When Riju entered class 9, his life started to change with new colors. The school was small, but inside that small place were his biggest moments of happiness. Every morning, walking to school with his bag on his shoulder, the dusty road, and the calls of his friends—everything felt like a beautiful picture.
His closest friends were Sayan, Rahul, and Imran. They were a team. Wherever they went, they went together. They sat together in class, and even when they got punished, they faced it together 😄
Morning assembly was the most boring part. When the head sir gave long speeches, Riju and his friends would pretend to listen but secretly laugh and pass comments to each other. But if a teacher noticed them, it was over—"Stand up!" 😅
The real fun started inside the classroom. The last bench was their kingdom. They had more fun than studies there. Math class was the hardest for Riju. Numbers made his head spin. So instead of writing notes, he used to draw cartoons, superheroes, and funny sketches of his friends.
One day, the math teacher caught him—
"Riju, what are you doing?"
Even though he was scared, Riju said softly—
"Sir, I'm writing notes…"
The teacher took his notebook and saw a full superhero fight scene! The whole class burst into laughter. Even the teacher couldn't stop smiling. From that day, Riju became the "artist" of the class 😄
Tiffin time was everyone's favorite. As soon as the bell rang, it felt like freedom. The small school ground filled with laughter. Riju and his friends sat under a tree and shared their lunch—someone brought aloo chop, someone noodles, and someone homemade paratha. Sharing food made everything more special.
But it wasn't always fun. There were tough moments too.
One day, there was a math test. Riju couldn't prepare well. When the results came out, he got very low marks. His eyes filled with tears. He felt very small and disappointed.
Then Sayan put a hand on his shoulder and said—
"Hey, don't worry. You'll do better next time."
Rahul laughed and said—
"What's the big deal about marks? We are here!"
Imran said loudly—
"In friendship, there is no failure!"
Hearing those words, Riju felt lighter. He understood that in school life, marks are important, but friendship is even more important ❤️
Days passed one by one. Classes, tiffin, games, fun—everything became a routine, yet it never felt boring.
Sports Day was the most exciting day. Riju participated in a race. He knew he wouldn't come first, but his friends encouraged him to try. The race started, everyone ran fast. Riju finished somewhere in the middle, but when he crossed the finish line, his friends cheered as if he had won!
That moment stayed in his heart forever.
Then came the annual function. Riju took part in a drawing competition. He practiced day and night. On the day of the event, his drawing impressed everyone. He got second place. Even though it wasn't first, it was a big achievement for him.
As time passed, things started to change. When they reached class 10, pressure increased. Teachers became stricter. Fun decreased, studies increased.
Still, everything felt easy when they were together.
But the hardest day came at the end of the year—
The last day of school.
That day felt different. No one could focus on class. Everyone was talking, but the laughter was less. Deep inside, everyone knew—these days would never come back.
Riju and his friends sat quietly on the last bench. No one was speaking. Their eyes said everything.
Sayan said—
"Don't know when we'll sit like this again…"
Rahul tried to smile and said—
"We have WhatsApp, right?"
Imran stayed silent, his eyes filled with tears.
After school ended, they stood outside the gate. They looked back one last time—the classroom, the field, the tree—everything came rushing back as memories.
In his heart, Riju said—
"School may be over, but these days will never end in my memories…"
They all walked away on different paths, but their friendship remained the same.