The alarm had been ringing for the past ten minutes.

And Tarini Singh?

Not moving. Not even a little.

Completely lost in her dreamland, she was peacefully sleeping, unaware that the world outside her blanket had already decided to ruin her morning.

Until—

SPLASH!

Cold water landed straight on her face.

Tarini jerked awake, lost her balance and—

THUD!

She fell right off the bed.

“Iski maa—”

The words died in her mouth.

She slowly looked up.

Her elder brother stood there, a glass in his hand, staring down at her with his sharp eyes.

Very, very unimpressed.

Especially with the language his sister had almost used first thing in the morning.

Tarini gave him an innocent smile.

“Bhaiya…”

Before she could say anything else, Reyansh grabbed her ear and twisted it.

“AHH—AHH! Bhaiya, sorry!” she squeaked, immediately trying to loosen his grip.

He twisted it a little more.

“Sorry! Sorry! It would happen again!” she cried, trying to free herself.

Reyansh finally let go.

Tarini immediately rubbed her ear, pouting at him.

“Get ready. Or you’ll be late for school. It’s your first day of 11th grade, ghadi.”

Tarini rolled her eyes.

“Chal, be. Gyaan mat de.”

She even stuck her tongue out at him.

Reyansh smacked the top of her head.

“PAPAAAAAAA!”

She screamed.

Reyansh was already running out of the room.

“Tujhe toh main—”

“Chal, be!” Tarini yelled back, quickly getting up and shutting her bedroom door.

She leaned against it for a second.

“Pagal.”

Then she turned around and headed towards the bathroom to get ready for school.

⸻

After showering with her vanilla body wash, Tarini dried herself with a towel before heading back into her room.

She walked straight towards her wardrobe and stood in front of her vanity.

No heavy makeup.

Nothing extra.

Just her usual skincare. toner, moisturiser and sunscreen.

She finished it off with a little tinted lip balm.

Keeping everything natural.

Once she was done, she wore a white crop top with light blue jeans and her white Air Force 1s.

She grabbed her Tommy Hilfiger bag and started putting her things inside.

Her iPad.

Apple Pencil.

One diary.

A few pens.

Spray sunscreen.

And, obviously, her lip balm.

Because priorities.

She gave herself one last look in the mirror.

“Okay…”

She picked up her phone.

“Let’s go.”

And finally, she headed downstairs.

⸻

The moment Tarini entered the dining room, she found her mother, father and Reyansh already sitting at the table, waiting for her.

Her mother looked up.

“Aagyi heroine?”

Tarini grinned.

“Hehe.”

Reyansh immediately looked towards their mother.

“Mummy, ab khana de do warna main bhooka mar jaunga.”

Tarini scoffed.

“Dramabaaz.”

Reyansh turned towards her.

“Batau Papa ko subah-subah kya bola tha tune?”

Tarini’s eyes widened.

“Awww, bhaiyaaa! Personal kyun ho rahe ho?”

She pouted and quickly sat down on the chair.

Reyansh gave her a look.

Tarini gave him one right back.

“Bas,” her father said, shaking his head. “Don’t bother my daughter.”

Tarini immediately smiled.

“Yes!”

Madhuri shook her head at the two siblings before serving everyone breakfast.

For a few minutes, the table was filled with nothing but the sounds of cutlery and their usual little arguments.

After breakfast, Tarini’s father looked at her.

“Taru, driver will pick you up and drop you at school every day. It’s your personal driver.”

Tarini simply nodded.

“Okay, Papa.”

Soon after, her father and Reyansh left for work in their own cars.

Reyansh had his BMW.

Her father had his Range Rover.

And Tarini?

She walked outside and stopped in front of her car.

A black Nexon.

She stared at it for a moment.

“Khud luxury cars rakho aur mujhe ye Nexon…”

She muttered to herself before getting inside.

She placed her bag beside her and pulled out her phone.

The first thing she did was text her best friend, Raya.

Because apparently, surviving the first day of school required moral support.

They had both gotten into the same school.

They had actually thought they’d get separated after 10th.

But apparently, God had other plans.

—

They had both gotten into the same school.

They had actually thought they’d get separated after 10th.

But apparently, God had other plans.

Tarini opened their chat.

Tarini: nikal gayi?

The reply came almost instantly.

Raya: haan bc 😭

Tarini smiled.

Tarini: meri jaan bacha lena aaj

Raya: kyu?

Tarini: first day hai yaar. naye log. naye teachers. nayi class.

Raya: aur purani tu.

Tarini stared at the screen.

Tarini: bkl.

Raya sent a laughing emoji.

Tarini shook her head, putting her phone away.

The car slowly moved out of the driveway.

