Arav's POV:

I walked back to my classroom, relieved that I could express myself and also find support from my parents, however fragile. Through it all, Suresh Sir stood for me like a pillar—becoming both my comfort and the battle sword. I could never thank him enough.

PE class was going but it was theory today. There were more theory classes of PE now than its practical, making it less fun than before. The subject delved into the technicalities of various games like football, basketball and tennis among various others. Today, Patil Sir was teaching about ground rules of hockey. Remembering the dimensions of the court, players and the terms was often a headache.

Currently, my mind wasn't in the lecture. I dreaded the conversation that I will have with my parents when I got home, and the eventual document signing for official beginning of the case. A sigh escaped my lips. All of it was too exhausting, yet all too important.

The lecture passed by in a blur and when the break time finally came around, I gathered to where Jay and Karan were sitting. They chose a secluded corner today and their conversations were hushed.

"Hey guys!" I waved at them and Jay waved back. I walked over to their table and took a seat.

"Is everything okay?" I asked. Despite their joyful expressions, I couldn't help but notice the tension of unsaid words in the air.

Karan answered, "I don't know, you tell me. Our bullies have somehow started to avoid us like the plague."

I scratched my head. "Shouldn't that be a good news?"

"It'd have been good news if things were simpler. Now, it's simply suspicious."

"Say," Karan stated, "What if Suresh Sir told them to back off and they did? But still, what could have transpired?"

Jay let out a laugh. "Well, he's finally stepping up, I suppose, then. I can't think of anything to threaten them with—they would always find a loophole Suresh Sir says one word and they're all silent? Just like that?"

I dismissed the tension with levity. "Maybe you're reading too much into the fine print, Jay."

Jay narrowed his eyes. "That just feels like there's a storm brewing up in the distance and the calm is just the beginning of it all."

"Speaking of storms and new beginnings," I started, "I have some news for you guys."

Jay and Karan straightened their backs and leaned in closer, eager to hear the news.

"The case signing is officially happening tomorrow." I breathed out, finally relieved to say it out in the open.

I could sense the wheels of their mind turning and Jay spoke first. "So, wait... your parents know now and they agreed?"

I nodded. "It wasn't easy. My dad's still convinced the case is otherwise and is only going through only out of respect for Suresh Sir but my mom's trying to be there. It wasn't easy, but we are getting there."

Karan threw his arms around me across the table, enveloping me in a tight embrace, or could've been one, had the table been smaller. But its the thought that counts, right?

"Ah, I am so happy for you, Arav!" Karan beamed with a smile. "This is the best news I could've gotten in a long while."

Jay let out a sigh of happy relief and slumped on his chair. "A year of frantic searching finally paid off! Do you know how much we struggled to piece together what caused you to flee? You are an idiot!"

I smiled a bittersweet smile as I remembered the past. It didn't ache as much as it did before. "I am sorry, Jay.  The fact that it was also the abandoned factory we loved to visit... it kind of hit close to home, I suppose. I should've listened to you. Maybe then we'd not have to deal with this mess."

"And you didn't even inform us!" Jay threw his hands in the air, "Oh how I wish I could yeet you off the window now!"

I laughed heartily at his threat. "If that makes you happy, go right ahead."

Jay casually placed his palms around my neck, while not really touching me, and shook his hands. "You are the biggest idiot I know in this world."

I quipped. "What does that make you? Another idiot?"

"Yeah," Kan said, "Three idiots who have exactly two braincells which are so much so in sync, they're fighting for the third place!"

Mirth erupted between us and it was the best laugh I had had in a long while. For the first time, in a long time, I felt like my presence mattered. I was here and I belonged. I was loved and cherished, despite being a fool about it all.

Rahul's POV:

Something about him felt off. No, it was too OFF. I have never seen anyone being that distressed and the bandage... something tells me it wasn't the rat song.

I walked to where Faiz and Kiran were seated.

Chaos filled the classroom as the students finally settled after the break. Some were still eating, while some rushed to finish their homework. Others talked and some prepared for the next lecture.

