"Oh my goodness! It looks great, English 98, maths 96..." I exclaimed in joy.
"Calculate it! The percentage," my brother shouted next to me.228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP0bni3cE3c
"Just a second... I'll figure it out."228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbmWmDyMunw
"Sister, please hurry... please, it has to be above 95," I prayed.228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNzr1jejSR4
"How did it go?" I asked her, my eyes shut, and my hands trembling.228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFN6iLvr0cU
"97," she replied.228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Gqn97C65p
"Wow... fantastic, my child. I knew you could do it," my brother praised, patting me on the back.228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJjm7n9vk32
"97? Is that good enough?" I asked, trying to conceal my excitement.228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa8nWF8KlLx
"Good enough? Are you joking? I only got 88. Well done!" my sister exclaimed, shaking me in excitement.228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGqVLrH3Li6
"How much did you get?" My mother rushed into my room.228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9toMqrn5aF
"97.03," my sister shouted with joy.228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPaMRrK5EDX
"Oh, it's above 90... now I can proudly show off," my mother said, looking at me.228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbKB3PwB8HF
"This must be the highest in your class, I'm sure of it," my brother commented as I was downloading the result card.228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs7tWWQOxGh
"My highest score is in social studies, it's a 99," I shared.228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdzazXqf5v3
"Wow, maybe you should consider arts," my brother suggested straightforwardly.228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBCo6CssX7N
"Arts? Stick with science, good students choose science," my mother interjected.228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡax61Z0oVpu
"You could also consider commerce, like Chartered Accountancy and such. Not everyone in this family is meant for engineering," my sister added.228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkvFvEqxttI
"No commerce, no arts, only science. Your father will agree with me, call him," my mother insisted, her gaze fixed on my siblings.228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzvTgWw4pkq
"I was actually thinking about arts, maybe for UPSC and other options. Arts offer a wider range of opportunities," I pondered aloud.228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcFwqnu00Tv
"Didn't I tell you? Take science then, medical..." 228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNSnx4aXpcu
"But mummy, let her decide!" My sister said to my mother, her voice loud228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlxeCNUvnru
"Who do you think you're shouting at? My mother directed her voice loudly at my sister."228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA2rHddCrHP
"No isn't it crazy I am also doing engineering, because you told me so, she has good scores she can keep it up and be something she wants" My sister shouted back standing up for me.228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFL0ICEyLdV
"Why...why are you guys fighting....? I said trying to get the situation at hand228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsUtUrhcYoe
"I am pretty sure, mummy will win", my brother stated sitting on the bed and eating an apple 228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhJ4o975YR4
"Shut up" I said to my brother....ohh Amisha is calling.....as I went out with the phone looking at my sister who was fighting for me inside the room, I knew she went through the same things that I did or maybe worse, we all are the rotten fruits from the same basket after all.228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2E8fI2QwBk
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.........In the room............
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"Appu (Apoorva), you don't have a say in it, got it?" my mother asserted.
"But mummy, how can you decide her life when your decision already ruined mine?" Apoorva (Vyani's sister) shouted back at our mother.228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9yxsrT5GDE
"Shut up. You ruined your own life," my mother retorted sharply.228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlHPDUcIv04
"I wanted to study archaeology," Apoorva expressed her frustration.228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyZmS10mbef
"But now you are in a good college, what more do you need?" my mother questioned.228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMbC2i1kwwb
"This is getting intense now," my brother commented, trying to intervene.228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ayEiRnadv
"Go and do your work, rather than complaining," my mother dismissed him as she headed into the kitchen.228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfkJLgcqGsX
"You are so mean sometimes," Apoorva shouted towards the kitchen before retreating to her room.228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb6UnXXM0HG
The tension in the air lingered, leaving a sense of unresolved conflict hanging in the room.228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc5TWkPtfEx
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............... Meanwhile outside..........
"Hello, Amisha."228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIJF5ufHCAN
"Vyakhya, I scored 98 per cent, the highest in the school!" she shouted joyfully from the other end.228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoxKvrNR71B
"What?" I responded, my dream of securing the 1st position shattering around me. "Congratulations, well done."228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHOTNFqQtsb
"I know, right? I worked too hard for this, and teachers already congratulated me. Did they call you? How much did you get?"228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ183zwNdJlm
"97..." I replied, a tear escaping my eye.228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZvZhOt7lWo
"97? Oh, it's also good... you just needed two per cent to surpass me. It's also good. Well done to you too. Oh, Mihika mam is calling me, let's talk later," she said, ending the call abruptly.228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDXbXFccDaX
"Did you score so bad?"228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpioMiah1PP
"No, it isn't bad, until my father compares it to Amisha's score," I explained to Tis, who had approached me from behind as I spoke to Amisha.228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnMM4qQYGOI
"Are you satisfied?"228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuSLqpewwgH
"I don't know, actually I don't care. It's just another mark for another test."228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeWslD9XB23
"Then, why are you crying?"228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡluIXLos7D9
"Oh, it's jealousy. You won't understand."228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ60LgEnwjpW
"Another human emotion?"228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs0vsexyoVU
"Kind of..." I replied, heading to my sister's room.228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQB6Dt7sOs3
"Didi, what are you doing?"228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZNdvBuXYdm
"Nothing, come in, topper girl," she said with a smile, wiping away the tears from her cheek.228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHIOHWT6KaL
"Don't lie, you were crying."228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1dWRqim8He
"No, I wasn't. Wait, were you crying too?"228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ15zViojK2Z
"No, I wasn't."228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaLfttgM6ZG
"Hmm... Hey, don't listen to mom. Choose whatever you want, okay?228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡap1sHlTGP8
"Yeah, I'll decide for myself," I replied. After that, an awkward silence followed. She wanted to say a lot, and I did too. In brown families, they might teach you to talk but not really communicate. I looked into her eyes, still wet. I wanted to thank her for standing up for me, but the words just wouldn't come. She sat there, staring at her books, which I knew she wasn't really reading. Gathering courage, I said, "Didi, thank you for standing up for me."228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuqTdyD72sd
"It's nothing... just an older sibling duty," she replied, but her eyes told a different story.228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRBr1RHafZ9
"Don't cry. I know you never wanted to do engineering-"228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd6Zte2NisE
"It's okay. I can't fix a broken glass. I have to throw it away eventually," she said, her eyes filling with tears again.228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz7imrPrfL6
I wanted to share Amisha's score with her, but it didn't feel like the right time. She was crying because she saw a vulnerable side of herself in me. I couldn't think of anything else to say as I hugged her while she cried on my shoulder. Tis was there, staring at us in disgust. I guess he hates human emotions. But how could I hate them when I'm drowning in them?"228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfN3gLd5ixs
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