____________________________________
"Jealousy is a good thing
In the right hands, it gets things done."
— Jessica Pearson
____________________________________
A HEARTBREAK
It was 1:57 p.m.
The second round of the Elite Quiz was about to begin.
Aysha Amad made her way into the Great Hall and climbed the steps toward the third row of spectator seats. Contestants from the various elite schools were already seated at their stations, making last-minute preparations.
Her eyes immediately found C.A.A.'s team.
MiMie. Isham. Abbas.
The three of them were huddled together, discussing something intensely before the competition resumed.
Aysha smiled faintly.
Then she turned around.
Students were still pouring into the hall, rushing to find seats before the moderator arrived.
That was when she noticed a familiar face.
Saleh. Amar's best friend.
The moment he spotted her, he changed direction and walked straight toward her.
Something about his expression made Aysha's stomach tighten.
He stopped in front of her.
"Aysha," he said coldly, "you betrayed my best friend."
Her smile disappeared. "What?"
"You heard me." His jaw clenched. "Amar trusted you. And you broke his heart."
Aysha stared at him in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
"The rumors."
"What rumors?"
"The ones about you dating someone in your class."
Her eyes widened.
"The transfer student."
For a second, her mind went completely blank.
Saleh continued. "Amar kept worrying about it. I told him to trust you."
His voice hardened. "Looks like I was wrong."
Aysha immediately stood up. "No. No, that's not true."
"Really?"
"Yes!" She shook her head desperately. "I swear it's not true."
"Then why does everyone keep talking about it?"
Aysha's heartbeat accelerated.
Only twenty minutes ago she had spoken with Tahir.
There was no way. No possible way.
Tahir wouldn't spread something like that.
And her brothers certainly wouldn't.
So how—
Her thoughts were interrupted.
"Where is Amar?" she asked urgently.
"I need to talk to him."
Saleh hesitated. "I don't think he'll listen."
"Please."
A long pause.
Finally he sighed.
"Small Garden. Behind the hall."
Then he added quietly, "He was there when I left."
Aysha didn't wait another second.
She ran.
Straight out of the Great Hall. Her mind raced with questions.
How had this happened?
Who had spread the rumor?
Who overheard their conversation?
And most importantly—
How much had Amar heard?
Her chest tightened.
Oh no…
Poor Amar.
__________________
She found Amar in the small garden behind the hall—the quiet one with the benches and overgrown hedges. The place they used to sit together between classes.
He was crying.
Actually crying.
When he heard her footsteps, he wiped his face quickly, but it was useless. His eyes were red, swollen, broken.
"How could you do this to me?" he shouted, voice shaking with fury and pain. "How could you?"
Aysha rushed forward. "Amar, listen to me—please—"
"Aysha." His voice cracked.
The sound alone shattered her heart.
"I can't believe you'd do this to me." Tears immediately formed in her eyes.
"Amar—"
"No." He pointed at her. "You chose him."
"What?"
"You chose your classmate." His voice rose "After everything."
"Amar, please listen—"
"For months," he continued, "I thought we were hiding our relationship because of your brothers." His eyes glistened. "I never imagined there was someone else." Tears rolled down his cheeks. "I never imagined I'd be competing with another guy."
Aysha felt panic rising. "That's not true."
"I saw you with him."
"It's not what you think."
"I saw you taking notes for him."
"Because he needed help!"
"I saw you laughing together."
"Because we're classmates!"
"I saw you spending time with him every day!" His voice echoed through the garden.
"And now people are saying even your older brother approves of him."
Aysha froze. Her heart dropped.
Whoever started this rumor had done serious damage.
"Amar," she whispered.
"I swear to you." She stepped forward. "I have never liked him."
Another step. "I only like you."
Her voice trembled. "I only want you."
Amar looked away. Pain flashed across his face. "I don't believe you."
Those four words hit harder than any slap.
Aysha felt her throat close.
"Please." She was crying now. "Please believe me."
"I can't."
"Amar…"
"I can't." He shook his head. "I trusted you." His voice became barely audible. "And now every time I think about you…" He swallowed hard. "…I just feel stupid."
