Roneet and Kabir sat on the first bench. Simran ma'am took her seat at the desk, opened her bottle, and took a slow sip of water before scanning the class.
Her eyes landed on Roneet.
"Stand up," she said.
Roneet froze. How am I supposed to learn it in one day? he thought.
Kabir dropped his head on the desk, already done with the situation.
Roneet opened his mouth, trying to speak — but his throat locked up. Simran ma'am drank water again, waiting.
Forget it, Roneet thought. I'll just say it.
"I'm… Ronee—"
Before he could finish, Nikhil's voice cut through the room. "We don't need his intro! Everyone already knows him well enough!"
Laughter erupted.
Roneet's head dropped again.
"Silence!" Simran ma'am snapped, slamming her hand on the table. The class went quiet.
"Just say your damned name and where you stay already," Kabir muttered, his head still resting on his arms.
"I'm Roneet Joshi… I'm from Mahim," Roneet said quickly, barely above a whisper.
"In the next lecture, you'll all introduce yourselves again," Simran ma'am said, her voice sharp. "None of you did it properly—except a few."
Her gaze swept across the class, and everyone fell silent.
"Sit down," she told Roneet.
Roneet sank back into his seat, frustration burning in his chest. "Why am I so pathetic…" he muttered.
"It was less pathetic than yesterday," Kabir said without lifting his head.
Roneet glanced at him, half-annoyed, half-grateful.
"Today, we'll have a class activity," said Simran ma'am, standing at the front. "I'll write a few topics on the smart board. You'll have to make a PowerPoint on them and present it in front of everyone."
What? But why… Roneet thought. Why is she like this? If this keeps happening, I'm never attending her lecture again.
"You'll have to form groups of two or three people," Simran ma'am continued.
The entire class groaned in unison.
"F***," muttered Nikhil under his breath.
Arnav yawned, leaning back on the bench. "Hey, make the PPT," he said lazily to Nikhil.
Nikhil bit his lip in irritation.
Arnav laughed. "Today's going to be such a boring day."
Then he looked around and smirked. "Why don't we add him to our group?" he said, pointing at Roneet.
Nikhil laughed. "I was actually thinking about her," he said, nodding toward Kiara. "But yeah, he'll be more fun."
Both of them burst into laughter.
"Go bring him to me," Arnav said with a grin.
Nikhil rolled his eyes and started walking toward the first bench, biting his tongue. What does he think of himself, giving me orders?
Everyone began forming their groups. Kiara quickly teamed up with her friend Zoya.
"Hey Kiara, can you add me to your group?" several classmates asked, crowding around her.
Kiara politely rejected each one.
Her refusals stirred quiet whispers among the girls.
"What does she even think of herself? Acting all high and mighty," one of them muttered.
Meanwhile, Nikhil was walking toward Roneet—but then he stopped midway.
Forget it, he thought. He turned sharply and leaned close to Kiara's desk.
"Hey Kiara," Nikhil said smoothly, "would you like to join our group?"
"Wohhh, that was too smooth," a girl said from the back.
"Ohhh boy!" the boys hooted, making the whole class laugh.
Roneet looked over his shoulder and saw Nikhil talking to Kiara. His chest tightened with jealousy.
He turned to Kabir, who still had his head down, half asleep.
"I've got no choice but to group with him," Roneet thought with a sigh.
Back at Kiara's desk—
"I'm already in a group with my friend," Kiara said firmly.
Nikhil looked at Zoya, who immediately got shy under his gaze.
"So I can join you two, then?" he asked.
"Yes, why not," Zoya said softly.
Before he could sit, Kiara cut in sharply. "No."
Nikhil grinned. "You're so cute, even when you reject someone."
"OHHH WOOHHH!" the boys screamed from the back.
Kiara turned red with embarrassment.
"I respect a lady's decision," Nikhil said dramatically. "Next time, then."
He turned and walked away with a smirk.
"Hey Kiara," Zoya whispered. "Why didn't you let him join?"
"Because I didn't want him to," Kiara said flatly.
Roneet watched Nikhil walking toward him and felt the familiar panic rising. Why is this jerk coming to me? he thought.
"Roneet, my boy," Nikhil sang out, sliding into the seat beside him. "Why don't you join our group?"
"I—I'm already in a group," Roneet stammered, nodding toward Kabir, who still had his head down.
Nikhil's smile widened. "Don't worry — we'll take care of him." His voice turned low and ugly. "But if you don't join, you know what'll happen." He laughed. The boys in the back snickered.
