Indhu's POV
It was the first day of 10th grade.
I walked into the classroom early — as always. The room was quiet, almost too quiet, like it was still asleep. I felt like the first bird in a silent sky. I placed my bag on the first bench and looked around, not searching for the teacher, but for two familiar faces.
Swetha.
Leanor.
Leanor and I had been friends last year. But standing there that morning, something already felt… off. The day wasn't starting the way I had imagined it would.
Within ten minutes, Swetha walked in. The moment I saw her bright smile and that familiar energy, my chest felt lighter. She sat next to me, and just like that, we slipped into laughter — talking about everything we missed. Especially about how I went to her dance program. With Swetha, things were always easy. Our bond didn't need effort. It just existed.
Soon after, Charlotte entered the classroom.
She was quiet, graceful — and new to all this classroom chaos. Swetha and I shifted slightly, making space for her. Not just on the bench, but in our conversation too. We asked her about homeschooling, about 9th grade, about all the things she might have missed.
She smiled, curious, a little amused.
"So… what did I miss?" she asked.
I leaned closer and whispered with a smile, "I'll tell you during break… you won't believe it."
Before that moment could settle, Rohan walked in. He gave Swetha and me a quick nod, said a short hello, and went to his usual seat. Quiet — but somehow, always noticeable.
When the assembly bell rang, the three of us — Swetha, Charlotte, and I — walked to the ground together.
Leanor still hadn't arrived.
Neither had Aditya.
In the middle of the assembly, I finally saw Leanor. She didn't look at us. She didn't greet anyone. She stood at a distance — not just physically, but emotionally. Something about that hurt more than I expected.
Aditya never came that day.
No message.
No explanation.
He was just… missing.
Like a silence waiting to echo later.
After assembly, we returned to class. I noticed our bags — mine, Swetha's, Charlotte's, and Leanor's — all placed together on the same bench.
Charlotte spoke softly, "I'll take the next bench. You all sit here."
For a moment, I thought things would settle.
But Leanor walked up and said she wanted the corner seat — the one I was already sitting in.
I smiled politely and said, "Can I continue sitting here today? I came early…"
She refused. Her voice was sharp, almost cold. She grabbed her bag and walked straight to the back bench.
I didn't want things to turn worse. So I followed her.
"Leanor… can we just talk for a second?" I asked gently.
She didn't answer. She turned away. Her back said everything her words didn't. Silence. Distance. Coldness.
The tension felt heavy, like an invisible wall between us.
Before I could say anything else, I heard Charlotte's voice behind me.
"So… about 9th grade? What happened?"
I paused.
I took a deep breath. My eyes burned slightly as my thoughts slipped backward, into memories I hadn't planned on opening so soon.
"It all started when…" I began.