✦ 𝗔𝗨𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗥'𝘀 𝗣𝗢𝗩 ✦

The soft red hues of the morning sun fell across the white marble floor through the half-open window. The faint chirping of birds filled the room, blending with the sound of soft humming.

The room was messy—a blanket lay half on the bed and half on the floor, books sprawled across the study desk, and a neatly ironed navy-blue school blazer was carelessly thrown over the study chair like a half-dead chips packet.

In the centre of the room stood a girl—white school shirt on, navy-blue skirt on, her tie hanging loosely around her neck, and socks? One was on her foot while the other was tucked into the waistband of her skirt.

Headphones on, arms flailing, and body swaying as if she were performing dance steps that looked like a bizarre mix of every dance form ever invented. Her eyes were closed as she twirled around, grabbed her perfume bottle, and sprayed it over herself, fully convinced she was the next Sridevi.

Completely unaware of the voice that had been trying to call her for the past five minutes. She was far too lost in her music to care about anything else.

"ARADHYA!! Come down for breakfast!" yelled Mrs. Reeta Tyagi, a government teacher by profession and the undisputed ruling queen of the Tyagi household.

She stood near the staircase with her hands planted firmly on her waist, glaring at the door of her elder daughter's room. After waiting for another two minutes, she scoffed and marched upstairs, irritation blazing in her eyes as she muttered under her breath, fully prepared to give her daughter an earful.

She reached upstairs and opened the door to Aradhya's room while mumbling, "Aradhya! Kitn—" Her words died in her throat the moment she took in the state of the room and found her daughter dancing around half-dressed like she was the next Bollywood superstar in the making.

Aradhya's hair was still uncombed after washing it, her shirt collar hung undone like she was high, and the scent of her signature perfume filled the room as she continued jiggling her arms and shoulders without a care in the world.

Reeta's gaze roamed around the room—the messy bed, the ironed blazer carelessly thrown over the chair, the half-dressed Aradhya, and, of course... the time.

It was already 7:56 AM, and the school bus would arrive at 8:20 or 8:25 AM. Yet, surprisingly—and frustratingly—her daughter didn't seem to care in the slightest.

She stared at her superstar-in-the-making daughter, gritted her teeth, walked over, and smacked her lightly on the head.

Aradhya, who had been completely lost in her own world until then, flinched at the sudden smack and let out a hiss.

"Ouch! Ch—"

She almost let out a curse, thinking it was her bitch sister, but bit back the words the moment she saw her mother standing there.

"Mumm—"

Her words were forgotten midway as the familiar lyrics of "Munni Badnaam Hui" rang through her headphones.

She grinned as if she'd just gotten her hands on free chaat and immediately grabbed her mother's palm, starting to sing the song loudly while trying to make her dance along.

Reeta's eyes widened as Aradhya twirled her, one of her palms settling on Reeta's waist while she swayed her from side to side.

Before Aradhya could turn her into her personal dance partner, Reeta pulled off her headphones and shot her a look—not exactly angry, just utterly done.

Aradhya groaned dramatically at her mother's actions.

"Uffo, Mumma! Aapko pata hai abhi kitni mast line aane wali thi?"

Her voice was filled with complaint and disappointment over missing her favourite part of the song.

Reeta smacked her on the head once again and mumbled, "Shut up, brat! Have you seen the time? It's already 8 AM, and you're not even ready yet."

She switched off the headphones and glared at Aradhya, who suddenly realised it was time to get ready before her mother began another lecture.

Aradhya huffed, yanked the sock out of the waistband of her skirt, and plopped onto her messy bed. She pulled it onto her foot, both legs raised awkwardly in the air.

"Has Papa already left for the office?" she asked while adjusting her tie and fixing her collar.

Reeta rolled her eyes at the question and replied sarcastically, "Why? Should he have waited for Queen Aradhya to grace us with her presence downstairs first? Of course, he's all set to leave after having his breakfast."

