Kiara and Roneet sat together on the first bench.
I only wanted to humiliate Nikhil… but I ended up losing Zoya, Kiara thought, glancing sideways at Roneet. He was sitting stiffly, eyes fixed on the desk, his face flushed. He's such an awkward person, she sighed inwardly.
"Hey, Roneet," she said gently, "should we start?"
"Y–yes," he replied quickly. His hands trembled slightly.
He's actually shivering, she noticed, a small smile tugging at her lips.
"So, our topic is podcasts," Kiara said, scrolling through her laptop. "Do you know how to make a PowerPoint? Because… I don't. I barely even use this thing."
"N-no," Roneet admitted softly.
Kiara sighed, glancing at him. What was I even expecting from him? she thought. "Okay then — we'll just watch a tutorial."
She opened YouTube and played a video titled 'How to Make a PowerPoint Presentation for Beginners.' As the voice in the tutorial explained each step, she noticed Roneet staring at the screen with a blank, lost expression — then slowly looking down at the desk.
Kiara paused the video. Without saying anything, she took out one AirPod and handed it to him. "Let's watch it together," she said quietly.
Roneet blinked, surprised. "Y-yeah… sure," he said, putting it in.
For a moment, the noise of the class faded — just the faint sound of the tutorial playing in both their ears, their shoulders almost touching.
Both of them watched the tutorial quietly. Roneet couldn't help glancing at Kiara's face every few seconds — the way her eyes focused on the screen, the calm in her expression, the faint scent of her perfume. She's so beautiful, he thought, his heart thudding.
Kiara leaned forward slightly. "Hmm… I'm starting to get it," she murmured, eyes still on the laptop.
When the tutorial ended, she sighed. "It's a bit complicated, but I think I know how to start." She turned to him. "Did you understand anything?"
"Y-yes," Roneet said quickly.
Kiara frowned. Seriously? He only knows how to say yes and no, she thought, irritation flashing in her eyes. "So… you know how to do it?" she asked, leaning a little closer.
"Y-yess," he stammered again.
"Ughhh, why do you keep saying 'yes, yes' to everything?" Kiara snapped, exasperated.
Roneet immediately looked down, shame flooding his face.
Kiara groaned softly. Why did I even choose to work with him? she thought. Now I'll have to do everything myself.
"Fine," she said, her tone calmer but tired. "Play the video again from the start. We'll follow it step by step."
Roneet nodded. "Y-yes."
Kiara shot him a glare — that dangerous don't-test-me look — before sighing again. She opened the laptop and began creating the slides, her fingers moving quickly across the keyboard while Roneet sat beside her, quietly trying to follow along.
As they started making their PowerPoint, Kiara said, "At least let's make the front page first."
"Y-yess," said Roneet quickly.
Kiara gave him an irritated glance — that word again. Her patience was already wearing thin.
"Wait—where's the text box?" she muttered. "How do we add text to the slide?" She clicked the screen repeatedly. "In the tutorial, it's showing right here! Why isn't it showing here?"
Her voice grew sharper with every word.
"You're not playing the right video!" she snapped.
"N-no," Roneet stammered.
Kiara snatched his phone and looked at the video herself. "It's the same one! Then why is it not showing here on my laptop?" she said, glaring at him as if it were his fault.
Oh no, she's angry, Roneet thought, his palms sweating. "I—I think your version is new," he said carefully.
"Whattt?" Kiara groaned, running a hand through her hair. "Ughh! Now we'll have to download the older version!"
"N-no," said Roneet nervously, "I think they just changed the icon of that option. C-can you show me the laptop?"
Kiara looked at him doubtfully. "And how exactly are you going to do it if I couldn't?" she said, crossing her arms.
Roneet quickly pulled the laptop toward himself, his fingers moving faster than she'd ever seen.
"W-wait—what are you doing?" Kiara asked, startled.
He didn't answer. His eyes darted across the screen, clicking and typing rapidly. "T-there it is," he said suddenly.
Kiara leaned closer, her eyes widening. No way. She rechecked the toolbar — and he was right.
Before she could say anything, Roneet had already added the topic title — Podcast — neatly across the slide, adjusting the layers and layout with unexpected confidence.
Kiara blinked, trying to keep up. What just happened? Everything he did went right over her head.
"I—I think this will do," Roneet said softly, sitting back.
For a moment, Kiara just stared at him, speechless. The same shy boy who couldn't even speak a full sentence minutes ago… had just fixed everything in seconds.
"W-When did you learn that?" Kiara asked, still stunned.
"J-just now. We… we watched the video, right?" Roneet said shyly.
Her eyes widened. Just now? she thought, almost impressed. "Can you make the next page then?"
