Beyond the Fence: "The House of Whispers"

Chapter 5: Uneasy Encounters

Veera trudged through the school gates, exhaustion etched on her face. She spotted Shruti near the lockers.

"Hey, girl! How was your weekend?" Veera asked, trying to sound cheerful.

"It was good, but yours seemed eventful. What happened?" Shruti replied, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

I shrugged my shoulders, a bit conflicted with my answer. Should I tell the truth and tell her that I haven't been the best? Or should I lie and hope that she believes me? I suck in a harsh breath. "I've been good," I replied, deciding to lie and not burden her with my feelings and personal problems.

"Veera," she called, and I looked up from watching my fidgeting fingers, finding her looking at me with both of her hands on her hips. "I can tell when you're lying and telling the truth. I thought our bond was stronger than that."
I pursed my lips together, feeling bad about
disappointing her. I didn't mean to. "It is...I just don't want to put all my problems on you. I'm sure you have better things to do." I tried.

Veera hesitated, unsure how much to reveal. "It was just... really tiring. I don't want to talk about it."

Shruti's expression turned serious. "Okay, but if you ever need to talk, I'm here.Let's go meet Roshni; she's anchoring today's assembly"

As I'm walking, I hear a loud voice behind me.
"Veeraa!!"
I turn around and smile. A tall figure runs towards me and hugs me firmly. I laugh out loud, tightly pulling my friend into my embrace. "I'm so glad you're here!" I breathed. I close my eyes slowly, releasing all the built-up tension I've had over the last few hours. "I'm ready to go."
He slowly placed me down and pulled away from me, nodding in agreement. "I've been here for 30 minutes. Trust me, I'm ready to go too." He said and I giggled lightly.Just making sure we're all set for today's announcement.

You okay, Veera? You look a bit off," Sahil asked, noticing her exhaustion.

Veera forced a weak smile. "Yeah, just didn't sleep well."
Sahil has been my best friend since  childhood. We grew up together and continue to do so. At this rate, we were never going to separate. Me and Sahil planned to graduate with our doctorates. "Hey, , guys! I need to talk to you about the assignment" he further added.

Upon entering the broadcasting room, Veera's heart skipped a beat. Rachit was chatting with Krish, who was now standing uncomfortably close to her.  
Our eyes immediately connected, and I found myself staring into the same black attractive eyes from just a couple of weeks ago. Krish. I choked, tearing my eyes away from him. I didn't want to show him how shocked I was, and I was sure that wouldn't be a pleasant sight.

I pushed a strand of dark brown hair behind my ear and muttered, "That's creepy,"
"He's into you." Shruti pressed. She nudged my shoulder.
Shruti teased her with a sly smile, earning an angry stare from Veera.
I gave her a flat look, shaking my head and turning away from her. She rolled her eyes. "Or maybe he's creepy like you said."

Roshni, busy preparing her papers, greeted them with a warm smile.

"Hey, girls! Help me out here. We're on air soon."

Veera tried to focus on the task at hand, but her eyes kept drifting towards Krish, her mind replaying the events of the weekend.

"Hey, what's up guys?" Sahil asked, joining the group.

"Hey, Sahil! Just discussing the assignment," Rachit replied.

Veera tried to hide behind Shruti, avoiding eye contact with Krish.

"Hey, Krish, what's with the mysterious vibe? You're really intriguing," Rachit said, breaking the silence.

"Just a hobby, I guess," Krish replied, his eyes locking onto Veera's.

Veera quickly looked away, trying to compose herself.Shruti's eyes sparkled with curiosity. " What happened? You seem to avoid Krish.Is it related to your eventful weekend. "

Veera hesitated, unsure how much to reveal. "It was just... weird. I found some old letters and photographs in Krish's attic related to the haunted mansion near your place then I met Krish... again."

Shruti's expression turned serious. "The Blackwood House is just a narrow road away from mine. I've heard strange stories about it too."

Veera's voice dropped to a whisper. "Krish is connected to that house, but please, keep it a secret."

Shruti's eyes widened. "What are you saying? Isn't he your neighbor?"

Veera quickly brushed it off. "Probably just a misunderstanding.We will talk later".

I was unsure of how to tell her and I thought probably I am just exaggerating things because of series of weird events happening to me . And even though I had chance to clear out things with him(Krish) but I just lost my temper and  went home so now I can't even complain. I  let the mystery be mystery so let it be.
"You better stop Veera!
Stop thinking about that mysterious guy and all sorts of stories that your creating.  Just forget whatever happened" I told my mind.

Roshni's voice echoed through the broadcasting room, "Alright, let's move on to the group assignments. Here's the list of students..."

As she began reading out the names, Veera's mind started to wander. She was distracted, lost in thought, until she realized that Roshni had almost finished announcing all the groups.

What's going on? Why hasn't she called our names yet? Veera thought to herself. She felt a sense of unease creeping up her spine as she scanned the room, realizing that only a few students were left, including herself, Rachit, and Krish,Shruti and Rosh.

This can't be happening. I'm stuck with Rachit and his annoying jokes, and Krish with his creepy secrets. Veera's anxiety grew as she thought about the assignment.

Roshni's voice cut through her thoughts, "And finally, we have one more group left. However, we're short of two members. If anyone whose name hasn't been called yet is willing to join, please come to the broadcasting room."

Just as Veera was worrying about being stuck with Rachit and Krish, the door swung open. In walked Rohan and Kiara, the campus's hottest couple, holding hands.

"Hey, we're so sorry we missed the registration. We were, uh, busy," Rohan said with a charming smile.

Veera rolled her eyes, thinking, Busy in romance, huh? That's a pretty convenient excuse.

Rachit chuckled, interrupting Veera's thoughts. "Now that's what I call fate! Our whole bus gang is here. This is going to be fun!"

Veera:
I couldn't believe it. Wasn't it enough that we all were traveling together daily, and now we have to spend even more time together? She thought, feeling like the universe was conspiring against her.