The bell rings signalling the end of the final class for the day. Everyone starts to slowly get up from their seats, some start to stretch their limbs out, and some engage in conversations with their friends. The teacher picks up his books and leaves the classroom.

Leaning against her chair, Poonam sat alone on her seat, her eyes zoomed in on her bag as she started gathering her things into it. Her face was etched into a frown, her slightly furrowed eyebrows signalled her internal turmoil. Suddenly she looks up to a certain group of friends chatting away with laughter and smiles with an indescribable look on her face. It was void of any expression, any feelings.

Getting up from her chair, she walks away, when suddenly something falls infront of her. Poonam looks down to find a phone, and picks up, turning around to find the same group of friends chatting away, completely unaware of the fallen phone.

"Hey." Her soft voice rings around the now almost empty classroom, as she calls out to them. "You dropped this." Her hand reaches out with the device.

"Oh! Thank you. I didn't even notice it falling." One of the girls says with a smile as she takes the phone away.

"It's okay..." Poonam whispers back, and turns to leave.

Poonam walks out as one of the girls in the group speaks. "Yaar ye Poonam kisike saath kabhi baat kyu nahi karti? Hamesha akeli rehti hai."

[ Pal, why doesn't Poonam talk with anyone? She's always alone]

"Haan Nitya. Wo pehle waisi nahi thi. Especially ham log jab tenth me the. Tab bahut normal thi. Sabke sath baat karti thi. Ajkal to uske chehre pe ek hasi bhi dekhne milti. Pata nahi kya hogaya." Vidya, one of the girls said sympathetically.

[ Yeah Nitya, she wasn't like that before. Especially when we were in 10th grade. She was pretty normal back then. She would talk with everyone. We don't even see her smiling these days.]

Aditya, one of the guys in the group, was silently listening to his friends talking. He started to think about Poonam as well. His thoughts wandered to the drastic change in the behaviour of Poonam within the last two years, and he couldn't help but feel like something bad had happened to her in between.

"Aree guys chalo ghar chalte hai. Already bahut late hogaya hai. Tum dono uss Poonam ke baare me baad me baat kar lena." Sidharth said, refering to Vidya and Nitya.

[Guys let's go back home it's already so late. You two can talk about that Poonam later.]

Meanwhile, Poonam was standing outside the school gate, feeling the cold air hitting her face. Her eyes were closed, as she started thinking about the friend group she saw upstairs at class. They were almost always together, and she couldn't help but feel sad. Not jealous, just sad.

She wished she could have something like that as well, friends she could trust with all her heart, that would support her through her highs and lows, whom she could tell anything. But her trust has been broken by everyone, by the whole world. Now she was shattered, a broken doll that no one would wish to have. That everyone felt disgusted from.

Poonam opened eyes before her thoughts could wander to the depths of her heart, and looked up at the sky for some time, admiring it, before walking away.

She travelled through the busy roads of the city, until she finally reached the haunting road leading to her house. She looked down to her feet, not wanting to reminiscent that unfortunate day. Her steps were quick, as she stopped the urge to look up, biting her lips so hard, they bled.

No matter how hard she tried, her mind always betrayed herself. Showing her snippets of that day, things she wanted to forget forever.

She finally looked up, at the lone, empty street, and suddenly her head hurt. Memories of the unforgettable, gruesome day flooded her mind, and she couldn't bear to look around. She lammed her eyes shut, trying to stop her mind. Wanting to pull her brain out from that formidable part of her life. Within moments, her bag slipped from her shoulders, and all she saw was utter darkness

.☘︎ ݁˖

Shivansh walked into his apartment boundary when he saw one of his neighbours going out.

A smile beamed on his face as he greeted the older man. "Kya, Ahuja ji, sab thik thak?" He questioned.

[ What, Mr. Ahuja, everything's okay?]

Mr Ahuja nodded. "So, tonight's game is on, right?" He asked, to which Shivansh nodded with a smile.

