Morning light slanted through the classroom windows. Everyone sat scattered across their benches, chattering—no teacher had arrived yet. In the row where the boys sat, two students shared a desk: one was Ayaan, the other Siddhant.
Ayaan was strikingly handsome and exceptionally bright. Yet life at home had never been easy. Without a father, money was always short. His mother, uneducated and capable, had tried to run a small shop from home, but after his father's death, the relatives had taken that away too. Since then, they lived in a rented place, and his mother worked herself to the bone to keep a modest storefront going—just enough to scrape by. Whatever she managed to earn went into the household; there was barely anything left for Ayaan's pocket money or comforts.
At first, Ayaan used to argue at this. He watched his friends eat well and spend freely while he had neither luxury nor choice. But over time, he began to understand the reality of their situation. They say fatherless children grow up fast; perhaps that was true for Ayaan too.
Siddhant noticed him lost in thought. Waving a hand in front of his face, he said, "Bro, what's up? Where are you drifting off to? I told you not to propose to Aditi, didn't I? But you wouldn't listen. You had blinders on for your first love. I warned you about what kind of girl she is—greedy to the core, willing to go to any length for her own gain. Still, you ignored me. And now look at you, sitting here like a fool, thinking of God knows what."
Ayaan heard him, glanced over, and let out a long breath. Forcing a smile, he said, "Yeah, you were right. I was the foolish one for not listening. Now I'm carrying the weight of those stones myself. Everyone sees me and laughs. I've become a joke. And now even you're saying the same."