My story didn't begin with heartbreak.
It began with a new school.
After tenth grade, I had no choice but to change schools.
My previous school only went up to tenth, and now I had to continue my plus one and plus two somewhere else.
That's when I heard its name for the first time.
It wasn't a new school .. it was an old one ... but for me, everything about it felt unfamiliar. New building. New teachers. New faces.
I took admission in the non-medical stream.
In that school, medical and non-medical students studied in the same classroom. Same benches, same blackboard, same uniform - yet somehow, I still felt different.
On my first day, a teacher made me sit with a group of girls.
She was kind and placed me with the "intelligent students" because I was good in studies too. But no matter how perfect it looked, I didn't feel comfortable.
They were too busy with each other.
They talked among themselves and barely noticed me.
I tried to fit in, but something inside me told me I didn't belong there.
I made one friend, Shivi from that group. She was nice, and I felt comfortable with her, but she was deeply connected to them, and I wasn't. So I didn't get attached much.
After three or four days, another group invited me to sit with them.
Three girls.
I agreed.
That's where I met her.
She looked at me quietly and said, "Hi… I'm Janvi."
I smiled back. "Gauri."
She nodded softly, like she was trying to remember my name.
She was quiet.
Pretty.
Introverted.
The kind of girl who listened more than she spoke.
I had never been curious about someone like that before.
I was loud, expressive, always talking.
She stayed silent, smiling softly.
We were complete opposites.
In the beginning, we barely talked.
Just simple greetings.
Slow smiles.
Small conversations.
We exchanged numbers. Added each other on Instagram. I started sending her memes just to start conversations. She replied with short messages or emojis.
Nothing deep.
Just casual.
But slowly, without realizing it, we began to grow closer.
She started smiling more around me.
I started making her laugh.
She made me feel calm.
I made her feel comfortable.
We began walking together sometimes. Sitting together. Sharing small moments in school.
One day....