"Sabko apni taraf samajhti hain Madam..." Reeta muttered in her usual sarcastic tone, making Aradhya roll her eyes, though she was smart enough to keep her back turned towards her mother.

"Pata nahin konsa sukh milta hai inhe har waqt ye item songs sunne mein. Jab dekho tab bas headphones laga ke unhe hi sunti rehti hain," Reeta grumbled to herself while picking up the pillow from the floor.

Aradhya discreetly scoffed at her mother's sarcasm and mumbled under her breath, "Phir shuru ho gayi ye Papa ki biwi..."

Her voice was barely audible.

Unfortunately, the loudspeaker permanently fitted inside her throat betrayed her once again.

Reeta heard every single word.

Without a second thought, she picked up a book and threw it straight at Aradhya's head.

"OUC—"

Aradhya groaned, ready to unleash an entire dictionary of curses before remembering that her mother was standing right there... and judging by her mood, today definitely wasn't the day.

So, she simply scoffed instead.

She grabbed the comb and started combing her hair while Reeta began making the bed.

"I swear, one day this Queen Victoria will make me go mad with her royalties..." she muttered under her breath.

"Maharani ji, did you keep your books, or are your servants going to do that?" Reeta muttered sarcastically, shooting her a side-eye.

Aradhya groaned and mumbled, "Yaar, Mumma!!! Now stop taunting me, at least. And yes! I've already packed my bag."

Reeta adjusted the blanket with a little more force than necessary and muttered, "Of course, Queen Victoria.

First you do such wonderful things, and then you ask us to keep quiet."

Her voice dripped with sarcasm as her eyes shifted from Aradhya to the carelessly thrown ironed blazer.

Aradhya immediately reached for the blazer, but her toes struck the edge of the bed, sending her crashing onto the floor with a loud thud.

"Oww..."

Reeta merely sighed at her daughter's clumsiness.

"Dushman ki zarurat hi nahin hai, khud hi kaafi nalayak."

Aradhya dramatically let out a fake crying sound before grabbing the blazer and slipping it on. She then tied her below-the-shoulder-length, dark, voluminous hair into a comfortable ponytail and combed the curtain bangs framing her face.

"I don't know what this girl is going to do in the future," Reeta mumbled under her breath as she finished making Aradhya's bed.

Aradhya ignored the comment, having grown used to it by now. Instead, she applied a little cream to her face, followed by lip balm, before blowing a flying kiss at her reflection.

Reeta gave her one last look before saying, "Now come downstairs for breakfast, Maharani ji."

With that, she turned around and walked out, still grumbling under her breath.

Aradhya hummed in response while giving her school bag one last check. She arranged the scattered books on the bookshelf before grabbing her phone, slinging her bag over her shoulder, and heading out of her room.

Her footsteps echoed softly against the marble floor as she walked downstairs, humming absentmindedly. Her fingers brushed along the staircase railing as she descended.

As soon as she reached downstairs, her gaze fell upon her father, who was almost done with his breakfast; her younger sister, Vaani, who was busy picking the chilli pieces out of her poha; and her dearest mother?

She was busy filling her father's ears with complaints about Aradhya.

Typical Indian mother behaviour.

Aradhya sighed, dumped her bag onto the living room sofa, and settled into her seat at the dining table.

She grabbed her plate—the one with Doraemon printed on it—and served herself some poha before pouring adrak-elaichi chai into her cute white porcelain cup decorated with tiny hearts.

"Look at her, I'm telling you, Jay—this girl is going to make me go bald one day with her antics," her mother muttered while taking a sip of her chai.

Mr. Jay Tyagi, her father, looked at her and then at his wife before mumbling, "Let her be, Reeta. She'll become responsible once she's an adult."

His voice carried quiet certainty as he tried to calm his wife.

Aradhya smirked into her spoon and continued chewing her poha. She reached for her cup of chai but stilled when she noticed a thick layer of malai settling on top.