Aysha reached for him.
He stepped back.
The movement hurt more than his words.
"Don't."
Her hand froze midair. "I never cheated on you."
"Maybe not physically." His eyes met hers."But my heart knows something changed."
"Nothing changed!"
"Everything changed."
Silence.
The wind rustled through the trees.
Aysha's tears fell freely now.
"Amar, please let me explain."
"There is nothing left to explain."
His voice was final. Cold.
Terrifyingly final.
"We're done."
The words struck like a knife.
Aysha stared at him. Unable to breathe. Unable to think. Unable to accept what she'd just heard.
"We're done," he repeated. "Don't call me."
Another step backward.
"Don't message me." Another. "And if we see each other…" His voice cracked. "…pretend I don't exist."
"Amar—"
"As far as I'm concerned…" He turned away."…you're dead to me."
Then he started walking away.
"That's not fair…" Aysha's voice broke "Amar, please…"
But he didn't stop.
"Please!"
Nothing.
"You're the only person I care about!"
Still nothing.
He walked off, each step tearing something out of her chest.
Aysha stood there for a second—
then collapsed.
Her knees hit the ground. Her hands shook. Tears poured down her face as her body folded inward, trembling, gasping, breaking.
She cried. She screamed.
She cried until her throat burned and her head ached and her chest felt too tight to breathe.
Two hours passed.
She didn't notice.
____________
Inside the Great Hall, the world kept moving.
Students chanted at the top of their lungs:
"MiMie! MiMie! MiMie!"
"C.A.A! C.A.A! C.A.A!"
None of it mattered. Not the scores. Not the rivalry. Not the noise.
Aysha Amad sat alone in the garden, heart shattered, realizing too late that a single lie—told for survival—had cost her everything she loved.
___________
MiMie's POV
Afreen was standing there, on the podium.
I noticed her the moment I stepped into the Great Hall.
Same posture. Same calm exterior. Same sharp eyes.
But something was… off.
Her gaze drifted too often.
Her fingers hovered over the buzzer, hesitating by half-seconds she never used to waste. She wasn't focused on the quiz.
Her mind was somewhere else entirely.
And today, that mattered.
But today was different, the structure changed.
No mathematics. No physics. No chemistry calculations.
Only everything else.
7 elite schools stood before us.
2 had already fallen on Day One.
Today, only 5 would survive.
_______
History
Resistance movements. Political aftermaths. Silent revolutions history books barely touched.
I buzzed first.
Correct.
A.R.C answered the next—also correct—but their rhythm lagged.
Afreen didn't buzz.
That was my first confirmation.
__________
Literature
Unfamiliar text. Abstract symbolism.
I didn't even need to think.
Correct.
A whisper rippled through the hall.
Someone behind me muttered an old nickname I hadn't heard in years:
"That's her, The monster of …"
Before she finishes the name, somebody shushed her.
I ignored it.
___________
Civic & Social Studies
Systems. Ethics. Power structures.
I answered twice in a row.
Clean. Measured. Correct.
One school fell silent.
Their score line dipped as I was stacking up with their bonus points
____________
Afreen tried here. She always did. But this wasn't her terrain. She buzzed once.
Correct—but barely.
I could see it in her eyes. She was reaching.
_____________
Advanced Biology
Human systems. Adaptation. Cause-and-effect under stress.
ARC answered fast.
Wrong.
Another school tried.
Wrong.
Bonus question.
I stepped in.
Correct.
+1%, +2%, +3%, +4%, +7%.
Me and Isham were dominating, just as we have prepared to do so.
The hall reacted louder this time.
Another person in the audience behind me.
Whispering
"I told you, she is the one they used to call 'the motherboard of basic knowledge, and the monster of all shades'"
Another audience member "Nah. I heard the girl they called that was in A.M.A though."
____________
I remembered the whispers from my junior years at A.M.A.
The Monster of all shades.
The motherboard of basic knowledge.
They used to say I didn't specialize because I didn't need to.
I simply memorize a lot. Like my brain is a sponge that just absorbs bits and bits of information fast.
