Hi Readers! We hope you guys are enjoying the chapters, here is another one, and you all gonna love it for sure.😉Do tag your friends also😊.

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"Apna haath side hata," Kiaan said, nudging Vritika's hand away with his elbow.

"Tu hata na apna haath! You have taken up all the space, mote!" Vritika snapped, shoving his hand off the desk.

"Maine li hai?!" Kiaan scoffed. "Nakchadi toh tu thi hi ab andhi bhi ho gayi hai kya?"

"Andha toh tu hai! That's why you can't see so much empty space on the desk," she retorted, pointing at the empty space.

"Zyada mat bol samjhi? Nahi toh padega ek, yahin beecch jayegi!" he said, raising his hand dramatically.

"Aur maine maar diya na, toh yahi se seedha Kanyakumari jaake girega, samjha?" Vritika growled and stood up, yanking his hand.

"Hatt yaha se!"

Kiaan jerked back and got up too. "Why should I? You go away! Aur jaake kahin aur apna dera daal, chudail kahin ki."

"Tu hoga masaan!" Vritika yelled.

The class gasped. The teacher turned, arms crossed, already regretting her career choices.

"What happened, bachcho? Why are you both shouting and standing?" she asked.

"Ma'am, iss daayan ne pura desk gher rakha hai! She didn't leave any space for me!" Kiaan said, pointing at her like a lawyer in court.

"Ma'am, I didn't, his stuff has taken over the whole desk!! Aur mujhe keh raha hai!" Vritika huffed, giving him a small shove.

"Now you are gone!" Kiaan growled and grabbed her hair.

Vritika shrieked and grabbed his in return.

"Bachcho, what are you doing?! Leave each other!" the teacher tried separating them, but it was full WWE mode now.

Kiaan grabbed a pencil and lunged for her hand. She dodged just in time.

In revenge, Vritika picked up her geometry box and flung it-SMACK! Right into the teacher's forehead.

Dead silence.

Both froze, mid-action. Their eyes slowly met.

"It happened because of you!" Vritika shouted.

"Not because of me, but because of you! You threw away the geometry box, not me!" Kiaan snapped.

"Pata nahi kya hai tujhe! Jab se aaya hai, meri image ki aisi ki taisi kar rakhi hai-Ghatotkach kahin ka!"

"Haan haan, jaise tere aane se meri zindagi mein khushi ki leher jhoom rahi hai-Tauntika!"

"Just shut up, both of you!" the teacher finally exploded. "I have been watching you both for so long! You keep fighting all the time! Now come with me to the principal's room. Sir hi tumhe theek karenge!"

"Ma'am, no! Don't take me to the principal's room! Bezzati ho jaayegi," Kiaan pleaded, suddenly acting all innocent.

"Jaise badi izzat hai iski," Vritika muttered under her breath.

"Yes ma'am, don't take me to the principal's room. I won't do it again," she said sweetly, flipping from demon to devi in a second.

But the teacher had had enough. She grabbed both of them by the arms and started dragging them out of the class, while the rest of the class tried to hold in their laughter.

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Vritika and Kiaan stood like convicts outside the principal's office-sweaty palms, fake innocence on their faces, and mutual glares being exchanged like daggers.

"Ab bol na, bada aa raha tha pencil leke mujhe attack karne," Vritika hissed, barely moving her lips.

Kiaan scoffed. "Tu bhi toh geometry box missile ki tarah uda rahi thi... woh bhi madam ke sir pe! Headshot diya tha, headshot."

Before either of them could cook up more blame-recipes, the teacher turned around with the sharpness of a ninja.

"Shut up, dono! Go inside. NOW."

They walked in like two kids entering the Bigg Boss house before elimination.

Principal Sir looked up from his file, his glasses sliding to the tip of his nose in classic villain mode. "What's the matter, ma'am? And why are these two here?"

Both of them instantly activated pavitra baccha mode. "Good afternoon, Sir," they chorused, smiling like they'd just saved a puppy from drowning.

"Sir, actually these two have broken the classroom discipline, fought physically, and even injured me," the teacher reported with a sigh that screamed I need a vacation.

The principal's eyes widened. "What! This is ridiculous. Tum log class mein padhne aate ho ya WWE karne? And you injured your teacher? What kind of behavior is this!"

"Sir, actually-" they both launched into defense mode at the same time, then instantly glared at each other.

