It has been two weeks since I came to SBH, and my bond with everyone here has only grown stronger each day. But deep down, I know that if Uncle Sam gets me admission to SVS, everyone here will hate me—Aarav, Elara, Tanya, Natasha, Nick—all of them. If I stay here, everyone will be happy. Maybe I will be too… but what about my love? My future? Everything could fall apart.
Is Sinas really that bad? I never got the chance to find out the truth. What if the rumors are true? What if he's the one who raped Aarav's sister and shattered her? Will I ever be able to forget him?
---
As I walked through the empty corridor of the closed block, I noticed a single classroom door slightly open. I went towards it. Isn't that… Aarav?
"Aarav?" I called softly.
He turned to me. He was sitting alone in the dusty classroom, and there was a fake smile on his face.
"Are you okay?" I asked, genuinely concerned. He didn't look okay at all.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice weak. Had he been crying?
"I was just looking around," I replied, walking towards him.
He hummed in response.
"What happened? You look dull," I asked again. I truly wanted to know. He was my friend, after all.
"It's nothing," he said, turning his face to the other side.
"Come on, is it something I shouldn't hear?" I teased lightly.
Finally, a small smile appeared on his face.
"After our batch, this school will be closed. No more SBH," he said, trying to hold back his tears. I could see the pain in his eyes.
"The court says there must be at least 200 students in the school, or it'll be shut down," he continued.
"Then why isn't the director promoting the school?" I asked, confused.
"He's drowning in debt," Aarav replied.
Should I tell him my plan? Will it sound stupid?
"Aarav… I have a plan to promote our school and bring in students. I don't know if it'll work, but we can at least try, right?" I said hesitantly.
"Of course! What is it?" he asked, sounding curious.
"Nothing much… but first, Zorvath shouldn't be anywhere near me when we execute it," I muttered.
He chuckled. "Why?"
"Why? Because he's scary! I can't handle him. He looks like a monster and sounds like the devil. How did he even become the leader?" I said dramatically.
But Aarav suddenly went silent. He wasn't looking at me anymore—he was looking behind me.
My stomach dropped.
I slowly turned around… and saw him.
Zorvath.
Oh no. Did he hear everything?
Thinking fast, I tried to save myself. "You know, Aarav, Zorvath is sooo handsome. So cute, isn't he?" I said, faking a smile like an idiot. I knew how stupid I sounded, but I had no other choice.
"You think so?" Zorvath asked, his deep voice sending chills down my spine.
I stayed silent, frozen in place.
Without warning, he grabbed my waist and pulled me close. His intense eyes locked onto mine. I was shivering—I couldn't handle this.
"What's your plan?" he asked in a low, commanding voice.
I panicked and pushed him away enough to loosen his grip.
"You can ask that without touching me," I snapped. Why did I say that?!
"What's your plan?" he repeated, ignoring my words.
I swallowed hard. It looked like I had no other choice but to tell him.
"Okay, here it is…"
__________________..
As Zorvath clapped his hands, all the leaders and main students gathered in a classroom.
"Guys, we all know the current situation of our school," Aarav began, standing in front of the room. "If we don't take action now, as the court said, after our batch, this school will be shut down."
Everyone started whispering among themselves.
"Unfortunately, we don't have the funds to promote our school," Aarav continued, "and to make matters worse, our school has the worst reputation."
He took a breath before saying, "But we might have a plan that can help us rebuild. Aria, come forward."
As he returned to his seat, Aria slowly stepped forward. Everyone looked at her curiously. She took a deep breath.
"As Aarav said, we need to rebuild our school. I don't know if this is stupid or not, but a small idea popped into my mind," Aria began. "After two months, there will be a readmission day. That's when students who don't like their current schools can transfer, so we have two months to act."
She glanced around the room and continued, "At the end of this month, there's the annual Sports Day. SVS always wins, and we don't even participate. Their consistent victory is one of the key reasons for their growth and popularity. This year, we will participate and give it our all to prove ourselves. That will make people start noticing us."
"Then, ten days after Sports Day, there's the Arts Day. We'll participate in that too and give our best. That will surely help spread our school's name," she added confidently.
For a moment, the room filled with murmurs of discussion. One boy raised his hand and asked, "Will participating in just these two events really bring more students to our school?"
"Not directly," Aria admitted, "but it will make people realize that our school exists and is active. The rest depends on our performance. We need to be well-mannered, disciplined, and impressive during both events. That way, we can attract parents to consider our school. And let's be honest—our boys are good-looking. That alone might attract some girls," she added with a playful grin.
"We should also prepare budget-friendly promotions, like posters and social media content," she finished.
The room slowly filled with nods of agreement. Everyone seemed to like the plan.
"So, what's our first move?" Elara asked.
"Inform the students that we'll be participating in Sports Day," Aria replied. "Ensure that each student participates in at least two events. Since we have fewer students, everyone will need to put in extra effort."
Zorvath stepped forward, deep in thought. "Prepare an assembly immediately," he commanded.
****************
Assembly
"All my fellow students, for our plan to rebuild SBH, we've decided to participate in the upcoming Sports Day," Zorvath announced loudly in front of everyone. "Each of you must participate in at least two events—this is my order. Anyone who fails to do so will face the consequences."
The students began murmuring among themselves, a mix of curiosity, nervousness, and excitement buzzing through the crowd.
"By tomorrow noon," Zorvath continued, "everyone must submit their name, class, and the events they wish to participate in—either to Aria, Elara, or your class leader."
More chatter broke out among the students.
Aria leaned toward Elara and whispered, "Why did he have to say our names? Now everyone's going to be behind us the whole day…"
Elara smirked, "Welcome to the spotlight."