I ignored the whispers again, but it did brought back a lot of memories. The memory competitions, memorizing thousands of digits of pie. The memory palace, mind-mapping.
But right now it's not the time to reminisce about the past.
Right now is to make sure that Afreen and Safeeyah pays dearly for yesterday.
__________
Geography & Environmental Studies
Not maps. Implications. I answered without pause.
Correct.
A.R.C didn't challenge. Afreen's jaw tightened—but she stayed silent.
Everyone can sense that C.A.A is now at the verge of leading the scoreboard.
____________
Religious & Moral Studies
This was where arrogance failed.
Balance mattered. I chose carefully.
Correct.
The moderators exchanged glances.
ARC avoided eye contact.
Like what is happening.
Audience are in shock and awe.
________________
Current Affairs
Recent events. Policy shifts. Global reactions.
ARC buzzed. Wrong.
Afreen froze.
I answered.
Correct.
That ended it.
Next question.
AUN buzzed.
Wrong.
The screen flashed.
Bonus question unlocked.
I didn't rush.
I waited half a second—long enough for the room to realize what was about to happen.
Then I answered.
Correct.
Another bonus point to C.A.A.
That was when I felt it. The air tightening.
The realization spreading through the room that this wasn't a close match anymore.
__________
After these few rounds, one school was already cracking.
Hands shaking. Whispered arguments. A missed buzzer.
By Few more rounds, another had stopped buzzing altogether.
You could see it in their eyes—the moment they understood they were fighting for fifth place now, not first.
And fifth place meant survival.
Anything below that meant elimination.
_________
ARC made mistakes after mistakes.
Wrong answers.
No penalty, but the damage was done.
The hall inhaled sharply.
I answered many follow-up.
Correct.
C.A.A surged ahead again. I glanced up briefly. A.R.C's side was tense now.
No smiles. No whispers. Just rigid posture and eyes fixed on the screen like it might betray them again.
Afreen's mind was somewhere else entirely
And without her—
A.R.C was bleeding precision.
Safeeyah doesn't work well under pressure
____________
The advance Questions.
The breaker.
Advanced-level. Sixty seconds.
The kind that decides who stays and who disappears.
Silence fell.
You could hear someone drop a pen.
I worked through it carefully, not fast—correct.
A.R.C buzzed first. Wrong again.
The scoreboard flickered.
Bonus unlocked.
I finished my solution, pressed the buzzer, and spoke clearly.
Correct.
The hall erupted.
By the time the scores stabilized, it was undeniable.
C.A.A was leading.
Two schools at the bottom had no path forward.
They will be eliminated.
5 schools will remain.
And A.R.C?
A.R.C was still standing—but wounded. Forced to acknowledge that they were no longer untouchable.
_________________
As the noise swelled around me—chants, cheers, disbelief—I leaned back slightly, breathing out.
This wasn't about ego. This wasn't even about revenge. It was about control.
About proving that I wasn't a variable in someone else's equation.
I was the one defining the outcome.
Whatever was coming next…
The board had shifted.
And everyone in this hall knew it.
Especially A.R.C.
_______________
As chants filled the hall—my name, my school—I looked once more at Afreen.
She wasn't angry. She wasn't defeated. She was distracted.
And that scared me more than confidence ever could.
Because when someone like Afreen loses focus—
It means the real battle isn't happening here.
And as I stepped down, one truth settled quietly in my chest:
I wasn't the only one playing a deeper game anymore.
_______________
3:47 PM — COLLISION
Aysha at the Garden.
When the doors of the Great Hall finally burst open at 3:47 PM, students flooded out like a released tide—laughing, shouting, celebrating, arguing.
Aysha forced herself to stand.
Her legs felt hollow, like they belonged to someone else.
I forgot.
The thought hit her again, sharp and unforgiving.
I was supposed to wake him up at three.
She turned away from the hall and began walking—slow at first, then faster—toward the café. Toward Tahir. Toward the one thing she could still fix.
She didn't see him until it was too late.
Amar.
They collided shoulder to shoulder.
He stopped dead.
His face twisted—not in surprise, but rage.
