BACK IN CLASS
She entered quietly, walked to her seat, and sat down without a word.
Zaki tossed a folded paper note her way. She didn't even react.
When the final bell rang for home time, all her friends gathered around her, concerned.
Mahir was calmly packing his bag in the background.
Suddenly, Anabiya broke the silence.
"I can't believe I have to eat leftover aloo from yesterday again," she groaned. "Can someone please make me their guest tonight?"
Urhaan, still curious, leaned in. "Tell us what Sir Ali said. Was it bad? Was it really bad? If he said anything rude— I swear, just say the word and I'll go talk to him."
He stood with arms crossed like he owned the place. And honestly, he kind of did.
Because the truth was — none of these four were ordinary kids.
Urhaan's father was the headmaster of the school.
Mishal's father owned a sugar mill.
Zaki's father ran a major software company.
And Anabiya's late father had been a renowned heart surgeon, while her mother was a dentist now working in Lahore.
They weren't just students — they were legacies.
Still seated, Anabiya pulled on her bag and sighed. "Can someone feed me something decent, please? And... please close this topic now. I'm starving."
Zaki, who had been scrolling through his phone, lit up. "What about this café?"
He held up his phone.
Everyone nodded immediately.
"Perfect," Mishal grinned.
And with that, the group set off toward the café.
AFTER THE CAFÉ
After a fun meal and laughter-filled outing, the group split to head home.
Anabiya entered her apartment building and stepped into the lift.
Two aunties stood behind her, deep in conversation.
"Oh my God, did you see that boy today?" one of them said. "So handsome! Who knew Miss Momina had such a good-looking grandson?"
"She's beautiful herself, mashAllah," the other auntie replied. "Of course her grandson would be cute!"
Anabiya's ears perked up.
Dado? Miss Momina? Her grandson??
She turned slowly. "Excuse me... Dado's grandson is here?"
One of the aunties nodded with a warm smile. "Yes beta, he's adorable. Real sweetheart."
Anabiya forced a polite smile... but her mind was spinning.
Miss Momina was like a grandmother to me... how did I not know she had a grandson coming?
The lift stopped. The aunties stepped out, waving.
"Khuda Hafiz, beta!"
"Khuda Hafiz," Anabiya replied, distracted.
As the lift moved up toward her floor, her thoughts were racing.
By the time she reached her apartment, she had made up her mind.
"This Sunday," she whispered to herself, unlocking her door, "I'm taking chotuu some candies." Sir Ali's words were still ringing in Anabiya's ears — every sentence replaying louder than before. The more she tried not to think about it, the more it hurt. Her eyes welled up, and tears began to fall again.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
A strange feeling settled in her chest — who could it be at this hour?
She glanced at the intercom screen.
It was Mishal, standing outside.
Anabiya opened the door, and without wasting a second, Mishal stepped in and flopped dramatically onto the sofa.
"I've already told my mom," she announced. "I'm staying over tonight. Girls' night at your place! Party time!"
Anabiya just stared at her.
And then...
All the emotions she'd been holding in came crashing down.
A flood of tears streamed down her face.
Mishal instantly sat up and rushed to her, wrapping her in a tight hug.
"What happened, meri jaan?" she asked gently.
Anabiya couldn't even answer.
She cried so hard that hiccups started. Mishal held her for a long time, letting her release everything without asking another question.
Finally, when the tears stopped, she quietly brought her a glass of water.
Anabiya took it, stared into it for a moment, and whispered, "How, Mishal? How do you always know something's wrong? No matter how hard I try to hide it, you always find out."
She looked up, voice shaking.
"Why doesn't anyone else see it? Why not Mama?"
Mishal placed her hand gently over Anabiya's.
"I don't know," she said softly. "But when you're hurting, your eyes scream it. Maybe no one else hears them... but I do."
Anabiya's voice broke. "Sir didn't say much. Just... compared me to Papa. Said he was polite, calm — and then looked at me like I'm the complete opposite. Like... I've failed him."
Mishal sighed deeply. "I wish... I wish Sir Ali had said those things with even half the love you just did."
She looked at Anabiya for a moment, then asked, "Why didn't you tell Urhaan? You should've. He'd never let anyone speak to you like that — not even Sir Ali."
Anabiya shook her head. "I didn't want to cause drama."
Mishal gently cupped her cheeks and smiled through the sadness.
"Oh wow... since when did my chaos-loving friend stop liking chaos?"
That made Anabiya laugh — small at first, then bigger.
Her face lit up, and for the first time that evening, the weight on her chest lifted just a little.
As they both sat on the bed, wiping away the last of Anabiya's tears, she suddenly gasped, "Oh! I completely forgot to tell you!"
Mishal looked up, alert. "What?"
Anabiya leaned in, eyes wide. "Dado's grandson is finally here! You remember Chotoo? The one she always used to talk about?"
Mishal's jaw dropped with excitement. "No way! That Chotoo? The one with the dimples and British accent she bragged about all the time?"
Anabiya nodded dramatically. "Yes! That one!"
The two friends exchanged a look — and then burst into laughter.
Anabiya clutched a pillow and added, "I've already made a plan to visit her next Sunday... what if we all go together?"
Mishal lit up. "Done! Let's make it a proper group visit. We'll take snacks, gifts — the whole package!"
Anabiya grinned. "Perfect. It's happening!"