𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐀𝐒

004

The shrill ring of the bell echoed through the corridors, a clear signal for everyone to make their way to form. I hadn't even managed to grab my bag when I felt a sharp smack to the back of my head. Startled, I spun around, ready to unleash my fury, only to find Tommy standing there, a smug grin plastered across his face. His brown hair shimmered under the artificial school lights, giving him an almost angelic appearance—if only his behaviour matched it.

"What the flip, Tommy?" I snapped, rubbing the back of my head.

He just giggled, clearly pleased with himself. "Nothing much," he replied nonchalantly, as if smacking me was the most normal thing in the world.

"Gosh, you're insufferable," I muttered, but there wasn't time to dwell on it. We were late—on the first day, no less. Not exactly how I envisioned starting Year 12. And to make matters worse, we had no idea where our form room was supposed to be. I quickly ushered Tommy to grab his stuff, and we started our rushed ascent up the stairs, hoping to find our room before things got any worse.

When we finally stumbled upon the correct room, my hopes for a smooth morning were dashed. A new teacher stood at the front of the class, someone I hadn't seen before. I glanced at Tommy, and his expression mirrored my own—a mixture of displeasure and unease. The man's appearance did little to inspire confidence. He was tall, with features that, quite frankly, resembled a rat. His small, beady eyes gleamed with a certain malice, his thin lips were pursed in a perpetual frown, and his hair was a dull shade of grey. As his gaze landed on us standing in the doorway, I felt a chill run down my spine.

"You're late, boys. Detention at lunch tomorrow," the man barked, his voice cold and authoritative.

"What?" Thomas spluttered, clearly taken aback.

"Argue with me, and it'll be after school," he shot back, leaving no room for negotiation.

Without another word, Tommy and I made our way to our assigned seats, seething internally. I couldn't believe it—detention on the first day, and for being just two minutes late! Whoever this Mr. Janson thought he was, he was seriously in need of an ego check. As I took my seat, I noticed that the desk beside me was still empty. Whoever was supposed to sit there either hadn't shown up or, like us, had decided to be late. Bad idea.

Tommy had been placed on the other side of the room, and I could see him muttering curses under his breath, no doubt aimed at Mr. Janson. That was typical of him, always ready to fight back against authority. But today, we were both stuck in this situation, forced to endure it. I tried to focus on something else, anything else, but my thoughts were quickly interrupted by Mr. Janson's booming voice once again.

This time, he was reprimanding three students who had just walked in—Kavya, Tessa, and another boy I didn't recognize. The first two were no surprise. Tessa was always wherever Kavya was, and vice versa. They were inseparable, to the point where it was almost nauseating. But the boy was new. The first thing I noticed about him was his limp—he was putting all his weight on one leg as he tried to keep up with the girls.

Mr. Janson wasted no time in demanding to know why they were late, though they were only five minutes behind schedule. They tried to explain, but he cut them off, handing out detentions just as he had done with us. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the absurdity of it all. What kind of teacher gave out detentions on the first day? For being a few minutes late, no less!

As if the universe hadn't already cursed me enough for one day, Kavya walked over and took the empty seat next to mine. I couldn't believe it. Out of all the people in this room, it had to be her. I scoffed in disbelief, my mood darkening even further. Could this day get any worse?

I glanced over at Tommy, hoping for some solidarity, but what I saw caught me off guard. He was staring at the new boy with wide eyes, practically in awe. I'd never seen him like this before, and considering how long we've known each other, that was saying something. Our families had been intertwined since birth—our parents were business partners, and Tommy had practically grown up in my house. He was like a brother to me, but seeing him now, I realized there was something different about his gaze. It didn't take long for me to figure out what it was: Tommy was definitely crushing on the new guy. Hard.

I snapped back to reality and noticed Kavya was already working, her head buried in a textbook. Seriously? It was the first day of school, and she was already revising. Who does that? Unable to resist, I reached over and pulled the sheet out from under her hand, a grin spreading across my face as I waited for her reaction.

She barely glanced up, just rolling her eyes in that infuriatingly calm way of hers. I didn't get the rise out of her that I wanted, so I dropped the sheet back on her desk and left her alone. What was the point, anyway? Kavya Patel was as much of a mystery to me now as she had been when we were kids. We'd been rivals for as long as I could remember, always competing, always trying to outdo each other. But lately, it felt different. We were older, the stakes were higher, and the childish games we used to play seemed to carry more weight.

As the class dragged on, I found myself glancing over at Kavya every now and then, watching her scribble away in her notebook. She was weird, no doubt about it. But there was something about her that I couldn't quite put my finger on. Maybe it was her determination, her unyielding drive to be the best. Or maybe it was just that after all these years, I still hadn't figured out how to get under her skin the way she got under mine.

The bell finally rang, releasing us from the torturous form period. As everyone gathered their things and started filing out of the room, I noticed that Tommy was still lingering, stealing glances at the new boy as he limped out with Tessa and Kavya. I shook my head, a small smile tugging at the corners of my lips. Maybe this year wouldn't be so bad after all. Sure, we'd have to deal with Mr. Janson and his ridiculous rules, but at least it seemed like things were going to be interesting. And who knows? Maybe I'd finally figure out what made Kavya tick.

Or maybe, just maybe, I'd figure out why I was so determined to do so in the first place.

A/N I'm debating continuing I hope y'all like it so far hopefully!!
Ann x