"You," he snapped, voice rising instantly. "You have the nerve to walk around like this?"
Aysha's breath caught. "Amar, please—"
"You lied to me," he shouted. Heads turned. "You cheated. You embarrassed me in front of everyone."
"That's not true—I swear—"
"I hate you!" he yelled. "Do you hear me? I hate you!"
The word shattered what little strength she had left.
She crumpled where she stood.
Right there on the walkway.
Hands over her face. Shoulders shaking. Breath breaking into sobs she couldn't control.
____________
THE CAFÉ
The café door creaked open.
Tahir stepped out, hair slightly disheveled, eyes red and unfocused from sleep. He rubbed the back of his neck, irritation flickering through the haze.
She didn't wake me.
He was about to scan the crowd.
About to look for Aysha.
The irritation barely had time to form—
Before the air changed.
It wasn't obvious. No sound. No movement.
Just pressure.
Like the space in front of him had thickened.
Tahir stopped walking.
His instincts—sharp, trained, unforgiving—went rigid.
Someone was standing there.
Not blocking his path.
Waiting. He lifted his eyes.
Afreen.
She stood perfectly still, hands folded behind her back, posture immaculate. Not nervous. Not angry.
Smiling.
Not the warm kind.
The kind that meant something had already gone wrong—and she knew it.
For half a second, the noise of the campus faded. Laughter dulled. Footsteps blurred.
Tahir felt it then.
The same sensation he got before a trap snapped shut.
"Hey there pretty_boy, Want to see some magic?" she asked lightly.
She didn't wait for an answer.
She pointed.
From a distance, Aysha's sobbing form was impossible to miss.
The moment registered on his face. Confusion. Then recalculation. Then motion.
He slowly started walking towards Aysha Amad.
Because Tahir knew almost exactly what Afreen had done.
Since the time he noticed Afreen back in the library, spying.
He knew that she is going to make some moves on what she heard.
He in fact wanted her to make the move. He just did not anticipate the move to be this early and quick.
He guessed Afreen used emotional manipulation on Aysha.
"Hmm… what have you done to Aysha?"Tahir's voice remained calm. Almost too calm.
Afreen smiled.
The expression on her face carried the kind of satisfaction people only wore when a plan unfolded exactly as intended.
"Well," she said casually, "let's just say I happened to overhear your little conversation earlier."
Tahir remained silent.
Afreen continued. "The part where you agreed to become her fake boyfriend so she could protect her real relationship."
A laugh escaped her lips.
"So naturally, I started spreading rumors that you were officially dating her."
Tahir's eyes narrowed slightly.
Nothing more.
Afreen leaned against the railing in front of the cafè.
"I already knew Aysha was secretly dating Amar." Her smile widened.
"And Amar just so happens to be one of my classmate's cousin brother."
Tahir's expression didn't change.
"So I paid him a visit." Afreen folded her arms. "I told him Aysha betrayed him."
A pleased look crossed her face. "He was surprisingly easy to manipulate." Her laughter returned.
"There was already some suspicion inside him regarding you. After all, you've been spending a lot of time around his girlfriend."She shrugged.
"All I did was give those suspicions a little push."
Tahir said nothing.
"He confronted Aysha." Afreen's smile sharpened. "And from what I can tell…"
She glanced toward the garden."…he broke up with her."
For the first time, something flickered behind Tahir's eyes.
Not anger. Not surprise. Calculation.
Afreen noticed. And enjoyed it. "Oh, but that's not even the best part."
She pointed toward the distant garden.
"Look." Tahir followed her gaze.
Aysha sat beneath a tree. Broken. Crying.
Alone.
Afreen's grin became downright vicious "She's been crying for hours." Then she pointed elsewhere.
"Now look over there."
A tall figure was rapidly approaching the garden.
Sadiq Amad.
Aysha's older brother.
Afreen practically vibrated with excitement.
"You see, I also made sure someone reported to Sadiq that his little sister was crying."
Tahir finally turned toward her.
Afreen's eyes gleamed. "Do you know what he's going to think?"
She didn't wait for an answer. "He's going to ask Aysha what happened."
