Monday mornings usually made Anika feel powerful.
The halls echoed with lazy yawns and sleepy footsteps, but she walked with purpose—shoulders square, books in hand, headphones off. Focused. Clean. Routine.
Except this Monday felt… off.
She reached her classroom door and paused. There was a crowd around the notice board. Loud. Messy. That wasn't normal.
"Is it the new seating list?" someone whispered.
"Bro, I dropped like five spots."
"Dude, I didn't even know we had a test last week!"
Anika's chest tightened. She walked faster.
Sure enough, the term exam rankings were out—neatly printed, pinned with a little yellow smiley sticker at the top. The school's way of saying "you failed, but cheer up."
Her eyes scanned the list.
Rank 1 – Nisha Kapoor
Rank 2 – Abhay Jha
Rank 3 – Priya Ghosh
...
Rank 38 – Anika Sen
She froze.
No. No no no.
That couldn't be right.
She checked again. Same.
Her name.
Rank 38.
Out of 42.
---
Ten minutes later, she sat in her chair with her test paper clutched in one hand.
22 out of 50. Red ink, underlined twice. The kind of red that sticks to your memory like spilled paint on white cloth.
Her ears rang. She didn't even hear Mrs. D'Mello calling roll.
Beside her, Priya leaned in. "Are you okay?"
"I... I studied for this. I swear I did."
Priya nodded softly. "Maybe you were tired? You've been stretched thin lately."
Anika didn't respond. She didn't feel tired. But her brain had blanked during that test, and now her world was unraveling because of a number.
---
After class, a new notice was pinned next to the rankings.
Updated Seating Arrangement (Effective Today).
"Oh no," Anika whispered.
Priya read over her shoulder. "No… you're with… wait… you're with Arav Malhotra?!"
"Who?" Anika blinked.
"You know. Tall, moody, lives in the music room? Always late. Sits at the back with his head down like he's dreaming of rebellion?"
Anika frowned.
"He's the guy who brought a guitar to Science class once."
---
Later that day, Anika walked into class after lunch, clutching her math textbook like a shield.
She found her new desk—back row, by the window. Not her usual spot. And not her usual energy.
Arav was already there, slouched in his seat. He didn't even look up as she sat down.
For a moment, silence.
Then, without lifting his head:
"You're Anika, right?"
She blinked. "Yes."
He nodded slightly. "You usually sit next to the other topper girl. What happened?"
Anika pursed her lips. "Does it matter?"
"Nope," he said, stretching. "Just nice to see a new face in exile."
---
For the next 30 minutes, they didn't speak.
Anika kept her head in her book, trying to focus on trigonometric identities. Arav… tapped on the table rhythmically with a pencil, half-tuned into the lesson, half in some other universe.
There was no flirting.
No teasing.
Just a quiet, strange… balance.
---
When the bell rang, Anika stood up first.
Arav glanced at her bag. "Hey."
She turned.
"You don't happen to carry extra pens, do you?"
Anika sighed. "How do you even survive in school without one?"
He shrugged. "Instinct and charm."
She rolled her eyes and tossed him one.
He caught it, smirked, and twirled it like a drumstick.
"Thanks, topper."
"I'm not a topper anymore," she muttered.
He grinned. "That's okay. I'm not much of a student either."
---
That night, Anika sat at her desk, staring at her notes.
She hadn't done anything major that day. No epic comebacks. No revenge glow-up.
She'd just… adjusted. Survived.
But one thing kept circling her thoughts—
Not the test score.
Not the ranking.
Just that moment, when Arav had said:
"Nice to see a new face in exile."
And for some reason, it didn't feel like mockery.
It felt like someone else knew what it was like to fall.
---
End of S-1