Present ;

A N I K A

"Let's cut to the chase and announce the name of the winner for the Best Fashion Designer Award in Category 5 for Bride Collection. We have been eagerly waiting to reveal the name of the mastermind behind the breathtaking designs that have left us enchanted.
So, without further ado, the winner is..."

I take a deep breath and fix my gaze on the tall woman standing on stage, with Mr. Kapoor grinning ear to ear.

My heart thumps against my chest while my fist clutches my dress. God, please. I worked so hard for this.

"Anika Kashyap, everyone!" A thunderous cascade of applause echoed through the grand hall, each clap echoing like a powerful drumbeat. Frozen in place, I sat amidst the tumult, my breath caught in my throat and my eyes stretched wide, drinking in the electric energy that danced through the air

"Miss Anika, can we have you on the stage?" She announced while I pushed against the weight of my astonishment, rising slowly from my seat

I did it.

"I DID IT!" Summoning the courage to approach the stage, I took a step forward, only to find the world around me doing a topsy-turvy dance

I lost balance and smacked my butt on the floor, which made a loud thud and everything blurred

I blinked repeatedly, hoping to clear the amusing haze that surrounded me, but the world remained a bit of a dizzy carnival. Slowly, I opened my eyes again, expecting to see the familiar stage lights, but instead,

I looked around me only to find myself in an unrecognisable environment.

A single bed, white walls, a study table, and books?

Where's my award?

A scoff escaped me as the light bulb of realisation flickered on.

It was a dream.

What a lovely way to start a new semester, Anika!

-

"Are you on campus already?"

Yeah it was my brother again who was making sure that I didn't run away with my long-distance boyfriend

"I'm not a kid," I said back

"I know that." His unmistakable voice echoed once more, but this time, it didn't filter through the phone's receiver.

Oh.

I spin back to find myself in front of him. "I told you I'm not a kid, bhai."

"I know, I know Now shut up," he said, taking my backpack from my hand

"Good morning." I gazed at another voice that came from the left.

The pink-hoodie guy made a comeback but with a wardrobe upgrade. Now, he wore a sleek black tee and black cargo pants and topped it off with a fiery red jacket. As if that wasn't enough, he had a helmet on, stepping towards us

Why is he walking with his helmet on?

"Why are you walking with a helmet on?" I raise an eyebrow. Why is he here anyway?

"Because kids like you are dangerous." He answered back, and I stared at my brother blankly

I nudged my brother, nodding towards the helmet, which was now in his hand.

"He is calling you a kid." I whispered, and all I got in return was the classic 'you-need-help' look from Bhai

"I was talking about you," Advik smirked

"He is calling me a kid."

I nudged him once more, hoping for a laugh or at least a chuckle, but Bhai shot me a look that could've curdled milk. It was the 'seriously, stop it' glare, and suddenly, my lips decided to go on lockdown, sealing themselves into a tight line.

I guess my attempts at sibling comedy were officially cancelled for the day.

I took a deep breath as I stood behind Aditya, who was sitting on a chair opposite the principal. We were there to complete some formalities and paperwork. I looked around the room and noticed several framed pictures and trophies on display. Advik was seated near my brother, while my nerves were doing the cha-cha in my stomach.

What if the principal starts firing questions my way? The mere thought had my stomach doing somersaults.

"Mr. Kashyap, I get it—she aced the 9th grade and all. However, don't you think that she needs to be in 11th grade and not in 10th?" The principal remarked, and my attention landed on her.

"I understand, Madam, but due to frequent school changes and transfers, she couldn't complete her 8th grade, resulting in a two-year gap," Aditya continued. "My father informed me that he had a talk with you regarding this. What seems to be the matter?"

The principal looked at me for a second and proceeded to sign the paperwork in front of her.
"Alright, Miss Anika. You may start on Monday. I hope you have a nice experience here." She smiled, forwarding me the schedule, which I gladly took, thanking her.

She had sum serious 'you are going to get cancelled anytime if I catch you misbehaving' look two seconds ago, and now she was smiling like she knew me from childhood. Why people here so ajeeb? (weird) 

-

While sitting in the cafe, I looked at the supposedly life-altering A4-sized paper claiming to be my new schedule, boldly labelled 'class 10 A', and I couldn't help but sigh heavily. 7 classes in a day?

Seriously, seven? Is this some kind of academic marathon? Wow.

Advik had asked if we wanted to grab some lunch, and I was totally down for it. I mean, after all, it was Friday—the weekend appetiser before the main course of Monday's classes.

I sat there in awkward silence with my brother's so-called best friend while Bhai was gone to order, leaving me alone with the guy I once mistook for my brother and hugged. The cringe-worthy moment replayed in my mind, and, you guessed it, another sigh slipped out. I couldn't help it.

Awkward situations seemed to have a magnetic pull on me.

"12," I looked at Advik, confused

"aayien?" 

"Twelve sighs. You've been puffing like a deflated balloon; it seems like you don't like your new school," he observed, a playful smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Did you just compare me with a balloon?" he nodded

"More weight of school wala part, miss," he said, passing me a tight smile

"Oh! Look at this." I couldn't help but roll my eyes dramatically as I passed him the paper.

"Seriously? 7 classes a day? I've got more classes than a superhero has powers. I'm practically the academic Avengers over here!"

I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the stupidity of the schedule, wondering if the school had mistaken us for academic superheroes.

Advik chuckled. "And what about your last school? How was that?" he continues

"oh! Don't ask me that. Although we used to attend five classes a day, but that was exhausting. Our teachers were insane; I swear, they thought we had nothing better to do than sink into assignments. They would literally give us twice as much homework a week. And math—don't even get me started on the math teacher. I'm assured quadratic equations are a secret language only understandable by aliens," I continued babbling nonstop, my hands punctuating each word for added emphasis.

Advik chuckled, the kind that starts from the depths of the stomach and dances its way to the eyes, which I noticed. A warmth spread through my cheeks. Was it possible my absurd complaints were amusing?

"She never shuts up, does she?" Aditya Bhai appeared out of nowhere with food. He looked at Advik, who shook his head as 'no'. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the inside joke.

"I am not talkative; I am expressive."

"Here you go." He passed me the tray, and I took the latte cup without sparing glances at his. He might be thinking I'm so crazy.

As I wandered on about the school chaos, my thoughts decided to take a scenic route. Advik's smile was because of me—my goofy rambling. A sly grin tugged at my lips, and I quickly found refuge in stirring my latte, pretending to be captivated by the swirling patterns in my cup to escape any awkward eye contact.

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Anika is so delulu 😭🫡
and and and I have created the playlist!! you can access it through my bio. <3

Question : What is your biggest 2024 goal?

mine is probably getting into my dream university by cracking CUET. 🫠

No matter what it is, I'm rooting for you to grab that goal of yours!
see you soon, bye-bye <3

— Love R