The sun had already seeped through the curtains, painting the room with a soft golden glow. Birds outside chirped happily, as if the whole world was awake—
except Sakshi.
She was curled up in her blanket like a stubborn kitten, hair messy, face buried in the pillow, sleeping as if she had no responsibilities left on earth.
At the doorway, her mother stood with her hands on her hips, staring at her daughter with the same expression she wore every single morning—
a mix of love, frustration, and defeat.
"Sakshi… uth jaa, beta," she said for the fifth time. "Aaj toh please time se uth ja."
Sakshi didn't even move.
Her mother walked closer and shook her shoulder gently.
"Sakshi, class nahi miss karni. Utho!"
A tiny groan escaped from Sakshi as she pulled the blanket over her head like a shield.
"Mumma five minute…" came her muffled voice.
"Five minute? Tum toh kal bhi ye hi boli thi!" her mother scolded lightly. "And do you know how long those five minutes were? One whole hour!"
Sakshi made a soft protesting sound—half whine, half plea—
"Bas thodi der aur… I'm tired."
Her mother sighed dramatically.
"Arre, tired? What did you do? You slept early, you ate junk food, and then you watched cartoons till you slept! Tired kis baat ka?"
Sakshi, still hiding, whispered, "Mumma Shinchan ka episode bahut funny tha…"
"Haan haan, bahut funny tha," her mother rolled her eyes, "but your exams won't be funny if you go on like this."
When Sakshi didn't budge, her mom used the ultimate weapon.
"Fine. I am eating your Maggie."
The blanket flipped open in seconds.
Sakshi sat up, eyes wide like a shocked puppy.
"Mumma! No Maggie!"
Her mom smirked. "Toh phir uth jao."
Sakshi's hair was a total mess, her eyes sleepy, her expression confused—but she finally got out of bed, sulking like a grumpy child forced to face the cruel world.
Her mother handed her a comb.
"Go. Brush your teeth. Comb your hair. And don't sleep again on the bathroom sink like yesterday."
Sakshi rubbed her eyes and mumbled,
"Mumma, that was one time…"
"That was three times," her mom corrected.
Sakshi made a face, half embarrassed, half guilty.
As she finally shuffled toward the bathroom, dragging her feet like a lazy panda, her mother shook her head with fond helplessness.
Every morning was a battle.
And every morning, Sakshi lost.
But in her mother's eyes, this clumsy, sleepy, childish girl was still her sweetest joy—
even if waking her up felt like waking up a whole mountain.
After finally dragging herself out of bed and getting ready in her usual hurry, Sakshi rushed out of the house with her bag half-zipped and her hair still a little messy. Her mother called after her:
"Lunch box le jaa! And don't forget to eat!"
Sakshi turned back, grabbed the tiffin, and ran again.
"Bye Mummaaa!"
By the time she reached the college gate, she was breathless—but smiling.
Because standing there, waiting for her, were Ishu and Pihu.
Ishu folded her arms the moment she saw her.
"Late again?"
Sakshi pouted. "It wasn't my fault… Mumma woke me up late."
Pihu raised a brow. "Acha? So your mom woke you up late or you didn't wake up even after she tried 10 times?"
Sakshi scratched her head quietly.
"…Second one."
Ishu and Pihu burst into laughter as they walked inside together.
---
In the Classroom
The classroom was already buzzing with chatter, but the moment Sakshi entered, she stumbled slightly—her foot getting caught in her own bag strap.
"Sakshi!" Ishu grabbed her arm. "How can someone be this clumsy?"
Sakshi whispered, "It's a talent…"
They took their seats together, spreading out their notebooks. Pihu opened her pencil pouch and passed Sakshi a pen.
"You forgot your pen again, didn't you?" Pihu sighed.
Sakshi nodded, looking guilty. "I was in a hurry…"
"You are always in a hurry," Ishu teased.
Before Sakshi could defend herself, the professor entered, and the room fell silent.
---
Lecture Time
The lecture began, and Sakshi tried really hard to focus.
Really, really hard.
She sat up straight, opened her notebook, kept her eyes on the professor—
And then, within minutes…
Her eyelids began to droop.
Ishu nudged her. "Sakshi, don't sleep!"
"I'm not…" she whispered, blinking rapidly.
Two minutes later…
Her head slowly tilted to the side.
Pihu poked her arm. "Oye! Sit straight!"
Sakshi sat up again, trying her best, but her sleepy brain was losing the battle.
Finally, she whispered to her friends, "I swear… if I don't sleep today, I'll faint…"
Ishu covered her mouth to stop from laughing.
"Then faint after class, idiot."
The girls giggled quietly, earning a sharp glare from the professor.
By the end of the lecture, Sakshi had filled exactly four lines in her notebook—
two were notes,
two were doodles of Shinchan.
---
Break Time
The moment the bell rang, Sakshi jumped up.
"Thank God! I need food!"
Ishu rolled her eyes. "You always need food."
Pihu opened her own tiffin. "Let's go sit in the courtyard."
They sat under the big neem tree, eating tiffin and sharing snacks. Ishu talked about the new assignment, Pihu complained about her math teacher, and Sakshi listened with bright, expressive eyes—laughing, whining, teasing, and being her adorable chaotic self.
Her friends often said that Sakshi made even the dullest day brighter.
And they were right.
For her, this was just another normal day—
filled with clumsy steps, sleepy lectures, junk food cravings, and lots of love from the two friends who understood her the most.