Days in sixth grade passed quietly, but Riya began to notice something she couldn't ignore anymore.
Lakshith and Ananya had grown closer.
They talked often.
They laughed during class.
It wasn't anything unusual to others—it looked like normal friendship.
But for Riya, something about it felt… uncomfortable.
A strange feeling stirred inside her chest whenever she saw them together.
She didn't understand it.
She didn't want to understand it.
She simply looked away.
The school had also divided students into four different houses for sports activities.
By chance, both Riya and Lakshith ended up in the same house.
From a distance, she watched him like she always did.
But that was all.
No conversations.
No arguments.
No ten-minute walks.
Yet, her feelings hadn't changed.
Not even a little.
One afternoon, during a break, something unexpected happened.
One of Lakshith's close friends suddenly approached Riya.
"Riya," he said casually, "do you remember that day when you turned back in class?"
Riya frowned slightly, confused. "Which day?"
He leaned a little closer, lowering his voice.
"Do you know what Lakshith said at that moment?"
Riya's heart skipped.
"What… did he say?" she asked slowly.
Before the boy could answer—
Lakshith suddenly appeared.
"Nothing," he said quickly.
Without even looking at Riya, he grabbed his friend's arm and dragged him away.
"Hey—wait!" the boy protested, but Lakshith didn't stop.
Riya stood there, frozen.
Her mind raced.
What was that?
This wasn't the first time something like this had happened.
She remembered clearly.
Back in fifth grade, it had happened a few times too—maybe three times.
Whenever Lakshith and that friend argued, the boy would threaten to say something in front of her.
And every single time—
Lakshith would panic.
He would immediately pull him away before he could speak.
Riya never knew what it was.
But she knew one thing.
It wasn't something small.
It was something serious.
Standing there alone, she stared in the direction they had gone.
A thousand questions filled her mind.
What is he hiding?
Why does he stop him every time?
And most importantly—
Why do I feel like it has something to do with me?
For the first time, Riya felt something beyond confusion.
A quiet curiosity.
And a growing uneasiness.
Because somewhere deep inside…
She felt that whatever remained unsaid between them was far more important than anything they had ever spoken.