Richa finished applying her lip gloss, giving Shehnaaz a quick, dismissive glance before turning back to her compact mirror. The silence stretched between them, and Shehnaaz could feel her palms getting clammy as she tried to muster up enough courage to speak again.

"Wo main keh rahi thi" Shehnaaz began, her voice barely above a whisper. "Would it be okay if we-"

Before she could finish, Richa snapped her compact shut with a loud click and smirked.

"Let me guess, you want to switch seats or something?" Richa's tone dripped with sarcasm as she leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest. "Is it because you're sitting near a boy? Or maybe you're scared of being so close to Sidharth?”

Shehnaaz’s face turned crimson, the heat rushing up her neck. She stammered, "No, I… it’s just-"

Richa interrupted, laughing as if Shehnaaz had told a joke" Please. Don’t tell me you're  going to act like a helpless little girl in front of everyone, Grown up"

Shehnaaz felt the sting of Richa's words, and she could hear a few snickers from nearby classmates who hadn't yet left the room, She looked around for a friendly face, but no one came to her rescue.

Just as she was about to turn and leave, Sidharth appeared in the doorway, leaning casually against the frame with his arms crossed. His eyes gleamed with mischief as he watched the scene unfold.

"Problem here?" he asked, pretending to be concerned but clearly enjoying Shehnaaz's discomfort.

Richa didn't miss a chance "Oh, nothing. Shehnaaz shayad tumhare saath adjust nahi ho paa rahi, I think she’s having trouble adjusting with a Rich guy ,poor people thinks you know" Her mocking smile widened as she glanced at Shehnaaz.

Sidharth grinned, stepping forward and taking a seat on the edge of the desk, right beside Richa. "Is that right?" he said, tilting his head towards Shehnaaz. "You not fitting in, Sana?"

His use of her nickname made her flinch, she knew he was toying with her, just like Richa. Shehnaaz swallowed hard, trying to keep her voice steady. "Na... Nahi... Main wo bass-"

Sidharth interrupted with a laugh, leaning closer to Richa as if sharing a joke. "Richa, I think she’s just shy, You know how the this girls are, they just try to grab rich boy's attention warna inka kharcha kese niklega"

Richa nodded, laughing along with him. "Yeah, she probably hasn't figured out how things work around here yet, i know their cheap down market tricks"

Shehnaaz felt trapped, her embarrassment intensifying with every second, she wanted to disappear, but Sidharth wasn't done yet. He flashed his signature cocky smile and said, "Don’t worry, Shehnaaz, we'll make sure tumhe yaha alag na feel ho. Maybe Richa can give you some tips to trap Rich boys, because wo rich hai like not like you"

Richa raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I'd be happy to. First tip, Sana, if you want people to take you seriously, you need to stop acting like such a… victim" she laughed.

Sidharth snickered at Richa's words, his eyes never leaving Shehnaaz "yeah you are right Richa, this girls play victim card sirf isliye taaki hamari attention le sake inke saath relationship me aaye aur inka kharcha uthaye aur ye maze se apni zindagi kaate, am i right Ms. Shehnaaz"

Shehnaaz couldn't take it anymore. She quickly gathered her things, her hands trembling as she shoved her books into her bag. She could feel their eyes on her, and her skin prickled with the heat of their mockery. Without another word, she rushed out of the classroom, the sound of their laughter following her down the hallway.

As Shehnaaz disappeared from sight, Richa and Sidharth exchanged a satisfied glance.

"She’s going to be fun to mess with" Sidharth remarked casually.

Richa nodded, applying another coat of lip gloss. "Oh, definitely baby"

He glare her and throw her expensive lip gloss "don't call me baby otherwise acha nahi hoga" he said and left from there immediately.

♡♡♡

Shehnaaz spent the rest of the day avoiding eye contact, trying to blend into the background. But no matter how hard she tried, the sting of their words echoed in her mind. The whispers, the laughter, it was all too much.

But deep down, something stirred within her,a small flame of defiance. She wasn’t sure how, but she knew she couldn't let them get away with this forever.

She reached her home, her mother welcomed her with a smile.

