After we got off the bus, I walked into class and immediately saw Di staring at some guy from 12th class—Aksh, and literally staring. And the worst part? He wasn’t even giving her a single glance in return. Not. One. But she just… kept looking. I froze for a second, trying to process her energy, and then dragged myself to my seat.

Honestly? I was done, completely done. Anni’s story had drained me, and I had zero capacity left to listen to another chaotic romance saga.

Then Di herself walked over.

“You know that guy?” she asked, eyes sparkling like she had just invented the sun.

I sighed, leaning back. “Yeah… the one you warned me not to fall in love with.”

Her grin widened. “Yeah… because I love him.”

Oh. Cool. Great. Love. Crushes. How refreshing. I tried to muster a smile. “Nice… It’s really great that you have a crush.”

But of course, she wasn’t stopping.

“When I first came to this school, Pranav literally wrote me a chit… it said I should meet him after school.” She gestured wildly, black eyes locked on mine like she expected me to gasp in awe. “And you know what it meant? Yes. And yes.”

I… I couldn’t even. I lay back in my seat, staring at the ceiling, begging silently for a nap. My brain was screaming, Please, just stop. I can’t handle another detail. But I couldn’t tell her. Not yet.

She continued, cheerfully narrating, hands waving like she was conducting an orchestra of drama. “Then Aksh stepped in and… beat Pranav in front of everyone. That’s the day I fell for him!”

I blinked. Slowly. Oh. Great. You have someone to fight for you. That’s… wonderful.

“And then…” she went on. “…I had a crush on Akayy too, but he rejected me." And I kept thinking… how many girls has Akayy talked to? How many? He’s insane!

Oh. My. God. I was done. My soul was begging for mercy.

Then my brain exploded: And Di… she flirts with every guy around like it’s a sport. Anni is at least devoted to one, but Di? She literally thinks she’s the hottest girl in the school. I mean, I’m not judging, but… how can anyone be that self-obsessed?

And Aksh… don’t even get me started. This guy smokes, drinks, and his eyes are always red like a tomato. And the best part? Di’s copying him now—drinking, vaping. Wow. Just wow. I will literally never understand why people destroy themselves from the inside. Why do they do it? Why love something that ruins you?

Then there was the other thing—Di’s obsession with her body. Always comparing herself to me. “Oh, Kriti, your waist is never even there…” she’d say, like I needed that critique or something. She barely ate most of the time just to maintain her figure. And I kept thinking, Girl, I was born like this! Why are you torturing yourself over something so stupid?

She wasn’t finished. “Then we met at a music concert… practiced together, laughed together… I was falling for him! But I thought he had a crush on someone else…”

I clenched my fists under the desk. My inner commentary was now a mix of frustration and quiet observation: Girl, he’s from 12th class. He’s chaotic, addicted to smoke and alcohol, and you’re following him like a puppy. What is happening? Stop glorifying this disaster.

And then, a thought hit me—quiet, almost painful. At least they have each other… even with all their chaos, all their messed-up personalities, they have someone. And what about me? Who’s got my back?

“On the competition day…” she said, voice bright, “Aksh came to me… he was so hot! And he said, ‘That girl isn’t my girlfriend.’”

I couldn’t even. Yeah, typical. And now you’re acting like it’s destiny? Incredible.

“And then…” she continued, oblivious, “he asked me to be his girlfriend… and I said yes!”

I stared at her. Really stared. You both fight daily. Literally want to kill each other some days. And he… doesn’t even like you that much. You really think this is a love story?

Her eyes were still sparkling, oblivious. “Oh… he’s like this. You can trust me.”

I blinked. Slowly. Okay… great. That’s nice. Cool. But… Akayy and I also had a project to finish. Shouldn’t I be doing that instead of listening to this?

And then… the announcement for Teacher’s Day!

Am I not getting rest for a single day???