"Oh my goodness! It looks great, English 98, maths 96..." I exclaimed in joy.
"Calculate it! The percentage," my brother shouted next to me.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡefwg2vGtYt
"Just a second... I'll figure it out."42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9poBsM7cKN
"Sister, please hurry... please, it has to be above 95," I prayed.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7SMFrjflel
"How did it go?" I asked her, my eyes shut, and my hands trembling.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC4cxw72NOO
"97," she replied.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Dh0Uin17j
"Wow... fantastic, my child. I knew you could do it," my brother praised, patting me on the back.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGNoNUbakca
"97? Is that good enough?" I asked, trying to conceal my excitement.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZm1OXHacFu
"Good enough? Are you joking? I only got 88. Well done!" my sister exclaimed, shaking me in excitement.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0IgAvQDs0x
"How much did you get?" My mother rushed into my room.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJZknyOWDE1
"97.03," my sister shouted with joy.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqiDK1yXupt
"Oh, it's above 90... now I can proudly show off," my mother said, looking at me.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡphzSAYhQr4
"This must be the highest in your class, I'm sure of it," my brother commented as I was downloading the result card.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHxHFoPGdis
"My highest score is in social studies, it's a 99," I shared.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMpA5fGh8oL
"Wow, maybe you should consider arts," my brother suggested straightforwardly.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbOD4HYnOqY
"Arts? Stick with science, good students choose science," my mother interjected.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg9GHk6Wu19
"You could also consider commerce, like Chartered Accountancy and such. Not everyone in this family is meant for engineering," my sister added.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiBKIsQ71Cr
"No commerce, no arts, only science. Your father will agree with me, call him," my mother insisted, her gaze fixed on my siblings.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa80IXnBo1k
"I was actually thinking about arts, maybe for UPSC and other options. Arts offer a wider range of opportunities," I pondered aloud.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpB6CLekUHh
"Didn't I tell you? Take science then, medical..." 42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJGoKSKFq2T
"But mummy, let her decide!" My sister said to my mother, her voice loud42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ajLjYxl0S
"Who do you think you're shouting at? My mother directed her voice loudly at my sister."42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjREW9HMtER
"No isn't it crazy I am also doing engineering, because you told me so, she has good scores she can keep it up and be something she wants" My sister shouted back standing up for me.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd0KGuVpnlh
"Why...why are you guys fighting....? I said trying to get the situation at hand42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6wy4vmowmJ
"I am pretty sure, mummy will win", my brother stated sitting on the bed and eating an apple 42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZKYl5gBZhC
"Shut up" I said to my brother....ohh Amisha is calling.....as I went out with the phone looking at my sister who was fighting for me inside the room, I knew she went through the same things that I did or maybe worse, we all are the rotten fruits from the same basket after all.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu31O712v0l
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.........In the room............
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"Appu (Apoorva), you don't have a say in it, got it?" my mother asserted.
"But mummy, how can you decide her life when your decision already ruined mine?" Apoorva (Vyani's sister) shouted back at our mother.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyN1aSqLmxr
"Shut up. You ruined your own life," my mother retorted sharply.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK1sJGqzhp8
"I wanted to study archaeology," Apoorva expressed her frustration.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX92aLh3Gm1
"But now you are in a good college, what more do you need?" my mother questioned.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0VcIhZcKbK
"This is getting intense now," my brother commented, trying to intervene.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOvQDVrucHo
"Go and do your work, rather than complaining," my mother dismissed him as she headed into the kitchen.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGUXyeWxVmV
"You are so mean sometimes," Apoorva shouted towards the kitchen before retreating to her room.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7FL2iT7lpF
The tension in the air lingered, leaving a sense of unresolved conflict hanging in the room.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyOCrq0FJyW
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ47r4PybXCk
............... Meanwhile outside..........
"Hello, Amisha."42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkm7LPupYc2
"Vyakhya, I scored 98 per cent, the highest in the school!" she shouted joyfully from the other end.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDwhcQzaIBK
"What?" I responded, my dream of securing the 1st position shattering around me. "Congratulations, well done."42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRlOnf88r0z
"I know, right? I worked too hard for this, and teachers already congratulated me. Did they call you? How much did you get?"42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfObmGRNtK4
"97..." I replied, a tear escaping my eye.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaM9u1hH9Zt
"97? Oh, it's also good... you just needed two per cent to surpass me. It's also good. Well done to you too. Oh, Mihika mam is calling me, let's talk later," she said, ending the call abruptly.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbtfG9StqH8
"Did you score so bad?"42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxNxsdvoNtA
"No, it isn't bad, until my father compares it to Amisha's score," I explained to Tis, who had approached me from behind as I spoke to Amisha.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpIAc19qHYN
"Are you satisfied?"42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7gh2QiQDlz
"I don't know, actually I don't care. It's just another mark for another test."42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz943PvfDmN
"Then, why are you crying?"42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡskr9qzDYBT
"Oh, it's jealousy. You won't understand."42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVwzFMbiVQs
"Another human emotion?"42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡERy0cINCR1
"Kind of..." I replied, heading to my sister's room.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyGKeJnNMrI
"Didi, what are you doing?"42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4pq6G8DJDE
"Nothing, come in, topper girl," she said with a smile, wiping away the tears from her cheek.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf8nRzN4kUj
"Don't lie, you were crying."42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9hkdupg4UY
"No, I wasn't. Wait, were you crying too?"42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo6Xn7waein
"No, I wasn't."42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxIFQEmRrml
"Hmm... Hey, don't listen to mom. Choose whatever you want, okay?42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ5rbcfweg2
"Yeah, I'll decide for myself," I replied. After that, an awkward silence followed. She wanted to say a lot, and I did too. In brown families, they might teach you to talk but not really communicate. I looked into her eyes, still wet. I wanted to thank her for standing up for me, but the words just wouldn't come. She sat there, staring at her books, which I knew she wasn't really reading. Gathering courage, I said, "Didi, thank you for standing up for me."42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsvRlr5MHwf
"It's nothing... just an older sibling duty," she replied, but her eyes told a different story.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSJKKP3wrGW
"Don't cry. I know you never wanted to do engineering-"42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3jxITkqBCQ
"It's okay. I can't fix a broken glass. I have to throw it away eventually," she said, her eyes filling with tears again.42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFgWmHioRRw
I wanted to share Amisha's score with her, but it didn't feel like the right time. She was crying because she saw a vulnerable side of herself in me. I couldn't think of anything else to say as I hugged her while she cried on my shoulder. Tis was there, staring at us in disgust. I guess he hates human emotions. But how could I hate them when I'm drowning in them?"42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTi8kKq2eJh
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