Deepak sat on the edge of his bed, eyes fixed on the screen of his phone, eagerly awaiting any sign of activity. The minutes crawled, each one stretching into what felt like an hour. Every second of silence made the air heavier.
In his mind, a familiar conversation began.
"I think no one likes me," Deepak muttered to himself.
"No, why are you thinking like that?" his Heart asked gently.
But Overthinking chimed in, "Then why hasn't anyone followed you yet?"
"It's simple," Brain replied with calm logic. "They might have gone out to play, like Chaitanya. Maybe they haven't even seen you joined Instagram yet."
"Hope gives you strength," Heart added softly, "but disappointment makes you weak."
Overthinking began to argue again but stumbled into silence.
Deepak sighed deeply, taking in a long breath and exhaling slowly. "Okay... let's wait till the night."
"Good decision," Heart encouraged.
---
That night, the screen remained still—no notifications, no messages. Deepak's hope was crumbling.
Inside his mind, Overthinking raised its voice again. "I told you, didn't I? Look! No one has followed you. Why? Because no one likes you."
"Maybe they just didn't find our account," Brain offered. "If we followed them, they might follow back."
"But weren't you the one who said we should wait?" Overthinking sneered.
Brain faltered. "Well… I…"
"You're the reason we're in this mess!" Overthinking accused, turning to Heart. "You're the one who made him want this in the first place!"
Heart tried to protest, but his voice cracked and failed.
A tear escaped Deepak's eye. Then another. Silent and slow, they traced the corners of his face.
"Yes, cry," Overthinking continued. "It's your fault. You were fooled by your friend into believing you could belong here."
Overthinking's words grew louder and sharper, echoing through Deepak's mind. Brain and Heart couldn't stop it—his thoughts had been overtaken.
He shut his phone off and crawled into bed with disappointment heavy in his chest. Memories from the past began to surface.
---
Flashback
He saw himself as a child—lively, joyful, full of energy. He ran through the school playground, laughing with his friends, handing out birthday gifts. The colors of joy surrounded him.
Suddenly, the memory darkened.
His friends' faces twisted into cruel grins. They stepped closer, cornering him.
"You thought we were your friends?" one of them spat. "Who wants a coward like you?"
They shoved him. He stumbled. Their laughter turned monstrous.
"But…" Deepak whispered. "I thought you were my friends…"
He fell to his knees, pleading with the darkness.
"Please don't leave…"
The shadows swallowed everything. His heartbeat raced. He screamed.
---
Morning
Deepak jolted awake. His eyes were bloodshot, his face pale and drained. He moved through his morning routine mechanically—brushing, bathing, eating just enough to take his tablets. But his soul was heavy.
He picked up his phone, thumb hovering over the Instagram app, ready to delete it.
Then, ping—a notification.
He froze.
A follower.
His mind cleared. The gloom receded like mist in sunlight.
Inside his mind, Heart's voice returned, glowing with warmth. "See? Just believe in yourself."
"Yeah," Brain agreed. "I told you it takes time."
Deepak smiled faintly. "Sorry for yesterday."
"No problem," Heart said, cheerful again.
"But remember," Brain warned, "control your emotions. If you don't, they'll control you—and that can be dangerous."
"I'll try my best," Deepak promised.
Overthinking whispered, "But are you sure they really followed you?"
"Can't you see it?" Heart snapped.
"Let's find out who it is," Deepak said, opening the notification.
The message read: "Hi, I'm Rakesh. Your classmate."
"Oh, hi," Deepak replied with a small smile.
More notifications poured in. Messages. Follows. Greetings from classmates he barely spoke to in person.
He responded to each one, feeling a strange mix of happiness and nervousness swirl in his chest.
"Feeling better?" Heart asked.
"Yeah," Deepak replied. "Just a little tense."
"Because you can't talk to people," Overthinking taunted. "It's a waste of time. Just leave it."
"No—" Heart tried to speak but faltered.
A cold breeze of doubt began to rise again.
But then—ping—another notification.
This time, a girl had followed him.