Shivansh and Mr. Ahuja had been playing badminton together for the past year. He was an elderly man who had good relations with everyone, and everyone loved him. But Shivansh and Mr. Ahuja especially knew each other well because he was Nitya's Father.

"Nitya aaj tumhare saath to nahi ayii?" He asked, to which Shivansh replied, "Wo gayii hui thi Vidya ke saath school ke paas waale dukaan tak kuch khareed ne."

[ Nitya didn't come with you today?

She's gone to the shop near school]

Mr. Ahuja nodded but then passed out a tight lipped smile and walked away.

After the interaction with his sports partner, Shivansh walked into the building, his thoughts occupied by Nitya.

.☘︎ ݁˖

Aditya walked into the lane while his house was situated, his eyes filled with boredom and tiredness. He kicked a random pebble on the ground, lost in his thoughts. All this while, he was looking at the pebble at his feet, and when he finally looked up at the road ahead, he saw a very worrying scen unfolding infront of his eyes.

The sight infront of him was alarming. Leaning against the boundary of a home, was Poonam, crying and screaming out loud. It was as if she was hit by a fit of hysteria after seeing something extremely disturbing.

Upon running closer, Aditya notices that Poonam was constantly mumbling something as tears flowed down her face, her hair was a mess, completly different than what he had seen her with before she left the school campus. Her bag was lying somewhere far away from her, her previously neatly pressed uniform a mess.

Aditya ran towards her, kneeling before her. It was then he heard her whisper, constantly, continuously.

"Please stop- no- I don't want this-" she kept crying, extending her arms before herself, trying stop something, or rather someone, imaginary. And that's when Aditya realised- Poonam was having a panic attack. Her entire body was shivering. Suddenly Poonam starts pushing him away. "No- stop- please don't do this-"It was clear she was thinking he was someone else.

"It's okay- it's me." He tries to make her realise that. But Poonam is deaf to his voice, as if she is in a different world. She pushes him by his shoulders, trying to get away from him, trying to be as far away as she can. It was as if she didn't see Aditya, rather someone completely different.

"It's okay-" Aditya begins again, but Poonam screams, not listening to what he has to say.

She pushes him harder, hitting his chest as hard as she could. And that's when Aditya decides he's had enough. He holds Poonam by her shoulders, shaking her violently while screaming. "It's me! Aditya. I won't do anything to you. You're safe with me." Aditya repeats when he sees Poonam slowly coming back to her senses. "You're safe with me." He whispers, as she finally hugs him back, breaking down in his arms. Her sobs ring in his ears as she keeps crying, struggling to breath at one point, shattering in his arms like glass.

Some time passes by, and Poonam's sobs die down. She slowly pulls away from Aditya, feeling embarassed about everything that transpired between them inbetween these thirty minutes.

"Wo... I just wanna say tha-" the both of them start together.

"No. You go first. Please." said Aditya.

"Wo...sorry for troubling you. It must've been tough." Poonam replies, feeling guilty for letting such a thing happen to her in the middle of the road.

"Oh no, it okay, actually. Besides it's my duty as a human being to help others." Aditya rejected her apology. He then gets up from his knee, and offers her a hand.

Poonam takes it, slowly getting up from the soil beneath her. "Thanks..." She says.

"You're welcome." Aditya flashes a polite smile. "Come on, I'll walk you home."

"No it's okay-" she's about to reject his offer, when he suddenly interrupts. "My house is just nearby." He says.

Now Poonam couldn't refuse his offer.

They walked up together to her house in a comfortable silence, and Poonam was ready to go into her house when suddenly something came into her mind.

She turned around, wishing to ask a question.

"Achha suno-" she heard them speaking together, his hand rubbing his neck.

[ By the way, listen-]

"You go first. Please. " Poonam whispered.

"So... Friends?" He asked, a shy smile spreading on his face, making his face shine brighter.

Poonam noticed the change in his facial features, how his face shone brighter, which made the corner of her lips tug up, and she nodded "Friends." She said.