"One by one!" Principal Sir growled. "You first." He pointed at Vritika.

Vritika stepped forward, eyes wide with mock pain. "Sir, Kiaan ne mujhe chudail bola... And he took up all the space on my desk. I was just sitting there peacefully."

Kiaan nearly snorted. "Sir, She was sitting peacefully? ? Iska peacefully matlab hota hai-'chudail mode ON'!"

He turned dramatically. "Aur sir, isne bhi mujhe masaan bola. I don't even know what it means but it sounds like a bad word."

"Uff! Silly boy. It is a bad word," Vritika snapped.

"Enough!" Principal Sir's voice boomed like thunder during a power cut.

Silence. Pin-drop. Not even a squeak.

"I'm calling your parents right now. This kind of behavior will not be tolerated in my school," he declared.

"Sir! Please sir, ghar par phone mat kijiye!" Vritika pleaded with hands folded like she was about to break into a bhajan. "Aage se nahi hoga, sir. Please."

"Yes sir, We... we will try not to fight. But sir, please don't call parents," Kiaan added, nodding so fast his head could've taken flight.

Principal Sir folded his arms. "No. Your parents should know what their kids are up to."

And then came Oscar-winning performance #1.

"Sir..." she began, her voice trembling like a paper in front of a table fan. "My father has gone outstation..."

Kiaan glanced at her from the corner of his eye. Here we go.

"...and my mother is very ill, sir," she continued, adding a shaky breath for dramatic effect.

"Unhe viral ho gaya hai... par emotional viral," she sniffled. "she has become totally weak."

The principal's stern face didn't budge.

But Vritika wasn't done yet.

"Sir, We didn't even tell papa," she said, palms folded like she was praying to be spared a chemistry test.

"So that he does not get stressed during work. He is handling a very big project... If he gets a call sir... he will come back immediately."

She looked up with teary eyes that could give any daily soap actress a run for her money.

"If he comes to know about mummy's health then he will get tensed. And sir, he is already a BP patient.! Blood pressure!" She threw in the English term for maximum impact.

The teacher blinked. Kiaan blinked. Even the principal's pen froze mid-air.

"Please sir," she whispered, voice almost gone now, "Ghar ka mahaul bigad jaayega."

Principal Sir turned to Kiaan.

"And you? Your father has also gone outstation and your mother is ill?" the principal asked, folding his arms and raising an eyebrow at Kiaan.

Kiaan blinked dramatically. Thoda silence. Thoda suspense.

"Nahi sir..." he began, eyes cast down like a tortured TV serial beta. "Woh... actually my father is in depression."

Pause for effect.

"Jiske chalte... mummy ne hume chhod diya. Woh mama ke yaha chali gayi." His voice cracked ever so slightly.

Principal Sir straightened in his chair, caught a little off guard.

"Papa is very disturbed, sir. Bechaare... he doesn't even eat properly," Kiaan sniffled, squeezing invisible tears out of his very dry eyes.

"Unhe toh apne aas-paas ka bhi hosh nahi rehta..."

Vritika gave a sideways glance. Even she was impressed with the performance.

"Sir," Kiaan continued, voice now as soft as a tragic Arijit Singh song,

"If you call him... his reaction may be unpredictable. He will take more stress... sir please,"
he folded his hands. "unko mat batayiye. Woh toh... toot jaayenge."

And then came the final touch-a slow, dramatic exhale like he'd just unloaded his soul.

The room fell silent. Even the wall clock slowed down out of respect.

Principal Sir stared at him, then at Vritika, then at the teacher who looked equally confused and lowkey traumatized.

"Sir," Vritika whispered, joining the emotional orchestra, "we are seriously sorry... lekin please, ghar pe call mat kijiye. "

Principal Sir narrowed his eyes. "Do any of their elder brothers or sisters study in this school, ma'am?"

The teacher, blinking out of her emotional daze, replied, "Yes sir, dono ke hain. Vritika has an elder sister, and Kian has an elder brother. Both are in class 11."

"Good," Principal Sir said, standing up like a judge announcing life sentence. "Call them."

"Yes sir," the teacher replied, stepping out, possibly to cry into the staffroom tea.

Vritika and Kiaan exchanged a look.

Game over?
________________________

"Hey! So you're confused about latent heat, right? Don't worry, it's actually not that hard. Let me explain it like a story," Vanya said, her voice calm and patient, as always.

