Rhea's pov
So apparently, peace is illegal in my school.
Just when life was going smoothly, the announcement came—
INTERSCHOOL COMPETITION & PAGEANT
Participants to register.
I was minding my own business when Samar slowly turned toward me with that look.
"No."
"Rhea—"
"No."
"You didn't even hear us."
"I heard danger."
Neel leaned over my desk. "You should participate."
"I will not."
"You should," Samar added softly. "You'd win."
I scoffed. "In whose imagination?"
Before I could escape, a few front benchers snorted.
"She? Pageant?"
"Please."
"Look at Aditi—she is winning for sure."
Aditi, of course, flipped her hair dramatically.
"I'm obviously going to win," she announced like it was already engraved on the trophy.
I hadn't even opened my mouth when—
Samar smiled sweetly.
"Confidence is good."
Neel nodded. "Delusion is… brave."
The class burst out laughing.
Aditi glared.
Teachers glared harder.
"QUIET," someone snapped.
We were warned. Again. As usual.
Lunch Break – The Real Drama
At lunch, the topic refused to die.
"What will you wear?" Neel asked.
"I don't know," I muttered.
"You don't even own a sari," Samar gasped.
"I do too!"
"One. From childhood."
"That doesn't count!"
They immediately decided—
"We'll go shopping with you."
I almost choked.
"Absolutely not. My mom will come. What do you idiots know about saris?"
Samar looked offended.
"I know colors."
Neel added proudly. "And price tags."
Kabir was unusually quiet, staring at nothing like he was solving life itself.
Yuhan looked tired, head resting on his hand, barely reacting.
Meanwhile, Samar and Neel suddenly derailed.
"Important question," Samar announced.
"Maggie or Yippee?"
Neel slammed the table. "Maggie."
"No way," Samar argued. "Yippee masala hits different."
They dragged two juniors into it.
Actual voting happened.
Hands raised. Serious expressions. Betrayals remembered.
I watched them like—why am I friends with these people?
Bell rang. Argument unresolved.
Back to Class – Praise & Nonsense
Teachers came and went.
Some scolded us.
Some ignored us.
Then Physics sir stopped.
"Good work," he said, looking at Kabir and me.
"Both of you performed very well in the previous exam."
Before I could even react—
Samar whispered loudly, "That's OUR students."
Neel gave us both a proud thumbs-up.
Like they solved the paper.
Then, of course—
"Ohhh," Samar smirked. "Together, that's why."
"IDIOTS," I hissed.
Kabir didn't say anything.
Just listened.
Walking Home – Absolute Chaos
We walked home together, as usual.
Except today, everyone was against me.
Samar suddenly yanked my bag and sprinted ahead.
"GIVE IT BACK!"
"Catch me!"
I ran.
Fast.
But Kabir ran faster.
He caught Samar, snatched my bag, and casually slung it over his shoulder.
I reached out. "Give it."
He shook his head.
"I'll carry it. Your house is near."
And just… started walking.
Samar, Neel, and Yuhan lost it.
"Ooooo."
"Bag service."
"VIP treatment."
I wanted to die.
From afar, I spotted Mom coming back from grocery shopping—with my idiotic elder brother.
They saw us.
My friends greeted them politely.
Mom smiled warmly.
"Come, have snacks."
Bhaiyya frowned.
"Choti, where's your bag?"
I pointed.
At Kabir.
My brother walked straight up, took the bag from Kabir, slung an arm around my shoulder, and pulled me in.
"These idiots troubling you?" he asked casually.
Samar and Neel froze.
Terrified.
We all went inside.
Tea, Compliments & UNO Wars
Tea and rusk appeared.
Mom and my friends talked about studies.
Samar and Neel complimented my mom so much she actually blushed.
Traitors.
Then we played UNO.
Chaos.
Samar cheated shamelessly
Neel pretended not to understand rules
Yuhan played silently… and won
Kabir teamed up with me once, then betrayed me
I accused everyone of cheating
Cards were thrown
Laughter was nonstop
At one point, Samar yelled,
"UNO!"
Neel slapped a +4 on him.
Samar screamed like it was a personal attack.
Mom watched us and laughed.
And for a moment—
Everything felt perfect.
Kabir's POV
I never understood why people made noise when they were nervous.
Rhea didn't.
She got louder.
Ever since the pageant announcement, she pretended not to care—but I could tell. The way she bit her pen. The way she stared at nothing when Samar and Neel weren't looking.
Front benchers whispered.
Middle benchers laughed.
I listened.
Not because I cared about them—but because I cared about how she pretended she didn't hear.
"She won't last," someone said behind me.
"Aditi's winning anyway."
I clenched my jaw and focused harder on my notes.
Then Rani asked a doubt. I answered automatically. Polite. Distant. My mind wasn't there.
I kept thinking about how Rhea stood when she was challenged—chin up, eyes sharp, pretending confidence like armor.
She didn't know it yet, but she already had something most of them didn't.
Presence.
Physics sir praised us again that day.
I heard it—but what I noticed was Samar and Neel celebrating like they had won a medal.
When they teased us—together, that's why—
I didn't react.
But I didn't deny it either.
Walking home, watching Rhea chase Samar for her bag, yelling threats she'd never carry out, I felt something loosen in my chest.
When I took her bag from him, it felt… natural.
"I'll carry it," I said.
Not heroic. Not dramatic. Just obvious.
She looked annoyed. Embarrassed. Flustered.
Good.
When her brother took the bag from me, I didn't argue.
Some things you respect.
Later, watching her laugh over UNO cards, accusing everyone of cheating while cheating herself—I thought:
She doesn't belong in a pageant.
She belongs on a stage that doesn't try to shrink her.
And maybe… she doesn't know that yet.
Pageant Preparation Chaos — Rhea's POV
I agreed.
I still don't know how, but I did.
Probably because Samar said,
"If you don't participate, I'll tell everyone you're scared."
I hate him.
The next day, my life officially turned into chaos.
Girls surrounded me.
"What are you wearing?"
"Sari or lehenga?"
"Hair open or tied?"
"Do you even know how to walk on stage?"
"I WALK DAILY," I snapped. "THIS IS NOT NEW."
At home, Mom was thrilled.
Finally. Someone on my side.
Or so I thought.
She pulled out saris like she was summoning spirits.
"This one?"
"No, too plain."
"That one?"
"Too loud."
"THIS one."
"No. That's emotional trauma."
I collapsed on the bed dramatically.
"I shouldn't have agreed."
She laughed. "Drama queen."
At school, Samar and Neel became managers.
"Practice smile," Samar ordered.
Neel timed me walking from one end of the corridor to the other.
"Too fast."
"Too slow."
"Smile more."
"Less smile."
"Blink naturally."
"I AM BLINKING NATURALLY."
Kabir watched from his seat. Quiet. Observing.
That somehow made it worse.
During lunch, everyone had opinions.
Front benchers judged.
Middle benchers whispered.
Samar and Neel defended me like lawyers with no filter.
"She'll win."
"Obviously."
"Talent + attitude."
I wanted to scream. I wanted to hide.
But somewhere between sari trials, stage-walk practice, stolen confidence, and noisy encouragement—
I stood straighter.
And when I caught Kabir looking at me—not smiling, not judging—just steady—
I felt… grounded.
Maybe I wasn't ready for a pageant.
But I was ready to try.