I, Faiz and Kiran were in the same class since there was no separate class for Commerce yet. The subjects were seldom easy and yet, it was branded as "easier" than Science stream. I don't see how studying financial crisis of Soviet Union and the uprising of corporal monopoly was easy. Chemistry titration experiments seemed far more enticing than studying pyramid schemes at this point.

"Hey, why did you ditch us earlier?" Faiz asked as I took my seat besides him. It was the classroom corner. Kiran was seated near window side, right before our bench. He turned back to face us better.

"I wanted to find some answers," I replied casually, "I still can't figure out what's happening, though."

Kiran cursed under his breath. "I mean, you don't exactly make a good Scooby-Doo detective either, so I should've expected that. But I expected nothing and I am still disappointed!"

"Hey, don't blame me for how closed off they are!" I protested. "Well, we can leave them for a while, see what happens and connect the dots together."

Faiz responded. "You're listening to Suresh Sir's request? Sheesh, you're on a different ball game."

I shrugged nonchalantly. "If there's one thing I've learnt from my dad, it is to not jump to conclusions immediately and always wait for things to unfold before making your call."

"How enlightening! Now, how about you figure out what's going to be tomorrow's economics test going to be about if you're so sure of your tactics?" He immediately shot back, frantically flipping through the pages of the textbook.

"Careful," Kiran quipped as a lopsided smile formed on his face. "You don't want to tear her before you've even entered."

Faiz let out a snarky quip before turning the pages more carefully, the frustration evident in his fingers.

Dominic Sir entered our classroom at that moment and we collectively rose to greet him in our sing-song tone.

He greeted us and gestured for us to sit. I pulled out the thick VK  Chandran textbook of economics from my bag and the way my bag slumped, it was almost as if it too were relieved to be free from the burden of this textbook.

'Me too, friend. Me too.' I thought to myself as I turned to page 534.

Today's topic was Fiscal Policy, which talks about the use of the government budget to affect an economy. It involves the government's decisions on goods and services, transfer payments, and taxes. Changes in the government budget can have a significant economic impact on specific groups, such as families with children.

Fiscal Policy is typically defined as the effect of overall levels of spending and taxation, and the gap between them. A tight fiscal policy is when revenue is higher than spending, resulting in a surplus, and a loose fiscal policy when spending is higher than revenue, resulting in a deficit.

My head was already spinning and I had to keep my hands at the side of my head, just to keep it from falling apart. Dominic Sir always kept his explanations simple and filled with examples, but with a topic like Fiscal Policy where things were more obvious, it felt like a drag to understand it all.

I tried to keep up by reading the further text, hoping that self reading would help better than trying to catch sir's detailed explanation.

Besides me, Faiz doodled on the pages, occasionally underlining things but I could sense his mind was somewhere. Kiran had given up and gone to sleep, like usual. Even Dominic Sir stopped bothering with students sleeping in his class. I suppose he too just wanted to sleep the subject off.

When the bell finally rung, Faiz threw his pen at the textbook and closed it. "This subject continues to give me nightmares! How is there more to Fiscal than we had already learnt over the collective three years of our lives?"

Kiran turned back and rolled his eyes. "And the science students would still bet that commerce stream was easier. Have you ever studied taxes in your entire life?!"

The rest of the day passed by in a blur but when the school ended for the day and I passed by the canteen, I saw Suresh Sir sitting alone by himself, lost in thought almost as if he were waiting for someone. The steam from the cup of tea in his hands made it difficult to read his expressions but it was clear he was troubled, and he was rarely ever troubled, despite being a pedant about following the rules.

I wanted to walk over and ask him. Besides me, Kiran and Faiz were discussing on some matter so I didn't think they might notice if I disappeared briefly and came back. But then I remembered that he asked us to stay out of the matters. Maybe it was for the best.

Arav's POV:

Suresh Sir had asked me to meet him after classes, but not alone. He asked me to bring along Jay and Karan as well. I wondered what news he had for us.