A pause. "And Aysha won't tell him."
Another pause.
"She'll bottle it up. Keep it to herself. Pretend she's fine." Afreen laughed softly.
"Which leaves Sadiq with only one conclusion."
Tahir already knew.
Afreen saw it in his eyes.
"He'll assume it has something to do with you."
She stepped closer.
"After all…"
A smirk.
"…he already approved of you."
Tahir's gaze remained fixed on the approaching Sadiq.
Afreen lowered her voice. "And now he'll find you standing here." She glanced at herself.
"With another girl. A student from A.R.C. The rival school. The perfect misunderstanding."
Afreen spread her arms dramatically.
"He'll think you're cheating on his sister."
Almost immediately—
"TAHIR!"
The furious shout echoed across the courtyard.
Sadiq.
He was running toward them.
Exactly as Afreen predicted.
Her smile became triumphant.
Then she leaned in and whispered
"Checkmate."
____________
Blood and Rage
Sadiq reached them moments later.
His face burned with fury.
"You little piece of shit!"
Before Tahir could speak—
Sadiq's fist connected with his jaw.
CRACK.
The impact exploded through Tahir's skull.
He made no attempt to block it.
No attempt to dodge.
Nothing.
The punch sent him crashing sideways.
He hit the ground hard, one arm instinctively extending to break the fall.
Pain shot through his shoulder.
A metallic taste flooded his mouth.
Blood.
Tahir spat onto the pavement.
The crimson droplets stained the concrete.
For a brief second—
Everything became silent.
Sadiq froze.
The sight of blood snapped some of his anger away.
His breathing remained heavy.
But he didn't attack again.
Instead, he pointed at Tahir.
"Stay away from my sister." His voice trembled with rage. "Or I swear I'll beat the living madness out of you."
Without waiting for a response, Sadiq turned.
He walked toward Aysha.
Wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
And led her away.
_______________
Silence returned.
Tahir slowly rose to his feet.
He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
Then he looked at Afreen.
She was smiling.
The dimples on her cheeks looked as innocent as ever.
Which somehow made her seem even more dangerous.
"Hmm…" Tahir tilted his head slightly. "You did all that…"
His eyes met hers.
"…just to see me bleed?"
Afreen burst into laughter. "Hehehe…"
She wiped a tear from her eye. "Wasn't it fun?"
Tahir remained expressionless.
Afreen folded her arms. "I'm just paying you back." Her smile vanished.
The look in her eyes darkened.
"Did you really think that only You and MiMie are capable of manipulating people to get whatever you wanted?"
A bitter laugh escaped her. "Thanks to what you people did to me 3 and 1/2 years ago…"
She took a step forward. "…I learned something valuable."
Another step. "I perfected it." For the first time, there was genuine contempt in her voice.
She was looking down on him.
And she wanted him to know it.
Tahir studied her quietly.
Then asked: "Hmm… did you really have to involve Aysha?"
A pause.
"She never did anything to you." Afreen laughed again. "Oh, she absolutely did."
Her eyes narrowed. "So don't mistake her for some innocent bystander."
A cruel smile appeared. "I simply killed two birds with one stone."
Tahir's expression remained unreadable."Hmm…" His voice was soft. "What exactly did she do?"
Afreen's smile faded. "She tried to turn me against my friend. Tried to tarnish my image and making my friend to believe that I let her brother on. So when I turned him down gently, he spiraled." She sighed "Aysha Amad came along to say that it's my fault when he started hurting him self, to the point of being hospitalized."
Silence followed.
Tahir considered that answer. Then reached into his pocket. He pulled out the photograph.
The same photograph that had arrived inside the envelope.
The image that started all of this.
"Hmm…"He held it up.
"Shall we get down to business now?"
His gaze sharpened. "Tell me where you got this."
A beat.
"And tell me how you know about this girl."
For the first time since their conversation began—
Afreen hesitated. Only slightly.
But Tahir noticed.
Then she laughed. "Hehe…"
She glanced around.
Students were beginning to move between buildings.
Some walked past without paying attention.
Others chatted among themselves.
None of them knew what was happening.
