ANYA

COINCIDENTAL EVENTS CAN be perceived, depending on one's perspective.

For some, it may be quite beautiful; like that of a fairytale which helps them reunite with their past lovers, friends, families, close ones, etcetera, and presents them with a second chance.

For some it can be so funny that they will cry when laughing hysterically.

And some simply hate coincidences. They would rather not face any coincidence, because they know how pre-planned and organised their lives are. Coincidences won't be required to cause a positive change in their already scheduled lives.

I fall in the third category. For me, coincidences are nasty things that aren't necessary to complicate my life. Simple, smooth, perfectly planned with no complications is what my life is, has been, and shall always be. I definitely do not require an uninvited obstacle to block any possibility of me achieving such a life.

Especially when coincidentally, I keep coming across Levi Auguste.

"Nice to meet you again, sweetheart," Levi whispers with more venom than a black mamba could ever possess, while shaking hands with me before our debate challenge.

Surprise, surprise. It turns out, my competitor for my first ever debate challenge, on the first day of my senior year at HallWood University is the one person I have always resented. And it doesn't help when all eyes in the clubroom are on Levi, starstruck and dreamy as if wondering how charming and gorgeous, humble and kind, someone could be. They are thinking, what an ideal boyfriend he would be.

Wrong. How wrong they are.

Levi Auguste's true image is only known to me and oh how I wish others could see it too. A hateable person is what he is. Unfortunately, Levi is blessed with genius brains (yes 'brains', plural), athletic genes, handsome face, body sculpted like a Greek God, perfect grades, excellent at whatever he does, sociably charming, academically intelligent, hailing from a well-known and wealthy background. Basically, he has everything in his life that he needs. Except for the fact that Levi's nasty personality is hidden beneath his golden-boy image.

Human society would've seen more advanced developments and contributions, had people considered me far better than Levi.

My twenty-two year old self will have to tolerate him till the beginning of next year, and I can't even fathom the amount of times I'd have to stop myself from strangling him. Literally.

If I publish a non-fiction book on how much I hate Levi Auguste, I will be getting the next Booker Prize without any doubt.

"Never thought you loved my face so much, Anya. It is finally time you admit that you, in fact, are infatuated with me. Just like others." Levi winks.

Stop it, Anya. DO NOT strangle him.

My lips twitch as I keep my voice low. As low as possible. "Has your mind decided to take a delusional turn now, after expressing enough narcissism?"

Levi does not lose his calm. This is one of the things I hate about him the most. The ability to stay calm in most situations.

"Seriously sweetheart, look around. The Debate Clubroom that remains empty on most Debate Challenges is brimming with students today. Students from all around the campus, that being said. What do you think the reason is, hmm?" Levi smirks smugly.

A nerve ticks my forehead, and I am ready to offer another reply in our never-ending battle of back and forth until the Debate Club Leader speaks. It is surprising to say the least that Rachel Chen seems as smitten as others, when in previous years it seemed no one could bring even a slight change to her ever frosty demeanour. Not romantically at least.

Rachel Chen clears her throat, before speaking into the mic. "Welcome to 2025's first Debate Challenge, hosted by the Debate Club of HallWood University. And today, the debate will be held between Anya Saha, who has been the most active and outstanding member of our club for three years now. Anya has represented our university in several Inter-University Debate Championships and made us proud by always winning, besides achieving the title of Best Speaker. Everyone believes that Anya Saha might become the Valedictorian of the graduating batch of 2026."

A smile filled with pride etches across my lips and I turn to smile extra hard at Levi, to show who is the best here but in an instant my beaming grin drops when I hear the next words.

"However, Levi Auguste, who has decided to finish his senior year at HallWood University, much to our pleasure, is a brilliant student himself. He not only has several magnificent accolades to his name, but also does everything perfectly. Even the ones he apparently claims he is not good at. His admission this year to our prestigious university has raised certain speculations. For example, Levi Auguste might receive the title of Valedictorian instead and Anya Saha, the title of Salutatorian."