Nirvan leaned in slightly, already smirking. Dangerous territory.

"First, what is latent heat? It's the hidden heat - yeah, hidden!" she began, animated. "It's the heat that you can't see as a temperature change, but it's still doing something important."

"Ah, so you're saying you're like hidden heat - quietly intense, making changes I can't even see... but definitely feel." Nirvan grinned, eyebrow raised in a classic flirt move.

Vanya shot him a glare. "Nirvan..."

"Okay, fine! Sorry-sorry," he said quickly, raising his hands in mock surrender, lips still curled in that mischievous smile.

She rolled her eyes and kept going. "Imagine you have an ice cube at 0°C. You start heating it. Even though you're giving heat, the temperature doesn't go up - weird, right?"

"Just like me when you give me attention - I melt, but I try so hard not to show it," Nirvan quipped again, eyes twinkling.

She ignored him this time. "That heat is not making it hotter. It's being used to break the bonds between the solid ice particles so they can become liquid water."

"So basically, you're saying love is like that heat - not raising the temperature, just slowly breaking down walls until everything flows." Nirvan leaned back like he'd just dropped the most profound quote of the century.

Vanya grit her teeth, voice tight with patience. "Latent heat of fusion is the heat needed to change one kilogram of solid, like ice, into liquid at the same temperature."

"Aww," Nirvan said dramatically, placing a hand on his chest. "So even ice needs a little extra love to melt. Guess that makes me the latent heat to your frozen heart!"

"Nirvan! I'm telling you, agar tum ab chup nahi hue na, I will complain to ma'am!" Vanya snapped, pointing a finger at him now.

He gasped, hands flying up. "Arre!"

"Ma'am has made you sit with me to study, not to flirt! So please, concentrate a little on your studies and let me study too."

"Main toh padhai hi kar raha hoon," Nirvan said innocently, then added with a wink, "bas syllabus mein tumhara chapter thoda zyada interesting lag raha hai."

Vanya stood up, clearly done. "Tum aise nahi maanoge, I'll have to tell ma'am ."

"Arey! Vanya rukoo!" he said, reaching out.

"I'm sorry! I won't do it from now on, pakka! Please don't tell ma'am, woh waise hi mujhse chidi rehti hai. After this she will take me straight to the principal's office. Please Vanya, apne dosto ko toh bachate hain, phasate nahi hain..."

"Tumhe kisne kaha ki hum dost hain?" she said coolly.

"Kya! Hum dost nahi hai?" he repeated, stunned.

"Nahi. Hum sirf classmates hai. Aur kuch nahi."

Nirvan paused... then grinned. "Koi nahi. Ab ban jaate hain."

He extended a hand. "Hi! Myself Nirvan Khanna. Kya tum mujhse dosti karogi?"

Vanya looked at his hand, then back at his face. "Nahi," she replied sweetly.

"Why not? what's the problem?"

"You already flirt so much with me. If I make you my friend, you will cross the limit. Isliye, no thanks."

"Haww! Tum mujhe aisa samajhti ho?" Nirvan said, placing a dramatic hand on his mouth.

"But I'm not that kind of guy at all! I promise - nahi, promise nahi..." he shook his head, stepping closer, suddenly sincere.

"Okay, listen Vanya. As a friend main kabhi apni line cross nahi karunga. Tujhe kabhi uncomfortable feel nahi hone dunga. No matter what happens, main hamesha tere saath rahunga - even if you're wrong. I'll stand by you, always. Tujhe protect karna, tera saath dena... yeh mera promise hai. Kyunki dosti sirf ek rishta nahi hota, it's a bond from the heart - pure, honest, and unconditional."

Vanya blinked. His tone had changed. Just for a second, he didn't sound like the class clown.

"...Okay, Mr. Drama King. We can be friends. But only friends. Nothing else. Got it?"

"Ayee! Ayee, captain," Nirvan said with a salute. "And by the way, you are explaining better than our science teacher.. I think you should take her place."

"Yes of course, then I will keep you out of the class for the whole period," Vanya said with a laugh.

"Arey! Abhi se hi dhamki? Main apne shabd wapas leta hoon," Nirvan grinned.

As their laughter faded into soft smiles, the bell rang - not just for the next period, but maybe the start of something unexpected.

______________________

"May I come in, sir?" Trisha said from outside the principal's cabin.

