ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙᴇᴀᴛꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴀʟʟᴡᴀʏꜱ

.Tensions Rising༊˚

AUTHOR'S POV:

Nidhi, visibly annoyed, muttered, "He really pisses me off."

Avni chuckled, "Wait until his fan girls hear you talking like this. They'll probably hunt you down."

Nidhi rolled her eyes. "Let them try. I'm not scared of them or their golden boy."

As their conversation continued, Yash headed toward the sports room, reading a form. Distracted, he accidentally bumped into someone, causing the paper to fall.

A sharp voice cut through the air, "Are you blind?"

Yash looked up, meeting Neha's glare. "If you're not, you could've avoided me."

Neha huffed in frustration, "Aghhh! Annoying!" before storming off.

Yash muttered, "Crazy," and continued to the sports room.

Neha, still fuming, headed toward the canteen, where she spotted Ishan about to leave.

"Hey, Ishan," Neha called out.

Ishan stopped, turning to face her. "What is it?"

Neha glanced over at Avni, Nidhi, and Aaron, then back to Ishan. "Are you up for a match?"

Ishan raised an eyebrow. "What match?"

"A practice match," Neha replied with a smirk.

Ishan looked skeptical. "With you?"

Neha shrugged. "Yeah, why not? I heard players from the other school are here too."

She then turned to Avni, adding, "Aaron, Nidhi, and Avni can join too. I've already got permission from the sports teacher. The match is during the last period."

Ishan sighed. "Not everyone knows how to play basketball. Do you even know how?"

Neha admitted, "Not much, but we can try. Right, Avni?"

Avni opened her mouth to reply, but Ishan cut in.

"Fine. Match, last period," he agreed.

Neha grinned. "Great! See you all there," she said, walking away.

Avni turned to Ishan. "Why did you agree? I don't know how to play basketball, and neither does Nidhi."

She looked at Nidhi. "Do you?"

Nidhi shook her head.

Ishan shrugged. "Neither does Neha. She's probably planning something. I don't want her to get away with it. Just trust me."

The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch break. After an hour of class, it was time for the sports period.

Everyone gathered on the playground.

Neha announced, "We're playing a practice match. Does anyone else want to join?"

Three students stepped forward.

Yash and his friend also arrived, and Yash approached Avni with a smirk. "We meet again."

Avni gave him an awkward smile.

Neha continued, "It'll be Team Ishan vs. Team Yash. You both pick your members. We'll do rock, paper, scissors to decide who chooses first."

Ishan and Yash faced each other. Yash won with paper, quickly choosing Avni for his team. He shot Ishan a smirk, "We'll definitely win."

Avni gave Ishan a reassuring nod, signaling him not to worry.

After the selection, Ishan's team comprised Ishan, Aaron, Nidhi, and two other students.

Yash's team included Yash, Avni, Neha, Yash's friend, and another student.

As the game began, the atmosphere was tense. Both Ishan and Yash were determined to win. Yash was confident, while Avni, though nervous, gave her best effort. Neha, however, played aggressively, her eyes fixed on impressing Ishan.

Despite Yash's skill, Ishan's team kept up, thanks to Aaron's quick moves and Ishan's strategic plays. Nidhi, though inexperienced, stayed focused and made several good passes to Aaron and Ishan.

But things started to unravel for Yash's team when Neha's frustration boiled over. After Avni fumbled a pass, Neha shot her an irritated look.

"Seriously, Avni? Focus!" Neha hissed loud enough for everyone to hear.

Avni's cheeks flushed, but she stayed quiet, trying not to let it affect her.

With only minutes left in the game, Ishan's team was trailing by two points. Ishan made a fast break, passing to Aaron, who dodged Yash's friend and passed the ball to Nidhi. With surprising accuracy, Nidhi scored a three-pointer, tying the game.

The tension was palpable. In a critical moment, Neha, under pressure, panicked and passed the ball to the wrong player-right into Ishan's hands.

Ishan sprinted down the court, dribbling past Neha. She tried to catch up, but it was too late. Ishan scored the winning basket.

As the final whistle blew, Ishan's team celebrated their victory. Neha's face twisted in rage as she marched toward Avni.

"This is your fault!" Neha shouted, her voice echoing across the court.

"You were absolutely useless out there! Why were you even on the team if you can't play?"

Avni, stunned, started to defend herself, "I tried-"

"Don't even bother!" Neha cut her off.

"You cost us the game! Do you know how embarrassing this is? All because of you!"

The court fell silent as everyone stared. Ishan stepped forward, his face hard. "Neha, that's enough."

"It's just a practice match. No need to make it personal."

Neha, still fuming, snapped, "Personal? She ruined everything! She always have to interfere in everything, such a pick me."

Ishan shook his head. "Blaming others won't fix your mistakes."

Seething, Neha stormed off the court, Yash trailing after her.

Nidhi walked over to Avni. "Are you okay? Don't let her get to you."

Avni, her voice quiet, replied, "She's right."

Ishan stepped closer, his voice soft but firm. "Forget her. She's acting out."

Avni gave a small nod before grabbing her bag and walking away, Nidhi, Ishan, and Aaron following close behind.

Meanwhile, Neha, still furious, stormed toward the school gate. Yash caught up to her. "Neha, stop."

She spun around, her anger still simmering. "What?"

"You need to calm down," Yash said.

"Calm down?" Neha snapped.

"I just embarrassed myself in front of everyone, and it's all because of Avni!"

Yash frowned. "No, it's because you let your temper get the best of you. Blaming Avni won't change the fact that you lost control."