Reyansh Malhotra hated alarms. Unfortunately, his grandfather hated laziness even more.

Which was why, at exactly six in the morning, the entire Malhotra mansion was already awake and functioning as if the day had started hours ago.

Reyansh groaned as he rolled out of bed and ran a hand through his messy black hair. The sunlight filtering through the curtains made him squint.

Another school day.

Wonderful.

After getting ready, he headed downstairs where the familiar sounds of conversation filled the dining hall.

The Malhotra family was large. Very large.

At the head of the table sat his grandparents, who practically ran the household despite officially being retired.

His father and mother sat beside them, discussing business matters between bites of breakfast.

His chachu and chachi occupied the opposite side of the table, while his younger siblings argued over something completely ridiculous.

His brother, Rishabh, was in Class 10 and believed he was old enough to win every argument.

His younger sister, Ruhi, was in Class 8 and believed she was right even when she clearly wasn't.

Then there was his cousin, Yash, a Class 11 student who spent most of his time pretending not to be related to the rest of them.

The only people missing were his bua and cousin sister, who had settled in the United States years ago.

"Good morning," Reyansh greeted as he entered.

His grandmother immediately smiled.

"There he is."

His grandfather looked over his glasses.

"Late."

"It's six-thirty."

"Exactly."

Reyansh suppressed a sigh.

His grandfather's definition of late was different from everyone else's.

His mother placed a plate in front of him.

"Eat."

"Good morning to you too, Mom."

"Eat first. Talk later."

The table burst into laughter.

For the next twenty minutes, breakfast continued with the usual chaos.

Ruhi complained about school.

Rishabh complained about Ruhi.

His grandfather complained about both of them.

Everything was perfectly normal.

And strangely comforting.

Despite all the wealth, the business empire, and the massive mansion, mornings like these were his favorite.

After finishing breakfast, Reyansh grabbed his bike keys.

"I'm leaving."

"Drive safely," his mother called.

"Helmet," his father reminded.

"Yes, Dad."

"And no speeding."

"I know."

"Reyansh."

"Okay, okay!"

Shaking his head, he left before another lecture could begin.

A few minutes later, his bike entered the school parking lot.

The moment he removed his helmet, a familiar voice called out.

"Took you long enough."

Kabir Singh.

Best friend.

Partner in crime.

Professional troublemaker.

Standing beside him was Aarnav Goenka, who somehow managed to look composed even this early in the morning.

"Good morning to you too," Reyansh replied.

Kabir threw an arm around his shoulder.

"You look sleepy."

"I am sleepy."

"Understandable."

The three boys headed toward Section A together.

Like always, half the students greeted them along the way.

Reyansh barely noticed.

Being popular had stopped feeling special years ago. For him, school was simple.

Attend classes.

Play football.

Survive assignments.

Repeat.

Days passed.

Then weeks.

Class 12 quickly became the nightmare every teacher had promised it would be.

Assignments multiplied.

Tests appeared from nowhere.

Students suddenly remembered the existence of studies.

The football season, however, continued as usual.

Which was why Reyansh found himself on the field one afternoon, practicing with his teammates during lunch break. Sweat dripped down his forehead as he dribbled the ball across the ground.

"Pass!" Kabir shouted.

Reyansh ignored him.

"PASS!"

"No."

"Selfish."

Reyansh laughed.

Then he kicked the ball.

Hard.

A second later, he realized his mistake.

The ball wasn't heading toward the goal.

It was heading toward the benches.

More specifically...

Toward a girl standing near them.

His eyes widened slightly.

The girl moved out of the way just in time.

Unfortunately, the ball crashed into a nearby bench instead.

A water bottle toppled over.

Water splashed everywhere.

Several papers were instantly soaked.

The exact papers he had spent two days completing.

Silence.

Complete silence.

For one glorious second, Reyansh hoped they weren't his.

Then he recognized the cover page.

They were.

"Seriously?"

His irritation immediately returned.

Without thinking, he strode toward the bench.

The girl looked up as he approached.

For a moment, Reyansh found himself staring.

She looked familiar.

Long black hair.

Dark eyes.

School uniform.

And surprisingly short compared to him.

Not that it mattered.

His ruined assignment mattered.

"What did you do?" he demanded.

The girl blinked.

"What?"

"My assignment."

"I didn't—"

"It's completely ruined."

Her eyes widened.

"I didn't touch it."

"If you weren't standing here—"

"Reyansh."

Kabir's voice interrupted him.

His friends had finally reached the bench.

Aarnav took one look at the soaked papers before looking at Reyansh.

"Are you serious right now?"

"What?"

"It wasn't her fault."

"Then whose fault was it?"

Kabir pointed toward the football still lying nearby.

"The idiot who kicked the ball at her."

Reyansh opened his mouth.

Then closed it.

Unfortunately, they had a point.

Aarnav folded his arms.

"You literally kicked the ball."

"That doesn't change the fact that my assignment is ruined."

The girl seemed caught somewhere between nervous and confused.

Aarnav turned toward her.

"What were you doing here anyway?"

"Oh."

She quickly held out a file.

"A teacher was calling Reyansh."

All three boys looked at Reyansh.

Kabir immediately grinned.

"Congratulations."

Reyansh rolled his eyes.

The girl seemed eager to leave.

"That's all I came for."

Without waiting for another response, she turned around and hurried away.

Reyansh watched her disappear.

Then sighed.

"My assignment is ruined."

"Your fault."

"Thank you, Kabir."

"Anytime."

A few minutes later, Reyansh headed toward the staff room.

The teacher was waiting.

"Reyansh, where is your assignment?"

For a brief moment, he considered telling the truth.

Then decided against it.

The last thing he needed was to explain how he had destroyed it himself.

"I need a little more time, ma'am."

The teacher frowned.

"You usually submit before deadlines."

"I want it to be perfect."

After a few seconds, she nodded.

"Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow."

Conversation over.

Problem temporarily solved.

As he left the corridor, his gaze drifted toward the courtyard below.

Students crowded every corner of the campus.

Most of them blended together.

One group didn't.

Near the staircase stood Vanya.

He recognized her immediately.

Their families had known each other for years.

Vanya had practically grown up alongside him, Kabir, and Aarnav.

She was talking animatedly about something while another girl listened beside her.

The same girl from the football field.

Before Reyansh could think much about it, Kabir appeared beside him.

Following his gaze, Kabir smirked.

"Oh."

"What?"

"Looking at Ishika?"

Reyansh frowned.

"Ishika?"

"Vanya's best friend."

The name sounded strangely familiar.

"I've never seen her before."

"You probably have."

Kabir shrugged.

"She just doesn't talk to many people."

Reyansh glanced back toward the girl.

Ishika.

She wasn't saying much while Vanya continued talking.

Mostly listening.

Occasionally smiling.

Quiet.

Different from most people around her.

For reasons he couldn't explain, his eyes remained on her a little longer than necessary.

Then she laughed at something Vanya said.

A small laugh. A genuine one.

And for the first time since the football incident, Reyansh forgot about his ruined assignment.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

❤️❤️