Aditya smile shone even brighter upon hearing her response. He waved her a quick bye and walked away.

Poonam walked into her home, her thoughts filled with only one person- Aditya. And suddenly, she realised something.

That was the first time she smiled since the last two years. As the realisation dawned upon her, her smile slowly faded.

"Poonam, aao mere liye thoda harmonium bajaado. Taan pakadne me thodi mushkil ho rahi hai." Her mother's voice brought her out of her trance. She looked up, finding her mother sitting on the ground, her sitar in hand, and the harmonium kept oposite to her.

[ Poonam, come please play the harmonium for me, will you? I cant hold the 'taan' properly.]

Poonam nodded. "Abhi aati hun change karke..." She climbed upstairs to her room and changed her clothes. Coming back downstairs, she sat oposite to her mother, her hands on the harmonium as she stretched and flexed her fingers. She started playing slowly, matching her mother's pace on the sitar, but her thoughts were not concentrated on the instrument.

[ I'm coming after a quick change of clothes.]

Her mind was occupied with the fact that a person she didn't even know well, could make her smile, when nothing had helped her reach such a position. How could a stranger, who knew nothing about her, help her out of her panic attack, make her feel safe enough to cry on his shoulders, and then make her smile?

She was surprised.

"Poonam? Poonam! Sunai de raha hai ya behri ho gayii ho?" Suddenly she heard her mother's scream. " Waise bhi humari izzat saare Ghar walon ke saamne to tumne le hi lee hai, aur tumhe humlog jo tumhe phir bhi de rahe hai uski tumhe parwah nahi hai?!" Her mother's screams echoed on the walls of their house.

[ Poonam! Poonam!? Can you hear me or are you deaf? You've already ruined our honour infront of our relatives, and when we were are still giving you favours after what you did to us, you don't even acknowledge it?]

Poonam looked up to find her mother's eyes filled with rage. She quickly averted her gaze from her mother's, a fear seething within her. Her mother slowly kept the sitar down, and got up from where she was sitting.

As soon as Poonam saw her mother get up from her seat, she knew what was about to happen. So, she stayed shut, her gaze fixed on her lap, not ready to look up.

Her mother walked upto her, her steps halting as she stood infront of Poonam, her head bent down as she stared at her daughter. Then she tilted her girl's face upwards, making Poonam look at her, as her eyes were filled with blind rage.

Looking into her mother's eyes, Poonam couldn't bear to keep her eyes open. She shut them down, anticipating the pain. And soon, she felt a sharp sting on her face, her left ear ringing as she experienced the pain she had been feeling for years.

"It's a boy you're thinking about right? tumhari jaisi besharam ladki ka aur kaam hi kya ho sakta hai ladko ko phasane ke alawa?" Her mother screamed as another slap landed on her face. Her mother's laboured breaths could be heard in the living room, as she stared down at her daughter, someone whom she'd grown to hate.

[ What can a shameless girl like you do anyway?]

Then she heard footsteps slowly going away. Once alone, soft sobs filled the air, as Poonam got up and ran to her bedroom.

Locking her door from the inside, she slowly slid down the door, her hips hitting the floor as she sat down, pulling her knees to her chest, as tears slowly slid down her face, her sobs ringing in the air.

This has been happening since the last two years. All the time. Her entire life got ruined when she revealed what had happened to her. Her heart ached, a physical pain spreading through her body because of the mental pressure. She cried, her tears pooling on the the floor.

Some time passed by as her sobs died down. She was hurt,feeling worthless and unheard, but there was thing she wanted to see tomorrow for.

Aditya. She wanted to see Aditya.

────୨ৎ────

The first chapter is heavy, I know, but I promise it'll get better and much more fun in the later chapters. They read in highschool, remember? So fun is compulsory!

Anyway, please let me know your thoughts in the comments. They would really motivate me to write, because Aditya and Poonam's story owns my heart.

Instagram Id : silverbeads_writes follow where I post cute reels and spoilers for this book.