Hahahaha!!
Riya woke up beaming with joy.
There was a new glow on her face, as if she had finally decided to live again.
She had made up her mind - to focus on studies again, to rebuild herself from scratch.
This morning felt different.
With her whole heart, Riya cooked a fresh meal.
Today, she was delivering her food to the school canteen.
She had received a call from Paradise High School - and that made this day special.
So, she cooked with even more love and care.
Packing everything neatly on her scooter, she headed off toward the school.
The moment she reached the school gate, the watchman stopped her.
"Where do you think you're going?" he asked coldly.
Riya hesitated.
"I'm here to deliver food for the school canteen. I got a call from the school... I've been given permission."
The guard eyed her suspiciously.
"Oh yeah? And who gave you permission?"
"The canteen staff. And... and there was a boy who helped me - he studies here... his name is Akshet."
"Akshet Kapoor?" The watchman paused, thought for a second, then nodded.
"Alright, go ahead. It's lunchtime anyway."
Riya murmured under her breath, "What a weird tone... what's his problem?"
Still, she picked up the food and entered quickly.
Seeing the massive buildings around, she whispered to herself,
"If I get admission here... I'll be studying in such a beautiful place."
While looking around for the canteen, she unknowingly reached the upper corridor.
Just then, her eyes fell on a room flashing with disco lights -
but the board above read Principal's Office.
Curiosity pulled her toward the window.
But suddenly, a hand yanked her back harshly.
"Are you crazy?" a boy scolded her.
"Let go of me! What are you doing?" Riya snapped, trying to pull away.
"You're not allowed up here. Didn't you know that?" he glared at her.
"I didn't know. I was just looking for the canteen..." she replied softly, rubbing her arm where he'd grabbed her.
He took a closer look at her.
"You're the same girl who was driving that car, right?"
Riya also recognized him.
"Oh! You're the guy who gave me the keys!"
"Yeah," he replied, "But don't think I'm complimenting you. You're not that special."
He made a face.
"What's that you're carrying?"
He bent down to check her food container.
"Food for the canteen," Riya said.
He opened the box, sniffed, scrunched his nose, and muttered,
"Nothing special."
Without another word, he walked away.
Riya stood frozen. Her heart, shattered.
"Oh God... are all people here like this?" she thought.
Just then, a chef walked up.
"You brought food for the canteen, right? Come on, hurry up."
At first, the kids didn't show much interest.
But gradually, they started coming in.
Shesha was the first one to eat and even praised the food - unaware that it was made by Riya.
A sparkle returned to Riya's eyes.
"Maybe I can do this every day," she thought with new hope.
She was so happy that she grabbed the chef's hands and twirled in a mini dance.
From a distance, a boy named Roni was watching her - with a strange look in his eyes.
Riya returned home, excited to share the news with Anshu and Papa.
She had now also decided to appear for the scholarship test.
Every day, she began visiting the library to study.
Soon, her admit card arrived. Seeing it only boosted her determination.
"Anshu! Look! I got crayons for you!" she shouted excitedly as she entered the house.
No reply.
"Papa...? Why aren't you saying anything?"
Suddenly, she heard crying from the next room.
She ran - only to find Anshu's foot injured, and torn drawing pages in her hand.
"What happened, Anshu?" Riya asked, terrified.
Through sobs, Anshu said,
"I drew a family photo... with you, me, Papa, Didi, and Mama...
but when I showed it to Suhana Didi, she got angry.
She said I'm not her sister... and that I don't have a mother.
Then... she tore up my picture..."
Riya's blood boiled.
"Why are you so innocent, Anshu?" she whispered, then stood up with purpose.
"Di, where are you going?"
"To return the same kind of love she gave you," Riya said grimly.
She stormed into the coffee shop where Suhana was sitting with her friends.
Without warning, Riya grabbed water bottles and splashed them on Suhana's face,
then kicked her chair hard.
"You seriously need to get a reality check!" she growled.
Suhana screamed in rage.
"You're going to regret this!"
Riya stared her down.
"I've been regretting things for too long.
There's nothing left to regret anymore."
She then snatched Suhana's Louis Vuitton bag,
threw it across the floor, and said-
"Remember -
if you can't offer someone love,
you have no right to cause them pain."
Everyone around stared at Riya.
Suhana sat, humiliated.
...
Later, in the library, Riya whispered to herself:
"I fought so much today...
my mind's too restless to study.
Maybe I said too much..."
But then she remembered -
the test is tomorrow. She had to focus.
She stepped out for fresh air.
In the playground, she saw Akshet playing basketball alone.
"You must be in the basketball team, right?" she asked.
"No. And I don't want to be," he replied curtly.
"But you should be," Riya said gently.
Suddenly, Akshet yelled and threw the ball away in anger.
"Mind your own business!"
Riya quietly sat down nearby.
She started coughing, and Akshet sat down beside her.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"I'm fine. Just go."
"No. I won't leave until your driver comes."
After a while, the driver arrived and helped Akshet up.
The driver turned to Riya and said calmly,
"This is normal."
...
On her way home, Riya noticed smoke rising from the house.
"Oh God!" she screamed and rushed inside.
Her mother had burned all her books and the scholarship admit card.
"What are you doing?!" Riya cried.
"I did what had to be done," her mother said coldly.
She grabbed Riya by the arm, dragged her across the floor,
and forced her hand into boiling water.
"No!!!" Riya screamed.
She crawled toward her paralyzed father and sobbed.
"Papa... please... say something.
I'm just a child too...
I'm only 17...
I can't take this anymore."
But her father sat in silent shame.
"Forget it.
What would you say anyway?
Our fate has always been like this..."
...
Fate.
Riya went upstairs and broke down completely.
Her burned hand throbbed, her eyes filled with tears.
Every new beginning...
somehow ended the same way.
Beep! Beep! Beep!