Principal sir nodded silently while still engaged in conversation with the staff members.

As Trisha stepped inside, her eyes widened in shock.

What the-?! Her sister was already sitting there.

"Tu! Tu yaha kya kar rahi hai?" she whispered in disbelief, walking towards her sister.

"Hi didi!" Kiaan chimed in from the side, waving with a cheeky grin.

Trisha blinked. "Hi..." she replied, her voice unsure.

She turned to Vritika, silently mouthing 'Who is he?' with exaggerated facial expressions and wild hand gestures.

Vritika rolled her eyes. "Arey! Iss Ghatotkach ki wajah se hi toh main aur tu yaha hain." She pointed directly at Kiaan.

"Matlab? And what happened to your hair? It looks like someone has pulled it out!" Trisha said, her voice rising in shock.

"Didi, because we pulled each other's hair ," Kiaan replied nonchalantly.

"Kya!" Trisha's voice echoed in the room, drawing all eyes toward her.

Realizing her slip, she quickly mumbled, "Sorry."

She turned back to Kiaan. "Are you serious? She pulled your hair?!"

"Haan! And she also threw the geometry box. But it hit the teacher. Then she brought us here, " Kiaan confessed.

"Haan! Aur apna mat bataiyo, that you also pulled my hair, mujhe pencil se maara, aur mujhe chudail bola," Vritika added with a glare.

"I also said Tauntika," Kiaan reminded.

Trisha gasped. "Hein?! Tu meri behen ko Tauntika aur Chudail keh raha hai?! How dare you! Only the Khanna siblings have the right to assassinate her character.. Aur kisi ke paas nahi."

Vritika squinted at Trisha, about to say something when-

Knock knock.

"May I come in, sir?"

All heads snapped toward the door.

And there he stood.

Mahin.

Trisha's jaw dropped for the second time in two minutes. Vritika tried to shut her mouth with both hands. Kiaan looked everywhere except at Mahin.

"What have you done?" Mahin asked, his arms crossed.

"Hi bhaiya!" Vritika waved. "Should I tell you what this Ghatotkacha has done??"

"Ghatotkach?" Mahin frowned. "Kaun Ghatotkach?"

"Arey! You didn't know? He was named today in the sixth period, I named him-officially!" Vritika declared proudly.

Kiaan gave her a deadly glare. "Bhaiya, ignore her. We are here because of Tauntika."

"Ab yeh Tauntika kaun hai?" Mahin asked, more confused.

Trisha and Kiaan both pointed at Vritika.

She raised both arms dramatically like she had been awarded a royal title.

"But what have you guys done?" Mahin asked again.

"Bhaiya woh... main desk par baitha tha-"
"Isne mujhe chudail bola-"
"Aur inhone ek dusre ke baal kheenche-"

All three started talking over each other.

"Ek minute! Chup karo sab." Mahin raised his hand.

Silence.

One minute passed.
Two minutes.

"Why are you guys not saying anything now?" Mahin finally asked.

"You were the one who told us to keep quiet," Kiaan said with a shrug.

Trisha and Vritika nodded solemnly like they were in court.

"Hey Bhagwaan!" Mahin rubbed his forehead. "Are you guys serious? Tell me one by one, what happened?"

"I'll tell you, bhaiya!" Vritika offered.

"Why? He is my brother, so I will tell him! Not you," Kiaan objected.

"You also told my sister about this! I did not feel jealous like you, jalkukda kahi ka!"

"Jalkukda?! Tu hogi nakchadi, chidchidi aurat, Jhalli, Miss Ghamandi, ladaku vimaan!"

"Haww! Aur tu kya hai? Irritating, annoying, badtameez, Bewakoof-e-Shan, Chirkuta, Nalayak, Nonsense Nawab, idiot aadmi !"

"See!" Principal sir finally cut in. "These two are still fighting."

He looked at Trisha and Mahin. "Bhai-behen ho tum dono inke?"

"Yes sir," they replied in sync.

Principal sighed. "Do you know what your siblings did in class?"

"Obviously-" Trisha began, but Vritika squeezed her hand hard.

"Not sir! We don't know what they did?," Trisha corrected quickly with an awkward smile.

The principal's voice turned stern. "Your brother and sister disrupted the class discipline, fought physically, and even injured their teacher"

Trisha and Mahin's expressions dropped faster than a failed chemistry experiment.

