Chapter 5

Subhi

The moment the exam ended, I bolted out of the classroom. I didn’t want to be around anyone, especially not him.

I told myself I wasn’t thinking about Abhimanyu, but my mind had other plans. Even as I laughed along with my friends in the hallway, I felt unsettled. The exam had been tough, but that wasn’t what bothered me the most. It was him—sitting right beside me, his presence impossible to ignore.

I wasn’t sure if it was because of the awkward bump earlier or the fact that we had never really acknowledged each other before today. Either way, something about him felt… different now.

And I hated that I noticed.

“Shubhi, you good?” Ananya nudged me as we walked toward the canteen.

“Huh? Yeah, why?”

“You seem… weird. Distracted.”

I forced a smile. “Just thinking about my exam. That one question about economic policies threw me off.”

Ananya groaned. “Ugh, don’t remind me. I’m already praying for passing marks.”

The conversation drifted, but my focus kept shifting. Across the canteen, I saw Abhimanyu walking with Rohan. He looked… deep in thought. That was unusual. He was always the confident, carefree one, right? The guy who seemed to have it all together.

Then I saw one of the teachers call his name.

“Abhimanyu, Principal Ma’am wants to see you.”

He stiffened for a second before nodding and walking off. I caught the look Rohan gave him—half amused, half curious.

I frowned. Why did the principal want to see him?

Not that I cared.

I turned away, focusing on my tray of food, but for some reason, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something big was about to happen.

And that, somehow, without even realizing it, I had gotten caught up in it.