𝙸𝚝 𝙴𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚆𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚄𝚜...

2~ 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘋𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳

A/N GUYS PLEASE DROP SOME INLINE COMMENTS GIVING YOUR VIEWS AND SUGGESTIONS INSTEAD OF COMMENTING FOR THE SAKE OF IT. I WILL BE REALLY GRATEFUL.

Sid couldn't help but glance at Shehnaaz, thinking, "Man, she looks so lonely. Ever since she arrived, she hasn't spoken to anyone. Does she not have any friends?"

Three more lectures passed, and it was now lunchtime. Everyone started leaving the class, but Shehnaaz stayed back, quietly opening her lunchbox. Sid's group was about to head to the canteen when he noticed Shehnaaz and stopped.

"Guys, if you want to go ahead, you can. I'll catch up later," Sid said.

Aly grinned, "No way, man. We're staying right here to watch what you do. This is going to be fun."

Sid approached Shehnaaz."Oh, hi there, new buddy," Sid said with a smile.

Shehnaaz looked around, unsure if he was talking to her.

"Yeah, I'm talking to you. There's no one else around. I haven't seen you before. What's your name?" he asked.

"Shehnaaz... And I know who you are, Sidharth," she replied.

"Nice. Why are you sitting alone? Don't you have any friends?" Sid asked, while internally groaning about how large her glasses seemed and why she had put so much oil in her hair.

"No, I prefer eating alone," Shehnaaz said, then added, "By the way, Sidharth, you're the head of the music club, right? I wanted to join, but I missed the deadline to sign up. Could you help me out?"

"Well, Shehnaaz, you need to audition for that. Why don't you record a small song and send it to me? I'll see what I can do," Sid suggested.

"Okay, thank you," Shehnaaz replied.

Sid added, "By the way, you seem new in this batch, and it looks like you don't have any friends here yet. If you need anything, remember your new friend Sidharth is here."

He then turned to leave, thinking to himself, "Phew, stage one complete. She probably thinks I'm genuinely trying to help her."

Just then, Shehnaaz called out his name.

He turned back with a forced smile, "Yes, what is it?"

"Oh, I need your number to send the audition clip," she said.

"Of course, what's your number?" Sid asked, pretending to save it even though he already had it.

They exchanged numbers, and Sid left for the canteen with his friends.

"Wow, you were talking to her so sweetly," Aly teased. "We were laughing so hard from behind."

"Yeah, of course, you guys would laugh. But remember, Sidharth Shukla doesn't back down from any challenge," Sid replied confidently.

Meanwhile, Shehnaaz sat alone in the class, having finished her lunch, staring blankly at the walls.

It's a feeling few people understand—being friendless in school or college and having to eat lunch alone. The strange looks and the name-calling that come with loneliness. Some people take time to adjust to others, while some never do. Shehnaaz was one of those people. Her only friend was Anu, a classmate from school. But after the 12th grade, they chose different subjects, leaving Shehnaaz all alone. She had been admitted late due to financial issues, and by then, everyone had found their groups. She tried making friends, but she never got the same response, so she eventually stopped trying.

But today, Sid himself had started a conversation with her, making her feel elated. She was happy that after two years, someone had finally approached her—none other than Sidharth Shukla, the coolest and most popular guy in college. She was smiling and thought of telling Anu about it.