Few Weeks Passed like this... Sidharth always tease Shehnaaz but his pranks are always harmless towards her according to him, deep down he know, she was different from other that's why she never complaint about him.

But from few days he start getting jealous from her as his best friends start spending time with her. Like now Sidharth sat in the back corner of the classroom, his arms folded tightly across his chest as he watched Shehnaaz laugh with Kushal and Neil. The three of them were huddled around a desk, their heads bent over something funny on Kushal's phone, laughing loudly enough to make him gritted his teeth. Every time Shehnaaz giggled, every time she leaned in closer to either of them, Sidharth felt an unfamiliar, burning sensation in his chest. It was not anger, not the kind of anger he was used to feeling when someone crossed him or made fun of him. No, this was different. It was more personal, and he hated it.

It had not always been like this. A week ago, Sidharth had barely paid attention to Shehnaaz. She was just another girl in the class, a little too quiet for his liking, a little too meek. And in typical Sidharth fashion, he had taken her quiet demeanor as an invitation to tease her. He didn't think much about it. That was just how he was. A little nudge here, a snarky comment there. He figured it was harmless.

But Shehnaaz had not seen it that way. One day, after a particularly rough comment, she had turned to him, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears, and whispered, "Why do you always do with me, meri galti kya hai?" Then she had walked away, and since then, she had not spoken a word to him.

At first, Sidharth did not care. He brushed it off. There were plenty of people who still laughed at his jokes, and he had no shortage of friends who admired his rebellious charm. But then Shehnaaz started spending more time with Kushal and Neil, his two best friends, he didn't show to them but they mean alot to him, and that's when things started to change. She laughed with them, joked with them, and even hung out with them during breaks. Sidharth found himself on the outside looking in, watching as his friends seemed to bond with her in a way he never could.

"Ye inke saath itni khush kese rehti hai" Sidharth muttered under his breath, though there was no one nearby to hear him. He clenched his fist. He did not understand why it bothered him so much. Why did it matter if Shehnaaz liked them more? She was just another girl, right?

Yet, as he sat there, he could not shake the feeling of being left out. It was like the three of them were in their own little world, and no matter how hard he tried, Sidharth could not get in.

He went towards them "oye kya kar rahe ho?" He asked Kushal and Neil, ignoring Shehnaaz.

"Are kuch nahi ye apni Barbie doll Kushal ne reel banai hai wahi dekh rahe the" Neil asked while laughing. Kushal punch him on his stomach, Shehnaaz giggle but stopped when Sidharth look at her.

"Hey you know what Shehnaaz games khelti hai hum isko apni squad me lenge she is a good player".

Sidharth forced a smile, though inside he was fuming. Since when did Shehnaaz play games? He had never known that about her. But then again, how could he? He had spent most of their interactions teasing her, not really getting to know her.

The air around the table grew awkward for a moment, and Sidharth felt his stomach drop. There it was again, that wall between him and her. No matter what he did, she would not let him in, but she was perfectly fine laughing and chatting with his friends.

Neil, sensing the tension, quickly changed the subject "Sid tu weekend par aa raha hai na Kushal ke ghar?"

"Haan haan kiu nahi" he said while sitting beside them.

"Main nahi aa paunga yaar"

"Kiu yaar, mummy daddy hai ni ghar pe pichle kamre me chup ke kuch to karenge chup ke mil zara" Kushal sing dramatically, getting closed to Neil.

"Abey hath saale dur Sidharth samjha isko" Neil pushed Kushal.

Sidharth chuckle "ha to aa ja na phir"

"Theek hai theek hai" Neil said correcting his collar.

"By the way Shehnaaz tera kya plan hai weekend ka?" Kushal asked Shehnaaz, Sidharth narrowed his eyes.

"Mera... kuch nahi" she said in soft tone.

"To sahi hai na hum sab bahar milte hai outing karenge gedi marenge saari jagha" Kushal asked them in excitement.

"Oye mast idea hai kiu Sidharth?" Neil asked him. He just hummed looking at her, he don't feel good when she didn't look at him.

"Ma... wo... Main nahi aa sakti" her voice shriver due to his fear.

"Kiu?" Neil and Kushal asked.

"Main kabhi aese bahar nahi gai isliye" she said and look down while biting her lower lip.

Sidharth huffed and left from there, he was not in a mood today to tease her.

♡♡♡

"Sidharth wait" Richa shout from behind, when he leave the washroom.

"Kya hai?" He asked rudely as he never like a clingy girl.

"Actually kya hum weekend par bahar chale movie dekhne?" She asked while blushing.

He rolled his eyes "mere plans hai"

She gritted her teeths when he start leaving, an idea strike her mind.

"Haan new friend ke saath honge na"

He turn and rise his eyebrows "new friend?"

"Haan wahi jisko tum hate karte the wese mujhe pata nahi tha tum uske friend ban jaoge like you never like her types of people right?" She smirk when his jew cluth tightly.

It's true he hated how people like her just skulked around, never standing up for themselves, never fighting back, he hate weak peoples.

"She is not my friend" he said angrily.

