Half of the school year had already passed when a new student joined their class.
Her name was Nila.
From the very first day, she stood out.
She was friendly, confident, and spoke easily with almost everyone.
Within a short time, she had already started blending into the class as if she had always been a part of it.
There was something
else about her too.
Her mother had joined the same school as a teacher.
She even handled one of the subjects for their class.
At home, Nila's mother might have been kind and gentle—but in school, she was strict and disciplined.
No one dared to misbehave
during her class.
Riya noticed all
of this quietly from her seat.
Nila had spoken to her a few times—small, casual conversations.
"Hi."
"Did you complete the homework?"
"Can I borrow your notes?"
That was all.
They weren't close.
Just… classmates who spoke
once in a while.
But things were different
when it came to Lakshith.
Nila quickly became close with him.
And Ananya.
The three of them often talked together.
They laughed during class.
Shared small jokes.
Sometimes even continued their conversations during breaks.
From her seat at the back, Riya watched them.
Again and again.
She didn't want to.
But her eyes always found
their way there.
Every time Lakshith laughed at something Nila said…
Every time Ananya joined in…
Riya felt something tighten inside her chest.
It wasn't anger.
It wasn't sadness.
It was something she couldn't fully understand.
But it disturbed her.
Because once…
That place had been hers.
Those conversations.
Those small arguments.
That attention.
Now, everything felt distant.
Riya looked down at her notebook, pretending to focus.
But her mind wasn't on the lesson.
It was somewhere else.
Watching.
Comparing.
Feeling something she didn't want to feel.
Why does it bother me this much…? she thought quietly.
She knew Lakshith had the right to talk to anyone.
She knew this wasn't wrong.
Yet…
She couldn't stop herself from feeling it.
And maybe what hurt the most was this—
It wasn't just that he had become close to others.
It was that he had become distant from her.
And that distance felt louder than any words they had never spoken.