She leaned her head against the window and watched the familiar streets pass by.

New school.

New class.

New people.

New everything.

Honestly, she wasn’t sure how she felt about it.

Part of her was excited.

A bigger part of her wanted to go back home, get under her blanket and pretend she had never heard the words “first day of 11th.”

She looked down at her phone again.

A notification from Raya popped up.

Raya: btw I’m already outside.

Tarini frowned.

Tarini: WHAT?

Raya: yes ma’am

Tarini: ruk main aa rahi.

She quickly put her phone inside her bag.

“Jaldi bhaiya, please.”

The driver glanced at her through the rearview mirror.

“Ji, ma’am.”

Tarini sighed.

She really hated being called ma’am.

It made her feel like someone’s aunty.

A few minutes later, the car finally stopped outside Ravenswood High School.

Tarini looked out of the window.

The huge school building stood in front of her, surrounded by students, cars and absolute chaos.

She took a deep breath.

“Okay, Tarini.”

She grabbed her bag and stepped out of the car.

And the moment her feet touched the ground, she heard someone screaming her name.

“TARINIIII!”

She turned around.

Raya came running towards her.

Tarini barely had time to react before Raya grabbed her hand.

“Chal!”

“Arey ruk! Bag toh lene de!”

“School ke first day pe bhi tujhe bag yaad hai?”

“Usme mera iPad hai!”

Raya immediately stopped.

“Oh.”

Tarini nodded proudly.

“Exactly.”

They started walking towards the school entrance.

Students were everywhere.

Some were meeting old friends.

Some were taking pictures.

Some were already complaining about their classes.

And some looked like they had been dragged there against their will.

Tarini looked around quietly.

“So…”

Raya looked at her.

“So?”

“Hum sach mein 11th mein aa gaye?”

Raya smiled.

“Haan.”

Tarini made a face.

“Yaar, mujhe toh abhi bhi lagta hai hum 10th mein hi hain.”

“Same.”

They walked through the entrance together.

Tarini adjusted her bag on her shoulder and looked at the huge notice board near the reception.

Her eyes searched for her class.

“Grade 11…”

She moved closer.

“Science…”

Her finger travelled down the list.

And then she found it.

XI A.

Tarini smiled.

“Mil gaya.”

Raya looked over her shoulder.

“Thank God. Varna tu pehle din hi kisi aur class mein ghus jaati.”

Tarini gave her a look.

“Main itni bhi stupid nahi hoon.”

Raya raised an eyebrow.

Tarini paused.

“Okay. Sometimes.”

“Exactly.”

Tarini rolled her eyes and started walking towards the staircase.

She was already thinking about finding her classroom, choosing a seat and surviving the first day without getting into trouble.

Which, considering it was Tarini Singh…

was probably too much to ask.

—

After finding their classroom, the two of them immediately headed towards the last bench.

Obviously.

Because why would they sit anywhere else?

Raya dropped her bag on the bench and sat down.

Tarini sat beside her, placing her bag underneath the desk.

She looked around the classroom.

Students were slowly filling the room, some already talking to their old friends while others sat quietly, probably trying to figure out who they were going to spend the next two years with.

Tarini leaned back against her chair.

“Yaar, last bench mil gaya.”

Raya grinned.

“Best seat in the house.”

Tarini nodded seriously.

“Bilkul.”

She looked towards the classroom door.

“Bas teachers zyada annoying na ho.”

Raya laughed.

“Tu teacher ko annoying bol rahi hai? Mujhe toh pehle se pata hai problem tu hi banegi.”

Tarini gasped.

“Excuse me?”

“Yes, excuse accepted.”

“Chup kar.”

Raya laughed again as Tarini rolled her eyes and looked around the classroom once more.

First day.

New class.

Same best friend.

Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.

—

“Abhi bahut time hai. Tab tak main campus ghoom ke aati hoon,” Tarini said, getting up from her seat.

“Tu jaa. Main nap leti hoon,” Raya said, already making herself comfortable on the bench.

“Lazy.”

“Chal nikal,” Raya replied, waving her off.

Tarini laughed and walked out of the classroom.

Since it was her first day, she decided to explore the campus a little. Ravenswood was huge, and honestly, she had no idea how she was supposed to remember where everything was.

She walked around the corridors, looked at the different blocks, checked out the gardens and occasionally stopped to take snaps.

One picture.

Then another.

Then another.

Because obviously, first day content was important.

She was busy taking a snap when suddenly…

TRINGGGGG!

The school bell rang.

Tarini froze.

“Oh shit.”

She quickly checked the time.

“Wait, what?”

She looked towards the building.

Her classroom was on the second floor.

And the campus was huge.