"WHAT?!" they both exclaimed together, before quickly toning it down. "I mean... What?" Trisha repeated in a softer voice, trying to look appropriately horrified.

Mahin blinked at Kiaan like he was seeing him for the first time. "You started raising your hand on the teacher?"

"Main nahi bhaiya!" Kiaan defended himself, pointing an accusing finger at Vritika. "Geometry box iska tha! Missile banake teacher ke sir pe isne udaya!"

"It slipped!" Vritika yelped, hands in the air like she was being arrested. "And anyway... he was going to hit me with a pencil! Main kya statue ban jaati?"

Trisha rubbed her temples. "Are you both serious? Was this a live episode of Tom & Jerry playing in class?"

Principal Sir cleared his throat, pulling everyone back into the terrifying reality of the moment.

"I don't care who started what. This is not how students of my school behave," he said, his voice now like that of a volcano that hadn't erupted yet.

Vritika and Kiaan simultaneously lowered their heads like they were attending their own funeral.

"Tu ghar chal, I stop you from making reels, so now you will do all this in school? That's why mom and dad sent you, haa..." Trisha mocked, her voice dripping with fake anger as she smacked Vritika's head and shoulder.

"What's going on, Kian? You're fighting in class? That too with a girl? Did we teach you all this?" Mahin asked, her tone stern.

Vritika smirked while Kiaan shot her a glare.

"Arey! It is not only his fault, yeh bhi toh barabar ki hisse-daar hai! Come on, say sorry to him ," Trisha insisted.

"Why? Why should I say sorry? He started the fight, not me! He spread his stuff all over the desk, not me! Why should I say sorry to this Ghatokach?" Vritika spat out.

"Tu bhi toh poori desk pe faili hui thi, and don't forget, you pushed me first, then I pulled your hair!" Kiaan retorted, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Acha! I push you, didn't I? How?" Vritika said, pushing him.

"And I pulled your hair, didn't I? How?" Kiaan mimicked her, tugging at her hair.

"What are you both doing?" Trisha snapped, stepping in between them.

"Leave each other!" Mahin said, firmly stopping them.

In the middle of the chaos, Vritika grabbed a file and threw it directly at Kiaan. Kiaan ducked just in time, and the file flew toward the principal-but he ducked, narrowly avoiding it.

The room fell silent. Everyone gasped.

"Enough!" Principal Sir roared, his voice laced with anger. "Now you guys have crossed all limits! You are fighting in front of me? You guys deserve detention!"

"No, sir! Please! Don't do this!" Mahin pleaded, stepping forward. "We are extremely sorry for their behavior, we assure you that nothing like this will happen again. Please sir, don't give them detention!"

"Yes, sir! Please, These people will not fight anymore," Trisha begged, shooting a look at Kiaan and Vritika. "Bolo, nahi ladoge na?"

They both nodded miserably, pleading in unison. "Yes, sir, We won't fight anymore, sorry sir."

"Okay, fine." The principal's eyes narrowed. "But you both are suspended from class activities for two days. No break time. No games period. You'll sit in the library-apart from each other-and write an essay on 'How to Respect Classrooms and Classmates.' Minimum 1000 words. By hand."

"What? 1000 words? Sir, Should we both write it together?" Kiaan offered hopefully, trying to find a loophole.

"Sir, please... make the essay a little shorter... or let us write it together!" Vritika chimed in.

Principal Sir gave them both a blank stare.

"If I let you write together, you both will turn the library into a boxing ring. Now OUT!" he ordered.

They rushed out of the office before he could change the punishment to a school suspension.

Outside the office, Mahin sighed. "Ghar par baat karenge, you guys go to class now."

Kiaan shot her a teasing glance. "Tujhe toh dekh loonga. Essay mein likhunga-'How to deal with Tauntika in class.'"

Vritika smirked. "Main bhi likhungi-'How to avoid Ghatokach while trying to study.'"

As the kids disappeared around the corner, Mahin glanced at Trisha, amused. "Your sister's a whole movie," he said, shaking his head.

Trisha tried to laugh too. Tried.

But the sound never made it past her lips. Because her heart—her stupid, restless heart—was already racing faster than the file Vritika had flung moments ago.

And in that wild rhythm, somewhere between a skipped beat and a silent wish, she knew—this wasn’t just another day at school.

It was the beginning of something.

Something she wasn’t ready for... but couldn’t wait to feel.