Aryan beta... stand up."
I stood up immediately and started thinking to myself, "What happened to him now? What is his problem with me?"
Then he said, "Man, are you even serious about your studies? This time again, you got the worst marks in the class. What are you doing? Anurag, who is one rank above you... has scored 70 marks. How can someone be so bad at studying? First you got 45%, and now you got 40%. You're just falling down, how will this work? And you've made a bet of 1 lakh with me! Well, I'll give that money even if you come 3rd in class... but you don't look desperate for it at all."
I lowered my face. I was thinking inside that I spend so much time in that magical world that I don't get time to study in the real world. Whatever I had written in the exam was only what I had heard from the teacher in class, and I just wrote that down.
The teacher was scolding me when he suddenly said, "One second... raise your hand. This ring? Don't you know that wearing all this to school is strictly forbidden? Take it off right now!"
I immediately started taking it off, but that ring was stuck to my finger as if I had glued it with some sticky glue. It just wouldn't come off. I was trying very hard when the teacher thought I was acting. He came to me and grabbed my hand himself to pull the ring out. He was trying with all his strength when suddenly his hand slipped from the ring and he fell backward on the floor.
Seeing him fall like that, I was about to burst out laughing, but I controlled myself somehow. But all the children in the class could not control their laughter and started laughing loudly.
Then my eyes went toward Anaya. She was also smiling, hiding her face. But then suddenly our eyes met again, which made my heart skip a beat for just a second, as if my heart had missed a beat. A sweet pain and nervousness that happens suddenly when you are scared or when you see someone you love.
But that feeling didn't last long, and we immediately looked away from each other. I suddenly remembered the moment when we both were so close to each other that we could clearly hear each other's heartbeats.
Then came the sound of the teacher mumbling, which drew my attention to him. He was getting up from the ground and said while brushing his clothes, "Fine... but come with it taken off tomorrow!"
Then he shouted loudly, "Silence!" and quietly went and sat in his chair.
The teacher started teaching and after that, he didn't say anything to me.
After a while, the lunch break started and we began having our lunch. We were eating when suddenly the class door opened with a 'thud'. There were two boys standing at the door.
They shouted loudly, "Where are Aryan and Anurag?"
We quietly raised our hands again. In my mind, "This has probably happened before."
Then those two boys took us to that part of the school where no one comes or goes, and no studying happens on that side.
We entered that empty classroom. In front of us were the 1st Commander, 2nd Commander, and 5 to 6 other boys standing there.
As soon as they saw us, the 1st Commander said, "So you guys are here? Let's start."
Then his voice slowed down a bit, as if he was remembering something old. Looking at us, he said, "Yash... the one who betrayed us... he used to stay with you two most of the time... after all, you guys were the first ones to come here."
Then he said a bit seriously, "Nowadays those people are not saying anything. Since their last letter came, they haven't made any move. But we cannot take them lightly. Those people are quite influential and are not afraid of doing anything. It is impossible for them to sit quietly for so many days, especially when our Secondary Leader is injured and our Main Leader is not here yet. The Leader is very angry about this, but due to some problem, he is not able to come yet."
The 1st Commander paused for a bit and then said in a deep voice, "I just don't understand how they are sitting so quietly. See, when a quiet person sits silent, there is no problem... but when a fierce predator suddenly hides, then understand that he is preparing to slit the throat directly." He glared at all of us and said, "So now we don't have to let our guard down."
Then the 2nd Commander suddenly taunted, "Yash always used to be with you... who knows, maybe you are also meeting him secretly?" Hearing this, the 1st Commander immediately glared at him, which made him go quiet.
I kept my head down. I said in a calm voice, "Your suspicion is justified, and I won't say that we can't be wrong. Anyway, after such a big betrayal, it is difficult to trust us... after all, a man is known by the company he keeps. I don't even have any evidence to give you to prove that we are completely clean."
Then I slowly raised my head. I looked straight into the 1st Commander's eyes and said, "We don't have much, but we are still here, standing before you... to face every suspicion and every question. This is my only truth."
Hearing these words of mine, the 1st Commander smiled slightly. Then he said while becoming a bit serious, "I trust you both. But remember one thing... Yash knows your every weakness. So you guys be a little careful... who knows, the next target might be you two."