---
So, I didn't make it through the last round…
But thanks to the rounds I had already won,
I automatically got promoted to the next level.
The Tricky Round.
God knows how many more strange games they'll throw at us for this scholarship.
This one was based on trust and communication skills.
In this round, pairs were formed.
There were lots of yellow and red cubes — edible-looking items.
One partner would be blindfolded and had to pick up those cubes from a box and transfer them to a new spot.
The other partner — not blindfolded — would guide them.
In the second round, they'd switch roles.
Now the one who guided earlier would be blindfolded and vice versa.
Here's the twist:
The more yellow cubes your blindfolded partner collected, the better —
but red ones were a loss.
And if the guide told you to pick a red cube,
that loss would be counted against the guide —
not the person collecting.
It was entirely a game of trust.
When it was Riya's turn to guide,
she made sure her partner Khushi Chauhan didn't pick up a single red cube —
because Khushi just couldn't seem to differentiate well.
But when it was Riya's turn to be blindfolded,
Khushi quickly had her picking up cubes…
Lots of them.
Her partner, Khushi, was from the other school section.
She was pretty, smart, and charming.
They'd even had a conversation before the round —
"We'll just grab the yellow ones quickly, that's it,"
Khushi had said.
But Riya had no idea…
that Khushi made her pick only red ones.
---
The Result
The results were up on the board.
"We totally won, for sure…"
Isha and Akshat were standing in front of me.
But what's this?
Why were their faces so grim?
Maybe they were just trying to surprise me.
"I know you two too well…"
I said playfully, expecting confetti.
But they kept looking at me — and the board —
with sad, quiet eyes.
I paused.
"What… what happened? What?"
I turned around.
"Eliminated from Competition — Riya Singh"
I couldn't believe it.
What kind of twisted game was this?
And fine, make the game tricky —
but how dare Khushi do this to me?
She made me pick red cubes on purpose?
Even though I had told her clearly — no red ones.
This was betrayal.
"Should I just let her go after this? — Never!"
Isha's voice growled behind me in fury.
But my body… had gone cold.
Completely numb.
The round I thought would be the easiest…
the one I'd enjoyed the most…
turned out to be the worst.
The round that shattered my dream.
I stood there, staring at the board.
Unable to speak.
Unable to think.
My eyes were about to burst into tears —
but I stopped them.
I turned and started walking away.
And then —
Tina, Shesha, and Chhavi showed up, laughing.
"Oh no… did your dream just fall apart, poor thing?" — Chhavi mocked.
"Guess someone got betrayed, huh?
All that effort… all gone poof! Just like that!"
"Forget it. Want to join us for pizza?"
"With extra cheese! Ha!"
"Just tell us if you want red cubes or yellow ones, sweetheart…"
Then they all burst into laughter.
"You'll slowly start realizing your place," Chhavi said with venom in her voice.
I had no words.
My body was frozen.
And to be honest — they weren't wrong...
But just then, I heard Akshat's voice behind me:
"You two — don't you dare say another word!
Have you ever actually worked hard for anything?"
"Forget working hard —
Do you even know what hard work means?
Or is your only talent making pout faces for selfies?"
"You want more? Or are we done here?"
Chhavi rolled her eyes — "You talk too much!"
Tina — "Can't believe you're saying all this for that girl… to me?!"
Akshat — "Then believe it.
And don't make me say more!"
(He pointed a firm finger at them.)
Then he took Riya's hand
and walked her away from both of them.
Their expressions were priceless.
As we walked away, my eyes landed on a poster:
It was about a party organized for the winners.
I stopped Akshat to look at it.
"My name could've been there too…"
I looked down.
I couldn't bear to look at it any longer.
And then —
I saw Khushi walking toward me.
She was about to say something,
but before she could — Isha shoved her hard from behind.
My eyes widened in shock.
"What… what just happened?!"
"You really thought you could win smartly?
She played you —
Why couldn't you play her back?" Isha shouted.
"This was your plan, wasn't it?"
"You know what?
People like you don't deserve kindness!"
Isha grabbed her by the hair.
A crowd started to gather.
Everyone came running.
Roni and Akshat were watching the drama unfold,
grinning wide like they were at a reality show.
Why wasn't anyone stopping them?
I rushed between them, trying to pull Isha away.
"Isha, let it go — it's not worth it…"
But Isha wasn't listening to anyone —
She even pushed me away.
"Every day a new version of her shows up!" someone whispered.
Finally, a teacher came,
pulled them apart,
and gave both girls a stern warning.
---
The teacher gave Isha a punishment —
She had to clean the badminton court.
Riya was about to speak,
but Isha stormed off in anger and went to clean.
Riya ran after her.
"What's wrong with you?" — she asked gently.
"I don't want to talk about it. Leave me alone,"
Isha snapped.
Riya replied softly,
"I'll stay here with you. I'll help you clean."
"I SAID LEAVE!" — Isha shouted.
Riya paused, then thought:
"Maybe she just needs some space…"
And quietly walked away.
As Riya left the court,
she glanced at the noticeboard on the wall —
The names of the selected players for the basketball team were up.
Suddenly, her eyes landed on Akshat's name — listed at the very top.
She burst into a scream of joy —
so loud that Isha came running, terrified.
"Oh my god, Riya! You scared me to death!
What happened?! Why are you laughing so hard?"
Riya grabbed Isha's hand and spun her around.
Isha: "Tell me! What happened?!"
Riya screamed —
"AKSHAT GOT SELECTED FOR BASKETBALL!"
Right then, Akshat and Roni showed up.
They saw Riya and Isha dancing with joy —
and looked completely confused.
Hadn't there just been a fight?
Wasn't Isha mad?
Then why were they dancing now?
Akshat: "What's going on? What happened?"
Riya smiled and stepped aside.
"See for yourself."
Akshat was still confused.
But when his eyes landed on the board —
He froze.
For three whole seconds, he just stared.
And then —
he leaped up with joy
and pulled Riya into a hug.
Isha followed and hugged them both.
Then Roni joined in, squeezing everyone tight.
The four of them hugged, spun, and danced in happiness.
Roni laughed —
"Well, even if you didn't make the team,
you three are celebrating so hard
that I feel like dancing too!"
He turned into 'Khushi' for fun —
and started dancing.
The crowd that had just seen them fighting earlier —
now watched in awe
as they laughed, danced, and celebrated like nothing else mattered.
And honestly,
for the four of them…
Nothing else did.
---