Chapter 14
The next morning, Meera walked into school with the teddy bear memory still quietly living in her mind.
She didn't bring the teddy bear with her, of course.
That would have been embarrassing.
But the memory of last night kept making her smile for no reason.
As she entered the classroom, the first thing she did was glance toward Rohan's seat.
Empty.
She paused.
Maybe he was just late.
Meera sat down and pretended to organize her books, but every few seconds her eyes drifted back toward the door.
The bell rang.
Class started.
Rohan still hadn't arrived.
Kitty leaned over from the next desk.
"You look like you're waiting for someone," she whispered.
Meera immediately looked down at her notebook.
"I'm not."
Kitty smirked.
"Sure."
During the break between classes, Meera finally gave up pretending and stepped outside into the corridor.
Maybe he was somewhere else.
Maybe he had practice.
Maybe—
"Hey, Meera."
She turned around.
Sam was standing there.
He smiled when he saw her.
"Hey," she said politely.
"Looking for someone?" he asked.
Meera hesitated.
"Just… walking."
Sam nodded slowly.
For a moment, there was an awkward silence.
Then he took a small step closer.
"Meera," he said quietly, "there's something I've been meaning to tell you."
Her stomach tightened slightly.
She had a feeling where this was going.
"Sam—"
"I like you," he said quickly.
The words came out all at once.
"I've liked you for a long time. Like… two years."
Meera sighed softly.
"Sam…"
"I just thought maybe," he continued nervously, "if you gave me a chance—"
"Sam," she interrupted gently.
He stopped talking.
"I really care about you," she said. "But not like that."
His expression fell slightly.
"You're one of my best friends," she continued. "But I don't see you that way."
For a moment he didn't say anything.
Then he forced a small smile.
"Yeah," he said. "I kind of expected that."
Meera felt bad.
"Sam—"
But before she could finish speaking, something unexpected happened.
Sam suddenly leaned forward.
And tried to kiss her.
Meera immediately stepped back.
"Sam!"
She pushed him away.
"What are you doing?"
"I just thought—" he started.
"No," she said firmly. "I told you no."
But Sam didn't move away right away.
"Come on, Meera," he said. "Just give me one chance—"
"Back off."
The voice came from behind them.
Both of them turned.
Hirsh was standing there.
His expression was colder than Meera had ever seen before.
He looked at Sam.
"What part of 'no' didn't you understand?"
Sam frowned.
"This isn't your business."
Hirsh didn't even hesitate.
The next second, he grabbed Sam by the collar and punched him.
Sam stumbled backward.
"What the hell?!" he shouted.
"Stay away from her," Hirsh said sharply.
A few students nearby had already stopped to stare.
Sam looked furious, but after a moment he backed off.
"This isn't over," he muttered before walking away.
Silence settled in the corridor.
Meera was still processing what had just happened.
Hirsh turned toward her.
"Are you okay?"
She nodded slowly.
"Yeah… I think so."
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Meera said quietly,
"Thank you."
Hirsh shrugged like it wasn't a big deal.
"He should have listened the first time."
Meera looked at him differently now.
For once, Hirsh didn't look cold or arrogant.
He looked… protective.
And for the second time in two days, Meera realized something surprising.
Maybe she didn't understand Hirsh as well as she thought.