Indhu's POV
Friday Gossip still hadn't left our minds.
Shweta had teased everyone.
I had stirred the pot.
Rohan had laughed so hard that I thought he would fall off his chair.
But Aditya...
He wasn't laughing anymore.
He sat quietly with his chin resting on his palm, staring at the classroom floor.
I gently nudged his arm.
"Dei... why are you so silent?"
I smiled.
"You alive... or have you already gone to Mars?"
He slowly nodded without even looking at me.
That was all.
No teasing.
No comeback.
Nothing.
I looked at him for another second before deciding not to ask again.
Maybe he'll tell us when he's ready, I thought.
Still...
His silence stayed in my mind like an unfinished sentence.
---
🍴 The New Snack Shop Invitation
By evening, I suddenly remembered something.
"Guys!"
Everyone looked at me.
"There's a new bajji shop near my house."
"I heard the chutney there is legendary."
"You all have to come after school tomorrow!"
As expected...
Nobody in V5 could ever refuse food.
Shweta almost jumped from excitement.
"I'm coming!"
Charlotte clapped happily.
"I'm definitely coming."
Rohan punched the air dramatically.
"Bajji mission accepted!"
Even Aditya gave the tiniest smile.
That alone made me happy.
---
The next day after school, the five of us cycled together toward the new snack shop.
Our cycles ended up parked in the most crooked line imaginable.
Inside, the shop was crowded with students.
We somehow squeezed ourselves onto one bench.
Soon our table was filled with plates of hot bajjis, bondas, and pakoras.
I happily handed everyone's plates one by one.
"This," Shweta announced after taking one bite of her bonda,
"...is heaven."
Charlotte quietly nodded while wiping green chutney from her sleeve.
Meanwhile, Rohan had already turned a bajji into a microphone while telling one of his dramatic stories.
I couldn't stop laughing.
Then...
Everything changed in a second.
---
A boy from another school walked carelessly past our table.
His shoulder hit my hand.
My plate slipped.
Green chutney splashed all over my fingers and uniform sleeve.
I quickly stood up.
Before I could even react—
Rohan was already on his feet.
"Hey!"
"Watch where you're going!"
Instead of apologizing...
The boy smirked.
"Oops."
"Weak hands?"
"Can't even hold a plate?"
His friends laughed loudly.
Immediately, Shweta stood up too.
"Excuse me?"
"You're the one with donkey hands!"
The atmosphere suddenly became tense.
Before things got worse, Aditya calmly stood between us.
"Leave it."
"Let's go."
His voice was quiet...
But firm.
We didn't want any unnecessary trouble.
So we packed our bags and walked away.
I thought everything was over.
I was wrong.
---
As soon as we turned the corner...
The same group blocked our path.
They stood there grinning.
"What?"
"Running away already?"
We ignored them and tried to leave.
But they started throwing our school bags onto the ground.
One of them even shoved Rohan.
Another stepped toward us as if he wanted to start a fight.
That was enough.
Before I even had time to think—
I grabbed my school bag and swung it.
THUD!
It hit one of the boys on the shoulder.
Everything exploded into chaos.
Aditya immediately caught another boy by the collar and pulled him back before he could reach us.
Rohan threw both his hands into the air.
"AYYOOO!"
Then he charged in anyway, swinging his long arms around like helicopter blades.
Shweta didn't hesitate either.
She grabbed the empty bonda box from the table nearby.
SMACK!
It landed perfectly on one boy's head.
And Charlotte...
Charlotte wasn't fighting at all.
She stood safely on the side like she was watching an action movie.
"YES, INDHU!"
"Kick him again!"
"ROHAN!"
"LEFT SIDE!"
"SWETHA!"
"WHAT A BEAUTIFUL SMACK!"
Even in the middle of a fight...
She somehow became our commentator.
Bajjis flew through the air.
Slippers slipped across the road.
People shouted.
Someone yelled.
Someone ran.
The entire place became complete chaos.
Finally...
The shop owner rushed in with a few other adults and separated everyone before things got any worse.
The boys backed away, rubbing their bruises and muttering angry threats as they left.
---
Breathing heavily, the five of us gathered near our cycles.
I looked down at my uniform.
Green chutney was still stuck to my sleeve.
I couldn't believe what had just happened.
The kind shop owner walked over after hearing the whole story.
He brought a first-aid box and cleaned up our small scratches before telling us to be careful.
Charlotte looked at me for a second...
Then burst into uncontrollable laughter.
"Indhu!"
"I never imagined I'd see you fighting!"
"You looked like Bruce Lee..."
"...except with bajjis!"
Even I couldn't stop laughing.
Rohan proudly patted my shoulder.
"Queen of digestion..."
"...and Queen of destruction too!"
Shweta raised her hand dramatically.
"That chutney slap..."
"...was LEGENDARY!"
We all laughed again.
Finally, Aditya looked at me.
For a moment, I couldn't understand what he was thinking.
Then he quietly said,
"You did good."
His voice was calm.
Almost too calm.
As if he was still carrying something inside his mind.
I scratched the back of my head nervously.
"Brooooo..."
"My mom is going to kill me if she sees this uniform."
That made everyone laugh again.
We picked up our cycles and started riding home together.
---
None of us noticed...
Across the street...
Leonor was standing quietly with her phone raised.
A slow smile spread across her face.
She had recorded everything.
From the moment the chutney spilled...
To the very end of the fight.
She lowered her phone and looked at the screen.
"Perfect..."
she muttered to herself.
I had no idea she was there.
I had no idea what she was planning.
But somewhere...
I could feel that this wasn't the end.
It was only the beginning.