Kiara walked down the corridor, catching up to Zoya.
"Zoya, I'm sorry," said Kiara softly.
Zoya kept walking, ignoring her. Kiara grabbed her shoulder.
"Zoya, wait! I told you I'm sorry."
"You always do what you want," snapped Zoya. "You act like you own me."
"I made a mistake, please forgive me," said Kiara, her voice trembling.
"I'm already in a group, Kiara. If you're thinking you can join us or make me leave— it's not happening," said Zoya sharply.
"Tch… I wanted to be in her group," Kiara thought.
"N-no, I'm not worried about that! I'm worried about you," she said aloud.
"Your face says something else," said Zoya, narrowing her eyes.
"N-noo," Kiara stammered, forcing a smile. "I'm okay."
Just then—
"Hi," said Kabir, walking toward them.
Kiara gave him a side-eye.
"H-hey…" said Zoya, looking down nervously. Why does Kabir want to talk to me? she thought.
"I just wanted to borrow your best friend," said Kabir, smiling at Zoya but staring at Kiara.
"You can talk here," said Kiara, crossing her arms.
"No, I want to talk to you," said Kabir, stepping closer. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience."
Before she could respond, he grabbed Kiara's hand.
Everyone in the corridor turned to look.
Looking back at Zoya, Kabir said, "Sorry, I'll bring her back."
"W-what?!" said Kiara, stunned.
"Come with me," Kabir said, pulling her gently toward an empty classroom.
Zoya watched them disappear inside, her chest tightening. Why does everyone always want her? she thought bitterly.
Inside the empty classroom
"How dare you grab my hand in front of everyone like that!" Kiara snapped, her voice echoing off the walls.
Inside the empty classroom
"You wouldn't have come if I said I wanted to talk to you," said Kabir, his tone calm but firm. "And I don't have time to convince you either."
"I don't want to listen to you anyway!" snapped Kiara. "First, you grab me here without asking, and now you're downplaying me? Really?"
Kabir smirked slightly. "Downplaying you? Kiara, right now it's just you and me — alone in a classroom. No one will know if I downplayed you."
He stepped closer, his voice lowering.
"But you… you downplayed Roneet in front of the entire class."
Kiara's breath hitched, caught off guard by his words.
Kiara's voice rose, her frustration spilling out. "What did I even do wrong?" she said sharply. "He can't even present a single slide properly. He can't even read! Is he even from a school or what? I explained everything to him!"
Kabir didn't flinch. His tone stayed calm, but there was weight in every word. "The entire thing you did was wrong," he said. "He was clearly not prepared, yet you forced him to present today."
"I—I didn't force him," Kiara muttered, her voice dropping, eyes shifting down.
"You gave him even more pressure than the presentation itself," Kabir continued, his tone firm now. "And you didn't even have the decency to accept his apology."
Kiara froze, her breath caught somewhere between guilt and pride. Kabir stepped a little closer, his eyes fixed on her.
"I don't even understand why he apologized to you," he said quietly. "The one who's truly at fault here… is you."
The silence that followed felt heavy. For a moment, Kiara couldn't meet his eyes.
"You—" Kiara started, her voice rising before she stopped herself for a second, breathing hard. "I don't understand why you're siding with him. Is he your lost brother or some old college friend? Or are you just using him for money?" she snapped, her eyes flashing with anger.
Kabir looked down at her, the hint of disappointment clear on his face. "You're disgusting," he said quietly, his tone sharp as glass. "I don't understand why people like you even exist."
Kiara let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head. "Nothing would've changed anyway, even if he presented next week," she said coldly. "Instead, I forced him to do it today. At least we got the extra marks. He should be thankful to me! If not for me, there's no way he'd have presented at all—he doesn't even have the balls to try."
Kabir's eyes darkened. The classroom went silent again, only the hum of a ceiling fan breaking the tension that hung between them.
Kabir's jaw tightened. I've never been this irritated in my life, he thought. But I need to stay calm… break her ego the right way. A faint smile tugged at his lips — one that wasn't friendly.
"He couldn't present," Kabir said slowly, "because either he wasn't good enough… or the explainer was."
Kiara's eyes flared. "What do you mean by that? I explained every point to him — in detail, in an easy format!" she snapped.
"Hmm." Kabir tilted his head slightly, pretending to think. "Then why wasn't he able to present? Weird, right?"
"Because he's a loser!" Kiara shot back immediately, her tone sharper than she intended.
Kabir let out a quiet chuckle. "I explained the same PPT to Preeti once," he said. "She was trembling too, just like Roneet. But she still managed to pull it off — because her partner was good." His voice carried a hint of pride that made Kiara's stomach tighten.
She looked away, her confidence faltering.
"Even you know you're at fault," Kabir said finally, his tone soft but cutting. "Just accept it. But I know you won't. Your ego's too big. You can't even apologize — not to someone who's trying his best, who's already been through enough."
The words hit her like a knife.
Kiara froze, her thoughts spinning back to the day before — Roneet standing humiliated in front of the class, the whispers, the laughter. Rohit punching him in the bathroom, his broken glasses glinting on the floor. His quiet exit while everyone called him a creep.
