ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙᴇᴀᴛꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴀʟʟᴡᴀʏꜱ

.Hidden Feelings༊˚

AUTHOR'S POV:

Neha, still furious, stormed toward the school gate. Yash hurried to catch up with her. "Neha, wait!"

She spun around, her anger simmering just below the surface. "What do you want?"

"You need to calm down," Yash said, trying to keep his tone steady.

"Calm down?" Neha snapped, her voice rising.

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

Yash frowned, his expression serious. "No, Neha. It's because you lost control. Blaming Avni isn't going to change the fact that you let your temper get the best of you."

Neha clenched her fists, her frustration bubbling over. "Lost control? You saw her out there! She was useless! She messed up every play. If it weren't for her, we could've won!"

Yash shook his head, exasperated. "Neha, it was a practice match. It wasn't about winning or losing. You were so focused on proving something to Ishan that you forgot it was supposed to be a team effort."

Neha opened her mouth to argue, but Yash's words hit harder than she expected. They stung because they were true.

Yash continued, his voice softer now. "Why do you care so much about what Ishan thinks, anyway?"

Neha's shoulders tensed, her anger slowly giving way to something more vulnerable. She looked away, her voice dropping. "I don't care what he thinks... I just—"

"You do care," Yash interrupted gently.

"But blaming Avni, or anyone else, isn't going to fix things. If you want respect, you have to earn it, not by tearing others down."

Neha blinked, her face softening as Yash's words started to sink in. She let out a heavy sigh, feeling the weight of her emotions lifting, even if just a little.

"Maybe you're right," she muttered, barely above a whisper. "But it's hard... It feels like no matter what I do, it's never enough."

Yash softened his gaze, giving her a sympathetic look. "Then work on being better for yourself, not for anyone else. Maybe apologize to Avni tomorrow and let it go."

Neha didn't respond right away, but after a long pause, she finally nodded, though her pride kept her from fully agreeing. "I'll think about it."

"Good," Yash said, offering her a small smile. "Now, I've got to get going. Take care, Neha."

"Bye, Yash," Neha muttered, watching him walk away.

Meanwhile, in the classroom, Avni was quietly packing her bag.

"Don't overthink about it, Avni," Nidhi said, giving her a reassuring smile.

Avni zipped her bag and slung it over her shoulder. "Don't worry, I won't," she replied with a calm voice, though her mind was elsewhere.

As she made her way toward the school gate, someone suddenly grabbed her wrist from behind. Without turning, she already knew who it was.

Ishan stepped forward, his face a mix of hesitation and hope. "Avni—"

"I don't want to talk about it," she interrupted, her tone firm.

Ishan blinked, then shook his head. "I wasn't going to talk about that."

She finally looked at him. "What is it, then?"

He hesitated for a moment. "Want a ride? There's a new place near your house. Thought we could check it out."