"Oh my goodness! It looks great, English 98, maths 96..." I exclaimed in joy.
"Calculate it! The percentage," my brother shouted next to me.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEppUrURpST
"Just a second... I'll figure it out."298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFdR0vYouaE
"Sister, please hurry... please, it has to be above 95," I prayed.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFqWiQ5MJrC
"How did it go?" I asked her, my eyes shut, and my hands trembling.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIdOhna8Ch0
"97," she replied.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxS2Pr5iWzI
"Wow... fantastic, my child. I knew you could do it," my brother praised, patting me on the back.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRKw0v294e9
"97? Is that good enough?" I asked, trying to conceal my excitement.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIU8iz6utMM
"Good enough? Are you joking? I only got 88. Well done!" my sister exclaimed, shaking me in excitement.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGY3CV7Gmrr
"How much did you get?" My mother rushed into my room.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo8rgOkRjKy
"97.03," my sister shouted with joy.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYZCDsFGJAN
"Oh, it's above 90... now I can proudly show off," my mother said, looking at me.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJzc3PZ8Iwp
"This must be the highest in your class, I'm sure of it," my brother commented as I was downloading the result card.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGpgzQ7nYu0
"My highest score is in social studies, it's a 99," I shared.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkc7gxIckkg
"Wow, maybe you should consider arts," my brother suggested straightforwardly.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdwj5zVy5bj
"Arts? Stick with science, good students choose science," my mother interjected.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBkn9SYj7Vb
"You could also consider commerce, like Chartered Accountancy and such. Not everyone in this family is meant for engineering," my sister added.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡexnhICGZuy
"No commerce, no arts, only science. Your father will agree with me, call him," my mother insisted, her gaze fixed on my siblings.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0YdprIEDUK
"I was actually thinking about arts, maybe for UPSC and other options. Arts offer a wider range of opportunities," I pondered aloud.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv0uu4ES3Zb
"Didn't I tell you? Take science then, medical..." 298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUpfj0az3cA
"But mummy, let her decide!" My sister said to my mother, her voice loud298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFtTf2lgpTc
"Who do you think you're shouting at? My mother directed her voice loudly at my sister."298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQx73Wj3icy
"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.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡypX7zEBv8W
"Why...why are you guys fighting....? I said trying to get the situation at hand298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNfKF36BomA
"I am pretty sure, mummy will win", my brother stated sitting on the bed and eating an apple 298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTupgffjruY
"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.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ31Nk2aKjmj
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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.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKrADBkkTRI
"Shut up. You ruined your own life," my mother retorted sharply.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWOs3IWAuQc
"I wanted to study archaeology," Apoorva expressed her frustration.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoN5fPWjVZz
"But now you are in a good college, what more do you need?" my mother questioned.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrKdFFixr8s
"This is getting intense now," my brother commented, trying to intervene.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZZqynq77Ie
"Go and do your work, rather than complaining," my mother dismissed him as she headed into the kitchen.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGpZtUOizps
"You are so mean sometimes," Apoorva shouted towards the kitchen before retreating to her room.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVVyu4gdgFm
The tension in the air lingered, leaving a sense of unresolved conflict hanging in the room.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC8hPCJJrAV
298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB7mirFfu5S
............... Meanwhile outside..........
"Hello, Amisha."298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtmxMcpD18f
"Vyakhya, I scored 98 per cent, the highest in the school!" she shouted joyfully from the other end.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeWkgRUhBDH
"What?" I responded, my dream of securing the 1st position shattering around me. "Congratulations, well done."298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmfxRCZgOq1
"I know, right? I worked too hard for this, and teachers already congratulated me. Did they call you? How much did you get?"298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFfztfhSQDK
"97..." I replied, a tear escaping my eye.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEXI0c8dF41
"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.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW6Cvxwllge
"Did you score so bad?"298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4egIOwc9r7
"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.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzmtgiPIIHz
"Are you satisfied?"298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZGDkXfcq71
"I don't know, actually I don't care. It's just another mark for another test."298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8RbieEy3Ft
"Then, why are you crying?"298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE9lnGqCjEx
"Oh, it's jealousy. You won't understand."298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuZahlU3Snz
"Another human emotion?"298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoPLUwq66e3
"Kind of..." I replied, heading to my sister's room.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSwADyvNv7W
"Didi, what are you doing?"298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8z3DBP16kK
"Nothing, come in, topper girl," she said with a smile, wiping away the tears from her cheek.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv0qmzMvtVK
"Don't lie, you were crying."298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfxjR2w10d5
"No, I wasn't. Wait, were you crying too?"298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnhXfDuaaAy
"No, I wasn't."298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjjBAMT3O71
"Hmm... Hey, don't listen to mom. Choose whatever you want, okay?298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxnoux49nOj
"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."298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn65TTIkFmD
"It's nothing... just an older sibling duty," she replied, but her eyes told a different story.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAI2wlczUxO
"Don't cry. I know you never wanted to do engineering-"298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAPYlN1YDQ0
"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.298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGAz4NPeePK
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?"298Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdkZLr0lydA
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