"Are you sure you want to discuss that here?"
Afreen asked.
"Right now?"
Her eyes flicked toward the nearby students.
Tahir followed her gaze. Then nodded.
"Hmm." He slipped the photograph back into his pocket.
"Then I suggest we go to the place you demanded in the first place. We will meet there, by 4:15pm, exactly 9 minutes from now."
"Well, that's fine by me." She started walking away, took few steps then stopped.
"Oh—and Tahir?" she added without turning around.
"If you don't show up…"
She glanced back over her shoulder, dimples faint, eyes razor-cold.
"I'll make what happened to Aysha look merciful. Consider this a reminder," she whispered. "You're not untouchable. And you don't get to choose when the game starts anymore."
Then she walked away, heels clicking softly against the pavement, vanishing into the crowd like she had never been there at all.
For a moment, her smile disappeared.
Because despite everything she'd just done—
Despite making Aysha cry.
Despite manipulating Amar.
Despite provoking Sadiq into punching him.
Despite drawing blood—
Tahir still looked calm. Too calm.
And that bothered her more than she cared to admit. But she pushed the feelings away, and just continued walking.
___________________________
AFREEN — INTERNAL POV
So this is what it feels like.
Standing in front of Tahir.
Not chasing. Not reacting. Not guessing.
Controlling.
He looks tired. Disarmed. Human.
Good.
For all the time I have known him, he's been at least three steps ahead of everyone—watching, planning, manipulating the board like the rest of us were pieces he didn't bother naming.
And now?
Now he's confused.
Now he's looking at me instead of through me.
That alone is worth the effort.
I didn't need to raise my voice. Didn't need to threaten.
All I had to do was operate just like him.
I see it in his eyes—the moment he realizes something has already gone wrong. That tightening in his jaw. The way his shoulders stop moving.
Yes. You feel it too.
You always thought you were the only one who could move people without touching them.
You were wrong.
Aysha crying and heart broken is… unfortunate.
But effective.
She was never the main target.
Collateral damage is still damage.
I watch Tahir's gaze flicker when he sees her—just a fraction of a second too long. He disliked inefficiency. But anticipates variables he didn't account for.
And Aysha? She's a variable.
When Sadiq saw her crying.
Perfect timing. I didn't even have to hurry him along.
People think chaos is loud. Emotional. Uncontrolled. They don't understand. Real chaos is quiet. It waits. Then it points.
Her brother thinks it's your fault, Tahir
I whisper it because whispers travel further inside the skull.
I see the reaction before he masks it.
Surprise. Concern. Care. ?
Then something sharper. Fear—not for himself. For others. That's the crack.
Tahir asks what I did. I almost laugh.
You did this to yourself, genius.
You pulled strings on everyone around you, but you never bothered to check who was watching your hands.
I didn't need proof. I didn't need power. I just needed timing.
The rumor?
Simple.
A look held too long. A brother's approval twisted. A jealous boy nudged exactly where it hurts.
Humans do the rest themselves.
Watching Sadiq close the distance.
Fast. Protective. Furious.
Tahir did not move an inch.
Was Interesting.
He could have fought back. But he didn't.
He restrained himself. Because he anticipated the full extent of my plans.
Damn him. He knew what I was aiming for. The moment he attempts to fight back.
He knew the next trap I put in place. So he minimized the extent of my next plans.
But I guess it will still work.
For now I will continue smiling.
Not because Tahir bled.
But because now he understands something very important:
He is not the only predator in this school.
And this?
This isn't the end. This is me saying:
I see you.
I know your game.
And I'm willing to burn everything to beat you.
Let the Elite schools watch.
Let the league of 9 shadows watch.
Let MiMie confront Safeeyah.
Let Aysha cry.
Let Tahir manipulate.
I'll smile through all of it.
Because for the first time—
I'm not reacting to you, Tahir
I'm moving first.
_____________
MiMie — Approaches
Tahir stood a few steps away, wiping the thin line of blood from the corner of his mouth like it was nothing. No anger. No shock. Just that same unreadable calm—like being punched by Sadiq had been an inconvenience, not an attack.
My chest tightened.
