About two years later, just when Aadya thought the bus squad was complete, a new student joined the ride — Navika Aggarwal.
She was quiet. Like, really quiet.
Navika would sit by herself, earbuds in, barely saying a word. But while she didn't talk much, she did something else — she stared. Not in a creepy way… well, maybe just a little. Mostly at Devaj and Aadya, especially when they were joking or talking about random stuff like how math was secretly evil or if school chairs were designed for torture.
At first, Aadya and Devaj weren't sure what to make of it. Was she shy? Was she judging their jokes? Did she think they were weird (they were, to be fair)?
But then, Amuktha Keely stepped in — always the friendly one. She decided to break the silence. One day, she just slid into the seat next to Navika and said, "Hi, I'm Amuktha. You're on this bus now. That means you're one of us."
And just like that, the ice cracked.
Soon, Amuktha introduced Navika to the rest of the group — Aadya, Devaj, and Divyam. At first, Navika still spoke softly, barely above a whisper, but slowly, she opened up. She started laughing at their jokes, adding small comments, and eventually telling her own funny stories.
Before long, she fit right in.
But something a little unusual started to happen — there was this strange little spark between Aadya and Navika. It wasn't loud or dramatic. It was just… there.
They had a peculiar way of talking to each other — sometimes teasing, sometimes thoughtful, often just exchanging looks that said way more than words. They would talk more one-on-one, sharing inside jokes and thoughts no one else in the group really understood.
The others noticed it too. Devaj once joked, "You two act like you're in a secret club," and Aadya just shrugged and replied, "Maybe we are."
It wasn't a typical best-friend kind of thing. It was different. Something between curiosity and comfort. No one knew exactly what it was — not even them, probably — but everyone agreed: there was something special between Aadya and Navika.
And so, the bus became even more interesting. What started as a boring ride to and from school had now turned into a place full of laughter, stories, friendships, and maybe even a little spark of something more.