Nova's POV
The fight didn't happen all at once.
It began quietly—in the pauses between conversations, in the way Swasti stopped laughing at Dishita's jokes, in the way Dishita slowly drifted away during breaks. If you didn't know them well, you wouldn't have noticed anything wrong.
But I did.
Something felt off, like a cracked note in a familiar song.
It happened in the school canteen.
The place was crowded and noisy, filled with the clatter of steel plates and the smell of snacks. Magdalin was talking about an upcoming test, Mohit stood nearby pretending not to listen, and Dishita laughed softly at something Harshith said.
Swasti noticed.
"What's so funny?" she asked, her voice casual—but only on the surface.
Dishita turned toward her. "Nothing. Just talking."
"Talking a lot these days," Swasti said.
I felt my stomach tighten.
Dishita's POV
I didn't understand why every small thing suddenly felt like a problem.
"What's your issue?" I asked, trying to stay calm. "We're just in the canteen."
"I know," Swasti replied. "You just don't look like you want to be with us anymore."
That hurt.
"I'm not doing anything wrong," I said. "I'm allowed to talk to other people."
Her eyes hardened. "So now we don't matter?"
Around us, voices lowered. I could feel people listening.
"That's not what I said," I replied. "You're twisting my words."
Swasti's POV
I hadn't planned to start a fight.
But watching Dishita laugh with someone else while standing right in front of me made something snap.
"You've changed," I said. "You don't even notice us anymore."
Dishita stared at me. "Maybe you're the one who doesn't want to notice."
The words hit hard.
"So I'm just replaceable?" I asked.
She looked shocked. "I never said that."
"But you think it."
The silence that followed was heavy and uncomfortable.
Nova's POV
"Enough," I said.
Both of them turned toward me.
"This is getting worse," I continued. "You're both hurt, and saying things you don't mean."
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Dishita picked up her bag. "I don't want to argue anymore."
She walked away from the canteen.
Swasti stayed.
In the next class, Swasti sat beside me, her face stiff and unreadable. Dishita chose a seat far away—next to Harshith.
The classroom felt divided after that.
I stared at the space between their desks and understood something important.
This wasn't just a fight.
It was the moment everything began to change.