I walked toward him before I could stop myself.
"Tahir."
He looked up slowly, eyes meeting mine. Sharp. Awake. Calculating.
Not even a flicker of weakness.
"You okay?" I asked, though the answer was obvious.
"I've had worse mornings," he replied flatly.
Of course you have.
I wanted to say a hundred things. Instead, the words that came out were the ones that had been haunting me since last night.
"Why did you help me?"
He paused—just a fraction of a second. Enough for me to notice.
"I told you," he said. "C.A.A needs to win."
"That's not an answer," I said quietly.
Because I remembered.
_____________
Last night.
Out of nowhere, my phone had rung.
Unknown number.
I almost ignored it—until I heard his voice.
MiMie. Don't hang up.
11 minutes.
11 minutes of Tahir calmly dismantling Safeeyah's plans like he was reading tomorrow's weather forecast.
Who she was targeting. Which rounds she was throwing. Who she planned to bait.
Who she planned to hurt.
Then the recording.
His voice. Safeeyah's voice.
Saying how she will come after me. Confident. Certain.
I'd sat on my bed in silence, fingers gripping my phone, heart pounding—not from fear.
From disbelief.
Because this wasn't the Tahir from 3 years ago. This isn't the Tahir from 6 years ago.
The Tahir I knew as a child used to lend me his notes without being asked. He cared for his friends more than anything.
He once got into a fight with 5 of his seniors defending a kid who doesn't even knew.
Later on they became friends, and now they are enemies because of the Fountain fight.
That childhood Tahir disappeared the day of the accident. After the hospital.After the coma. After he woke up different.
That Tahir was cold and was distant.
He became manipulative. And more isolated.
The Tahir after the fountain fight is also different. He became more distant, more selfish, more toxic. More manipulative.
He was cold. Precise. Detached.
And now. ?
I am witnessing a brand new Tahir who's even colder than all the versions I knew before. Him helping me now means he is planning something, something far more dangerous than my revenge against Safeeyah or Afreen, even far more brutal than the elite competition, Which was exactly why his help terrified me.
I fear that only the pinky promise that anchors him to me. Otherwise.
I don't even recognize him anymore.
_______________________
"You're not doing this for C.A.A," I said slowly. "So don't pretend."
He studied my face, as if weighing how much truth I could handle.
"I never pretended," he replied.
"Then what do you want?" I pressed. "Because people like you don't give just because."
A corner of his mouth lifted—not a smile. Something sharper.
"Smart," he said. "You always see through my fascade."
That irritates me more than it should have. Because I couldn't see everything, but I used to, with him.
"Like I have always said many times before, You changed," I said. "After the accident. After you woke up. You're not… you." I added.
"You may fool everyone else, but not me, I think am the only one capable of understanding you"
His eyes darkened—not with anger.
With something buried deeper.
"The old me was weak," he said calmly. "The current one is who I was meant to be."
Silence stretched between us.
I searched his face, trying to find cracks. Regret. Guilt. Anything.
Nothing.
"So," I asked quietly, "am I just another move on your board?. Have I become just another pawn in your games?"
For the first time, he looked away.
Just briefly.
"No," he said. "You are MiMie, and you are the only constant in my life. So you are not a pawn. You are the only promise that mattered. At least till 2031."
That didn't comfort me.
It scared me.
Because I didn't know whether to thank him… Or run. Or run with him.
____________________
I stared at him for a long second.
I am MiMie , and I am the only constant in his life
That's what he always says to me.
Since after the pinky promise.
I guess to him I am
Just
A witness. An anchor. That Calibrates and stabilizes his relationships between changing variables and guaranteeing consistency.
Something in my chest hardened.
I took a step closer, lowering my voice—not because I was afraid someone might hear, but because I wanted him to hear.
"Let me make something very clear, Tahir."
He looked back at me, calm as ever. Waiting. Like he always did when he thought he was in control.
"I don't care what you're planning," I continued. "I don't care how many strings you're pulling, or how clever you think you are."
His brow lifted slightly. Amused.
"I will figure it out."
That made his amusement fade—just a little.
