"Oh my goodness! It looks great, English 98, maths 96..." I exclaimed in joy.
"Calculate it! The percentage," my brother shouted next to me.339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSYiF9ndM8z
"Just a second... I'll figure it out."339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQQxrFZMm8y
"Sister, please hurry... please, it has to be above 95," I prayed.339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwuYO52HO0m
"How did it go?" I asked her, my eyes shut, and my hands trembling.339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp1apPJ8HnX
"97," she replied.339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiJQpeb3wUe
"Wow... fantastic, my child. I knew you could do it," my brother praised, patting me on the back.339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDIYzbGCzeo
"97? Is that good enough?" I asked, trying to conceal my excitement.339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhfFoVaVVzd
"Good enough? Are you joking? I only got 88. Well done!" my sister exclaimed, shaking me in excitement.339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTYhpTQwQL9
"How much did you get?" My mother rushed into my room.339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbdBCfGBYKv
"97.03," my sister shouted with joy.339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTsRKQcG1Wo
"Oh, it's above 90... now I can proudly show off," my mother said, looking at me.339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWIeMYYYHsP
"This must be the highest in your class, I'm sure of it," my brother commented as I was downloading the result card.339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2qKrHCEvac
"My highest score is in social studies, it's a 99," I shared.339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt4yHJQPAIV
"Wow, maybe you should consider arts," my brother suggested straightforwardly.339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpWU9EB1GBH
"Arts? Stick with science, good students choose science," my mother interjected.339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxyylVfa3Wp
"You could also consider commerce, like Chartered Accountancy and such. Not everyone in this family is meant for engineering," my sister added.339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxSg0WFS6H8
"No commerce, no arts, only science. Your father will agree with me, call him," my mother insisted, her gaze fixed on my siblings.339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9beTqjC1Oz
"I was actually thinking about arts, maybe for UPSC and other options. Arts offer a wider range of opportunities," I pondered aloud.339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvSbTjl3Ttl
"Didn't I tell you? Take science then, medical..." 339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZyJbjpvidV
"But mummy, let her decide!" My sister said to my mother, her voice loud339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFEPOhf3wje
"Who do you think you're shouting at? My mother directed her voice loudly at my sister."339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnV08ybzDjg
"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.339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTpAdEmst7k
"Why...why are you guys fighting....? I said trying to get the situation at hand339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF749jHFrLW
"I am pretty sure, mummy will win", my brother stated sitting on the bed and eating an apple 339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3nI0s2rorB
"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.339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHasWc2dYl4
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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.339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZCaEkNkeGk
"Shut up. You ruined your own life," my mother retorted sharply.339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxv1WbvhIMM
"I wanted to study archaeology," Apoorva expressed her frustration.339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWh22l918j4
"But now you are in a good college, what more do you need?" my mother questioned.339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1q4jtp7Kjq
"This is getting intense now," my brother commented, trying to intervene.339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDJCu28jmPO
"Go and do your work, rather than complaining," my mother dismissed him as she headed into the kitchen.339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ00ftjfGJJy
"You are so mean sometimes," Apoorva shouted towards the kitchen before retreating to her room.339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHc0DUcLpax
The tension in the air lingered, leaving a sense of unresolved conflict hanging in the room.339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbo8q0CZrr9
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............... Meanwhile outside..........
"Hello, Amisha."339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcHnBbyWF75
"Vyakhya, I scored 98 per cent, the highest in the school!" she shouted joyfully from the other end.339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKkjCSQPqsD
"What?" I responded, my dream of securing the 1st position shattering around me. "Congratulations, well done."339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa6ZSQrN0pq
"I know, right? I worked too hard for this, and teachers already congratulated me. Did they call you? How much did you get?"339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdWOQazVuhM
"97..." I replied, a tear escaping my eye.339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGWF3754kA0
"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.339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaTOmw35qdV
"Did you score so bad?"339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpUZ7BDWE0X
"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.339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSDdCUxmF6j
"Are you satisfied?"339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPm4VlgIreq
"I don't know, actually I don't care. It's just another mark for another test."339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡERGxUPu0Ib
"Then, why are you crying?"339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd5dxVV2lUR
"Oh, it's jealousy. You won't understand."339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg3iaYJGxrZ
"Another human emotion?"339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtKbDWfUOnO
"Kind of..." I replied, heading to my sister's room.339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEhHfW2xoZk
"Didi, what are you doing?"339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡELBkbHtNP5
"Nothing, come in, topper girl," she said with a smile, wiping away the tears from her cheek.339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJsPpLnZwq5
"Don't lie, you were crying."339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWNI0WOaCPh
"No, I wasn't. Wait, were you crying too?"339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY1cOkQigJQ
"No, I wasn't."339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBt2jg57mip
"Hmm... Hey, don't listen to mom. Choose whatever you want, okay?339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7wNlcC3PtR
"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."339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs9LLfdnKeg
"It's nothing... just an older sibling duty," she replied, but her eyes told a different story.339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVOJI7TP71a
"Don't cry. I know you never wanted to do engineering-"339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡop4DRsGGUp
"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.339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSsaQlP3ghE
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?"339Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEMuVi3qnwp
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