Laughter echoed through the classroom, bouncing off the faded walls as students leaned over their desks, whispering and giggling.
> "Yeah, I heard last time almost the entire class failed," one boy snickered. "Only one guy passed, and even he got a supplementary exam! And the girls? Only three passed… the rest got eliminated, man! Hahaha, they set a record for the worst results!"
The laughter stung, but Mangesh stood quietly, clutching the strap of his bag, trying to keep his face blank as the words sank into him like cold needles.
Mr. Sahu, the English teacher, clapped his hands sharply, silencing the laughter for a moment.
> "Hu, everyone listen carefully!" he barked, his eyes scanning the class before landing on Mangesh. "You see him? He used to hang out with the same boys you see sitting here today. If you don't study, you'll end up just like him, failing over and over."
He jerked his chin toward the benches.
> "Go, take your seat."
Mangesh nodded and walked slowly to the back of the class, slipping into a worn-out seat near the window. His fingers drummed quietly on the wooden desk as he tried to ignore the eyes that occasionally turned toward him with smirks and whispers.
---
When lunch break came, the classroom emptied quickly, the noise of running feet and laughter fading down the hall. Mangesh stayed behind, the room quiet except for the ticking of the old clock and the rustle of leaves in the rain outside.
He leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling.
> "God… I felt like throwing my books right at that teacher's face," he thought, frustration bubbling inside him. "But what's the point… let it go. Let's see if my friends even got admitted this year…"
He pulled out his phone, scrolling through messages, lost in thought, when the classroom door opened softly.
A girl walked in.
She was beautiful, her presence so calm that even the air in the room seemed to pause for a moment. Mangesh looked up, and for a second, their eyes met. She looked at him too, curiosity flickering in her gaze before looking away, but the moment was enough to freeze the chaos inside him.
Just then, his phone buzzed loudly, breaking the silence.
> "Hello? Hello? Can you hear me or not?" his friend's voice shouted through the speaker. "Oi, why'd you even call me, huh? What, are you jerking off or what, idiot?"
Mangesh snapped out of his daze, blinking rapidly, and cleared his throat.
> "Yeah… yeah, bro, I'll call you back in a bit."
> "But you're not at school, are you—?"
But before his friend could finish, Mangesh ended the call, his eyes flickering back to where the girl had been. She was gone.
---
That afternoon, as Mangesh walked home under the grey sky, he dialed his friend, Ajay.
> "Bro, you know what? I saw this beautiful girl today…" Mangesh said, unable to hide the small, rare excitement in his voice.
Ajay burst out laughing on the other end.
> "Haha! Bro, if you keep staring at girls like that, you're gonna fail again this year too! You'll be back in the same mess!"
Mangesh's smile faltered for a moment, his steps slowing.
> "Don't say that, bro… you know what happened last time," he muttered.
Ajay went quiet for a moment before replying.
> "Yeah, I know… last time too—"
But before he could finish, Mangesh cut in sharply, his voice low but firm.
> "We don't talk about that. You know that, right?"
Ajay fell silent.
The rain continued to fall, softly hitting the puddles on the road as Mangesh walked home, the memory of the girl's eyes still lingering in his mind, along with the weight of the past he wasn't ready to face.
---
– To be continued,,,