"And when I do," I said, locking my eyes onto his, "I'll decide whether you're a threat… or an asset."
Silence.
I leaned in just enough for the words to land cleanly.
"Do not sabotage my revenge against A.R.C."
His gaze sharpened.
"Because if you do," I added, voice steady, "you'll regret it."
He studied me like a chessboard suddenly capable of biting back.
"Cold Tahir. Broken Tahir. Whatever version you think you are now," I said quietly, "we both know something hasn't changed."
He didn't interrupt.
"When I set my mind on something," I finished, "I almost always get what I want."
A beat passed.
Then another.
The corner of his mouth curved—not mocking this time. Respectful.
"Good," he said. "That's exactly why I called you last night. Because I know, in the end, you always wins."
That answer sent a chill down my spine.
"I am not the only one who changed," he continued calmly. "And you're not the only one capable of obsession."
I straightened, refusing to let him see the unease.
"Stay out of my way," I warned him one last time. "Or I won't care whose plans I burn down—yours included."
For a moment, neither of us moved.
Two predators, measuring distance.
Finally, he stepped back.
"Don't worry," Tahir said, turning slightly, voice low.
"I wouldn't dare sabotage your revenge."
Then, almost as an afterthought:
"I'm just… redirecting the battlefield."
He walked past me, hands in his pockets, already disengaging—already three moves ahead.
I watched him go, pulse racing. One thing was certain now.
Whatever Tahir was planning…
I was no longer just a piece on his board.
I was a powerful hinderance
And this war?
It wasn't A.R.C vs. C.A.A anymore.
It was Me vs. Tahir vs. Afreen.
And I had no intention of losing to either of them.
_____________________
The 4:15pm Meeting
The path behind the admin block was almost empty.
Twilight bled slowly into the sky, the sun sinking low enough to stretch long shadows across the pavement. Dry autumn leaves skittered across the ground, carried by a restless wind that whispered through the trees like a warning.
Tahir stopped a few steps away.
Afreen stood with her back to him.
She wasn't waiting the way people usually did—checking time, pacing, fidgeting. She was perfectly still, watching the leaves spiral and scatter, as if each one carried a thought she had already let go of.
The wind caught her hair.
Dark brown threaded with gold, long curls lifting and falling in slow waves, brushing her shoulders, framing a profile too calm for what she'd set in motion. The scene felt almost gentle—deceptively so.
The autumn leaves weren't just scenery.
They were a declaration.
As Afreen watched them scatter—golden, brittle, weightless—she wasn't thinking about the wind. She was thinking about change.
About how seasons never ask for permission before they arrive. How they strip things bare before allowing something new to grow.
The Afreen standing there was not the girl from the past.
Not the quiet presence behind arguments.
Not the one who swallowed emotions and watched from the edges.
Not the girl who once hesitated.
That version had withered—shed like those leaves.
This Afreen had learned how to fall without breaking.
How to harden without shattering.
How to adapt.
Tahir saw it then.
Not just in her eyes—but in the way she stood, unanchored yet deliberate, letting the wind take her hair, her coat, the remnants of who she used to be. She wasn't resisting the season.
She was the season.
Soon enough, Tahir appeared in front of her, calm, hands in pocket. Too calm.
"You know what autumn means," she said suddenly, voice calm, almost reflective, still facing the drifting leaves.
"Things die," Tahir replied. "Or prepare to."
She smiled faintly. "Exactly."
She turned to him again, and the girl he remembered—however briefly—was nowhere to be found.
"I'm not who I was back then," Afreen continued. "That Afreen would've stayed silent. Would've watched people hurt each other and called it fate."
Her eyes sharpened.
"This one intervenes."
Tahir studied her carefully now, recalibrating. This wasn't just a rival with information. This was someone who had changed direction. Someone who had accepted loss, reshaped it, and turned it into momentum.
"A season change," he murmured.
Afreen nodded once.
"Winter is coming for everyone," she said. "But autumn decides what survives it."
The wind surged again, sweeping the leaves away from their feet.
And Tahir understood.
Afreen wasn't just reacting to the board anymore.
She was rewriting it.