When I asked Shree about her life, her face dimmed — but her eyes sparkled, like she had been waiting for this question. We were on the bus, heading toward school, and she leaned in closer.
"Kriti, have you ever felt like you've made a wrong decision?"
"Uh, yes, many times," I replied. "But there's one thing I love about myself: I never regret them. At that moment, those decisions felt right."
"You were asking me, na, about my life… if I had somebody or not?"
"Yes."
"Have you seen that fat guy in class 12? Raksh?"
"Yes, I've seen him, but never clearly."
"Yeah… he was my friend in class 9. He liked me, and then one day he proposed online. I accepted immediately."
I rested one hand on my cheek, the other holding my bag, eyes locked on hers as she unfolded her story.
"In class 10, this boy, Akayy, came between us. I started talking to him casually. But Raksh grew insecure, always telling me not to talk to him. I mean, who was he to order me like that?"
My thoughts started spinning. Wait—what's he doing here? Why does she like him? Is she the girl he was rushing about? They talked online??
But only two words left my mouth: "Fair enough."
"One day, I broke up with him," she said.
My jaw dropped. "What? But why?"
"Teachers found out about us. I panicked, thinking they'd tell my parents. My life could've been ruined. Plus, his marks dropped. He barely passed class 11… I thought maybe it was because of me."
"Don't you love him?" I asked softly.
"Yes, I guess… I try to overcome him. But maybe he thinks I'm the kind of girl who accepts a proposal and then leaves for studies. I broke his heart."
"See, don't be sad," I told her. "If he truly loved you, he wouldn't think like that."
"But still… sometimes I want to go back to him."
Her words pulled me into a whirlpool of my own thoughts. What if I had accepted Abhi's proposal? Would we still be together, or broken like her and Raksh?
I shook myself. Hell no, Kriti. He deserved rejection. He has a girlfriend now. Behave.
Shree's voice drew me back. "You know, Kriti, the real problem isn't even Raksh. It's those boys who keep judging you. Once you've been in a relationship, they think they all have a chance. You've never been in one, so people don't dare propose. But for me, everyone assumes I can be with anyone. They judge us so badly. You can't imagine the harsh words I've heard."
Her words hit me like a slap. In this so-called Gen Z world, every girl is treated like an object, her existence stripped of meaning.
In a world of cactus, it's hard for a flower to survive — always afraid of being snatched.
Women are like butterflies: admired for their beauty, but never respected for their existence.
Her voice opened my eyes wider to the reality we live in. Every single day, some girl faces comments she never asked for, from strangers she doesn't even know.
Maybe this is what hell looks like.
By the time we reached school, I thought Shree was done sharing. But just as the bus slowed, she leaned closer and whispered, "And Kriti… there's one more story you need to hear. Anni's."
Her tone changed — lower, heavier. The kind of voice that warns you the next words will bruise.
And as she began to unravel Anni's story, I realized something that made my chest tighten: not every love is true, not even the ones we swear will last forever.