"We'll kill you," Nikhil added casually, and the laughter grew louder.
Roneet started shaking. "K-Kabir, say you're in my group," he whispered, panic strangling his voice.
Nikhil stood and leaned over Roneet. "I'm taking this bastard with me. Any problems?" he said loudly, turning to the room as if he owned it.
"Say something already," Roneet pleaded.
Nikhil looked at Kabir, smirking. "He's asleep," he announced. "What a waste."
Roneet crawled forward and slapped Kabir's desk to wake him. Before he could, Nikhil grabbed Roneet's wrist. "Don't even think about it," he hissed, hauling Roneet up. "Come with me."
Roneet's heart hammered against his ribs. There's no saving this — Kabir's useless, he realized, watching his friend slump, half-faint.
Nikhil glanced at Kiara and flashed a confident smile. "It's going to be fun, Roneet."
Roneet was about to be dragged away when something stopped him — Kiara suddenly stepped forward and grabbed his free hand.
The whole class gasped. "WOOOAH!" the boys screamed.
Kabir jerked awake at the noise, blinking. "What the—?" he muttered, trying to make sense of the scene. He saw Simran ma'am smiling and using her phone, then looked back at the bench. Roneet was there, hand caught in Kiara's grip.
Kabir checked his seat again to make sure he hadn't imagined it. There was no doubt. Why's he always in these situations? Kabir thought, a confused frown forming.
Kiara's hand tightened around Roneet's.
"Hey, Roneet… would you join my group?" she asked softly.
Roneet froze. His breath caught as his eyes met hers. The world around them seemed to vanish — just her, looking straight at him.
Nikhil's smile twitched. So that's her game, he thought. She wants to humiliate me the way I did her. She thinks she can use this loser to make me look bad?
"He's not joining you," Nikhil said coldly. "He's my friend."
"This bastard's definitely jealous of his own friend," someone whispered from the back, and the class chuckled."Kiara, what are you doing?" Zoya whispered, eyes wide.
Kiara ignored them. Her gaze stayed on Roneet.
"So? Will you?" she asked again, voice calm but eyes challenging.
Roneet tried to avoid her gaze. "S-sure…" he stammered, cheeks burning pink.
Nikhil leaned closer, his tone dropping to a whisper only Roneet could hear.
"You know what'll happen to you if you do this…" he hissed. "Or worse—what'll happen to her."
Roneet's blood ran cold. His hands trembled as he looked at Nikhil, eyes wide with anger and fear.
"What are you looking at?" Nikhil sneered.
Roneet turned to Kiara, guilt crashing through him. Slowly, he loosened his hand from hers.
"I'm… sorry," he whispered.
Nikhil grinned triumphantly. "Now that's my best friend! Friendship before girls—am I right?"
The boys at the back whooped, shouting, "Friendship!"
Kiara's hand dropped to her side. She looked down, her face clouded with quiet sadness.
Roneet saw it — that slight tremble in her lips, that disappointment she tried to hide. His chest tightened. Why is she making that face? he thought. How am I supposed to reject her when she looks like that?
Roneet stopped thinking and moved.
"I know you're really pissed," Nikhil snarled, voice low and furious. "Don't overthink it — it'll be bad for you." He tightened his grip as he tried to pull Roneet away.
"No —" Roneet started, then a voice from the bench cut through the tension.
"No matter how many chances some people get, they'll always stay losers," Kabir said calmly from a distance. "Then they blame God for not giving them chances."
Roneet felt something unclench inside him. He yanked his hand free from Nikhil's grip, flinging his arm aside.
He turned toward Kiara. "Will you… join my group?" he asked, voice quiet but steady.
Kiara blinked in surprise, then broke into a small, bright smile. "Sure," she said.
She looked at Nikhil again, smiled politely — and by choosing Roneet she'd made her answer.
"She rejected Nikhil and accepted that bum Roneet!" Arnav barked, laughter bubbling up. The guys at the back exploded — whistles, jeers, the sort of mean laughter that lands like stones.
Nikhil's face went red. His jaw clenched so hard a vein stood out at his temple. He stepped back toward Arnav, fury boiling over.
"I'll kill him. I'll kill him for sure," Nikhil hissed, voice low and dangerous.
Arnav only laughed louder. "Hahaha," he said, amusement and cruelty mixed together.
The classroom buzzed — some cheering, some whispering, some watching the storm gather around the three boys.
"Zoya, can you scoot over a little? He needs a seat." Kiara said quietly.
