Fehmi

irshya

As the final exams come to a close, a buzz of excitement fills the air at school. Students breathe a collective sigh of relief, knowing that the intense period of studying and exams is finally behind them. But their respite is short-lived as the teacher announces a new endeavor on the horizon: the preparation for the annual function.

"Dear students, we have decided to organise our annual function and our school's 25th anniversary in the month of August, before the half yearly and pre board examinations begin." Ms. Jain announced. She was greeted by a mixture of reactions from the students as some of them were excited and some were worried about the exams while our model students Samaira and Neev were rather unfazed because they were well prepared for the examinations and were neutral about the upcoming celebrations.

The morning assembly just got over. Toppers from all three streams were awarded a certificate for their achievements. Samaira, Neev and Dikshant from the commerce section were awarded a certificate of appreciation.

As Samaira made her way through the school corridors, she was greeted by a group of boys from the commerce section. Their eyes lit up with admiration as they approached her, their voices filled with a mixture of awe and admiration.

"Hey, Samaira! Congratulations on acing those exams once again," one of the boys exclaimed, a wide grin spreading across his face.

"Yeah, you're not just a beauty, but a brain too! We would love to have someone like you on our dance team for the annual function," another chimed in, his tone laced with flirtatiousness.

"Thank you, that's very kind of you," she replied, feeling a bit awkward as she was not close with any of those boys and they were trying to hit on her.

Meanwhile, nearby, Neev watched the exchange with a clenched jaw, his expression tight with jealousy. He couldn't help but feel a pang of irritation as he saw the boys vying for Samaira's attention, their flirtatious banter grating on his nerves.

In the end, Neev decided to approach them, his demeanor carefully neutral as he joined the conversation.

"Hi Sam" Neev said. He never called Samaira as Sam because that's something only Saisha and Gaurika call her. Something in him forced him to behave that way. Samaira looked at Neev with absolute awe in her eyes. She was astonished to see him acting weird in front of those boys. She couldn't help but feel her heart lub-dub faster because of the sudden greetings. She looked at Neev with eyes shining brighter than the sun. Neev looked at those guy with a fiery look in his eyes, as if he'll lash out any moment.

Sensing the tension in the air, they quickly excused themselves, leaving Neev and Samaira alone once again. As the corridor fell silent, Neev turned to Samaira, a sheepish smile playing on his lips. "Sorry about that. I just couldn't help but feel a little... protective," he admitted, his tone tinged with vulnerability.

Samaira's heart softened at Neev's confession, and she reached out to gently squeeze his hand. "It's okay, Neev. I appreciate your concern," she reassured him, a warm smile gracing her features. "Honestly, I felt kind of awkward when they approached me out of nowhere. I am not very social and these kind of interactions are very awkward for me" Samaira said.

As Samaira settled into her seat in the classroom, she was approached once again by the boys from the commerce department.

"Hey, Samaira, we were serious about wanting you to join our dance team for the annual function," one of them piped up, a hopeful expression on his face.

"Yeah! We saw you dancing on Durga Puja last year and you're surely a very skilled dancer" one of them said.

Before she could respond, Neev spoke up, his voice steady but tinged with a hint of protectiveness. "Actually, Samaira is already part of our dance team for the annual function," he stated, his tone firm as he met the boys' gazes head-on.