Everyone was in their respective seats, with Vansh, as usual, occupying the corner seat, earphones in, enjoying his own view, and a small book resting in his hands, waiting to be opened.
Rina and Srujan sat far away from him. Rina was engrossed in her book, lost in her own world, though her eyes drifted toward Vansh now and then.
Srujan had just placed his bag down when a group of guys approached his bench. They greeted him and began discussing a live show that had aired the night before. Srujan looked over at Vansh, wanting to join him, but hesitated.
"Wait… I saw you with Vansh this morning. You two came together?"
"Yeah," Srujan replied casually. "It was fun."
A few of them exchanged curious looks.
One boy leaned against the desk with a grin. "You should come with us sometime. I'll even pick you up on my bike."
Srujan looked at him for a moment before smiling. "Oh? Then answer something first. Depending on your answer, I might."
The others immediately became interested. "What?"
Srujan rested his chin on his palm dramatically. "Can you roast me?"
"Huh?" The guy laughed awkwardly. "Why would I randomly roast you?"
"Alright then," Srujan continued smoothly, "do you at least ride like a kid? You know… all wobbly and shaky?"
"What? No." The boy straightened up proudly. "I'm literally the best rider here."
"Then my answer is no."
Srujan said it with a smile, but the sudden seriousness in his voice made the atmosphere tense for a moment.
A few students instinctively glanced toward Vansh.
Srujan noticed. Then he suddenly laughed and patted the boy's shoulder.
"I'm kidding; relax. Your route's the opposite of mine anyway. Vansh lives on the same side, so it's easier."
The tension dissolved almost immediately.
Just then, the classroom door slid open, and Ms Anki walked in, lightly tapping her book against the frame as she made her way to the podium.
"Okay, everyone! Get back to your seats," she announced, observing the entire class while Vansh remained staring outside.
As she walked around the room to ensure everyone was settled, she stopped at Vansh's desk. "Pay attention," she said, tapping lightly on his desk. Vansh removed his earphones and opened his book.
The classes went smoothly. Eventually, the bell rang, signalling the start of the lunch break, and the entire classroom erupted into noise and excitement. Vansh left almost immediately, one hand resting in his pocket while the other held his phone, his attention completely absorbed in whatever he was watching through his earphones.
Back inside the classroom, a few guys gathered around Srujan to discuss lunch plans. Meanwhile, Rina quietly remained in her seat, her eyes drifting toward Vansh as he disappeared beyond the classroom door. Srujan noticed her gaze.
"Sorry, guys. I've already got another slot booked today," he said dramatically, waving at them like a celebrity leaving a press conference before quickly escaping the classroom.
---
Vansh stood in front of the vending machine and pulled out a chocolate milkshake. The cafeteria downstairs was lively as usual, packed with students carrying trays, shouting across tables, laughing at random jokes, and fighting over seats like it was a survival game. After buying a sweet bun and a stuffed bun from the bread counter, Vansh turned around.
"Wow. You really abandoned me without a word," Srujan said with a betrayed expression.
Vansh stared at him blankly. "I don't remember making that promise."
"You definitely did."
"No."
"Yes."
"…You sound very confident for someone who's hallucinating."
Srujan ignored that entirely. "Too late now. We're already having lunch together," he declared, oddly excited about it. Vansh let out a quiet sigh. There was honestly no point in arguing anymore. The moment he nodded slightly, Srujan threw both hands into the air.
"YEAH—"
Several nearby students turned to look at him.
Srujan immediately lowered his voice. "…quiet victory."
Vansh looked away as if he didn't know him. Srujan quickly began searching for seats. "What about this one?"
Before Srujan could sit down, Vansh grabbed the back of his shirt collar and pulled him away. "Not here."
"Huh?" Srujan stumbled after him, visibly confused.
Both of them walked out of the cafeteria with their food bags in hand, climbing toward the first floor. Srujan blinked as they passed their classroom. "Wait… aren't we literally going the wrong way?"
Vansh continued upstairs. "Students aren't even allowed up there."
"I know."
"…And you're still going?"
"I don't really care."
Srujan looked genuinely concerned. "That sounds exactly like something a future criminal would say."
"It's only a problem if we get caught."
Just then, a calm voice came from behind them. They turned to see Rina casually standing there, one hand resting against the railing. "It'll be fine as long as no faculty sees us."
Srujan nearly jumped. "WHERE did you even come from?!"
"Move already," Rina said flatly, pushing past him. "Lunch break isn't infinite." She walked up the stairs.
Srujan stared at her in disbelief before quickly catching up. "You're joining us?" Vansh finally asked.
Rina shrugged. "Am I supposed to submit an application form first?"
"You can't join us," Srujan immediately complained. "I had plans with Vansh before you."
Rina looked at him with visible disgust. "'Plans' sounds weird when you say it."
"Oi."
"You made it sound like a confession."
"That's because your brain is rotten."
"Better than yours."
The atmosphere immediately grew noisy again.
