.)
After the tea was served and a few awkward sips were taken, Mirzand cleared his throat.
"Aunty, you may not know us very well," he said carefully.
"But we are Aria's very, very close friends. My name is Mirzand, and this is Leo."
The moment Aria's mother heard the words "close friends of Aria," her expression changed.
She slowly placed her teacup down and said, "So… because of you, my baby was crying so hard these past few days?"
Mirzand and Leo shared awkward glances with each other.
Nanny continued, her voice heavy with pain.
"For the past two days, whenever she came home, she cried the whole night. I asked her again and again, but she never gave me a proper answer."
She paused, holding back her emotions.
"I understood only one thing—that her own good friends stopped talking to her… for something that was not even her mistake."
Her eyes welled up.
"My child is deeply hurt because of you people. How could you do this to my little, innocent baby?"
Mirzand and Leo stood there, unable to say a word.
"She has gone on a trip now, just to refresh her mind," Nanny continued.
"And once she comes back, I will make sure she is transferred to a good school."
She looked straight at them.
"How can my baby survive in a school with friends like you?
What did my baby ever do to deserve such heartless treatment?"
Nanny kept speaking, pouring out all the pain she had been holding inside.
Flashback ends___
Sona slowly lowered her head.
Her voice trembled as she whispered,
"Did… did Aria cry that much because of me?"
Everyone turned to look at Sona.
No one answered.
The silence was enough.