It was entirely my decision. After all, who would want to spend the last of human days couped up in a room? Certainly not me. I wanted to live my life like any other high school girl for one last time. 

So, even when my neurologist suggested not to stress out over my studies and recommended homeschooling as an alternative, I had made up my mind. I wanted to make the most of remaining life as normal as possible. 

I begin to reconsider my decision as the last period nears its end. And as Aarya looks over at me from the front row with her eyes sparkling with excitement, my anxiety picks up speed.

It is all my doings. I had wanted to work as a cupid for my best friend and when the time came, I realized it wasn't such a great idea as I had thought initially. If I hadn't gotten too deep into the world of the boy Aarya secretly crushed on, I could've escaped what I'm about to enter.

While Mrs. Aiyyar solves yet another integral for the class, I plot out plausible reasons to escape the encounter. Yes, the encounter with a certain Rehan guy. That's the problem with being a rookie cupid. You can't decide how and when you might get caught up in a situation. And in my case I know exactly what it is. 

"Psst!" Aarya pulls me out of my panic-stricken phase and passes me a chit. She turns back around as soon as Mrs. Aiyyar's eyes travel across the class. I quickly fist in the chit and avoid any eye contact with her. 

This is something we're used to do for our primary school. When we get bored or need a distraction in the class, we gossip passing chits to each other. Although, I've grown over it, Aarya seems to still enjoy it. Also, I think she is better at keeping a poker face than me hence she never gets caught while doing it.

Until now.

"Aarya," Mrs. Aiyyar calls her out, and I curse under my breath. "Since you're more interested in wasting your time instead of solving the equation, it's only fair if you stayed after class with the rest of your friends under detention."

Shit! Aarya can't be in detention.

If she is in detention, who is meeting Rehan after the classes? And since he wants the payback from me. I'll certainly have to be there. Only I have no reason to meet him alone. It's all for Aarya. And I can't get involved after knowing his secrets and the possibilities of ruining my own plan.

But it's Savitri Aiyyar's detention, and no one can escape it. I look over at Aarya with a helpless look on my face as she tries to reason with the teacher.

"I...I just looked back once, Ma'am." She stutters as Mrs. Aiyyar crosses her arms across her chest and peers down at Aarya's notes. I'm sure she hasn't gotten any notes done there. Mathematics isn't her favorite, and on top of that her mind can't focus on two things at a time. I smile at her silliness but realize she's in the middle of getting an assured detention. Why can't she quit being cared for once in her life?

"And your notes make it pretty obvious that you haven't solved a single equation in the last 45 minutes. How do you justify that?"

The whole class burst out laughing and I squeeze my eyes in annoyance. Mrs. Aiyyar glares at Aarya as she opens her mouth to answer but then closes it, knowing there's no use reasoning out.

"Have any excuses?" Mrs. Aiyyar raises a brow. 

Aarya shakes her head weakly. 

"Thought so." Mrs. Aiyyar regards her with a hard glare and walks back to the front of the class.

I squeeze my eyes and curse my friend internally for being such a lovesick girl over someone as oblivious to her attention as Rehan. He has no idea how good Aarya is for him. He doesn't know how much Aarya likes him.

But he will after I fix them up and brew up their story. After all, that's what is meant to happen. Not what he writes in his journal. His journal. That's the only reason I'm having second thoughts about my whole plan to set him up with my best friend. Aarya can't ever know about the girl he writes about in his journal. 

I like you, Starfish.

The echo comes back, and so does the throbbing in my head. I close my eyes and try to recall what my therapist said.

Don't be too hard on your brain.

So, as soon as the class is back to solving integrals, I open the chit from Aarya.

Please help me with painting ideas. I have none in mind. Please don't let me get embarrassed in front of my crush.
:(

Perfect. Just Perfect.

I bunch the chit in my fist and toss it in the back of Aarya's head. She is rewarded with my 'I'm so done handling your shit' face when she turns toward me. But all the pretty devil does is - she winks at me with her beautiful black eyes and pleads me with her puppy eyes.

I'm so done handling her shit, quite literally.

***

My fingers pull the end of my knitted cap closer to my scalp as I walk down the long hallway toward the art room. Over the summer, a lot changed in my high school. It has gained the reputation of being one of the top convent high schools in our small developing town, competing with the other highly known branches of it across the country. It now has a new block in the building equipped with a bigger library, a band room, and an art studio.

I step inside an empty studio. It is the first time I'm entering the room, and it enthralls me, all the paintings adorning the white-washed walls and the canvas stand lined up in rows. Although, I'm in no way interested in it. The only form of art I can somehow manage to create is through my words, and it's been almost three months since I've written something. I think my creativity is dying with me. It's like the leaves of a tree start falling off first, then the tree dies. I can sense the same thing happening to me.

"You came alone?" His words startle me, and I turn around to find him leaning cross-armed against the doorframe. His messy hair falls rebelliously over his eyebrows, and the tie hangs loosely around the collar of his white shirt. I have never paid attention to these details before. Then why all of a sudden I'm aware of them?

I should've never gone through his journal. Stupid girl!

"Are you going to keep staring at me like that, or tell me why your friend is not here?" Rehan asks with a playful tug on his lips, amused. "Wasn't she the one needing help with the painting?"

I clear my throat and swallow away the uneasiness rising in my throat. "Aarya is in detention."

"And I booked the studio specifically to help out your friend." He scoffs, pushing off the door frame and walking inside the studio.

"How did you get to book the studio after class?" I frown at him as he settles into the empty stool beside me and comes face to face with me. I blush due to our height difference. He's nearly six feet tall, and I'm the shortest in my class.

The boy smiles at me in pure confidence. "It's a privilege given for winning a trophy at the state level. I'm the star artist in this school. They can certainly let me stay after class to practice my art."

"Oh," I say, chewing my bottom lip and instantly pausing the action as a line from his journal pops up in my head.

"But I can't abuse the privilege. So, if your friend doesn't show up again, she better tell me in advance." His jaw tightens as he says that. His eyes, however, remain soft on me as they travel from my face to the cap covering my head.

"You said..." I squirm with anxiety picking up its pace as I trace the inquisitive look on his face. "You needed a favor from me in return for your help."

Rehan blinks at me. His long, thick eyelashes kiss his sharp cheekbones as he studies my face, and I'm sure he can see right through me. But I'm the girl he is looking at. It's Aarya. She's the one who should be in my place.

"I will tell you when I need the payback, but for now..." he leans near my face as if to sniff the secrets out of me, then straightens, sliding his backpack over his shoulder and walking back towards the door. "Join me for a milkshake, Starfish. After all, I did cancel my plans for your friend."

I open my mouth to refuse his offer, but a part of me compels me to follow him as he steps out of the studio.

***

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