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Flashback Begins…
The corridor was unusually silent, and the tension in the air felt like a silent warning.
Knock knock.
I tapped on the principal's door with absolute nonchalance, clueless about the storm waiting inside.
"Come in," came Dadu's stern voice—stricter than usual.
I pushed open the creaking door, flinching at the loud sound.
"Dadu, why don't you just fix this handle already? It squeaks like it's been begging for help since 1947," I mumbled with a smirk.
"Marammat toh ab tumhari hogi… woh bhi acchi wali."
(Now it's you who'll get fixed… and properly.)
A deep, intimidating voice snapped me out of my sarcasm.
I turned—and froze.
There stood a tall boy, arms crossed, eyes sharp and cold. He had the kind of presence that screamed danger, and a face that seemed annoyingly familiar.
"Dadu… who's he?" I asked, casually pointing a finger at him without any shame.
His expression twisted in disbelief.
"What? You don't know who I am?!"
"Uh, yeah, I don't. And I'm pretty sure I've never met an arrogant, self-obsessed jerk before. So no thanks."
"Me?! A jerk?!"
"Yes! A giant, walking electric pole!"
He stepped closer. "How dare you! First you falsely accused me of cheating, and now you're pretending you don't even remember me?"
"Wait—what? I never did such a thing! Are you drunk on ego or what?"
He scoffed. "You're nonsense! Don't act innocent. You were caught cheating by Pratika ma'am, and in panic, you stuffed your crib note in my bag. Because of you, I was suspended for two weeks!"
Just as I opened my mouth to argue, it hit me. Like a punch of lightning.
My eyes dropped to his name badge.
ADITYA AGNIHOTRI.
Oh. My. God.
I looked up again—and damn, the guy was tall. Like, 'I-could-be-a-lamppost' tall. And me? Just a humble penguin trying to survive.
He smirked, folding his arms. "Finally remembered?"
If Dadu weren't in the room, I swear I would've slapped that smirk off his face.
I turned to Dadu, doing a quick scan of the office to ensure my mother wasn't around. Thankfully, no sign of her.
"Dadu…" I said sweetly, pulling my best innocent-puppy face.
"Nautanki!"
"Drama queen," I heard Advik mumble under his breath.
What a piece of work.
"Bas Kritu, bas! Tumne mujhe bohot dukh pahunchaya hai. Ab aur kuch mat kehna, warna main ro dunga!"
(Enough, Kritu! You've hurt me deeply. Say another word and I'll cry!)
Dadu declared dramatically, hand on his chest like a soap opera actor.
"That's from your daily soap, isn't it?" I whispered, forgetting the tension.
"Yep, same one. Nailed the acting, didn't I?" he whispered back, grinning.
A fake cough broke our moment. That annoying monkey again—Aditya.
"SIR," he emphasized, signaling Dadu with a knowing glance. Suddenly, Dadu went from dramatic to serious, like someone flipped a switch.
Something was definitely fishy here.
"So… Prakriti Malhotra," Dadu began slowly, calling me by my full name. That's never a good sign. "Did you really do what he's saying?"
I stood my ground. "Yes. I did what I did. He's the topper, and Mum was there. It was the only thing I could think of in the moment."
Dadu sighed. "You know your mother… I mean—well, that was wrong. And you should be punished."
"I accept that," I said firmly. If my Dadu's giving the punishment, I can face anything.
"Then sign this," Aditya said smugly, slamming a bunch of papers onto the desk.
I raised an eyebrow. "What is this?"
"Just a simple agreement… between you and me," he replied with a shrug.
"Oh really? And why exactly do we need an agreement?" I mimicked his tone with extra sass.
He glanced at Dadu again—and boom, Dadu's face turned to stone. Even if I'd robbed a bank, he wouldn't have looked this serious.
"Prakriti… this is just a little paper that sets a few boundaries," Dadu said nervously. "But on the bright side, Aditya won't tell your mother… or his father, who is the trustee of our school… if you sign."
My eyes snapped toward Aditya. "So now you're blackmailing my Dadu?"
"I don't blackmail people like you," he said coolly. "I simply told him I'd inform my dad—and he asked me to settle it quietly. This is the quiet way."
He was too casual for someone playing with fire.
"Oh really? Go ahead and tell your dad. I'm not scared of either him or my Dadu."
"Are you sure?" he asked, fighting a smirk.
I looked at Dadu again—biting his nails like he'd seen a ghost.
"But if you really want that, then I'll tell Mrs. Malhotra first," Aditya warned, pulling out his phone.
No. Nope. Hell no.
If Mummy found out about this, I could kiss my future PS5 goodbye.
"Fine! I'll sign it," I said through gritted teeth.
"Good," he replied, pride flashing in his eyes as he handed me a pen.
I signed every page like my life depended on it. And maybe it did. As long as it wasn't one of those dramatic TV serial agreements where I unknowingly give away all my property or something.
Once I finished, I rushed to the door. But before storming out, I glared at Aditya and warned Dadu, "I'll see you at home!"
Flashback Ends…
"So wait…" Ishika stared at me, almost laughing. "You still don't know what was in those papers… and you still signed them?"
"As long as it wasn't property papers, I'm good," I replied with a casual wave.
Anaya, who had been quietly sipping her drink, finally spoke up. "I don't think Aditya would've done anything too bad… I mean, he's not that kind of guy."
Both Ishika and I shot her a "Seriously?!" look. Girl, whose side are you on?
"Whatever," I said. "As long as my future PS5 is still in my future."
I turned to the rest of the group—who had clearly been eavesdropping on the entire story.
"Hey! If anything happens to me… you all better testify in my favor, got it?"
A few nodded like their lives depended on it. The rest just trembled and whispered "yes" under their breath.
"By the way, Ishi," I turned to her, voice teasing, "I heard you're skipping math class these days. Is something… distracting you?"
"You know, Anaya," I added, pretending to be casual. "Class 12-B's math sessions coincidentally happen with another class."
Ishika's eyes widened. Only she understood the hidden teasing in my voice.
Suddenly, Shanaya's phone buzzed.
Her lips parted slightly, eyes locked on the screen. No words came out.
I took the phone from her, my chest tightening.
"SCHOOL AUTHORITIES HOLDING A LIVE CONFERENCE."
"Press conference?!" Ishika repeated, her heartbeat rising.
The entire group went silent.
Something was about to go very, very wrong.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we will definitely take....."
TO BE CONTINUED.....
Next Chapter Spoiler:
Prakriti's world flips when the school's live press conference exposes a shocking truth.
And just when she thinks things can't get worse…
That mysterious agreement she signed?
It kicks in—with consequences she never saw coming.
Aditya's Revenge Has Only Just Begun.