She glanced at her parents, who were now busy talking among themselves, before looking at Vaani, who was still carefully picking out the chillies from her poha.

Discreetly, she pinched the thick layer of malai off her chai, dropped it into Vaani's cup, and pretended as though nothing had happened.

Vaani, who had finally finished separating every last green chilli from her poha, frowned the moment she noticed the malai floating in her chai.

"Didn't I scoop it out into Mumma's cup?" she wondered.

Meanwhile, Aradhya bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from bursting into laughter at her sister's utterly confused puppy-like expression.

Vaani stared at the malai for a long moment before letting out an exhale as though she were done with this stupid world.

She sneaked a glance at their mother, who was still busy talking to their father.

A slow smile spread across her face—the kind worn by a pirated version of a daily soap villain.

Without making a sound, she scooped the malai out of her chai, dumped it into Reeta's cup, and peacefully resumed enjoying her chilli-less poha and malai-less chai.

Meanwhile, Aradhya watched her sister's antics in amusement as she sipped her chai.

For a brief second, she considered exposing Vaani.

Then she remembered she would most likely get dragged into the mess as well.

She shook her head at her own evil thoughts, stuffed another spoonful of poha into her mouth, and began thinking about how her first day back at school would go.

It had been almost three months since their summer vacations had begun, and today was finally their first day back.

She was now in the final year of her school life—Class 12—and she was determined to do her best and maintain her grades.

But she was equally determined to enjoy every bit of it.

After all, it was her last year as a school student, and she intended to make the most of it with her two idiot buddies—Meera and Samrat.

She remembered her first day of Class 1. A girl dressed in the same school uniform, with two cute pigtails and hesitant expressions on her face, had approached her and asked if she could sit there.

Aradhya, being the extrovert she was, had immediately made her sit beside her and practically glued herself to her side despite Meera's shy nature. She had even stubbornly made Meera eat from her own lunchbox.

Since then, they had become benchmates, and without even realizing it, they had turned into each other's favourite human. And Samrat? He joined them in Class 5. His jokes, his nature, and his unwavering loyalty made him blend into the duo instantly, and together they became an inseparable trio.

Years passed, but their friendship remained unchanged. If anything, it only grew stronger with time. They were now practically a family. Their families knew one another well, celebrated festivals together, and stood by each other during difficult times.

The trio had each other's backs in every situation, and everyone around them knew just how close they were. They were looking forward to enjoying the last year of their school life without any unnecessary drama.

Unfortunately, life had very different plans for them.

Aradhya came out of her thoughts when Vaani shook her shoulder.

“Diii!! The school bus has arrived, let's go!”

Aradhya took a moment to compose herself before grabbing her lunchbox and water bottle. She placed them inside her school bag, slung it over her shoulder, and called out, “Bye, Mumma! Papa!”

Reeta and Jay nodded at both of them.

“Bye-bye!”

Aradhya slipped into her shoes before grabbing Vaani's wrist and dragging her outside. The school bus stood right in front of their house. Both sisters hurried inside, and the door closed behind them.

They settled into their usual seats—Vaani beside her best friend, Yuvika, while Aradhya sat alone since both Meera and Samrat were picked up from later stops.

The bus was still more than half empty, with many students yet to be picked up. Aradhya opened the window and stared outside, watching the morning bustle of Mumbai pass by.

She was obviously excited and happy to finally return to school, but there was a strange restlessness in her heart, as though something was about to happen. She wasn't someone who usually got such feelings, yet today somehow felt... different, despite everything looking exactly the same.

“Strange... I never feel like this...” she mumbled to herself before sighing and closing the window.

Vaani glanced at Aradhya, sensing the sudden shift in her sister's mood. She watched her quietly for a moment but chose not to disturb her. She knew Aradhya hated sharing her problems with anyone because she always believed she could handle everything on her own.

