"Oh my goodness! It looks great, English 98, maths 96..." I exclaimed in joy.
"Calculate it! The percentage," my brother shouted next to me.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNCoS3V7V8p
"Just a second... I'll figure it out."281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMnSfgojhcy
"Sister, please hurry... please, it has to be above 95," I prayed.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPVpa7xoHUu
"How did it go?" I asked her, my eyes shut, and my hands trembling.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM8mKFWozOP
"97," she replied.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡofeLVralxo
"Wow... fantastic, my child. I knew you could do it," my brother praised, patting me on the back.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3uFV5O5bID
"97? Is that good enough?" I asked, trying to conceal my excitement.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7JKLirXXrE
"Good enough? Are you joking? I only got 88. Well done!" my sister exclaimed, shaking me in excitement.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxKJMduCImW
"How much did you get?" My mother rushed into my room.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbkuEYzV13h
"97.03," my sister shouted with joy.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB4SVZ8PevR
"Oh, it's above 90... now I can proudly show off," my mother said, looking at me.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwHlPuBisJm
"This must be the highest in your class, I'm sure of it," my brother commented as I was downloading the result card.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9J4DuPEl47
"My highest score is in social studies, it's a 99," I shared.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnMjsIsWP0p
"Wow, maybe you should consider arts," my brother suggested straightforwardly.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGywlsGQJtl
"Arts? Stick with science, good students choose science," my mother interjected.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNkOAipmMRP
"You could also consider commerce, like Chartered Accountancy and such. Not everyone in this family is meant for engineering," my sister added.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRpxuJKZYOo
"No commerce, no arts, only science. Your father will agree with me, call him," my mother insisted, her gaze fixed on my siblings.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzNn3sCOCOS
"I was actually thinking about arts, maybe for UPSC and other options. Arts offer a wider range of opportunities," I pondered aloud.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsYnXaQu7F7
"Didn't I tell you? Take science then, medical..." 281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdmC4ZtS5Ec
"But mummy, let her decide!" My sister said to my mother, her voice loud281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNQX4no6ds0
"Who do you think you're shouting at? My mother directed her voice loudly at my sister."281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmQCaqRfeq0
"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.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj69cbPEJfe
"Why...why are you guys fighting....? I said trying to get the situation at hand281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo2goH6oB4X
"I am pretty sure, mummy will win", my brother stated sitting on the bed and eating an apple 281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ758K1gsz7F
"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.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc5mbACfgCP
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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.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoSXR7LTxm4
"Shut up. You ruined your own life," my mother retorted sharply.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4rK9GvvVXr
"I wanted to study archaeology," Apoorva expressed her frustration.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu0h1fwCeQM
"But now you are in a good college, what more do you need?" my mother questioned.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeTyMleWxvI
"This is getting intense now," my brother commented, trying to intervene.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK5RpBHdvZb
"Go and do your work, rather than complaining," my mother dismissed him as she headed into the kitchen.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYVNWELXfX2
"You are so mean sometimes," Apoorva shouted towards the kitchen before retreating to her room.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvUcBI3IQaK
The tension in the air lingered, leaving a sense of unresolved conflict hanging in the room.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4VHcsF3uUt
281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgJs5ho2Cuc
............... Meanwhile outside..........
"Hello, Amisha."281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdHClTI8PBW
"Vyakhya, I scored 98 per cent, the highest in the school!" she shouted joyfully from the other end.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ37uE4XnfoQ
"What?" I responded, my dream of securing the 1st position shattering around me. "Congratulations, well done."281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh9AsYSMF1o
"I know, right? I worked too hard for this, and teachers already congratulated me. Did they call you? How much did you get?"281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyiVcyYGEwq
"97..." I replied, a tear escaping my eye.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmDWjbiqWMb
"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.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Cnoh9vg8i
"Did you score so bad?"281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7PlcqeM1R4
"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.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsYzHSXc6PX
"Are you satisfied?"281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlceKSs9zIB
"I don't know, actually I don't care. It's just another mark for another test."281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzYJ6tavB6G
"Then, why are you crying?"281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS3aL8plxdf
"Oh, it's jealousy. You won't understand."281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeseLHOnefO
"Another human emotion?"281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8VdUVKd9o0
"Kind of..." I replied, heading to my sister's room.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk0guhk4Tbh
"Didi, what are you doing?"281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHZCPK98l9m
"Nothing, come in, topper girl," she said with a smile, wiping away the tears from her cheek.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSpF0ab4b4n
"Don't lie, you were crying."281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRDnM4uKQtP
"No, I wasn't. Wait, were you crying too?"281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmre7wKQToB
"No, I wasn't."281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjjFTFj6y1o
"Hmm... Hey, don't listen to mom. Choose whatever you want, okay?281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmR27KebSml
"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."281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ClSYC8pBB
"It's nothing... just an older sibling duty," she replied, but her eyes told a different story.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuRiBc5dQFt
"Don't cry. I know you never wanted to do engineering-"281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB6iTdnjNSD
"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.281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl8AbFHBVjl
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?"281Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6UU5gt461e
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