Hi, my name is Jay. I study in 8th standard at Infantry High School. And my class, 8E… man, it has its own universe. Every group calls itself a paltan — everyone thinks they're the kings of their own heat. There are so many rivalries that sometimes it feels like this isn't a school, it's a mini battlefield.
I've got my own people too — Atharva, Rudra, Eashan, Rohan. They're my closest friends, my paltan. We usually stay away from fights, but this school is such a drama magnet that trouble finds you on its own.
4th lecture was Science, and the teacher was absent. So the class turned into a full-on fish market. That's when Viraj's gang showed up. Viraj stepped in with full attitude:
Viraj: "Jay, you guys shift to the 1st and 2nd bench… we can't see the notes from here."
Rudra: "Bro chill, let's not pick a fight with these useless dudes."
We shifted to the front benches, just to avoid the scene.
But the moment we sat down, a full-blown fight broke out at the back of the class.
Two gangs — Alpha Crew and Mad Wolves — clashed.
Aadit (Alpha Crew): "Hey Rafiq, yesterday's issue is still pending, got it?"
Rafiq (Mad Wolves): "Teacher's absent today… tell me, how much attitude you got?"
They started shoving, slapping, hurling abuses — full chaos.
Atharva leaned toward me and whispered:
Atharva: "Bro today it's full WWE mode… they're gonna break each other."
We just stayed quiet and watched, because if we stepped in, both gangs would jump on us.
Anyway, recess finally happened. We stepped into the corridor and it was already crowded — because the school's two most famous rivals were standing face to face.
Left side — Division A: "The Scholars"
Right side — Division D: "The Absent Brothers"
And random micro-gangs were placing bets in the middle.
"100 rupees on who? If the Scholars win, double!"
Rohan nudged us:
Rohan: "Bro put it on the Scholars… they fight with brains. They calculate the punch before they throw it."
Eashan: "Yeah bro, Absent Brothers are absent in attendance too… forget fighting."
So we all chipped in 100 rupees and bet on the Scholars.
And then the fight began…
The Scholar leader, Aarav, was calm as always, rotating his wrist:
Aarav: "Aim properly… hit straight on the head."
The Absent Brothers' leader, Sameer, was super heated:
Sameer: "I'm dropping you to the floor today!"
In just a second — punches, blocks, shoulder pushes — the corridor turned into a UFC arena.
Aarav dodged cleanly and slammed Sameer against the locker.
The crowd: "Oooooohhhhhh!!!"
And within 30 seconds — the Scholars won.
We all high-fived each other:
"Bro, 200 rupees! It doubled! Damn!!" 🔥
At canteen time — we blasted it all: pizza, samosas, cold drinks, everything.
Full celebration.
After recess, a big poster was put up on the notice board:
"Inter-Division Volleyball Tournament Coming Soon!"
We looked at each other and burst out laughing.
Rudra: "Bro now the real fun begins… paltans vs paltans on the court."
Me (Jay): "And this time, we're not staying behind."
Episode 1 ends with full hype for the upcoming tournament…