Swetha's POV
The classroom felt like it had paused in time.
Indhu's story had just ended, and the room stayed still, as if the air itself was holding its breath.
Then Charlotte turned slowly toward me, her curiosity bubbling.
"Okay, your turn. What exactly happened between you and… Jacqueline?"
I blinked. My smile faded a little.
"Ah. So now we talk about the third villain of this story."
Charlotte leaned in.
"Jacqueline?"
I nodded.
"She was Indhu's friend for nearly thirteen years, and mine and Charlotte's for about three. But none of us really knew her."
I glanced at Indhu. She gave a small, quiet nod, as if to say: go on.
Flashback Begins — Swetha's POV
It all started back in 8th grade.
Jacqueline and I had a misunderstanding.
Maybe it wasn't small. Jacqueline was quiet and good, but always dominant. Something small, but sharp enough to cause silence.
We never spoke properly after that.
Time passed. I didn't care much — until Indhu came back into my life.
Indhu and Jacqueline were inseparable. They had history, old stories, deep comfort.
So when Indhu began talking to me again, Jacqueline noticed. And she didn't like it.
At first, Jacqueline kept quiet.
But soon, she warned Indhu — told her not to get too close to me.
Indhu didn't say anything. She kept smiling. She kept talking to both of us.
But she was hiding everything — balancing both friendships like glass bowls in each hand.
And then Jacqueline found out.
She was furious.
She confronted Indhu. Asked her directly:
"Why are you talking to her?"
And Indhu… finally said what she had kept buried for far too long.
"Because I want to. You can't tell me who I should or shouldn't talk to."
That was the turning point.
But it didn't end there.
Jacqueline had once been a preschool student in Indhu's mother's class. And when things got tense, Jacqueline started speaking badly about Indhu's mom.
That was the last straw.
Indhu lost it. She blasted Jacqueline — for her words, for her control, for everything — and walked away.
"After that," I said calmly, returning to the present, "it was just me, Indhu, and Leanor. We weren't perfect. But we were free."
Charlotte was silent, taking it all in.
Indhu felt inside her silently that a small misunderstanding can ruin a friendship, right?
Then she thought she could call someone her friend who protects her name even when she is not present in the room.
The bell rang suddenly, breaking the silence.
And in walked the classic late arrival — Aditya.
He entered with his usual casual nod. The girls turned to him immediately.
"Why didn't you come yesterday?" I asked.
Aditya shrugged, placing his bag down and stretching his arm.
"Out of town," he said simply, and sat down.
As usual, he turned to Indhu.
"Notes?"
She handed them over, almost without looking.
He began writing.
And in that quiet space, I looked at Indhu and smiled, holding her hand as a way of comforting her.
"Now it's our turn to write the next chapter of our life."