Dawn of Spring

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Ahana Arya woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Her dark hair was a mess from tossing and turning all night. Though it was the first day of her vacation, and she had been narrowly saved from missing a college assignment deadline thanks to her roommate and friend's help. She still wore a frown on her face.

"If I knew this was going to be the look I'd wake up to, I'd have let you drown in your assignment abyss." Her friend and roommate of two years, Riya, commented as she took a pile of clothes before placing them neatly in her suitcase. She was all set to leave for her hometown. "Come on, at least give me a smile."

Ahana's frown deepened. "Not in the mood."

Riya, cramming her suitcase for her hometown trip, arched an eyebrow. "Yo! A little fake charm never killed anyone," she quipped, pausing dramatically, then added, "Or at least I haven't tried it as a murder weapon yet."

"This isn't funny," Ahana wrinkled her nose. "How could she not invite me?"

Her friend strutted in, toothbrush in hand like a diva with a microphone. "Yeah, girl, you have every right to be furious! Not even a heads-up? That's just ice cold. She is down bad, I tell you. Straight. Up. Down. Bad."

"Do you have any idea what I am talking about?"

Ahana looked at her friend and released a deep breath giving her a meaningful stare. Her posture becoming lax as she returned her gaze to the laptop screen. Only five minutes ago, she logged into her social networking account only to find the top news on her news feed was an engagement picture of her supposed-to-be friend and co-worker in a kids' play school where she worked every summer.

Speaking of kids, she adored them. They were her fun time of the year, yes. So, she had to make a convincing argument to her professors, detailing her passion for education and the invaluable experience she would gain working in a preschool over the summer. After much persuasion, they approved her request and permitted her to continue her internship.

This was Ahana's third year working at 'Heritage High Play School,' a prestigious private institution known for its focus on incorporating fun into early childhood education. It was a highly sought-after place for parents looking for quality learning experiences for their toddlers in the city.

She couldn't help but stare at the obnoxiously large diamond on the girl's finger. It was almost comical how hard the girl was trying to look like a model with her pouty face. Seriously, isn't she supposed to be ecstatic to marry the love of her life? What's with the pouting?

An arm draped around her shoulder as she found her friend peeping to look into her social media account.

Riya's jaw dropped as she looked at the screen. "Seriously? Almost a thousand likes?" She raised an eyebrow and smirked, "Is she secretly a famous influencer or something?"

Ahana shook her head, putting a small smile on her lips. "She has always been-" Hesitating a bit, she struggled to pick up the right word, "-an extrovert?"

"You are asking." Riya slipped her bubbly smile.

Ahana vigorously shook her head before shutting her laptop and pushing it away. She got up, adjusted her pants to dust off the crease, and went to her desk to pick up her bag.

"C'mon, I hired a cab. I'll drop you off at the airport."

She looked around to find her phone to scroll for missed calls or messages. To her disappointment, there weren't any. Frowning, she slipped it into her pocket. "Then, I have to visit the school then and fill in the registration details. We gotta hurry."