"Oh my goodness! It looks great, English 98, maths 96..." I exclaimed in joy.
"Calculate it! The percentage," my brother shouted next to me.237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7nX6c5jv5E
"Just a second... I'll figure it out."237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhUyoNXrN25
"Sister, please hurry... please, it has to be above 95," I prayed.237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDYlZj3mNJC
"How did it go?" I asked her, my eyes shut, and my hands trembling.237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjCRL0icnPA
"97," she replied.237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQsruyQ0bxa
"Wow... fantastic, my child. I knew you could do it," my brother praised, patting me on the back.237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQog7jgiTH9
"97? Is that good enough?" I asked, trying to conceal my excitement.237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbiic8gqvpL
"Good enough? Are you joking? I only got 88. Well done!" my sister exclaimed, shaking me in excitement.237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzJMQuFWM6a
"How much did you get?" My mother rushed into my room.237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhzOeLzirAH
"97.03," my sister shouted with joy.237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4jiCIBw3qH
"Oh, it's above 90... now I can proudly show off," my mother said, looking at me.237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLASSVCss8G
"This must be the highest in your class, I'm sure of it," my brother commented as I was downloading the result card.237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlhPHHu90oF
"My highest score is in social studies, it's a 99," I shared.237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDpa8JR6t8t
"Wow, maybe you should consider arts," my brother suggested straightforwardly.237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZc1fII2apb
"Arts? Stick with science, good students choose science," my mother interjected.237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ390ibGpteQ
"You could also consider commerce, like Chartered Accountancy and such. Not everyone in this family is meant for engineering," my sister added.237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWdb3zTU0O1
"No commerce, no arts, only science. Your father will agree with me, call him," my mother insisted, her gaze fixed on my siblings.237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcN762idmJt
"I was actually thinking about arts, maybe for UPSC and other options. Arts offer a wider range of opportunities," I pondered aloud.237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU8Sx76AYpA
"Didn't I tell you? Take science then, medical..." 237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKnKxlwAZ3V
"But mummy, let her decide!" My sister said to my mother, her voice loud237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ouLuBDO5J
"Who do you think you're shouting at? My mother directed her voice loudly at my sister."237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBOEMxAQNZ0
"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.237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiJuUCZvxom
"Why...why are you guys fighting....? I said trying to get the situation at hand237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlwuIOry4CO
"I am pretty sure, mummy will win", my brother stated sitting on the bed and eating an apple 237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRjRpPsgfik
"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.237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAM6ELhbiuH
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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.237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUfXh1oejsF
"Shut up. You ruined your own life," my mother retorted sharply.237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTWVInqmHA9
"I wanted to study archaeology," Apoorva expressed her frustration.237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpavyWmU3n9
"But now you are in a good college, what more do you need?" my mother questioned.237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ25ZuFMX3sI
"This is getting intense now," my brother commented, trying to intervene.237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqbS6P1cSQv
"Go and do your work, rather than complaining," my mother dismissed him as she headed into the kitchen.237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1du7nsPk1X
"You are so mean sometimes," Apoorva shouted towards the kitchen before retreating to her room.237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkwXLdpa3CM
The tension in the air lingered, leaving a sense of unresolved conflict hanging in the room.237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ApHCa2xVe
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............... Meanwhile outside..........
"Hello, Amisha."237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwDV9vpZ0uk
"Vyakhya, I scored 98 per cent, the highest in the school!" she shouted joyfully from the other end.237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZbKmBvkJk7
"What?" I responded, my dream of securing the 1st position shattering around me. "Congratulations, well done."237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzDBenHCdCX
"I know, right? I worked too hard for this, and teachers already congratulated me. Did they call you? How much did you get?"237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBwmbdld7NP
"97..." I replied, a tear escaping my eye.237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSAtZCnAqzk
"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.237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0WAa2Votdk
"Did you score so bad?"237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyhdYJFCMu0
"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.237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF4C6R9iE1U
"Are you satisfied?"237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnaSZPf9pFZ
"I don't know, actually I don't care. It's just another mark for another test."237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtONhcKCC49
"Then, why are you crying?"237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnG7hs394cq
"Oh, it's jealousy. You won't understand."237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡia8PPDRX8X
"Another human emotion?"237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWfU7HYKe3c
"Kind of..." I replied, heading to my sister's room.237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHd6YVltIvl
"Didi, what are you doing?"237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6NICBrREt5
"Nothing, come in, topper girl," she said with a smile, wiping away the tears from her cheek.237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLmQ9OZ4Hlw
"Don't lie, you were crying."237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQM7dgFbQuU
"No, I wasn't. Wait, were you crying too?"237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwiJb0YsX4u
"No, I wasn't."237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCcGEOcWDa9
"Hmm... Hey, don't listen to mom. Choose whatever you want, okay?237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLRL6r6onyi
"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."237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyxuzMWLCKh
"It's nothing... just an older sibling duty," she replied, but her eyes told a different story.237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtqw2GDisG8
"Don't cry. I know you never wanted to do engineering-"237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNfKgoIedIA
"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.237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsJrJOu9KOG
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?"237Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfhIDoT7Bw5
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