“Yaar, second floor tak pahunchne mein hi dus minute lag jaayenge!”

She shoved her phone into her bag and immediately started running.

She ran through the corridor, almost bumping into a couple of students on the way.

“Sorry!”

She kept running.

“Please late mat karwa dena bhagwan!”

She turned around a corner without looking ahead.

And then…

BAM!

She crashed straight into someone.

The impact made her lose her balance, and she fell onto the floor.

Her bag slipped from her shoulder.

For a second, she just sat there, completely stunned.

Then she looked up at the person standing in front of her.

A guy.

Probably a student.

And that was enough.

“Oyeee, andha hai kyaaa?” she snapped, getting up. “Teri wajah se gir gayi! Abhi toh class ke liye late ho rahi hoon. Tujhe toh baad mein niptaungi, mil bas tu!”

She dusted herself off, grabbed her bag and started walking away.

Without even waiting for a reply.

Because she was already late.

Very late.

She hurried towards the staircase.

Meanwhile, the man she had just threatened stood there silently.

Watching her leave.

His expression was somewhere between disbelief and amusement.

A few seconds later, a student passing by stopped.

“Good morning, sir.”

The man nodded.

“Good morning.”

The student continued walking.

Tarini, who had already reached the stairs, suddenly stopped.

Her brain processed the words.

Sir?

She slowly turned around.

The man was still standing there.

And now she noticed the formal shirt, the ID card hanging around his neck and the small crowd of students greeting him.

Her eyes widened.

“No…”

She blinked.

“No, no, no.”

She looked at the ID card from a distance.

KAYAANSH SHEKHAWAT

CHEMISTRY

Her heart dropped.

Chemistry teacher.

And apparently…

the Vice President of Academics at Ravenswood High School.

Tarini stared at him.

Then the memory replayed in her head.

Oyeee, andha hai kyaaa?

Teri wajah se gir gayi!

Tujhe toh baad mein niptaungi!

Her soul practically left her body.

“Please God…”

She whispered under her breath.

“Please bol do ye koi prank hai.”

It wasn’t.

She could already feel the embarrassment crawling up her face.

And just when she thought things couldn’t get worse, she noticed another student walking past him.

“Good morning, sir.”

Sir.

Again.

Tarini closed her eyes for a second.

Bas.

Ho gaya.

Pehle din hi apne Chemistry teacher ko suna diya.

She opened her eyes.

Kayaansh was looking directly at her now.

Their eyes met.

Tarini immediately looked away.

Then looked back.

He was still looking at her.

She swallowed.

Her fingers tightened around the strap of her bag.

For the first time that morning, Tarini Singh had absolutely nothing to say.

Not even a single comeback.

Only one thought was running through her head.

Main ghar wapas jaa sakti hoon kya?

And then, without thinking twice, Tarini turned around and ran.

She didn’t even care about being late anymore.

She just wanted to get as far away from that corridor as possible.

Her mind was still screaming.

Chemistry teacher.

I literally threatened my Chemistry teacher.

On my first day.

She rushed up the stairs, clutching her bag tightly against her side.

Please.

Please.

Please.

There was still one tiny hope left.

Maybe he wasn’t their Chemistry teacher.

Maybe there was another Chemistry teacher.

Maybe, just maybe, she could survive this.

She reached the classroom, pushed the door open and hurried inside.

Raya looked up from the bench.

“Bhai, kya hua? Aise kyun bhaag rahi hai?”

Tarini didn’t answer.

She quickly sat beside her, trying to catch her breath.

Raya stared at her.

“Tarini?”

Tarini looked at her with wide eyes.

“I think…”

She took a deep breath.

“I think maine bahut bada kand kar diya.”

Raya frowned.

“Kya?”

Before Tarini could explain, the sound of footsteps echoed from the corridor.

Her eyes immediately went towards the door.

Her heart sank.

She quickly looked away.

Please Bhagwan.

Bas ye Chemistry teacher na ho.

She sat up straight.

Hands folded on the desk.

Eyes fixed on the board.

For the first time in her life, Tarini was actually praying for a teacher not to enter her classroom.

And that was how her first day at Ravenswood High School began.

With one stupid collision, one very big threat…

and a desperate hope that the man she had just insulted wasn’t going to be teaching her Chemistry.

—-

To be continued…

Tarini ke toh pehle din hi lag gaye lol 😭 Bechariii!

But tell me Izzys, tum sabka FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL kaisa tha? I wanna hear all your stories, so spill in the comments!

Izzysss, hope you liked the chapter. If you did, make sure to VOTEEEE my babiessss! I really hope I haven’t disappointed you all!

Comment section mein batao kaisa laga chapter, Izzys?

VOTE KARDENAAAAA 🫵🏻