Dear Destiny

9- Dear Father

*Atharv*

I sat there silently, trying to focus on my physics numerical while Ariv, standing beside me, seemed to have completely lost his mind. He was shouting excitedly, "Yes! Yes! Yes! Atharvvvv! Four nights, five days-woah!" He had a crazed grin, eyes wide with excitement. "This time, I'm getting a new opportunity to take revenge on that fatty PT teacher and that almost gay-looking math sir!"

He was completely out of his mind, caught up in the thrill of the upcoming school trip. As soon as he glanced at the circular, he completely lost it in amusement, as usual. Like every other school trip, he was already planning the chaos he'd create, and we all knew it would end up with a pile of warnings and defaulter letters.

"The moment I catch a break, I'm hit with backlogs in my subjects," he continued, ranting on and on. "I've told that light-speed physics teacher a thousand times to slow down and take a breath, so I can catch up on the syllabus. But no! He has to prove himself. I swear, I'll make special plans for him on the trip."

I could no longer endure his nonsense. He'd been rattling on for the last two free periods, and my brain was practically fried from his incessant planning. I sighed, "Ariv, I'm telling you to pl-"

"Ariiiiiiiiv!" A sweet, melodious voice cut me off mid-sentence. I turned my head in the direction of the voice to see those familiar brown orbs. Ah, every time I see them, it feels like a stab to my heart. She was approaching us-or more precisely, approaching Ariv.

Since the day of the arrest, Reet had been doing this, coming to Ariv with her smiling, giggling face only to get roasted by his indifferent words. And like every time, this time too she approached our table with that goddess-like smile and captivating eyes. I could see Ariv's lips curling into pure disgust as he braced for his impending trouble, while I found myself staring at the real-life essence of beauty heading our way.

Just as she reached us, she twisted her ankle by mistake and fell flat on her back. "Ouch!" she winced in pain. I heard Ariv snickering behind me as Reet patted her back, grimacing at the sudden fall.

"Nice entrance, Reet!" Ariv chuckled, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "What a grand way to steal the show!" he said while offering his hand to her.

I saw her grab his giant hands for support and slowly stand up, her eyes still focused on the floor. Once she was steady, Ariv pulled his hands back and shoved them into his pockets, leaning against the nearby table with his signature devilish smirk. Reet stood there, her gaze still downward, embarrassment painting her cheeks after the spectacle she had just created.

She looked so small and delicate, barely reaching Ariv's shoulders. He was a giant compared to her, a fact that seemed to amuse him as he looked down at her.

"Done with my homework?" he asked, his tone authoritative.

She nodded and handed him the notebook she was carrying. Ariv flipped through the pages, casually checking her work. After a moment, he nodded, "Fine, you can go now."

I couldn't fathom why she was even listening to Ariv. She could have easily refused to do his work. Ariv was such a pseudo-man. That day, in front of everyone, he was acting like a protector for her, and from the very next day, he reverted to his usual routine of bullying her. And why Reet was enduring him, I couldn't understand. Anyway, I didn't want to interfere between them.

Reet silently turned around to leave, but Ariv called her back. "Wait."

She turned to look at him. "Are you going on the trip?"

She didn't say anything, just shook her head. But why? Why wasn't she going?

"Why?" he asked, and finally, Reet looked up to meet his eyes. Within seconds, all her fear of Ariv seemed to vanish. She sighed and replied nonchalantly, "Pata hai aaj kya hua?"