Fury surges through me. Was all that really necessary to be said? It doesn't help that the clubroom brimming with students seem to be agreeing with the words. Oh well, I am pretty sure I will be proving them wrong at our graduation ceremony.

The Valedictorian title is mine, regardless of what others think, say or presume.

"Don't clench your fists too hard, sweetheart or you might cause a bleeding disaster here," Levi annoyingly murmurs for only us to hear. The taunting smirk is evident, even without facing him.

"The only one to bleed will be you today, Levi." I relish in satisfaction at his lines of confusional fear and subtly nervous expression. "Hypothetically, of course." I add in. Levi shall bleed with the cost of losing this match today.

In our elementary, middle and high school days, due to being the top two students, we were always put in the same team or paired together for inter-school competitions, because the teachers held this wonderful assumption that whenever the gifted students Levi Auguste and Anya Saha would compete together, they would make their school proud by winning.

They were right. We did win every challenge, every competition, even the practice challenges held within our schools, when we worked as a team.

Therefore, I continued missing opportunities (other than on exams or solo competitions) to defeat Levi. And despite being elated at once again, coincidentally, not being at the same university till this year, there had forever been a part of me that desperately wanted to see Levi accept his defeat. Against me, obviously.

"Are you guys ready?" Rachel asks us, with her eyes lingering on Levi for a tad bit longer. After she receives the nod and words of confirmation from us, she returns her attention to the excited audience. "The topic, which had been sent to the participants a week before for enough preparation, is—Has social media improved people's relationships?

Levi Auguste will be debating for the topic and Anya Saha, against the topic. Both the speakers will have two minutes each, maximum, while placing their arguments. Instead of judges, since we couldn't find volunteers for that, the audience may put their questions forward to the participants and based on the accurate reasonings, evidence, strategic response, clarity and presentation, the answers will be graded by the Debate Club Leader, aka, me. Maximum time for the challenge to go on, is expected to be an hour but could finish early if any of the participants fail to place their arguments within three minutes. Good luck." Rachel steps down from the podium and clicks on the timer in her phone, a stopwatch on the other hand to calculate the three minutes for each argument.

"I definitely do think social media plays a vital role in improving relationships," like the prick he is, Levi speaks first when he notices me preparing to begin the debate. "Beginning from finding relatives we may have lost touch in the past to reconnecting with old friends, social media makes it easier for us to do that."

"Until the said relative or friend turns out to be a perverted predator pretending to be your loved one," with crossed arms, I say. "And that's not even touching the worst parts, that might happen. And this is why I absolutely do not believe that social media has any hand in improving relationships. Call me backdated but it is a platform where you either flaunt, promote, and garner attention for yourself."

"And how is that bad in any way, please do tell?" Levi counter-attacks. "Who doesn't want to be loved, praised? Speaking from experience, it is a wonderful experience when you are able to share your achievements, daily lives, photos and videos of other things and—"

"And what about the dark side of social media, huh? What about those people who are looking for, let's say friends online because they are unable to find them in real life? What if they are so lonely they fall in the traps of sexually and abnormally promiscuous people? Or, perhaps others could be scammed, engage with the wrong influence, sold off—there are thousands of dangerous possibilities that could happen on social media."

"While the points you have stated are truly a matter of concern," Levi begins with a note of taunt, "I must still disagree with your arguments. Over the years the app developers for different social media applications have tightened security, increased user age limit, introduced strict guidelines, formed connections with cybersecurity teams—"

"Which are only known to us on the surface. How are we sure that the app developers are really doing what you are saying they are doing with utmost effort? I commend their initiatives but the result is still minimal for there are rising cases each year."

"Could you just stop interrupting me when I am speaking?" Levi steps forward with a threatening scowl and a whisper so low with a false smile plastered, to still give the impression that he never loses his calm. And is probably offering me friendly advice or something.

I continue by deliberately ignoring him, "Everything brings me to the same point that social media is quite a dangerous place, especially for young teenagers, in terms of strengthening relationships. Specifically with strangers, online."