Meanwhile, Aradhya pulled her phone out of her skirt pocket and started scrolling through Instagram. She got so absorbed in her screen that she didn't even realize when the bus stopped and Samrat climbed in.

She snapped back to reality only when Samrat patted her head as though she were some lost puppy. He knew just how much she hated that, which was precisely why he loved doing it.

Aradhya rolled her eyes.

“Wanna die early morning, Brat Brar?” she grumbled, her voice dripping with irritation.

Samrat, being the shameless guy he was, shot back, “Oh! I'm scared, Chuhiya...”

His words were laced with mocking sarcasm.

Aradhya punched his arm as he slumped into the seat beside her before deliberately pulling his hair in retaliation.

“Tu marega mere haath se kisi din,” she threatened.

Vaani rolled her eyes at their familiar banter, while everyone around them simply ignored it. They were all used to the duo's daily nonsense and secretly enjoyed watching it unfold.

Samrat groaned when Aradhya pulled his hair, but he chose to keep his hands to himself because he knew Aradhya might pull out every single strand from his skull if he irritated her beyond a certain limit.

So, he dramatically scoffed and mumbled, “Sometimes I pity your future boyfriend, but then I remember that no sane guy would date a violent chuhiya like you…”

He burst into laughter like a hyena at his own joke while Aradhya simply gave him a thoroughly unimpressed look. Rolling her eyes, she shot back, “Better than being a joker, Brat Brar.”

Samrat immediately stopped laughing and let out a huff.

“Don't start again, Chuhiya…”

Aradhya flashed him a tight smile.

“You started it, B-r-a-t.”

They glared at each other, both on the verge of throwing hands, when the bus stopped once again and Meera stepped inside.

Their attention instantly shifted towards her.

She looked the same as always—calm, composed and carrying her evergreen quiet aura.

Poor Meera let out a silent sigh upon seeing her two idiot best friends fighting like cats and dogs again. She had genuinely thought that after so many days apart, they'd have a sweet reunion.

Apparently, she had expected too much.

Aradhya waved at her so enthusiastically that she nearly knocked over another student's bag, while Samrat scooted aside to make space for her.

The moment Meera sat between them, Aradhya wrapped her in a tight hug.

Not to be left behind, Samrat joined the hug from the other side.

Meera let out a soft breath that sounded almost like a chuckle before mumbling in her usual gentle voice,

“You two really can't sit together for even a second without fighting, can you?”

Her tone carried a familiar teasing warmth.

Aradhya immediately made a face.

“He's the one who started it!”

She narrowed her eyes at Samrat.

Samrat gasped dramatically like a television serial mother-in-law.

“Haww! Look at this clever girl—trying to trap an innocent boy like me.”

“Innocent?” Aradhya scoffed. “Konse nashe kar raha hai aaj kal, Brat Brar?”

Sarcasm practically dripped from every word.

Samrat opened his mouth to retaliate, but before another war could begin, Meera smacked both of their foreheads.

“Bas. Shut up.”

The two immediately huffed and looked away from each other like sulking kindergarteners, making Meera shake her head at their childish antics.

Before either of them could resume their argument, the bus finally halted at RKS Academy Higher Secondary School—one of Mumbai's reputed schools known for providing quality education at affordable fees.

As the bus parked inside the school premises, all the students climbed down, including Aradhya, Meera and Samrat.

Aradhya waved goodbye to Vaani before walking towards the Higher Secondary block with her two best friends.

Their argument had already been forgotten.

Now, Samrat was busy narrating every ridiculous thing he had done during the summer vacations while simultaneously teasing Aradhya, and Meera quietly listened to the chaos she had somehow accepted as a permanent part of her life.

The three of them walked through the campus, completely lost in their own little world.

They had no care for anything beyond the conversations they were having.

No space in their hearts for anything else.

And absolutely no idea…

...that destiny had already begun writing a completely different story for them.

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