---
"Why are they staring at me?"
Whispers began to ripple through the classroom.
"She's the scholarship student, right? But those shoes—aren't those limited edition? Even Chhavi doesn't have them."
Apparently, the shoes had become a hot topic—but Riya had no idea.
She ignored the comments and quietly took her seat.
And as she sat down, a strange sense of security settled over her.
Just then, a familiar voice came from the seat beside her—
"This was the only school you found to study in?"
Riya turned to see Shesha Sharma looking at her with a twisted expression.
But Riya burst into laughter—
"Hahaha..."
She stayed quiet after that, choosing to ignore it, and pulled out her notebook to focus on the start of class.
The classroom was nothing short of luxurious—
Walls made of rich wood, tall imported Greek-style windows, a smart board, shiny marble floors, and benches so pristine, not a single scratch on them.
As Riya saw her reflection glimmer on the marble below, her gaze drifted to the back.
She noticed three girls staring and giggling at her.
"Why are they looking at me like that?" she thought, puzzled.
The curly-haired one spoke first—
"You're the new girl, right? Must be smart to get in with a scholarship."
The one with the slanted eyes curled her lips.
"Not necessarily."
The third one, biting her glasses, smiled and said—
"I'm Tina Bhatt."
And the other girl followed with mock elegance—
"Welcome! We'll make sure you get the 'special' treatment."
Riya, who had sensed they didn't like her at first, was surprised at the sudden friendliness.
She smiled gently—
"I'm Riya. And you are?"
"You'll find out soon enough," Tina replied evasively.
Confused, Riya said she had missed the last class.
"What's going on in class right now?"
All three girls laughed. Then Tina responded—
"Madam is teaching geometry."
Riya admitted, "I missed the first chapter."
Tina smiled again.
"Here. I have an extra book."
Riya nodded gratefully—
"Thank you so much. I'll return it later."
Just then, the teacher walked in.
The students stood to greet her.
"Everyone, open your books," she instructed.
Suddenly—
"TRRRR—DISCO…"
A loud disco song blared across the room.
The teacher snapped, angry—
"Where is that sound coming from?"
All the students looked around in confusion.
The sound seemed to be coming from Riya's table.
Riya turned back in shock.
The teacher saw her and said sternly—
"What's going on here? Don't you know this is class time?"
Riya stammered—
"I'm sorry ma'am, this isn't—"
But the teacher interrupted—
"Just make sure it doesn't happen again."
The entire class erupted in laughter.
Riya sat down, humiliated.
One of the girls whispered,
"Sorry... I didn't know the phone was under your table."
Tina said casually,
"Don't stress. Stuff like this happens all the time here."
But Shesha kept glaring at her from the side.
Riya looked down, wounded.
"What did I do wrong?" she thought.
---
After Class
Ronnie, the girls, and several other students handed over books to Kirti Gupta, saying—
"We'll need this done by evening."
Kirti looked disappointed, but Riya didn't notice—she was busy submitting her own books.
Kirti accidentally dropped her books.
Riya tried to help her, but she quickly picked them up and rushed off.
"Is something bothering that girl?" Riya wondered silently.
---
Lunch Time
Riya smiled looking at her tiffin box.
"Funny, I never thought I'd smile like this in a school cafeteria."
She noticed Kirti again, sitting alone, scribbling into her books.
Riya remembered she was also a scholarship student.
She walked up to her.
"Why aren't you eating? You can finish the work later."
Kirti looked up, visibly irritated.
"You clearly don't understand how this place works. The rich kids dump their work on us 'scholarship types' like it's their birthright."
Riya raised an eyebrow.
"Then why do you let them?"
Kirti sighed.
"This school is all about show. Behind the glitter, there's jealousy, mistrust, and an invisible hierarchy."
She packed her lunch untouched and walked away.
Riya sat down, deep in thought.
Just then, she spotted Akshet.
"Akshet!" she smiled and walked toward him.
But he was in a rush.
Tina tried to stop him, but he walked past her and went straight to Riya.
"Thought you were someone else—but you proved me wrong."
"Everything's good," Riya smiled.
"I'll talk later, I'm in a hurry."
"Sure. Take care."
---
Cafeteria Drama
From afar, Tina watched, fuming.
"Why is she talking to him? Akshet hasn't spoken to me in days!"
Chhavi scoffed—
"She should choose her friends based on standards."
Shesha hissed—
"That's the same girl who humiliated us about the car."
Tina slammed her hand on the table.
"Let's show her who she's messing with."
Riya, trying to be friendly, walked up to them warmly—
"Would you help me with my studies? We could eat and revise together."
But they burst out laughing.
Tina threw her plate aside and snapped—
"Who do you think you are?"
Chhavi smirked—
"I'm Chhavi Kapoor. Daughter of a top businessman."
"You really think we'd eat with you?"
The cafeteria went silent.
Riya stood quietly, ashamed.
But then, she looked up.
Her tone calm, sharp—
"This food? It's from our family's restaurant—believe it or not.
And this perfume isn't LV. It's Bell Vita… because its scent is sweet—not spicy like ginger."
She smiled faintly.
"It's okay. Pride makes people say foolish things.
But stay within your limits — I don't want trouble."
She walked away between them, proud and composed.
The cafeteria buzzed with whispers.
"EVERYONE SHUT UP!" Chhavi shouted.
She turned to the others, muttering—
"No one's ever humiliated us like that."
Shesha whispered coldly—
"Told you so."
---
Anshu at Home
"Didi… where are you? I'm so tired!"
Anshu wandered around the house, calling out.
"Papa, where's Didi?"
Papa smiled gently.
"She went to school today."
Anshu sighed in relief.
"Okay. I'll eat by myself then… Didi, bring lunch soon!"
Papa watched her fondly.
"My little girl's growing up..."
Anshu happily went into the kitchen and made noodles for Papa.
They sat together watching TV, slurping from their bowls.
Papa smiled—
"Looking at you… reminds me of your mother."
Anshu asked sweetly—
"Do I really look like Mumma?"
Papa nodded, tears in his eyes.
"Yes. Just like her. You and Riya… you girls light up my world.
And now that you're both going to school again…"
Anshu held his hand gently—
"Papa, please don't blame yourself. Mumma is watching us from above.
If you're sad, she'll be sad too.
We need to be happy — because she's still with us, always."
They hugged each other tightly.
A warmth filled the room—
a silent vow that no matter what,
"we'll never stop fighting for a better life."
---