Chapter 8
After class ended that afternoon, Meera stepped out into the corridor, stretching her arms.
Her brain was tired from trying to study all day.
She was about to head toward the stairs when she spotted someone familiar.
Rohan.
He was standing near the sports notice board, talking to someone.
When Meera looked closer, she realized who it was.
Kizer.
"Oh my God," she muttered under her breath.
Kizer was practically a celebrity in their friend group — not because he was famous, but because Itasha had been talking about him nonstop for the last six months.
According to Itasha, Kizer was the most perfect person to ever exist.
Meera personally thought that was a bit dramatic.
Still, she knew him pretty well.
Kizer attended the same tuition as her, and over time they had become good friends.
He was also dating one of Meera's friends, which made the whole situation even more complicated considering Itasha still had a massive crush on him.
Meera slowed down slightly, pretending to check something on her phone while she listened to their conversation.
"Next week's football match is going to be intense," Kizer was saying.
Rohan nodded.
"Yeah. The other school's team is pretty strong."
Meera blinked.
Football?
So Rohan likes football.
That was new information.
For some reason, that small detail stuck in her mind.
As she walked away, a strange thought suddenly appeared.
What if I join the girls' football team?
Meera immediately stopped walking.
That is the stupidest idea you have ever had.
She had never played football in her life.
Not even once.
But somehow the thought refused to disappear.
Maybe she could at least try.
The next day, the school announced football trials for the girls' team.
Meera stood near the field, nervously adjusting her shoelaces.
What am I doing here?
Around her, several girls were also waiting for the trials to begin.
Some looked confident.
Some looked just as confused as she felt.
When the practice started, it quickly became obvious that most of the girls weren't particularly skilled.
A few were good.
But many were still learning.
Meera wasn't great either.
But she was at least fit, and she could run fast.
After a few rounds of drills and jogging, the coach looked at the group and sighed.
"We need enough players for the team," he said.
After a few more minutes, he nodded toward Meera.
"You can join."
Meera blinked.
Wait… what?
Just like that, she was officially part of the girls' football practice.
She wasn't amazing.
Actually, she was pretty average.
But she tried her best.
And secretly, she knew the real reason she was there.
Rohan.
During practice, Meera noticed that the boys' team was training on the field next to theirs.
And of course, Rohan and his friends eventually wandered over.
Not to help.
Mostly just to joke around.
"Wow," one of them said, laughing. "This is painful to watch."
Rohan chuckled quietly.
Some of the girls glared at them.
Meera pretended not to notice them at all, even though she was very aware of Rohan standing nearby.
Then she noticed something else.
Bhoomi.
Bhoomi walked over and stood extremely close to Rohan.
Almost too close.
She was clearly flirting with him — laughing at everything he said, touching his arm occasionally, leaning closer than necessary.
Meera watched the interaction while pretending to focus on the ball.
The strange part was that Rohan didn't stop her.
He didn't encourage her either.
He just stood there casually, talking and smiling like nothing was unusual.
For some reason, that made Meera feel a little uncomfortable.
A small, quiet feeling settled in her chest.
Maybe Kitty was right.
Maybe Rohan really did give attention to everyone.
Meera kicked the ball harder than she meant to.
And for the rest of practice, she tried to focus only on football.
But it wasn't very easy.