"Oh my goodness! It looks great, English 98, maths 96..." I exclaimed in joy.
"Calculate it! The percentage," my brother shouted next to me.24Please respect copyright.PENANAhK6Zmnf4Gc
"Just a second... I'll figure it out."24Please respect copyright.PENANA42bVxnCclN
"Sister, please hurry... please, it has to be above 95," I prayed.24Please respect copyright.PENANAIku9g2I11q
"How did it go?" I asked her, my eyes shut, and my hands trembling.24Please respect copyright.PENANAfzrrnfcpHJ
"97," she replied.24Please respect copyright.PENANA3IQxPpHJPl
"Wow... fantastic, my child. I knew you could do it," my brother praised, patting me on the back.24Please respect copyright.PENANAW0qln51GV3
"97? Is that good enough?" I asked, trying to conceal my excitement.24Please respect copyright.PENANAbitQiDHbIy
"Good enough? Are you joking? I only got 88. Well done!" my sister exclaimed, shaking me in excitement.24Please respect copyright.PENANA3aAYnDDgqx
"How much did you get?" My mother rushed into my room.24Please respect copyright.PENANABMh43co4zl
"97.03," my sister shouted with joy.24Please respect copyright.PENANAtsuautWMFb
"Oh, it's above 90... now I can proudly show off," my mother said, looking at me.24Please respect copyright.PENANAa3Sk3cPnjN
"This must be the highest in your class, I'm sure of it," my brother commented as I was downloading the result card.24Please respect copyright.PENANASrH6FZdmIY
"My highest score is in social studies, it's a 99," I shared.24Please respect copyright.PENANAIJZGAiZiJ3
"Wow, maybe you should consider arts," my brother suggested straightforwardly.24Please respect copyright.PENANALXiuz4t9g9
"Arts? Stick with science, good students choose science," my mother interjected.24Please respect copyright.PENANAhYIfcLH3AR
"You could also consider commerce, like Chartered Accountancy and such. Not everyone in this family is meant for engineering," my sister added.24Please respect copyright.PENANAaqMnxe1Alm
"No commerce, no arts, only science. Your father will agree with me, call him," my mother insisted, her gaze fixed on my siblings.24Please respect copyright.PENANAPBk8niULRA
"I was actually thinking about arts, maybe for UPSC and other options. Arts offer a wider range of opportunities," I pondered aloud.24Please respect copyright.PENANAwE5z0BLBkj
"Didn't I tell you? Take science then, medical..." 24Please respect copyright.PENANAnyfe4SkCxN
"But mummy, let her decide!" My sister said to my mother, her voice loud24Please respect copyright.PENANAeb1GEL7euS
"Who do you think you're shouting at? My mother directed her voice loudly at my sister."24Please respect copyright.PENANANg15OFK6JJ
"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.24Please respect copyright.PENANAoRkGkNJhDB
"Why...why are you guys fighting....? I said trying to get the situation at hand24Please respect copyright.PENANAHExUpJHS7b
"I am pretty sure, mummy will win", my brother stated sitting on the bed and eating an apple 24Please respect copyright.PENANAd4YprAiBH4
"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.24Please respect copyright.PENANAXSlmlcN53b
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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.24Please respect copyright.PENANAQvAEGtNSbJ
"Shut up. You ruined your own life," my mother retorted sharply.24Please respect copyright.PENANAS4YH8fP61x
"I wanted to study archaeology," Apoorva expressed her frustration.24Please respect copyright.PENANAXKhpF2si0S
"But now you are in a good college, what more do you need?" my mother questioned.24Please respect copyright.PENANAnLZuijR5e2
"This is getting intense now," my brother commented, trying to intervene.24Please respect copyright.PENANAGQZCvH4rnA
"Go and do your work, rather than complaining," my mother dismissed him as she headed into the kitchen.24Please respect copyright.PENANAtzg5kzaxiG
"You are so mean sometimes," Apoorva shouted towards the kitchen before retreating to her room.24Please respect copyright.PENANAb8XMR4THy3
The tension in the air lingered, leaving a sense of unresolved conflict hanging in the room.24Please respect copyright.PENANAdOl3JQRQEm
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............... Meanwhile outside..........
"Hello, Amisha."24Please respect copyright.PENANAMHSZp97u8J
"Vyakhya, I scored 98 per cent, the highest in the school!" she shouted joyfully from the other end.24Please respect copyright.PENANAttwwhKu2Hs
"What?" I responded, my dream of securing the 1st position shattering around me. "Congratulations, well done."24Please respect copyright.PENANAMEo7lMLuZK
"I know, right? I worked too hard for this, and teachers already congratulated me. Did they call you? How much did you get?"24Please respect copyright.PENANABVmdy3UzS1
"97..." I replied, a tear escaping my eye.24Please respect copyright.PENANAZOmORhQ58E
"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.24Please respect copyright.PENANAK71LfaevEE
"Did you score so bad?"24Please respect copyright.PENANAgI2a6Lb7y2
"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.24Please respect copyright.PENANA3Wj5u7FY1Y
"Are you satisfied?"24Please respect copyright.PENANA1nMAXNOLxY
"I don't know, actually I don't care. It's just another mark for another test."24Please respect copyright.PENANA3Z8ST497Zc
"Then, why are you crying?"24Please respect copyright.PENANAfKEhWwTFaa
"Oh, it's jealousy. You won't understand."24Please respect copyright.PENANAQpBj5xm4NF
"Another human emotion?"24Please respect copyright.PENANAbSPlt2QbLF
"Kind of..." I replied, heading to my sister's room.24Please respect copyright.PENANAXBctaAo4pA
"Didi, what are you doing?"24Please respect copyright.PENANAmHrlU7AC2b
"Nothing, come in, topper girl," she said with a smile, wiping away the tears from her cheek.24Please respect copyright.PENANAJHUM6PqiGR
"Don't lie, you were crying."24Please respect copyright.PENANAmAtSXQYu76
"No, I wasn't. Wait, were you crying too?"24Please respect copyright.PENANAktWMnElPHm
"No, I wasn't."24Please respect copyright.PENANAOMr87nPiTY
"Hmm... Hey, don't listen to mom. Choose whatever you want, okay?24Please respect copyright.PENANAJ4kHjpy188
"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."24Please respect copyright.PENANAzpkPGMpJWJ
"It's nothing... just an older sibling duty," she replied, but her eyes told a different story.24Please respect copyright.PENANAtscq6bF7xL
"Don't cry. I know you never wanted to do engineering-"24Please respect copyright.PENANAKSSxUPOtNK
"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.24Please respect copyright.PENANAAvm0Gb8OpF
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?"24Please respect copyright.PENANA4QiQFDo0On
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