Aditya's POV
As Indhu finished telling the past, the bell rang and snapped the group back into the present.
Their English teacher walked in with a cheerful tone, announcing that the sixth period would be an ethics activity. The students were asked to split into five groups and discuss values like trust and honesty.
Indhu, Swetha, Charlotte, Aditya, and Rohan naturally formed a group and settled together, a quiet mix of unresolved pasts and shared smiles.
While they were discussing general topics, Charlotte, out of the blue, looked at Aditya and asked,
"Do you know about Leanor… and why you stopped talking to Swetha for a while?"
I hesitated. Then my voice lowered
"It was a few weeks before the half-yearly exams," I began. "One day, Swetha and Rohan happened to meet my father near the school gate. They were just talking to him about me and some random stuff. But… when I saw it, I felt strange. I don't even know why. Something inside me turned uncomfortable."
I sighed. "After that day, I couldn't bring myself to talk to Swetha. I don't even know what I was upset about. I just… avoided her. Because i dont know just i didnt knoe . But I still spoke to Rohan, Indhu , Leanor, and Naira. Just… not her."
Swetha quietly listened, her eyes not quite meeting mine. The silence that followed was heavy.
That's when Rohan nudged my arm and said with a smile,
"Alright, I'll continue this from here."
Rohan's POV
"It's true," Rohan said. "That's when Swetha and I got close. She didn't say it directly, but I knew she was hurt that Aditya wasn't talking to her. And I… I just listened. She started sharing everything with me — and even though I was the youngest, I ended up giving her advice on almost everything."
He chuckled softly. "It was funny sometimes — like we were these inseparable twins. We'd tease each other, but also always have each other's backs."
He paused and looked at Swetha.
"And that bond really changed something. We became a lot stronger after that."
Swetha smiled faintly, and then looked around the group.
"Okay," she said, "I'll continue from here."
Indhu stayed silent. She was just listening. Though she didn't show much on her face, inside she was curling into herself, deciding not to open up anymore.
Swetha's POV
"After that day," Swetha began softly, "I didn't know what to do. I felt like I lost something important. I missed Aditya's jokes, his stupid teasing… his simple presence."
She looked at Aditya.
"Not talking to me felt like… like you had erased me from your life."
She paused.
"I didn't blame you. I just… I didn't understand."
Swetha swallowed hard.
"Then I started talking to Rohan. And he listened. He didn't judge. He didn't make me feel like I was overreacting."
She looked at Indhu.
"Indhu… you were quiet. But you were there. Even when I didn't say anything, you just sat beside me. That helped."
Indhu felt a sting inside her heart, but she didn't show it.
Charlotte's POV
I watched them all, feeling the weight of the story.
I realized that each of them carried their own scars, but they never spoke about them.
My eyes softened.
I looked at Leanor's empty space in the group, and a strange thought crossed her mind —
Why did Leanor always have to cause pain? Or
But she kept that thought to herself.
Aditya's POV
As the discussion continued, I felt a strange mix of guilt and relief.
Guilt because I didn't have a reason to avoid Swetha.
Just for a moment my eyes caught swetha's but this tim i didnt avoid
I was relievd because I finally admitted the truth.
But something else happened too.
The more we shared, the more I realized —
our group was not just a group.
We were a family made of broken pieces.
And each story was like a table…
a table that held our truth.