---
"Finally… the work is done," Riya said to herself, exhausted.
But just then, that keychain came back to her mind.
"Only three of us ever had that… could someone else really have it too? I don't know… but it was only with my friend… Maybe I should just go sit by the lake today… maybe I'll find Rimjhim there. I'll ask her myself."
She walked toward the lake, gazing at the view. Just then, the lady from the corn stall called out to her.
"Aunty! How are you?" Riya smiled warmly.
"You've come after so long!" Aunty said cheerfully.
"Yeah… I was a little busy, that's why. I actually wanted to talk to you about something…"
"What is it? Is it something important?"
Riya hesitated, then spoke nervously—
"Um… it's about your friend…"
"Oh yes, I was going to ask you about her too!"
"I found out where she went… she transferred to another school."
"Which school?" Riya asked eagerly.
"Paradise High."
"Really? But I go there too. I haven't seen her. Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure. Someone working there told me she was admitted."
"Alright then… thank you."
Riya walked away deep in thought.
---
Later, after class ended and everyone was heading to sports, Riya turned to the scholar girl Ankita.
"Do you know anyone named Rimjhim?"
"No… I don't know any girl by that name," Ankita replied.
Riya frowned.
"But Aunty was sure she's in the same school. Did she make a mistake? Or maybe Rimjhim left already…"
"I'm new here. Ask someone who's been around longer," Ankita suggested.
"Someone old?" Riya repeated.
Just then, Esha, passing by, overheard their conversation.
She stopped, silently observing them, listening a little too intently.
Riya noticed her and thought—
"Should I ask her? But she barely even talks to me… and she's new too…"
Riya stayed silent and walked ahead, pretending not to notice Esha's stare.
Esha followed her, quietly.
"Why not ask the CR?" another girl suggested.
"Good idea. She's in the locker room."
Esha trailed behind them, listening. Even she didn't understand why she was following them.
---
Riya found the Class Representative in the locker room.
"Hey, do you have a minute? I wanted to ask you something."
"Sure, what is it?"
"Do you know anyone named Rimjhim?"
"No… I don't think so," the CR replied.
"But she studied here. Maybe in another section of our class."
The CR thought for a moment, but shook her head.
"Sorry… doesn't ring a bell."
Esha watched them from a distance.
Suddenly, Riya remembered—
"Wait! I have her photo! Maybe it'll help."
She pulled out a picture and showed it to the CR and Ankita.
The moment they saw the picture—Riya standing beside her friend Rimjhim—their expressions changed.
Their eyes widened.
They looked at each other in shock.
"What is it? You know her?" Riya asked.
Ankita, her voice trembling, replied—
"That's her… the girl…"
"Which girl?" CR asked.
"The one who… who committed suicide last week."
"What?! What are you saying?!" Riya gasped.
"Yes, her photo was on the memorial board too…"
"Stop it! What nonsense! You didn't even know her properly!"
"No," the CR added, "she's right. I saw her too. But her name wasn't Rimjhim… it was Ritika Shekhawat.
She was in our class.
She… she took her life last week.
It was… really tragic."
They both started talking amongst themselves.
Riya's eyes filled with tears.
"You… you're telling the truth?" she whispered, her voice shaking.
"You should've seen the board… didn't you notice?"
"Where is the board?" Riya asked, her body trembling.
"Upstairs, on the top floor."
"But what happened to her? Are you okay? You're so innocent… how could you not know?"
Riya didn't reply.
She snatched the photo from their hands and ran.
"Hey! Wait! Where are you going?"
She dashed toward the stairs.
Esha watched everything from a distance but pretended to be searching for something inside a cupboard.
Just then, a boy walked over.
"What are you doing near my locker?"
"Oh! Sorry… I thought it was mine," Esha lied, caught off-guard.
He gave her a suspicious look.
"I'll leave now. Sorry," she said quickly.
She turned to leave—
Just then, Riya, running and crying, bumped into her hard.
"Hey! Watch where you're—"
"Wait… it's Riya! Why is she running like that? She looks so… broken. What happened?"
As Riya disappeared upstairs, the photo fell from her hands—
the one she had shown earlier.
Esha picked it up.
She stared at it.
"I knew it… I should've figured this out earlier…"
She was about to leave when suddenly the same boy grabbed her wrist and slammed the cupboard shut.
"Where's my stuff? You stole something, didn't you?!"
"I didn't… I swear… it was just a mistake! Please let me go."
"No! You took it! You're a thief!"
"Please… I didn't… just let me go!"
She was stuck.
---
Meanwhile, Riya kept running—upstairs, breathless.
She collided into a teacher but didn't stop or apologize.
Tears filled her eyes.
Her heart pounded.
Her mind raced with one desperate thought—
"Please… don't let this be what I think it is…"
Finally, shaking, trembling, she reached the sympathy board.
Candles, flowers, and small notes were placed around it.
She closed her eyes…
Then opened them slowly…
And her gaze fell on the photo.
It was her friend's face staring back at her.
Her mouth dropped open.
It felt like her soul had left her body.
No movement in her eyelids.
She stared, frozen.
Not crying.
Not speaking.
Just... stunned.
"No…
It can't be you…"
Her hands shaking, she reached out to touch the photograph—
There, on the picture, was the same clip she had once given her friend.
Her fingers brushed the clip gently, and a weak smile flickered across her face.
"No… this can't be you…"
Suddenly, her knees gave way.
She fell to the ground, collapsed before the photo.
She clutched the frame tightly and began sobbing uncontrollably.
Her whole body shook with grief.
She covered her mouth with her hand, trying to contain the sobs—but they just wouldn't stop.
She held the picture to her chest and cried—
"No…
This can't be real…
You couldn't have taken your life…
God, please let this be a dream…
You promised, remember?
You said you were all I had…
If something was wrong…
Why didn't you tell me, stupid…"
Her mind flooded with flashbacks—
Moments they shared, laughter, promises, secrets.
She sat there for what felt like forever, sobbing at the board, clinging to a memory...
"Please…
Someone wake me from this nightmare…"
---