Her chest felt heavy. She blinked hard, but it was no use — a small tear welled up, glimmering in the corner of her eye.
Kabir looked at her, puzzled. "I don't even know what really happened yesterday," he said quietly. "Why is everyone calling him a creep?"
"That's a lie," Kiara said suddenly, voice shaking.
"What?" Kabir blinked.
"Yesterday… he accidentally bumped into a girl. Her boyfriend beat the shit out of him. And then someone spread false rumors — called him a creep," Kiara said, staring at the ground.
Kabir's expression changed — disbelief, then anger. "You're sure someone spread that?"
Kiara hesitated, then nodded. "Because I know who did it."
Kabir's eyes sharpened. "Then why didn't you tell anyone?"
"I don't have proof," she whispered.
Kabir stood in silence for a moment, shocked at how much she'd been hiding.
Kiara picked up her bag and turned toward the door. "You don't have to tell me to apologize," she said without looking back. "I was going to anyway."
She paused, glancing at him over her shoulder with a faint smirk. "And you think I'm a bad partner? Just wait. We'll get more marks than you in the internals."
Before Kabir could reply, she walked out, her footsteps echoing in the empty classroom — leaving him staring after her, more intrigued than before.
As the door closed behind Kiara, Kabir stood there in silence for a moment, the echo of her footsteps fading down the corridor. Then, slowly, a faint chuckle escaped his lips.
"She's so childish," he muttered to himself. "Why does she even care this much about grades in college?"
He leaned back against a desk, crossing his arms, a crooked smile forming. "At least Roneet won't have it easy with her during the internals," he said under his breath. "She's a ticking time bomb — she'll pressure him so much that he'll have no choice but to face his problems on his own."
Kabir exhaled through a laugh, brushing a hand through his hair. "But the way she threw those harsh words at me…" He smirked faintly. "I almost cracked. No one's ever done that before."
He tilted his head back, laughing softly again, this time with his palm resting on his forehead. "People like her even exist?" he said, shaking his head in disbelief — a strange mix of irritation and admiration flickering in his eyes.
For a moment, he stood there still smiling, realizing that Kiara Malhotra had just left a mark — not just on Roneet's story, but maybe on his own.
Kiara meets Zoya.
"Zoya, meet me in some time."
"W-what?" said Zoya, confused.
Kiara left quickly. I need to apologize, or else I won't be able to sleep, she thought.
Kabir came out of the classroom, stretching his shoulders. "Man, that was exhausting," he said.
Huhh, what did they… no, what am I even thinking, thought Zoya, shaking her head.
Kiara was running outside the college, looking for Roneet.
"Where is he?" she murmured, glancing around.
After a while, she stopped in the alley beside the college. She sighed deeply. "I think he went away… huhh," said Kiara, her voice soft with disappointment.
She turned to go back — then suddenly froze.
Her eyes widened in shock.
She saw him.
He was near the footpath, crouched down and feeding an old, frail dog. The dog wagged its tail weakly, its cloudy eyes barely open, but Roneet's smile was gentle — calm in a way Kiara hadn't seen before.
From a distance, Kiara watched silently, her breath catching for a moment. The way he carefully broke the biscuits into smaller pieces, the quiet joy on his face as the dog ate — it didn't look like the boy who had trembled in class or stood humiliated before everyone.
Her chest tightened. That soft smile of his only made her heart sink deeper.
He looks… happy, she thought.
Roneet stood up and was about to go ahead when Kiara suddenly ran toward him and grabbed his shoulder.
He froze, his body rigid, and turned around, eyes wide in surprise and immediate panic.
Stop running, idiot!" Kiara said, panting heavily.
"B-but I was walking," Roneet replied, confused.
"Huhh…" Kiara made an irritated face. "Whatever," she muttered, brushing her hair back.
Roneet lowered his gaze and said quietly, "I'm sorry… again. Because of me—"
"Please shut up, Roneet," Kiara interrupted, looking down.
"W-what happened?" he asked, worried.
"I—I just…" Kiara's voice trailed off. She couldn't meet his eyes and looked to the side instead.
"You just what?" Roneet asked gently.
"I just wanted to…" Kiara's voice broke as her eyes glistened, "…apologize."
"What?" Roneet blinked, caught off guard.
"I am sorry, Roneet," Kiara said softly.
"It's okay," Roneet replied. "I was at fault."
"No, I was the one who forced you to do it," Kiara said quickly. "Please forgive me." Her expression softened into the most innocent face she could make.
*Aw… why is she making that face?* Roneet thought, trying not to smile.
"S-sure," he said finally, cheeks slightly red. "I forgive you."
Meanwhile, Nikhil was standing at a distance, watching them. His eyes narrowed as he saw Kiara and Roneet together.
"What is she doing with him?" he muttered under his breath. His jaw tightened, and he bit his lower lip, trying to suppress the frustration rising within him. His eyes darkened, a flicker of jealousy and confusion crossing his face as he kept watching silently.