"Oh my goodness! It looks great, English 98, maths 96..." I exclaimed in joy.
"Calculate it! The percentage," my brother shouted next to me.313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuVjYDDtej8
"Just a second... I'll figure it out."313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf70UQzhXYU
"Sister, please hurry... please, it has to be above 95," I prayed.313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpQAZ10xuXg
"How did it go?" I asked her, my eyes shut, and my hands trembling.313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHmAlIPuP0U
"97," she replied.313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx6kljBbZJd
"Wow... fantastic, my child. I knew you could do it," my brother praised, patting me on the back.313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0bySfQQ18O
"97? Is that good enough?" I asked, trying to conceal my excitement.313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLBFYGjObYV
"Good enough? Are you joking? I only got 88. Well done!" my sister exclaimed, shaking me in excitement.313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuZSeo6tuc0
"How much did you get?" My mother rushed into my room.313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKJIFREQMT9
"97.03," my sister shouted with joy.313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRb7TmEBI1O
"Oh, it's above 90... now I can proudly show off," my mother said, looking at me.313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuUdw5iKEi0
"This must be the highest in your class, I'm sure of it," my brother commented as I was downloading the result card.313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrIjXuYQ1g3
"My highest score is in social studies, it's a 99," I shared.313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2fm2kPWGdW
"Wow, maybe you should consider arts," my brother suggested straightforwardly.313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK41NfydcS5
"Arts? Stick with science, good students choose science," my mother interjected.313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ZvvmjhIh7
"You could also consider commerce, like Chartered Accountancy and such. Not everyone in this family is meant for engineering," my sister added.313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr4Lm2BkgGT
"No commerce, no arts, only science. Your father will agree with me, call him," my mother insisted, her gaze fixed on my siblings.313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSkwzGEzU7J
"I was actually thinking about arts, maybe for UPSC and other options. Arts offer a wider range of opportunities," I pondered aloud.313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmMhkdPXeR2
"Didn't I tell you? Take science then, medical..." 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiSqEDo6ukw
"But mummy, let her decide!" My sister said to my mother, her voice loud313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡObsoh7hVvH
"Who do you think you're shouting at? My mother directed her voice loudly at my sister."313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeeb4BECyu7
"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.313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrlWbqargVi
"Why...why are you guys fighting....? I said trying to get the situation at hand313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCeE5MMOhvV
"I am pretty sure, mummy will win", my brother stated sitting on the bed and eating an apple 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsJvLtvVxt6
"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.313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzRQjoXKEHk
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ23yfhaDN07
.........In the room............
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBsrk6WufJE
"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.313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxXBK7ofiil
"Shut up. You ruined your own life," my mother retorted sharply.313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkRTBABZpYd
"I wanted to study archaeology," Apoorva expressed her frustration.313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYEz3hJN06K
"But now you are in a good college, what more do you need?" my mother questioned.313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNWUfMoNytW
"This is getting intense now," my brother commented, trying to intervene.313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBLBxVoQsq6
"Go and do your work, rather than complaining," my mother dismissed him as she headed into the kitchen.313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdN0Ey1K3XB
"You are so mean sometimes," Apoorva shouted towards the kitchen before retreating to her room.313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5DQ7wCVa73
The tension in the air lingered, leaving a sense of unresolved conflict hanging in the room.313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡST9HvJl9o7
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8NqtgVOxlf
............... Meanwhile outside..........
"Hello, Amisha."313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCrswwQcm6q
"Vyakhya, I scored 98 per cent, the highest in the school!" she shouted joyfully from the other end.313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3E0TZpMxKv
"What?" I responded, my dream of securing the 1st position shattering around me. "Congratulations, well done."313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqUhEChkqgY
"I know, right? I worked too hard for this, and teachers already congratulated me. Did they call you? How much did you get?"313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJMbCxJJwJd
"97..." I replied, a tear escaping my eye.313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSMCYbLrbRs
"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.313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7fXjmvH34Z
"Did you score so bad?"313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoSYZ7hj4ho
"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.313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhTIOTHrQkn
"Are you satisfied?"313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡemZryxYyn8
"I don't know, actually I don't care. It's just another mark for another test."313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCA2Xl1e8k0
"Then, why are you crying?"313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW4vkYtVqlM
"Oh, it's jealousy. You won't understand."313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJKtMDb0Sir
"Another human emotion?"313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYjys4cEFYo
"Kind of..." I replied, heading to my sister's room.313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvQWXH4FXA9
"Didi, what are you doing?"313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZcnHWddyoa
"Nothing, come in, topper girl," she said with a smile, wiping away the tears from her cheek.313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFV9llPdt81
"Don't lie, you were crying."313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbhalZdRUog
"No, I wasn't. Wait, were you crying too?"313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfO9AamCVTv
"No, I wasn't."313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgUx8rtc1I7
"Hmm... Hey, don't listen to mom. Choose whatever you want, okay?313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0F2Smzvf7A
"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."313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXjIzknRWEU
"It's nothing... just an older sibling duty," she replied, but her eyes told a different story.313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqi77fulRhi
"Don't cry. I know you never wanted to do engineering-"313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW9xPhYS3Yr
"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.313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBJOYe6rNvD
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?"313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWgQki5ovjh
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKaVDtp0950
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9mmBSnfSmy
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUxVv2mZk4W
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLZ1Bzuol6q
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvGteN01MqB
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡypuEyjkwj0
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcTBw1HALeV
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVIAj5GCmgo
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc6HoQYZrFy
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXdKyENjyP6