"What do you think it could be about?" Karan asked as he slinged one side of his backpack around his shoulders.

Jay shrugged. "As long as it's not a detention, I am happy about anything."

I looked at him, my expressions baffled. "Why would he give us detention out of the blue?!"

"I thought you would know."

"And I thought you had a better theory, Mr. Pragmatic."

"I am sure it's about the midterms," Karan said contemplatively. "Besides, he wouldn't give us detention when we were so close to exams."

It's like a lightbulb went off in Jay's mind and he said. "What if Suresh Sir threatened our bullies detention if they didn't leave us alone? I mean, come to think of it... he's become quite protective of us since the time he knew the truth. Suresh Sir might've decided to just address the age-old issue that was pertaining the school like an aging mold. It sure wasn't a pretty picture and things aren't quite back to normal, either but it's progress."

I thought about it and it clicked into place. Although Rahul called me a traitor for leaving their group and coming back to my old friends, he didn't elaborate. It's almost as if he wanted to but realized the stakes.

We soon reached the cafeteria where Suresh Sir was sitting alone, waiting for us. When he saw us, he smiled and enthusiastically called us to come over.

I couldn't help but notice the bags under his eyes, the stiffness in his shoulders and the way his hands shook ever so slightly but he tried to hold it together.

"Good Afternoon sir." We collectively greeted him before taking our seats besides him and pulling the chairs closer to the table.

"It's good to see you all here," He began, his voice holding a sense of caution and uncertainty. "Before we begin, how are you all doing?"

"We're mostly fine, sir." Karan answered on our behalf. "I end up wondering about things but, mostly okay."

He nodded in understanding. "Well, that's good to know. I suppose you all are aware of where things are. I talked to Arav's parents. It was tough, but we managed to reach a decision. How about your parents?" He asked as he pointed to Jay and Karan. "Did you guys talk to your parents about the situation?"

They shook their heads, worry seeping into their expressions and it was Jay who answered this time. "I almost wish I could talk, but it's so scary. I am sure if we tried, they're going to dismiss our requests or even go so far as to try and keep from prying into Arav's matter again. We are thankful to be able to pass under their radar without much suspicion, though, I am sure they must've sensed we were up to something. But the worst scenario didn't happen, so I suppose, we will be fine. Until they know and start asking those unspoken questions, of course."

Karan responded after him. "I did indirectly hint to my dad that if I needed help, he would be there without questions. But, I suppose there's nothing too much to worry about now since the authorities are going to take over." He quipped his chin on his hands before asking. "How would the testimony work?"

Suresh Sir thought about it for a moment before answering. "You'll be given a printout that stated what you're giving testimony for and that, you're saying the truth or in our case, Arav's case is true and is speaking the truth. There's signatures to be done and stuff since you guys are legal adults. That's for the initial police process, though, I am not too sure of how things unfold in the court."

We just nodded, not quite sure how to respond and he continued. "Regardless, I called you all here to say that since your midterms are nearing, I would rather you focused on that first. This is your last year of school and as much as one could believe that grades don't matter, they do. At this crux of school year, they're highly crucial. Don't let that falter, the rest will fall into place."

"Yes," I answered, "Thank you for your guidance... and thanks for everything."

He turned to me and smiled. "Now, what did I say about thanking me?"

Karan quipped in, "To thank you profusely?"

Suresh Sir chuckled and playfully pinched his ears, "I said to not thank me until we have seen things through. Is that clear?"

Karan let out a squeal before answering. "Yes, sir!"

Jay's laughter roared through the empty canteen while practically falling out of chair. I shook my head as I laughed myself, letting myself enjoy the moment.

'It's going to be okay' I told myself, 'If it's not okay, it's not the end.'

❛For the stars that listen
And the scars that heal,
Your presence matters,
Even when it doesn't seem to be.❜

A/N: I keep wanting to write the scene where Suresh Sir talks to Principal Gupta, who also happens to be a good friend, but the characters always sidetrack me. xD Hopefully, the next chapter will have it xD