Chapter 3: The Price of Standing Out
The moment the teacher entered the classroom, the atmosphere shifted.
"Everyone, sit down," the teacher said.
Sanjay went back to his seat.
Ritesh sat down too.
Back bench.
But sitting on the back bench did not feel safe anymore.
The entire period passed in silence. The teacher kept writing on the board, kept talking.
Ritesh did not hear a single word properly.
There was still a burning sensation in his shoulder.
His hands were clenched tightly under the desk.
The class was watching him.
Quietly.
Not directly.
From the side. Through reflections. Between whispers.
"He pushed Sanjay, right?"
"He's new and still…"
"I've never seen anything like that before."
Ritesh lowered his head.
Don't get noticed, he told himself.
But now that thought felt like a lie.
The bell rang.
As soon as the teacher left, noise returned to the classroom.
Some students fell silent when they saw him.
Some passed by him on purpose.
One boy said, "Bro, that was crazy."
Ritesh did not react.
He picked up his bag and walked out.
In the corridor, it felt like the space had shrunk. People were not giving way. People were watching.
While going down the stairs, something became clear to him.
Until yesterday, he was invisible.
Today, he was exposed.
During lunch break, he did not go to the canteen.
He chose an empty bench near the bathrooms.
A habit.
He took out his phone. Screen on. But he did not read anything.
His body was calm.
His mind was not.
The moment of the punch kept replaying.
The grip slipping.
The pain.
Sanjay's expression.
I could have stopped, he thought.
But I didn't.
That thought disturbed him.
"Who are you?"
A voice came from behind.
Ritesh locked his phone instantly.
It was the same boy who used to chase kids in the alley.
The same sharp eyes. The same calm face.
"You—" Ritesh started, then stopped.
"Arjun," the boy said. "I saw you yesterday."
Ritesh nodded.
"You seem different," Arjun said bluntly.
Ritesh did not reply.
"What happened at school," Arjun continued, "that wasn't normal."
"He started it," Ritesh said quietly.
"I know," Arjun replied. "But people don't look at reasons. They look at results."
Ritesh looked at him properly for the first time.
"Now people will either avoid you," Arjun said, "or they'll test you."
"Test?" Ritesh asked.
Arjun's expression remained flat.
"They'll see if you'll do it again."
Silence settled between them.
Arjun stood up.
"You want advice?" he asked.
Ritesh hesitated, then nodded.
"Keep your strength hidden," Arjun said. "First, learn from yourself."
Then he walked away.
Ritesh stayed seated.
Strength.
The weight of that word felt strange to him.
After the last period, as he was leaving school, he felt it again.
Someone was walking behind him.
He turned around.
Two boys.
From Sanjay's group.
They stopped.
They just stared.
No smiles.
No anger.
Evaluation.
Ritesh said nothing.
He kept walking.
But his steps did not slow.
As soon as he entered the alley, he stopped.
Just for one second.
If today he looked back.
If today he showed fear.
Tomorrow everything would be the same again.
He took a deep breath and moved forward.
His body was steady.
And in his mind, one thing was clear now.
Gaining power is not the beginning.
Learning to hide power
that is the real problem.