"Aur bata kesa raha din?" She said while giving her water.

"Jesa hamesha jaata hai" she murmured to herself, She sighed as she headed to her room. Her mother's voice echoed in her mind, but she couldn't muster the energy to talk about the day. Not that it mattered. Every day was the same.

As she sat on her bed, staring at the ceiling, her thoughts raced back to the classroom. Richa's mocking tone, Sidharth's teasing smile, they played on repeat, each time making her feel smaller and more isolated. She had never felt so helpless. She clutched her pillow, as if holding on to it could somehow ground her in this whirlwind of emotions.

But amidst the frustration and sadness, there was something else anger. The flame of defiance she'd felt earlier was growing, a little stronger now. Why did they get to make her feel like this? She wasn't weak, but she wasn't that strong to fight back. More flash tears flowing from her eyes.

"Kiu bhagwan ji aapne mujhe aese kamjor banaya" she complaint to her God, as only God help us in the toughest times.

She grab her scribble dairy and wrote all her thoughts on it, she make a picture of girl at blank page, where a girl was standing in between people's who are mocking her, who make fun of her but she was standing bowed her head down, thick layer of tears drop on the page and make it wet.

Shehnaaz stared at the wet page, her eyes red and swollen from crying. The image she had drawn seemed to mock her as much as Richa and Sidharth had done. The girl in the drawing, head bowed, tears streaming down her face, was her lost, isolated, unable to fight back.

She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, trying to calm the storm of emotions swirling inside her. She had never felt so alone before. The voices in her mind echoed their hurtful words again, like a broken record, repeating over and over. It felt like there was no escape from their cruelty.

"Why me?" she whispered to herself, staring at the ceiling. "Why can't I be strong like other girls? Why do I always let people walk all over me?"

Tears welled up again, but this time, she didn't try to stop them. She let them fall, feeling the weight of each drop as it slid down her face. It was exhausting, this constant battle between wanting to stand up for herself and feeling like she wasn't capable of it.

Shehnaaz grabbed her scribble diary again and started writing furiously.

"Log kehte hain ki time sab thik kar deta hai. Lekin ye dard kab khatam hoga? Kab khatam honge ye taane, ye mazaak? Bhagwan ji, agar aap sun rahe ho, toh bas ek baar meri madad karo. Mujhe itna himmat do ki main apni zindagi ke is pal ka samna kar saku"

Her handwriting blurred as more tears fell onto the page, but she didn’t stop. Writing was the only thing that made her feel better, like she was pouring her pain into the words, letting them carry a part of her burden.

She closed her diary and held it close to her chest, wishing it could somehow take all the hurt away. In that moment, she felt like she was suffocating under the weight of everything, her insecurities, her loneliness, the mockery she faced every day. It all felt like too much to bear.

But somewhere deep inside her, a voice whispered that she couldn't give up. She didn't know where the voice came from, but it was there,soft but steady, urging her to keep going, to not let the darkness swallow her whole.

Wiping her eyes once more, Shehnaaz took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Maybe she didn't have all the answers, and maybe she wasn't as strong as she wanted to be, but that didn't mean she had to stay weak forever.

She thought of her mother's comforting words, how her embrace always made things feel a little less heavy. And her father's quiet strength, the way he would smile at her after a long day and remind her that the world outside was big, but she was never alone. Maybe they couldn't fight her battles for her, but they had given her the love she needed to keep fighting for herself.

She flipped open her diary again, this time to a blank page. Slowly, she started sketching something new. A girl, standing tall, her head held high. The people around her were still laughing, still pointing, but this time, the girl wasn't bowed down. She was looking straight ahead, her face set with determination.

As Shehnaaz finished the drawing, she smiled faintly. It wasn't perfect, but it was a start. And maybe tomorrow, she could take one more step toward becoming that girl, the one who didn’t let the world push her down.

She closed the diary again, her fingers tracing the cover, and whispered to herself, "Kal ek nayi shuruaat hogi"

With that, she lay down on her bed, feeling lighter than she had in days. The pain was still there, but now, so was a sliver of hope.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

That is it for today.

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Thanks for reading ❤️.