Zoya's eyes flashed. "Hey, Kiara — have you gone crazy? You always do whatever you want and shut me down when I suggest things. First you won't let Nikhil join, and now you want this… creep in our group? I'm done with you. I'm leaving."
"Zoya, I'm sorry," Kiara said softly.
"You made your decision — enjoy your group," Zoya snapped, grabbing her bag and storming off.
Roneet stood awkwardly. "I— I can leave if you want," he offered.
"No," Kiara replied at once. "You can sit here. She'll be fine."
Roneet slid into the seat beside Kiara. For a second the world felt unbearably loud — then he noticed every boy in the class staring, voices low with jealousy.
"Should've been me," someone muttered.
"Hey, bastard — don't you dare get close to her," another hissed from the back.
"All that gym and skincare, and you get defeated by a pathetic nerd," one of them sneered.
Arnav couldn't help laughing. "This is too good," he said.
Nikhil bit his lip, rage simmering. "What's so funny to you?" he spat.
Arnav's laughter faltered when he caught the look on Nikhil's face. "Relax," he said quickly. "People get reckless when they're angry." He leaned back, voice casual but eyes sharp. "You're not Roneet — remember that."
Fear crept across Nikhil's features. One day I'll kill him, he thought, voice cold in his head.
Roneet's heart thudded so hard he could feel it in his throat. He forced himself to breathe. "So… shall we start?" Kiara asked, opening her laptop.
"Y-yeah," Roneet replied, palms clammy. He felt useless — until a thought came. He stood up and pointed toward the first bench. "Kiara— can my friend join us? Kabir — he's on the first bench."
Kiara hesitated for a beat. Then she looked at Roneet and nodded. "Sure."
"If you're not comfortable, it's okay — I'll leave," Roneet said quickly, but Kiara waved him off. "I'll have no problem."
They stood and walked toward the first bench. Kabir sat alone, head propped on his hand, looking out the window like he didn't belong to the class at all.
Roneet slid onto the bench beside Kabir. "Kabir, this is Kiara," he said quickly.
"I'm Kabir," Kabir said, extending his hand.
"I'm Kiara," she replied with a polite smile, shaking his hand.
Roneet sat between them — Kiara on one side, Kabir on the other. For a second, it almost felt normal. Then Kabir leaned close to Roneet's ear, his voice low and sharp.
"No matter what you do, you'll always be a loser," he whispered. "You came back to me because you don't have the guts to talk to her alone. I'm your comfort zone, right? You feel safe near me."
Roneet froze.
Kabir smirked faintly. "Just remember — I'm not your safe zone. I'm the danger zone itself."
Before Roneet could respond, Kiara said brightly, "So, should we start?"
"Yeah, sure," Kabir replied smoothly.
"Y-yeah," Roneet muttered, trying to focus.
Kiara scanned the smart board. "Which topic should we pick… hmm."
Roneet's eyes darted nervously around the board. "Maybe… radio?" he suggested.
"Radio?" Kiara repeated, thinking.
Kabir spoke before she could decide. "Let's take podcasts. Radio's old-fashioned — podcasts are trending now."
Kiara's eyes lit up. "Exactly! You're right — let's go with podcasts."
They began discussing ideas enthusiastically, their words bouncing back and forth like they'd been working together for years.
Meanwhile, Roneet sat in the middle — silent, shrinking. I don't even feel like I'm in this group, he thought.
"Hey, Roneet," Kiara said gently, noticing him. "You went blank. Are you okay?"
"I-I'm fine. Sorry… zoned out," he said, forcing a smile.
Kabir glanced at him, expression unreadable — just one sharp look that said everything. Roneet instantly understood what mistake he'd made by clinging back to him.
Just then, a girl approached them — short, quiet, eyes downcast. "H-hi," she stammered softly. "I'm Preeti. I… I don't have anyone in my group. C-could one of you please join me?"
Roneet looked at her, hesitant. Maybe I should go with her, he thought. I'm not meant to be here.
Kiara looked at Preeti sympathetically but said nothing.
"I–I will—" Roneet began, but before he could finish, Kabir cut in smoothly.
"I'll join you," he said.
Roneet blinked. "Huh?"
Kabir stood up casually. "You two were already a pair — I joined late. So I'll join her."
He leaned close to Roneet, voice low again. "I'm leaving you this time," he said with a small, dangerous smile. "But remember — there won't be a next."
Then he turned and walked away with Preeti, leaving Roneet sitting between silence and Kiara's quiet gaze.