He nodded. "Y-yes."
He started creating the next slide, his fingers moving quickly across the keyboard. After a moment, he paused and looked at her. "W-what do we have to add here?"
"Oh—right," Kiara said, realizing. "We haven't done the research yet."
"I'll start now," Roneet said, opening a new tab instantly.
As he typed, Kiara leaned slightly closer, watching him work. The way his hands moved — fast, confident, focused — surprised her.
He's definitely a nerd, she thought, studying his face quietly. But… is he really a creep?
For a second, she couldn't tell.
After a while, they finally finished the PowerPoint. Kiara stared at the screen, amazed.
"It's… actually beautiful," she said softly. Then she turned to him with a faint smile. "You're amazing, Roneet."
Roneet's face turned red. "Y-you are too," he said awkwardly.
Kiara gave him a puzzled look but didn't comment. "Alright then, we're done. Let's go present," she said, standing up.
She took a deep breath and was about to walk toward the front of the class — where Simran ma'am was sitting — when Roneet suddenly grabbed the edge of her dress.
Kiara froze. Her face instantly changed to disgust. She pulled her dress away sharply. "Creep," she hissed.
"N-no! I didn't mean to—" Roneet stammered, panic rising.
"Then what was that?" she snapped.
"We… we haven't even read it yet," he said quickly, pointing at the laptop. "How can we present like this?"
Kiara stopped, glaring at him — but then her expression shifted as she realized he was right. She let out a deep sigh, crossing her arms.
"Next time," she muttered, "just say it, don't grab my dress."
Roneet looked down immediately. "S-sorry."
"Just read it quickly, we'll have to go first," Kiara said, scrolling through the slides.
"B-but… why first?" Roneet asked nervously.
Kiara turned to him with a small smirk. "Because I like being first."
Roneet blinked. "You don't wanna read it before that?"
"I already did," she said simply, her tone proud. "While researching."
Roneet gulped, glancing at the screen again. "O-oh… right."
Kiara sighed, closing the laptop halfway. "Come on, don't overthink it. We'll just go with confidence — no one even listens to half these presentations anyway."
Roneet nodded slowly, still fidgeting with his fingers.
After a while, Kiara started teaching Roneet how to explain his pointers on stage.
Meanwhile, Simran ma'am smiled at her phone, saying a soft "bye" before removing her AirPods. Her expression changed instantly — from calm to deadly serious.
She stood up. "Are you done?" she said sharply.
The whole class went silent.
"N-no, ma'am, we need more time," someone mumbled from the back.
"Are you kidding me?" Simran snapped. "Didn't I give you enough time already? I need to teach too — we can't waste an entire lecture on this!"
Kiara stood up. "We're ready, ma'am."
"W-wait," Roneet whispered.
"Raise your hands, whoever's done," said Simran ma'am. "You can present today. The rest will go next lecture."
Kiara started to raise her hand. "Let's present today," she whispered.
"Let's present next time," Roneet whispered back. "Please, I'll practice and do better."
Kiara sighed in frustration. "Ugh…"
No one raised their hands — until Kabir and Preeti stood up.
"We're ready to present," said Kabir confidently.
"Y-yes," added Preeti nervously.
Kiara glanced at them, then smirked — and raised her hand too.
Roneet panicked. "Why is she like this? Can't she just wait one week?" he thought.
"We're also ready, ma'am," Kiara said firmly.
Simran nodded. "Alright, go ahead. These two groups will present today — the rest, next week. Both groups, come form a line."
As they stood near the front, Simran added casually, "Before you start, one thing — this is a class activity worth twenty marks. It's not just a presentation; it's your exam."
"Whaaat?" Kiara blurted. "But you didn't tell us before!"
Simran shrugged. "Maybe I forgot. Anyway, I'm not forcing anyone — you can still present next lecture. But whoever goes today will get extra marks."
The entire class erupted. "That's not fair!" "We'll present today!" voices shouted.
Simran smirked. "When I asked earlier, none of you raised your hands. Only these two groups did — so they'll present."
"Shit," Kiara muttered, glaring at Roneet. "He's in my group. He'll ruin everything."
Simran turned to her. "So? What's it going to be — today or next lecture?"
Kiara clenched her jaw. "Tch. Damn it. We'll present today."
Roneet froze. An exam? Are you kidding me? If I mess up today, I'm doomed, he thought, glancing at Kiara, who was already fuming.
She looked at him with fire in her eyes. "Don't. Mess. Up."
Roneet swallowed hard. His hands were shaking.
From the back, Arnav's voice broke the silence. "A day without humiliation is a day wasted!"
The boys laughed loudly as Roneet's stomach twisted.