"Oh really but tumhare friends ki to friend hai yani tumhari bhi hui wese manna padhega usko tumhe to rijha nahi paai, tumne itna kuch bola usko aur wo chup rahi aur ab wo badla sahi le rahi hai tumse tumhare friends cheen kar"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Are dekha nahi Kushal aur Neil ko kese usko aage piche ghumte rehte hai like friends to wo tumhare hai na wo bhi best friends but ab shyd aage na rahe, pehle usne tumhe best basketball player ka tag cheena aur ab sidha bestfriends" she laughed in the end.

Sidharth felt the weight of it pressing down on him, making his chest tight. He hated this. He hated that things had changed between him and his friends, and he hated even more that it was because of her.

"Are dekho ab bhi wo canteen ja rahe hai 'saath me'" she put pressure on her words.

It was their lunch time, he saw them headed towards canteen together, his friends who used to hangout with him now hangout with her.

Sidharth stayed a few steps behind the others, watching how Shehnaaz fit in so easily with Kushal and Neil. It made no sense to him. She was not funny or interesting. She was just… there. So why were his friends so drawn to her?

Inside the canteen, they found a table near the window. Sidharth slid into a seat opposite Shehnaaz, glaring at her when no one else was looking. She did not meet his eyes, instead focusing on Neil, who was telling another one of his dumb stories.

"So, Shehnaaz" Sidharth interrupted, his voice sharper than intended. "Tum kisi aur ke saath kiu nahi rehti? It's always just you, Kushal, and Neil these days"

Kushal shot him a warning glance, but Sidharth ignored it. He wanted to see how she would react.

Shehnaaz looked up, her eyes cautious but steady "Mere aur friends nahi hai" she said softly.

Sidharth smirked " Yeah, I wonder why that is?"

Kushal's jaw clenched "Come on, man. What's your problem?"

"I don't have a problem" Sidharth shot back "Just ek question pucha what's the big deal?"

Neil tried to lighten the mood "Sid is just being his usual sarcastic self. You will get used to it, Shehnaaz"

But she didn't laugh. Instead, she looked at Sidharth with a kind of quiet defiance that threw him off guard.

Kushal leaned forward, his voice low. "Sidharth scene create mat kar idhar"

Sidharth clenched his fists under the table. He did not want to create scene here. He wanted things to go back to the way they were before she showed up and messed everything up. But instead of saying that, he just forced a laugh "Yeah, sure Whatever".

The rest of lunch was spent in awkward conversation. Neil tried to keep things light, but the tension between Sidharth and Shehnaaz was palpable. Sidharth could feel his friends growing more distant, and it terrified him in a way he wasn't prepared to admit.

After lunch, as they were walking back to class, Sidharth finally snapped.

"Why do you even hang out with her?" he demanded, his voice louder than he intended.

Kushal stopped walking and turned to face him "Sid kya bol raha hai pagal ho gaya hai tu?"

"Main nahi tu" Sidharth repeated incredulously "You guys used to be my best friends. Now, all of a sudden, it's all about Shehnaaz"

Neil frowned "hum ab bhi tere friends hai bhai but maybe if you were not such a jerk to her all the time, things would not feel so weird"

"I am not being a jerk!" Sidharth protested, though even he knew it was not entirely true.

Shehnaaz stood off to the side, her arms wrapped around herself, looking uncomfortable as the confrontation unfolded.

Kushal shook his head "Come on, Sid. Jabse hum uske saath ghum rahe hai tujhe problem ho rahi hai, Do you like her or something?"

Sidharth's heart skipped a beat "What? No! Why would I like her? She is…" He trailed off, realizing that any insult he threw at Shehnaaz would only make him look worse. And he don't want to make her feel low infront of anyone eye's.

Neil sighed" Dekh bhai, hum samjh gaye, tujhe center of attraction rehne ki aadat thi, but iska matlab ye nahi hai ki hum dusro ke saath na ghume, Shehnaaz is cool, and honestly, it's nice having her around. You need to get over whatever issue you have"

Sidharth's fists clenched at his sides. He wanted to yell, to argue, to tell them they were wrong. But the truth was, they were not. He was jealous. Jealous of the way they all got along, jealous that Shehnaaz had found a place in their lives so easily, and most of all, jealous that why Shehnaaz always ignore him, he hate being ignored.

He turned to Shehnaaz, his expression dark "This is your fault" he said, his voice low and dangerous.

Shehnaaz eyes widened in surprise "My fault? Maine kya kiya?"

"You… you ruined everything" Sidharth spat "Tumhare aane se pehle sab theek tha. Now, all of a sudden, they act like I'm the bad guy"

Kushal stepped forward, his voice firm. "That's because you are, Sid. You have been treating her like crap for no reason, and we are not okay with it. Aur agar tune apna ye attitude change nahi kara na to tu akela reh jayega, because i don't support bullying"

Sidharth opened his mouth to argue, but the words caught in his throat. His friends,his best friends, were siding with Shehnaaz, and he did not know how to handle it. For the first time in a long while, Sidharth felt powerless.

Without another word, he turned and walked away, leaving them standing there. He could hear Kushal and Neil calling after him, but he did not stop. He could not. His mind was racing, a storm of anger, jealousy, and confusion swirling inside him.

But as the fire of jealousy burned in his chest, Sidharth was not sure he was ready to face the answer.

"You have to pay for it Shehnaaz" he said angrily and punch the wall.

♡♡♡♡♡♡

That is it for today.

Hope you all like it.

Thanks for reading...