"Oh my goodness! It looks great, English 98, maths 96..." I exclaimed in joy.
"Calculate it! The percentage," my brother shouted next to me.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMa7wDHQPJE
"Just a second... I'll figure it out."58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXTCyDaVCst
"Sister, please hurry... please, it has to be above 95," I prayed.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCeSh5v90z6
"How did it go?" I asked her, my eyes shut, and my hands trembling.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ywcreWR1X
"97," she replied.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFEkH9x6nLN
"Wow... fantastic, my child. I knew you could do it," my brother praised, patting me on the back.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG4ddkR3V9j
"97? Is that good enough?" I asked, trying to conceal my excitement.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcSfeHmfDkW
"Good enough? Are you joking? I only got 88. Well done!" my sister exclaimed, shaking me in excitement.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhtINWGSOnu
"How much did you get?" My mother rushed into my room.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLVxbSDaAnw
"97.03," my sister shouted with joy.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyDr1mFmNxm
"Oh, it's above 90... now I can proudly show off," my mother said, looking at me.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqFBqgQB7c5
"This must be the highest in your class, I'm sure of it," my brother commented as I was downloading the result card.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEUhQu0vXPa
"My highest score is in social studies, it's a 99," I shared.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMb5TJ1f7Rd
"Wow, maybe you should consider arts," my brother suggested straightforwardly.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbWtylNucH5
"Arts? Stick with science, good students choose science," my mother interjected.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdJi81l8drA
"You could also consider commerce, like Chartered Accountancy and such. Not everyone in this family is meant for engineering," my sister added.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFHi88uPSCy
"No commerce, no arts, only science. Your father will agree with me, call him," my mother insisted, her gaze fixed on my siblings.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjLZD4AHtvJ
"I was actually thinking about arts, maybe for UPSC and other options. Arts offer a wider range of opportunities," I pondered aloud.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF9hNlnzuxN
"Didn't I tell you? Take science then, medical..." 58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNUEOG7qXmj
"But mummy, let her decide!" My sister said to my mother, her voice loud58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ49Eb9ARTHc
"Who do you think you're shouting at? My mother directed her voice loudly at my sister."58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡktb8GAzjVc
"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.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgv2LZcZqFK
"Why...why are you guys fighting....? I said trying to get the situation at hand58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡquc9ZaV8TH
"I am pretty sure, mummy will win", my brother stated sitting on the bed and eating an apple 58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIvz7uVffWs
"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.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtBb5tbGtwl
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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.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUtnjzeCMjX
"Shut up. You ruined your own life," my mother retorted sharply.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3CxSIXV0T4
"I wanted to study archaeology," Apoorva expressed her frustration.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2DN0QwXYVV
"But now you are in a good college, what more do you need?" my mother questioned.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAg5od9HneE
"This is getting intense now," my brother commented, trying to intervene.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPW5g2T9Fb6
"Go and do your work, rather than complaining," my mother dismissed him as she headed into the kitchen.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfwVSbgOjnF
"You are so mean sometimes," Apoorva shouted towards the kitchen before retreating to her room.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡah9K61uVAA
The tension in the air lingered, leaving a sense of unresolved conflict hanging in the room.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSvG7GjVlQ9
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............... Meanwhile outside..........
"Hello, Amisha."58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPuKBrOP14q
"Vyakhya, I scored 98 per cent, the highest in the school!" she shouted joyfully from the other end.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ72U9pcmo9D
"What?" I responded, my dream of securing the 1st position shattering around me. "Congratulations, well done."58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlDna6Uuahn
"I know, right? I worked too hard for this, and teachers already congratulated me. Did they call you? How much did you get?"58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb35jK9brzg
"97..." I replied, a tear escaping my eye.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ548J6rU9zZ
"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.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhKa35YZLTz
"Did you score so bad?"58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtIMrnkhAQq
"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.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbzBBPrvy9i
"Are you satisfied?"58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo8a8l81tv2
"I don't know, actually I don't care. It's just another mark for another test."58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZU7G39Bwq8
"Then, why are you crying?"58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxvYz4aLqGv
"Oh, it's jealousy. You won't understand."58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4oxZK8Mzbz
"Another human emotion?"58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSwzEX9Kjck
"Kind of..." I replied, heading to my sister's room.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnoeDGDKxw5
"Didi, what are you doing?"58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEESI2TclOy
"Nothing, come in, topper girl," she said with a smile, wiping away the tears from her cheek.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKBuBcu34Qs
"Don't lie, you were crying."58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjSmJjGZYkc
"No, I wasn't. Wait, were you crying too?"58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe9POCTtjlZ
"No, I wasn't."58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡotDh7hj5SS
"Hmm... Hey, don't listen to mom. Choose whatever you want, okay?58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3bx8Hb338u
"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."58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJaN5KSaqRm
"It's nothing... just an older sibling duty," she replied, but her eyes told a different story.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQlbBCVYUQM
"Don't cry. I know you never wanted to do engineering-"58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw7OhVF4mNJ
"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.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC9KipS9D7W
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?"58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdH8bj6ttdA
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