Indhu's pov
Finally, the last unit test of 10th standard for the term had ended.
The hall was filled with sighs of relief, discarded pens, and the excited chatter of students already planning their post-exam celebrations. We five walked out of the hall—tired but strangely fulfilled.
It had been a long journey since the start of high school. Between competitions, tensions, and unexpected friendships, something had silently changed between us—something deeper than class notes and shared secrets.
We walked to the empty corridor near the cycle stand. Rain threatened from the clouds above, but the moment felt too important to rush.
Swetha leaned against the wall. "I don't know why… but I feel like we should freeze this moment. Like… this exact one."
Charlotte smiled. "You mean before real life starts pulling us in different directions?"
Rohan kicked a pebble. "Too late, it already has."
Aditya pulled out a chocolate bar and handed it to me.
"So we promise… what? That no matter what, we'll come back here?"
I opened the wrapper slowly.
"We promise that this bond, this version of us… never fades. Even if we change. Even if we grow apart. We still find our way back."
We formed a little circle, hands overlapping in the middle—a quiet pact between hearts.
Swetha: "Even when we're 80?"
Charlotte: "Even when Rohan is bald and blaming stress."
Rohan: "Even if Charlotte starts liking cricket."
Everyone laughed.
And then… silence.
The kind that only falls when people feel deeply seen.
Finally, I broke the silence.
"Come on guys, we've got only five days of holidays. You're acting like we're going to be gone for 50 years."
Later that Evening…
Our WhatsApp group—"V5"—was buzzing with exam memes and leftover jokes.
When I looked at the chat, I saw my friends typing like it was war.
Adi (that's Aditya in my phone):
"Rohan forgot to write the last 10-mark answer and still smiling 😂"
Charzz (Charlotte in my phone):
"Swetha's handwriting has officially evolved into Sanskrit."
Then suddenly…
Indhu deleted a message
Swetha (saved as Sweths in my phone) immediately typed:
"Oiii Indhu what did you send and delete? 👀"
Rohan (saved as Robuzz) added:
"What is it? Tell now 😭"
Charlotte (saved as Charzz) said:
"Come on, we're curious!"
But I stayed silent.
I had been typing. Then stopped.
Online. Then offline.
My last seen: 10:34 PM
A tiny silence grew in the group chat.
Swetha sent one last message:
"Indhu? All okay?"
No reply.
And the screen faded to black.
I started to type again…
and suddenly stopped.