"Oh my goodness! It looks great, English 98, maths 96..." I exclaimed in joy.
"Calculate it! The percentage," my brother shouted next to me.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbbIGKj7nIZ
"Just a second... I'll figure it out."72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDAP45ZGRzC
"Sister, please hurry... please, it has to be above 95," I prayed.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgAZP9hIm5o
"How did it go?" I asked her, my eyes shut, and my hands trembling.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIXieAxtGOJ
"97," she replied.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjfS3vvQbd3
"Wow... fantastic, my child. I knew you could do it," my brother praised, patting me on the back.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡenRpvGIPYv
"97? Is that good enough?" I asked, trying to conceal my excitement.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZC93Z4vAnr
"Good enough? Are you joking? I only got 88. Well done!" my sister exclaimed, shaking me in excitement.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPuJaCc7SJf
"How much did you get?" My mother rushed into my room.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhmn5PrNqlm
"97.03," my sister shouted with joy.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXmkzqu8xTF
"Oh, it's above 90... now I can proudly show off," my mother said, looking at me.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYyB21Z2uNh
"This must be the highest in your class, I'm sure of it," my brother commented as I was downloading the result card.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg3Xsq6M4or
"My highest score is in social studies, it's a 99," I shared.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxfTk3KdpUK
"Wow, maybe you should consider arts," my brother suggested straightforwardly.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuSneq3C2jB
"Arts? Stick with science, good students choose science," my mother interjected.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ45XoO4ndQU
"You could also consider commerce, like Chartered Accountancy and such. Not everyone in this family is meant for engineering," my sister added.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡob5qBhWOk2
"No commerce, no arts, only science. Your father will agree with me, call him," my mother insisted, her gaze fixed on my siblings.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlZPLNFqraV
"I was actually thinking about arts, maybe for UPSC and other options. Arts offer a wider range of opportunities," I pondered aloud.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGISAPLcLCu
"Didn't I tell you? Take science then, medical..." 72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxS0UjmP66E
"But mummy, let her decide!" My sister said to my mother, her voice loud72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcHSNMClh8S
"Who do you think you're shouting at? My mother directed her voice loudly at my sister."72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvEcTztZFpq
"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.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡANQnwf87Au
"Why...why are you guys fighting....? I said trying to get the situation at hand72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNDqLbj5HOJ
"I am pretty sure, mummy will win", my brother stated sitting on the bed and eating an apple 72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQfvPqx9tjM
"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.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc7KRfjbp5E
72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtwqvh0Rj63
.........In the room............
72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsCP0xaVfJ4
"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.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz6YJQ70y77
"Shut up. You ruined your own life," my mother retorted sharply.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHVDOYcgMbW
"I wanted to study archaeology," Apoorva expressed her frustration.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZPKvFxTexT
"But now you are in a good college, what more do you need?" my mother questioned.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQe4m4FymoD
"This is getting intense now," my brother commented, trying to intervene.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkIFOIoCfgg
"Go and do your work, rather than complaining," my mother dismissed him as she headed into the kitchen.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh82T5ALLaj
"You are so mean sometimes," Apoorva shouted towards the kitchen before retreating to her room.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡckSO1Uib4a
The tension in the air lingered, leaving a sense of unresolved conflict hanging in the room.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Iu4SMqNYY
72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtOXvycsfwu
............... Meanwhile outside..........
"Hello, Amisha."72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡga0PYLZcqk
"Vyakhya, I scored 98 per cent, the highest in the school!" she shouted joyfully from the other end.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD1FEdGspxa
"What?" I responded, my dream of securing the 1st position shattering around me. "Congratulations, well done."72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY54pKvEXUi
"I know, right? I worked too hard for this, and teachers already congratulated me. Did they call you? How much did you get?"72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1gU4ZdGEq0
"97..." I replied, a tear escaping my eye.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhW0tQG2nz1
"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.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡffeoUz3q1W
"Did you score so bad?"72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGqWWxKM29b
"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.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFc8EHTzCJI
"Are you satisfied?"72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqQdMfBh7rm
"I don't know, actually I don't care. It's just another mark for another test."72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡelit5b2lgU
"Then, why are you crying?"72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEyKXtp5CxG
"Oh, it's jealousy. You won't understand."72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnXLby7Q4mq
"Another human emotion?"72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡapZ7eojt0T
"Kind of..." I replied, heading to my sister's room.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFz2QJpIxMN
"Didi, what are you doing?"72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5qtNjBaj22
"Nothing, come in, topper girl," she said with a smile, wiping away the tears from her cheek.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWXX6rWRIO0
"Don't lie, you were crying."72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡijiaWqsdrQ
"No, I wasn't. Wait, were you crying too?"72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAAiBQRdE97
"No, I wasn't."72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoSpFfhWixZ
"Hmm... Hey, don't listen to mom. Choose whatever you want, okay?72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfXavZWPmZF
"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."72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIq3MZeHcMt
"It's nothing... just an older sibling duty," she replied, but her eyes told a different story.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXlQKJy7FSG
"Don't cry. I know you never wanted to do engineering-"72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡArJ3KVqCYN
"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.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIHYAxijeEL
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?"72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNR8d3J9Giw
72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8j2bdXxpwN
72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzyOKaGEaCM
72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuv7dZAJHHb
72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2sbVPHuxZT
72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhbNhBmku6o
72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiia8tNT2tn
72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡILk8RY7CU1
72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡthcdRVrGD4
72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRPuwJQDpb4
72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG5pWrel5pB