"Are you aware that there are social media training classes which anyone can apply for? And I believe it is also the responsibility of parents when, how, why, you are allowing the exposure of social media to your children. If they are old enough to understand and be smart not to engage with online pedophiles, they will not. If they do so unfortunately, lawsuits can be filed by their guardians. You do have to admit the extremity of such situations have reduced if not more, but by some few amount at least," Levi argues. "Don't forget accounts can be made private too with only a selected number of friends or followers having access to the profiles."

"The situations have reduced but not disappeared. What about the children or teenagers whose guardians aren't around for several reasons? What about the cases that go out-of-hand? Could you imagine the severity of the situation if a thirteen-year-old is kidnapped and sold off because he was lonely with not enough attention on him, and had gone to meet his new online friend and turns out, they were just adult criminals? Forget online strangers. There are such cases even where, simply out of spite, ex-partners have gone as far as spreading nude, either real or edited and/or sex tapes of the victims.

Do you still think social media is a good enough place for relationships to strengthen?"

"I appreciate your rather realistically pessimistic views on the 'horrors' of social media but it is not as dangerous of a place as you're making it seem, it is," Levi remarks with a twitch of his irritated brow. To others, we are having an intense debate but to us, we are hurling insults using poised vocabulary as much as we can.

This is a battle of wills. To see who yields and comes out victorious, in the end. A matter of pride, if I must add. And when Levi Auguste goes low, I go lower.

"It seems you have unrealistic views on the other hand, and that is alright for people like you," I put on a smile that stretches across my face but doesn't reach my eyes.

"What is that even supposed to mean?" Levi frowns.

"It means Levi Auguste that you are one of the persons who has found fame so easily on social media that you do not need to form online relationships. You are always under the spotlight, surrounded by people who love you, fans who support you, admirers who admire you. But it is not the same for others. Many others. Besides, being on social media creates an unnecessary urge to become popular. To want to be seen. Or it can end up becoming a distraction, for instance, scrolling for hours through nonsense reels."

I will never let my two days long research on cyber-crimes all of which were related to social media applications somehow, pros and cons of using too much social media and so on, go to waste. Never.

"Be for real, Anya." Levi rolls his eyes. "Even you use social media."

A flush of heat creeps on the back of my neck. "I use it to keep track of my favourite authors, post reviews and recommendations and..." And keep up with updates from my favourite Kpop boy-band MusicZ. But I keep the information to myself. If others were to learn I could also indulge myself with things other than competitions, ambitions, and books, they would have a cardiac arrest.

"So you do have a social media account?" Levi hums in amusement. "Interesting."

I don't probe further by what he meant by that and continue. "I am not against the use of social media but I am against engaging in private conversations with possible predators. Perhaps popular social media apps could strengthen their private messaging system, for example addition of features that filter out words."

"How will people sext then?" Levi nonchalantly blurts out.

The audience gasps. Some even giggle and whisper as if the prospect of sexting with Levi Auguste seems heavenly.

"W-Well," I clear my throat at the fumble, "They can do it just fine behind closed doors. Without needing electronic devices."

"Didn't know you were into kinks, Anya," Levi teases smirking and a blush of embarrassment rises through me once again.

"Levi, focus," I grit out. "In conclusion, if a relationship is built on social media, it can lead to unrealistic expectations, and comparisons, jealousy, insecurity, eye-problems due to excessive screen-time and that's not even touching all the complications."

Right at the moment, Rachel stops the timer and stands up. Her expression is unreadable, which gives the impression she is neither impressed nor disappointed with our debate. And that is quite scary since the result is unclear.

"A round of applause for Levi Auguste and Anya Saha, even though the debate lost its track quite a few times. Or a lot."

I wince at the low blow. It is true, though. And Levi is to blame for provoking me equally.

"That being said, let us not waste time since there are classes everyone has to attend, I am sure. The Winner of the very first Debate Challenge hosted by HallWood University's Debate Club is..."

I wish with all my might. Judging from Levi's expression, he seems to be doing the same.

Rachel speaks finally. "The Winner is..."