“Sometimes the things we miss aren’t hidden…we just don’t look close enough.”

Chapter 1

Puri daal hi kali hai! (Something's seriously fishy!)

21 December 2024

Today my first set of pre boards ended, and this phase was so hectic and had me LITERALLY dying.

It was Social Studies exam today, obviously the one in which I used to be so good at and now I'm just sooo dumb.

I don't know how I managed to learn so many dates last year and top SST. Like how did I even do that.

Now even the thought of me passing this subject feels impossible.

God knows when I'll get rid of this subject.

One thing I'm so sure about is that I ain't gonna take Humanities for 11th.

Well, before you ask who am I or what am I or where? Lemme introduce myself...

Coughing lightly and dramatically-setting my appearance um hehe koi weird nahi kahega mujhe.

So hello, hi, namaste, assalamualaikum, satsriakal, kemcho, kemonacho, kedohaal hai, kasakaye-mai hun aap sab ki pyaari Jhanvi Dixit... taliyan taliyan clapping myself.

Jhanvi Dixit. Naam to suna hi hoga, agar nahi suna to ab to sun liya na 💪🏻

Soo I'm currently giving my 10th pre boards... which is basically torture for me.

I'm currently 15, yes sahi suna I AM FIFTEEN. I'm a kid y'all, a kid with sooooo much study pressure and a BIG AHH responsibility to handle my siblings, as I'm the elder one among them.

Kitna dukh hai meri life, smjhta hi nahi koi dramatically-

Enough of this nonsense and my inner monologue, let's get on the main thing.

GUYZZZ FINALLYY PRE BOARD 1 ARE OVER!! Naachoo (danceee)

Which means I have 15 days of gap for my second set of pre boards to start. Mix emotions feel ho rhe hain mujhe this time...

Well, me being me, do you think I'll study like some kind of Albert Einstein? Hell nawhh.

Of course I'll do something productive-

Productive in the sense... KDRAMASSSS ANDD SONGSSSSSS ANDD MOVIESSSSS

Uh wait-

OHHH SHITTTTTT!!!

Why God why... why can't you see my happyy? What have I done to you 😭🥀

I suddenly remembered my mother-MY GREAT GREAT MATA SHREE. She has basically confiscated my phone and laptop and TV.

She has cancelled the subscription for everything.

LITERALLY everything. *crying dramatically*

What will I do nowwww? Plus she has imposed a BAN on me going out of the house in the exam season.

You might be thinking what kind of mother she is-well you're wrong...

Ladiesss and gentlemennn,Let me introduce my mother...

Priyal Dixit.

The queeeenn of the house basically and is the cutest of all. She is someone people call 'Santoor mom + Cool mom'-she's the combo of both.

God knows mene pichle janam me konse punya kiye the jo esi mummy mili hain (must've done some good deeds in past life), thank you bhagwaan ji.

Well, she isn't strict for my studies, but in the recent exams i.e. the half yearly exams, both me and my brother got the lowest marks of our wholeeee lifeeee...

My mother, she never puts pressure on us, especially for studies, but this time the result was way less than anyone's expectations, including mine...

Hum kya karein yaar, wo exam me examiner ne questions out of syllabus nahi, pura paper hi out of syllabus bana diya tha 😔🥀

(the whole paper felt out of syllabus, not just a few questions)

Not our fault, obviously...

We told mom this truth. You know what she did after that? She pulled our ears... ese kaun karta hai yaar...

Let's not talk about that. I still quite feel the pain in my ear every time I think about it errhh

Nowwww lemme introduce my brother to you guyzzzzzz,

My twin brother-yeah, TWIN. My partner in my every crime.

Vardaan Dixit.

This idiot is just 2 minutes younger than me. Mom treats him like he's some sort of kiddo and I'm his mother, huh...

Well, he studies in the same school as me, but thank God no one knows that he's my brother because this idiot is ✌🏻handsome✌🏻

So-called handsome, something my friends at school told me about, and I LITERALLY wanted to throw up on his face at that moment. But pheww, I resisted that urge of mine.

I stay miles away from him at school because I don't want my school life to be headlines for the school.

Anyways, this kirmada is just like me in studies... twin dimaag y'all.

Anyways, I'll introduce my other family members laterrr yaar, the chapter's getting boringgg...

So I'm right now at the bus stand waiting for the school bus to arrive, with my kirmada bhai who is standing at a distance of 2 feet away.

Beside him, a girl is standing-more like chipki hui h (sticking very close)...

wait-who is she?

I haven't seen her around in the school.

Is she in my class?

Am I this absent-minded that I don't even know the students of my class?

Exams have literally made me brain dead that I don't even recall anything except sin theta, cos theta, Kabir ke pad, poem "Fog", Balkans etc.

The bus arrived a while later. Everyone stepped inside. I took my usual last seat by the window, because I feel at peace there.

Without songs, my life feels incomplete. I looked outside instead.

It'll take around 45 minutes to reach home.

Today was Saturday, so most students left with their parents, making the bus less crowded.

Nobody sat beside me.

Also, Vardaan kirmada was sitting in the middle seat with THE SAME GIRL.

Ye bus me itni jagah hai, fir bhi ye chuiya uske saath hi kyun baithi h?

(there's so much space, why is she sitting only with him?)

Weird.

Daal me kuch to kala hai (something's definitely suspicious).

