The Enchanted Christmas Skit...

Chapter 21

It was the final year and the final days leading up to the exams felt like a ticking time bomb for everyone at school. It was as if the entire campus had been hit by a silent storm, and the usually lively hallways were now filled with the faint rustle of turning pages and the occasional groan of frustration. We had never seen the library so crowded—desks filled with hunched figures, eyes scanning notes, and lips muttering equations. Even the usual troublemakers were too busy scribbling down formulas to bother with any mischief.

Avani, the self-proclaimed queen of procrastination, had finally put on her serious face, which was enough to shock the entire gang. She was sitting cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by a fortress of textbooks, her brows furrowed as she highlighted every other line. Hafza, who was munching on a snack, couldn't resist poking fun. "This must be a simulation. The real Avani wouldn't be caught dead studying this hard," she joked, tossing a piece of her snack at Avani.

Avani caught it mid-air, popped it into her mouth, and shrugged. "Desperate times, my friend. If I score higher than you, Hafza, you'll have to crown me the queen of last-minute prep."

Hafza snorted, pretending to look scandalized. "In your dreams. I've got my lucky skirt on—I'm basically invincible."

Safreen, meanwhile, was engrossed in a physics problem that looked like it was written in ancient hieroglyphs. "Guys, can someone tell me why the velocity is inversely proportional to my will to live right now?" she complained, her head dropping onto the table.

Sharith, who was sitting across from her, couldn't resist a playful jab. "Maybe physics is just trying to tell you that you need a break. Or maybe it's the universe's way of punishing you for all those missed classes."

Safreen rolled her eyes but couldn't help smiling. "Says the guy who slept through half of them. How are you so calm, Sharith?"

He shrugged nonchalantly, trying to mask his own nerves. "I'm not calm—I'm just good at pretending. Inside, I'm freaking out, trust me."

Aryan, who had been unusually quiet all day, chimed in from his corner. "I've re-read this chapter so many times, I'm starting to think I wrote it," he said, his voice dripping with mock despair. "And still, nothing makes sense."

Jiya leaned over and stole a peek at Aryan's notes, which were covered in frantic scribbles and doodles of what seemed like a frustrated stick figure. "Wow, great artwork. You planning to start a gallery?"

Aryan smirked, setting his pen down. "If this exam goes badly, I might have to. Think they'd pay for my 'abstract representations of suffering'?"

"More like abstract nonsense," Jiya laughed, giving Aryan a light nudge. "Relax, dude. We're all in this together."

Finally, the day of the first exam arrived, and the tension was palpable. We 9th graders had Maths to tackle—a subject that seemed to have it out for us all year. The exam hall was filled with the sound of pens scratching paper, and the occasional muffled cough. Time seemed to crawl, and by the end of it, everyone looked like they had just run a marathon.

After the exam we gathered outside near the school gate, exchanging exhausted glances and half-hearted smiles. "Well, that was... something," Avani said, tossing her pen into her bag like it had personally offended her.

"At least it's over," Hafza said, feeling the weight lift off my shoulders. "One down, a few more to go."

But while we were busy celebrating our minor victory, the 10th graders were gearing up for something much bigger—their board exams. We accompanied them to their school bus, sending them off with pep talks, hugs, and promises that they'd do great.

Safreen spotted Sharith standing by himself, his usual confident demeanor replaced by a rare look of vulnerability. She walked over and gently touched his arm, pulling him into a warm hug. "Hey, don't overthink it. You're smart, you've worked hard, and you've got this," she said, her voice full of reassurance. Sharith, feeling the warmth of her words, smiled softly, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. "You always know what to say," he murmured, pressing a gentle kiss on her cheek. "Thanks, Safreen. I needed that."

On the other side of the bus, Jiya found Aryan pacing back and forth, his nerves getting the better of him. "You're going to wear a hole in the ground at this rate," she teased, grabbing his arm to stop him. "Just breathe, okay? You've been studying like crazy. You'll nail it."

Aryan stopped and looked at her, his eyes filled with a mix of gratitude and anxiety. "Easy for you to say, genius. But thanks," he said, pulling her into a quick embrace. Before he let go, he placed a soft kiss on her forehead, his nerves melting away just a little. "You're my lucky charm, you know that?"

Jiya laughed, pretending to be annoyed but secretly loving it. "Then don't make me regret it. Go ace that exam."

The next two weeks felt like a blur of exams, late-night study sessions, and stress-eating. But at last, the ordeal was over. The moment we walked out of our final exams, the relief was almost tangible. We celebrated with a round of high-fives, cheers, and plans for a long, much-needed nap...