"Can you two shut up?" Vansh muttered quietly. "Someone's actually going to catch us."
Both of them instantly looked at him. "...Fair point," Srujan whispered.
The three continued upward together. As they crossed the second floor, the empty corridors grew quieter. Vansh passed by the old auditorium without even glancing inside. Srujan curiously peeked down the right corridor while Rina silently observed the left. Stepped straight upstairs, moving towards the roof, on the third floor.
Finally, Vansh pushed open the rooftop door. The sudden breeze hit all three of them at once. Warm sunlight spilt across the rooftop, carrying with it a sense of freedom away from the noise of the classroom below.
Vansh slowly walked forward, feeling an unusual sense of peace settle inside him. Meanwhile, Srujan was already hopping around the rooftop like an excited rabbit, searching for the "perfect" spot to sit. Rina adjusted her glasses as the breeze brushed against her short, layered hair, with a few strands softly moving near her cheeks.
She glanced toward Vansh, who was quietly staring off into the distance again. "You seriously never change, huh?"
Srujan looked at her hair for a moment. "Your hair's too short to sway dramatically like that."
Silence followed. Rina slowly turned toward him. "Do you want to die?"
"Violence already?" Srujan immediately took two steps away from both of them.
Vansh ignored her and pointed toward a lonely bench near the corner of the rooftop. "There's space there."
Before they could move, Rina suddenly grabbed Srujan by the collar. "WAIT, WAIT, WAIT—"
"What are you two doing?" Vansh asked calmly.
"Beating him to death," Rina answered flatly.
"VANSH, HELP ME."
"Rina," Vansh said quietly, "lunch break isn't infinite."
Rina clicked her tongue before letting go. Srujan dropped dramatically onto the ground. "I saw my ancestors…"
"You're still alive, unfortunately," Rina replied.
The three eventually settled onto the bench and opened their lunches. Srujan pulled out a plain blue lunchbox. Rina opened a neat white one beside him.
"What'd you bring?" Vansh asked.
"Nothing special," Rina replied. "Chicken curry, rice, and pickle."
She glanced at Srujan. "What about you?"
"Rice, paneer, vegetables… basically survival food."
"That sounds depressing."
"It builds character."
Both of them looked toward Vansh. "And you?"
Vansh quietly placed two buns and a choco milkshake in front of them.
The rooftop fell silent for a moment. Rina blinked twice. "...That's your lunch?"
"Yeah."
"That's not lunch. That's what people eat when they've given up on life."
"It's enough for me."
"No, it isn't."
"It's light."
"It's sadness in bread form."
Srujan stared at the buns seriously. "I thought those were side items…"
"They are the main items."
"Bro," Srujan whispered in genuine concern.
Vansh looked mildly offended now. "It tastes good."
"That is NOT the issue."
Srujan opened his lunchbox wider. "Didn't your family make food for you?"
"I live with my aunt. My parents stay in another city."
"Oh."
The mood softened slightly. "But I'm fine with this," Vansh added casually, lifting one of the buns. "See? Perfectly functional."
Rina stared at him for three whole seconds before silently scooping rice and curry onto her lunchbox lid and shoving it toward him. "Eat."
"...I'm good."
"Eat."
Her eyes looked terrifyingly serious.
Vansh immediately surrendered. "...Understood."
Srujan quickly filled his own bowl while watching the situation unfold like a documentary. "It's actually really good," he said proudly. "You should try it."
Vansh took a bite. A small pause followed as he looked up slightly. "...It's good."
Both Rina and Srujan smiled almost immediately. At the same time, Srujan tried stealing food from Rina's lunchbox. She smacked his hand away with her spoon. "THIEF."
"I WAS JUST TESTING THE FLAVOR."
"With whose permission?"
"The power of friendship—OW."
Vansh quietly watched them while eating. "Are you two planning to eat your own lunches too?"
"Yeah," both replied instantly.
The rooftop slowly filled with casual conversation again. For some reason, Vansh felt strangely warm inside. Usually, whenever people approached him, a thought always lingered in the back of his mind: Why are they talking to me? Do they want something?
People made connections so easily, and then they drifted away just as quickly. He had seen it happen countless times. Even back in middle school, seniors occasionally talked to him, joked around with him, and treated him kindly… but were they really friends? He never understood where the line existed.
As he quietly watched Srujan and Rina arguing beside him, another thought slowly surfaced in his mind: Are these two just passing time with me, or are they actually my friends? The thought felt oddly frightening yet comforting at the same time.
"So we're not strangers anymore," a voice in his head reassured him.
Then—
"Right, Vansh?" Srujan suddenly asked. "A chicken lays, like… a hundred eggs a day, right?"
Rina stared at him in disbelief. "What kind of mutant chicken are you imagining?"
"But they lay eggs every day!"
"NOT A HUNDRED."
Srujan looked genuinely heartbroken.
Vansh quietly looked up toward the clouds above. For now, though… he was happy being there.