That girl slid closer and kept her head on his shoulder... and he just let her.

Daal puri hi kali lag rhi hai, Babu bhaiya (now everything feels suspicious, not just a little).

I think I need to bring my inner investigator out.

Hm... kuch to karna padega (I need to do something).

Well, I'll see about this at home. Right now, I just want to sleep. I literally woke up at 3 to revise the syllabus.

Also, I'm working extra hard to make up for my result this time. I don't want to let down my parents.

Itni si umar me buddhon jaisa feel hone laga hai mujhe 🥀🥀 (feels like I've become old at such a young age)

Anyways, God knows how 45 minutes passed with me talking to myself.

As my stop is the last one, the bus was almost empty, leaving me and my brother in the bus.

The bus paused to a stop with the tires screeching. I stood up from my seat, gently corrected my skirt, took my bag, and moved forward to exit the bus.

I saw Vardaan moving in the same direction. I ran fast to slap his head.

Uff ye karke alag hi anand milta hai meri aatma ko... (this gives my soul a different kind of satisfaction)

And now-

1

2

3

Boom.

"Chudailllll hatttjaaaaaaaa"-knew it.

He went on, "kitni baar bola hai tujhe ki mujhe sar par mat mara kar, buddhi kam hoti hai. Lekin ye kamini sunti hi nahi h."

(How many times have I told you not to hit my head? It reduces brain cells. But this idiot never listens.)

Isme buddhi hai bhi? (as if he even has any)

I replied, "awleee ro mat, tu kitna rota rehta hai kutte."

(aww don't cry, you cry so much)

We moved out of the bus and went inside the house, bickering.

I added, "accha kirmada sun, waise wo ladki kaun thi teri bagal me bus me?"

(listen, who was that girl sitting next to you in the bus?)

He stopped in his tracks.

Weird.

Absolutely weird.

"Kaun ladki? Oh accha wo... wo classmate hai humari."

(Which girl? Oh... she's our classmate.)

I replied in confusion, "Hein? Classmate? Ye kab hua?"

(Since when?)

He looked at me deadpan, "abe wo Kritika h, bhool gayi kya?"

(That's Kritika, did you forget?)

Ab ye Kritika kaun hai bhagwaan ji 🙂🥀 (who even is this Kritika?)

"Ye kaun?" I said.

We entered the house.

He replied, "rehne de meri maa, dimaag mat paka. Waise hi SST ke paper ne mere dimaag ke purje dheele kar diye, ab tu kar rahi h."

(leave it, don't irritate me. The SST paper already messed up my brain.)

Iske purje main dheele kar rahi hun? Huh?

Wait-

"Abeeeee kirmadaaa, main kar rahi? Bhool gaya chhote bacche didi se ladte nahi hain? Izzat se baat kar!"

(I'm the one irritating you? Don't you know younger siblings should respect their elder sister?)

Just then-

"Tum dono fir shuru ho gaye? Pehle jaake fresh hoke aao, fir batati hun tumhe."

(You both started again? Go freshen up first, then I'll deal with you.)

Shree Shree Mata ji.

I went towards her, pinched her cheeks, slapped Vardaan on the head once again, and bolted to my room giggling.

I could hear him groan and whine like a kid.

I swear I like to see him whine.

I closed the door from inside.

Well yeah, we've got separate rooms. Thank God, kuch to privacy hai iss ghar me (at least there's some privacy in this house).

I removed my blazer-as it's winter. Today's temperature is 13°-chilly and windy af.

I threw my bag, which just had three things: a single blue pen, my bottle, and my notes.

This gives you guys proof ki I'm not some sort of topper, okay y'all?

I just want a hot water bath right now, food, and SLEEPPPP.

After taking my clothes from the wardrobe, I went to take a shower.

After the shower, I moved outside my room to bring my food.

Well, my main motive right now wasn't food... but my phone.

I wanttt my phoneee 😭😭

I slipped inside the kitchen where my mom was standing, putting food on our plates.

I leaned on her shoulder and said, "mummy, aaj khane me kya h?"

(what's for lunch?)

"Matar aloo aur rice," she replied.

I cleared my throat, "mummy, you know aaj humare exams khatam ho gaye... to I was thinking ki-"

"Agar phone ko bolegi to bhaag ja, nahi milega wo."

(If you're about to ask for your phone, forget it.)

"Mummyy yaaarrr plweaseeee 😭😭 bas aaj ke liye... please naaa,"

(just for today please)

This works every time.

"Fine, bhaag ab. Ye le plate."

Just as I heard her, I kissed her cheek-

"thank you mummy, you're the besttt, I lovee youu."

"Chal chal makkhan mat laga," (stop buttering me up) she laughed.

I took my food and ran to my room with my phone.

Just then, Vardaan came out of his room.

The moment he saw my phone, his jaw dropped enough to let a mosquito enter.

His reaction was priceless.

I went back, switched on my phone, opened YouTube, and started watching SlayPoint while eating.

I love SlayPoint y'all 😭✌🏻

After eating, I lay on my bed and-

as a proud member of CID-um,

I am ACP Pradyuman.

Secret identity 💅🏻

(okay I've gone mad, ignore.)

I exited YouTube and opened Instagram to stalk that girl-Kritika or whatever.

She looked weirdly close to Vardaan, so she might be in his following list.

Just as I was about to tap on his profile-A notification popped up.

And for a second...my soul almost left my body.

-----

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