Chapter 2

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Sanvik's POV
Sanvik woke up to the sound of his alarm blaring in his ear. He groaned, slapping the snooze button and burying his face in the pillow. The 50 days vacation was over. He wasn’t exactly excited about it—most days felt the same lately. He dragged himself out of bed, stretching lazily, and glanced out the window. The city outside buzzed with early morning life. Cars honked in the distance, and people hurried along the sidewalks. He was back in his old shitty life. It's not like he hates studying,he just hates the school , the whole education system .
He began his daily routine, brushing his teeth and washing his face. As he changed into his school uniform, his mind wandered to the upcoming events in school.
Downstairs, his mother had prepared his favorite breakfast – idlis with coconut chutney.
"Thanks, Mom!" Sanvik said, hugging her.
His father, sipping tea, looked up from the newspaper. "Sanvik, don't forget to help me at the bookstore after school."
"I won't, Dad," Sanvik promised.
As he finished breakfast, his younger sister, Itishree, hopped into the kitchen.
"Bhai, can you help me with my math homework?" Iti asked.
“ Why do you always remember your math homework at the last moment?”
“Maa see,  bhai is not helping me”  Iti smirked coz she knew she pulled out the universal card.
“I am helping her Maa” Sanvik said glaring at her.
After helping Iti, Sanvik grabbed his backpack and headed out the door.
"Have a great day, beta!" his mother called.
Sanvik, stepping into the morning air, felt the familiar streets come alive with the hustle and bustle of a new day. But despite all the liveliness that surrounded him, the usual melancholy seemed to descend on his shoulders. The 50-day vacation was a respite, a breather from the monotony of life, which now appeared to engulf him once more. The idea of returning to that hated school was revolting to him, but he had no choice.
As he walked to school, his mind wandered back to the conversation with his father earlier that morning. The bookstore. It was small but cozy, tucked between a café and a stationery shop. He didn’t mind helping out there—it gave him a sense of purpose, something different from the monotonous schoolwork that felt more like an endless loop of memorization than learning.
“Another day, another test, another lecture,” he muttered under his breath, shaking his head. He couldn’t shake off the thought that school could be so much more if the system wasn’t so rigid. Why did everything have to feel like a race? Who cared about grades that wouldn’t mean anything in the real world anyway?
As he neared the entrance of the school, he recognized some students, making their way in with their heads bowed, others, already inside, engaged in gossip, joyfully pretending to be oblivious to the usual violence of the school system.
Some were excited to show off their new bags, others talking about their vacation trips.

He sighed, his thoughts still lingering on the suffocating routine he had to face. The rigid system, the endless tests, and the pointless lectures weighed heavily on his mind. He could never understand why everything had to feel like a competition, like a race to nowhere. The entire education system, in his eyes, was designed to turn students into machines, not thinkers. He didn’t hate learning—he just hated the way it was forced upon him, devoid of creativity or real purpose.
As he reached the school entrance, he saw his friends Rishi and Kartik  waiting by the steps. Rishi was fiddling with his phone while Kartik chatted with another group of students.
“Yo, Sanvik!” Rishi called out when he saw him. “Back to the grind, huh?”
“Yeah, lucky us,” Sanvik replied with a sarcastically,
Kartik caught up with them, joining the conversation. “Heard about the test next week? Math. First day back, and they’re already throwing us into the deep end.”
Sanvik shook his head. “Of course they are. They couldn’t wait even a week.”
The trio made their way inside, their banter light Just then, their chitchat were interrupted by a face Sanvik hadn’t expected to see. Across the hallway, standing near a bulletin board, was Akshara—the new girl he’d met at the park a few days ago. She looked a bit lost, scanning the notices, clutching her books nervously. Sanvik smiled faintly to himself.
“Hey, guys, I’ll catch up with you later in the class.” Sanvik said, breaking away from his friends.
He approached Akshara, who hadn’t noticed him yet.
“Akshara, right?” he said, trying to sound casual.
She turned, her expression softening when she recognized him. “Sanvik! Hi. and Yeah, first day... pretty overwhelming.”
“Tell me about it,” he said with a chuckle. “This place can be a lot. Need any help finding your way around?”
She smiled, clearly relieved by the offer. “That’d be great, actually.”
As Sanvik walked through the halls with Akshara. It was strange—having someone new around made the place feel slightly less suffocating, like the routine wasn’t completely set in stone just yet. Akshara walked beside him, still a bit nervous, clutching her books a little too tightly, but her smile had softened, and she seemed more at ease with him there.
“So, how was your first impression of the school so far?” Sanvik asked, breaking the silence.
Akshara glanced around before answering. “It’s...big. Bigger than my old school, and a lot more chaotic.”
Sanvik shrugged. “Yeah, I guess once you get used to the madness, it’s not all bad. Just don’t expect much from the system here.”
Akshara raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
He chuckled dryly. “Let’s just say the school’s more focused on pushing grades than actually teaching anything useful. It’s all about exams and scores. I hate that part, but you’ll get used to it. Eventually.”
She nodded thoughtfully. “That sounds a lot like my old school too. I always felt like I wasn’t really learning... just memorizing stuff.”
“That’s exactly it,” Sanvik said, glad she understood. “It feels like we’re just being trained for some race we never signed up for.”
They continued walking, and Sanvik pointed out a few key places: the library, which he liked more than the classrooms, and the cafeteria, where most of the students were gathered.
“Lunch is always a madhouse in there,” he warned, gesturing toward the packed cafeteria. “If you ever want peace, I’d say avoid it.”
Akshara laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
As they neared her first classroom, Sanvik noticed some of the students glancing curiously at them, whispering to each other. He ignored them, but he could tell Akshara had noticed too. Her smile faltered for a second, and she shifted her books uncomfortably.
“Don’t worry about them,” Sanvik said quietly. “New kid curiosity. It’ll pass.”
Akshara nodded, though she still looked a bit uneasy. “Yeah, I hope so.”

Just then, a familiar voice interrupted them. “Hey, Sanvik! Who’s this?”
It was Kartik, standing with Rishi not far from the door. They had clearly been watching and had come over to investigate.
“This is Akshara,” Sanvik said, keeping it casual. “She’s new here.”
“Nice to meet you,” Neel said, flashing her a grin. “Welcome to the circus.”
Rishi laughed. “Hope you’re ready for it.”
Akshara smiled shyly. “Thanks.”
“Don’t scare her off already, guys,” Sanvik said, rolling his eyes.
Kartik shrugged. “Just saying it how it is, man.”
The bell rang, signaling the start of the next class, and the halls quickly emptied as students rushed to their rooms.
“Guess that’s my cue,” Akshara said, glancing at the door. “Thanks for showing me around, Sanvik. I’ll see you later?”
“Yeah, no problem. Catch you later,” he replied, giving her a small wave.
As she disappeared into the classroom, Sanvik turned back to his friends.
“So, what’s the deal with you two?” Rishi asked, a sly smile on his face.
“Nothing,” Sanvik said, brushing it off. “She’s just new, and I helped her out. No big deal.”
Kartik smirked. “Sure, man. Just new. Got it.”

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