What after That?

Ch 7.

A month had passed since the start of the school year, and the initial excitement had worn off, leaving behind the usual mix of routine and restlessness. The corridors of the school were abuzz with the news that had sent a wave of despair through the students—unit tests were just a week away. The announcement had come like a bolt from the blue, hitting every class with the same sense of impending doom.

In 11th A, the mood was no different. The students were sulking, their usual chatter now replaced with groans and complaints. Even the usually carefree and mischievous Shubman Gill was feeling the weight of the upcoming tests. He slumped in his seat, his usual grin replaced by a frown.

"Yaar, yeh kya hai?" Shubman muttered to his group of friends during the lunch break. "Behenchod, itni jaldi unit test kaun leta hai? Bhai, samajh ke kya rakha hai hum log ko... robot?"

Abhi, nodded in agreement, stuffing a samosa into his mouth. "Haan yaar, bilkul. Abhi toh school shuru hua tha, aur ab test aa gaya. Teacher logon ko kuch aur kaam nahi hai kya?"

Dhruv, added, "Mujhe toh lagta hai yeh log jaan bujh ke torture karte hain. Matlab, kitna pressure dalna hai yaar?"

Khushpreet, who usually didn't care much about studies, was unusually quiet. He leaned back in his chair, a worried expression on his face. "Meri toh waat lag jayegi, bhai. Mera ek bhi subject strong nahi hai. Pata nahi kya hoga."

Shubman glanced around at his friends, their complaints echoing his own thoughts. But there was something else bothering him, something that made the upcoming tests even more stressful. His father was coming back home after months away on business, and that was never a good thing.

Shubman's relationship with his father was complicated, to say the least. Mr. Gill was a successful businessman, strict and demanding, with little tolerance for anything less than excellence. He was the kind of man who believed that anything could be achieved with discipline and hard work, and he expected nothing less from his son.

Shubman had never liked his father, not really. There was always a tension between them, a sense of competition that Shubman didn't ask for but couldn't escape. His father was constantly pushing him to do better, to be better, and Shubman often felt like he was being measured against an impossible standard.

The last time his father had been home, Shubman had managed to scrape through his exams with decent marks, but it hadn't been enough. His father had been disappointed, and the memory of that cold, disapproving look still lingered in Shubman's mind. He didn't want to go through that again.

But now, with the unit tests looming, the pressure was back. Shubman knew that his father would expect him to perform well, and failure was not an option. The thought of his father's return filled him with a mixture of dread and resentment.

"Yaar," Shubman sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Mujhe toh pata hai ghar jaake aur tension milegi. Papa aa rahe hain wapas. Aur unko pata chalega ki test hai, toh meri jaan hi le lenge."

Abhi looked at him sympathetically. He knew about Shubman's strained relationship with his father. "Tough luck, bro. Par tune padhaayi karni shuru ki hai kya?"

Shubman shook his head, a scowl forming on his face. "Nahi yaar, abhi tak toh nahi. Dil hi nahi kar raha. Aur waise bhi, padhaayi karke kya fayda? Woh toh bas complain hi karenge, chahe main kuch bhi karoon."

As today unlike other days Ishan was not in ground nor was Yashaswi so Shubman walked into the classroom, his eyes scanning the rows of desks until they landed on Ishan's usual spot. He was expecting to find the seat empty, as Ishan typically spent his lunch break in the ground with Yashaswi, either discussing studies or going over notes. But today, something was different.Ishan was still in the classroom, hunched over his desk, scribbling furiously in his notebook. His lunchbox sat unopened beside him, completely forgotten as he focused all his attention on his studies.