The hallways were quieter than usual. The excitement of the upcoming prom was drowned out by the weight of something unspoken. Something about to explode.
Meera couldn't hold it in anymore.
She found Aarohi alone near the lockers, lost in thought. Without hesitation, she marched up to her, heart pounding, anger boiling over.
"How could you?" Meera's voice was sharp, cutting through the silence like a knife.
Aarohi looked up, confused. "What are you talking about?"
Meera scoffed, arms crossing over her chest. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. You take everything, Aarohi. Everything. And you never even realize it."
Aarohi's brows furrowed. "Meera, what—"
"First, you disappear. You shut everyone out like we don't matter. Like I don't matter!" Meera's voice rose. "And then, just when I think things are normal again, Aryan—" Her voice broke slightly, but she forced herself to continue. "Aryan chooses you. Of course he does. Because everyone always chooses you."
Aarohi's face paled. "Meera, I never—"
"You never what?" Meera snapped. "Never meant to? Never noticed? That's the problem, Aarohi! You never notice what you take from people. You've always been the one everyone looks at, the one who stands out, the one who's—" She stopped herself, biting her lip, eyes stinging.
Aarohi took a step closer. "Meera, if you think I ever wanted to hurt you, you're wrong. I never asked for any of this."
"But you got it anyway!" Meera's voice cracked, raw with frustration. "And what did I get? Nothing! You never gave me anything, Aarohi. Not even the chance to feel like I mattered."
The weight of her words hung between them. For the first time in a long time, Aarohi had no response. Because for the first time, she truly saw the pain in Meera's eyes.
Meera exhaled sharply, wiping her eyes. "You don't even have to say anything. It doesn't change anything."
She turned to walk away, but this time, Aarohi didn't let her.
"You think I have everything, Meera?" Aarohi's voice was calm but firm. "You think I wanted any of this? That I enjoy being the one people assume is fine just because I don't break down in front of them? Do you even know what it's like to feel like you don't belong anywhere?"
Meera stopped in her tracks but didn't turn around.
"You say I take everything," Aarohi continued, her voice growing softer. "But do you even realize that I didn't accept Aryan? That I never even answered him because I wasn't sure what I felt? Or that I was scared that this—" she motioned between them "—would happen? That I would lose you?"
Meera turned slightly, hesitant. "Then why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I didn't know how," Aarohi admitted. "Because for once, I wanted to figure something out for myself instead of feeling like I was disappointing someone. And because, deep down, I was afraid that no matter what I said, you'd still believe I had taken something from you."
Silence stretched between them. The weight of years of unspoken feelings, of assumptions and hidden insecurities, settled in the air.
Meera swallowed hard. "So... what now?"
Aarohi sighed. "That's up to you. But I never wanted to be your enemy, Meera. And I never will."
For the first time, Meera wasn't sure if she was still angry, or if she was just... exhausted. But one thing was certain—things between them would never be the same again.
In the following days, the school buzzed with whispers. Rumors spread like wildfire—about their fight, about Aryan, about how everything had unraveled between them. Everywhere Meera turned, someone was talking about them, making assumptions, turning their personal struggle into entertainment.
Aarohi, however, stayed silent. She didn't confront Meera again. She didn't explain herself to anyone. Instead, she withdrew, keeping to herself, avoiding conversations, avoiding Meera.
Days passed, and the distance between them only grew. Aarohi didn't talk to her. Not even once.
And for the first time, Meera wondered if she had already lost her best friend for good.