**EPISODE 11 – *"The Break"***
The next morning arrived much faster than Bhanu wanted.
She barely slept.
Her eyes were swollen, her body heavy, and her heart felt like it was made of glass.
Every step toward school felt heavier than the last.
She didn't want to see Arjun.
She didn't want to see Goutam.
And she definitely didn't want to deal with the whole school watching her like she was some drama show.
But fate didn't care what she wanted.
It never did.
---
# **The Rumor That Destroyed Everything**
She had barely stepped inside the school gates when she heard it.
Whispering.
Snickering.
Staring.
"Did you hear?"
"Bhanu and Goutam are dating."
"Apparently he confessed to her yesterday!"
"No wonder Arjun is heartbroken."
Bhanu froze.
Her fingers trembled.
Her breath hitched.
"What…?" she whispered to herself.
It was like someone had ripped the floor from under her feet.
She turned to the crowd forming near the staircase.
A group of girls were talking loudly.
"She must have manipulated both boys."
"First Arjun… now Goutam?"
"She's acting innocent but look at her—quiet girls are dangerous."
Bhanu felt her chest tighten painfully.
Dangerous?
Her?
She couldn't even look someone in the eye without panicking.
---
## **Goutam Arrives — And Everything Gets Worse**
Suddenly, the chatter changed tone.
"Look, he's here!"
Goutam walked into the corridor with his usual confident stride…
until he saw the crowd.
Until he saw Bhanu standing in the middle of it.
His expression instantly hardened.
"What's going on?" he demanded.
A girl smirked.
"We all know already, Goutam. No need to hide it."
He narrowed his eyes.
"Hide what?"
"That you and Bhanu are dating," she said loudly, intentionally.
Gasps spread across the corridor.
Bhanu's throat dried.
Her palms went cold.
Goutam's eyebrows shot up in pure shock.
"What—? No! We are NOT—"
But another boy cut him off.
"Dude, we saw you confessing yesterday behind the building!"
Bhanu felt her stomach drop.
They saw?
Another girl added,
"And Arjun was crying afterward."
Bhanu grabbed the railing for support.
This was her nightmare.
This was too much.
Someone else chimed in, "It's all over the school group chat."
Her heart completely cracked.
Group chat?
Everyone?
Her worst fear was coming true.
---
## **Arjun Sees the Scene**
And then…
Between the dozens of faces…
She saw him.
Arjun.
Standing at the end of the hallway.
His eyes went straight to her.
Then to Goutam.
Then to the crowd.
He didn't blink.
He didn't speak.
He just stared.
And what she saw there—
Broke her.
Pain.
Confusion.
Disappointment.
And worst of all…
Distance.
Before she could move, he turned around…
And walked away.
Not fast.
Not angrily.
But slowly.
Like someone who had nothing left to fight for.
---
## **Bhanu Breaks Down**
"No—Arjun! Wait!" she cried, running after him.
But someone blocked her path.
"Hey calm down, Bhanu—"
"MOVE!" she yelled, shocking everyone.
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
She tried to run again—
But everything felt blurry.
The hallway spun.
Her legs trembled.
Before she could fall—
Strong arms caught her.
Goutam.
His voice was low, worried.
"Bhanu. Stop. You're shaking. Just breathe."
Her tears soaked his uniform.
"I didn't do anything," she whispered brokenly.
"I didn't want this. I didn't want anyone to know anything. I didn't want rumors, or attention, or… or this!"
Goutam clenched his jaw, guilt eating him alive.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
"I'm so sorry you got dragged into this."
She pushed him away weakly.
"I don't want you to defend me," she cried.
"I don't want anyone… I just want peace."
Her voice cracked.
"And now… Arjun thinks—he thinks—"
She couldn't finish.
The words died in her throat.
Goutam stared at her helplessly.
He had never felt this powerless.
Never felt this useless.
And for the first time—
He understood exactly what he had caused.
Even if unintentionally.
He had changed everything.
---
## **Bhanu Disappears**
Without another word, Bhanu turned…
And walked out of the school.
Goutam called after her.
"Bhanu—wait! Come back!"
She didn't.
She didn't look back.
She kept walking…
Even when her legs hurt.
Even when her tears blurred everything.
Even when her heart felt like it was ripping in two.
She walked until the school gates disappeared behind her.
Until the voices were gone.
Until she found silence.
Real silence.
And then…
She kept walking.
---
# **For Two Days… She Was Gone**
She didn't show up to school.
She didn't answer calls.
She didn't text.
She didn't open messages.
Her father thought she was studying quietly.
But inside her room…
She cried softly into her blanket, her pillow wet every night.
She didn't want to see anyone.
Not Arjun.
Not Goutam.
Not the world.
She wanted to disappear.
And she almost did.
Because both boys…
Were breaking too.
---
## **Goutam Searching**
For two days, he searched around the school area.
Park.
Library.
Canteen.
Roads she usually walked.
He even visited her street…
But couldn't bring himself to knock on her door.
"What if she hates me?" he whispered to himself in the cold night air.
For the first time in his life—
Goutam felt fear.
Fear of losing someone…
Who had become impossibly important.
---
## **Arjun's Silence — And Pain**
Arjun didn't search loudly.
He didn't ask the whole school.
He didn't panic publicly.
He simply searched quietly.
Places only *he* knew she loved.
The rooftop.
Library corners.
Shaded benches.
And when he didn't find her—
He sat alone…
and cried silently into his arms.
"Why didn't she tell me…?" he whispered.
"Why didn't she talk to me first…?"
His voice cracked.
"Why wasn't I enough…?"
---
# **And on the third morning…**
Bhanu finally stepped out of her house.
Still fragile.
Still tired.
Still scared.
But she couldn't hide forever.
She needed to face them.
She needed answers.
She needed to breathe again.
This time…
She would confront both boys separately.
And the truth—
her truth—
would finally come out.
---
# 🌙 **END OF EPISODE 11**