That evening I went home and started studying after freshening up since we were given our monthly test schedule that we were having all week, next week, that is, basically in two days, since it was Friday today.

In all honesty, I was finding difficulty in physics with the desert-dry topics which included rays from sunlight blah blah blah solar energy per unit area blah blah blah perpendicular to exposed atmosphere blah blah blah.

BLAH.

In this rate, I would be barely passing the physics test.

I DON'T FUCKING UNDERSTAND!!

But anyways I end up by-hearting majority of it without understanding them at all.

This was enough madness for today.

Setting my book on the table beside the couch, I rest my head on the back of the couch thinking about today's events.

Nikhil and I shared a kiss.

It was my first kiss. Probably Nikhil's too, unless he hid it from me.

After we had kissed I panicked and left him there, without looking back and haven't seen him ever since then.

Now that we kissed, sparks and tingles and all, do I...like him?

What about Ved then?

I haven't confessed about my feelings to him, but now that they seem to fade away, it isn't really necessary I guess.

What do I make out of Nikhil and me?

He's my best friend, good-looking too, no doubt in that—I'm his best friend, but not blind—and...we kissed.

So...I like him...?

But what if he just used the situation and kissed me at the spur of the moment, not really meaning to?

Or maybe because he just wanted to make me talk to him again by kissing me?

Are we not friends now?

I have so many doubts about so many things, but one thing I'm sure about is that I don't regret it.

I don't regret kissing him, I meant to do what I did and I'm glad that Nikhil was my first kiss.

And now, the one big question—what are we?

A mild headache forms and I rub my temples. My thoughts seem to be going nowhere other than giving me a headache.

Sighing, I check the time and go to check on my mom after deciding to have dinner.

"Ma, wanna have dinner now?"

"Sure, just arrange the dishes till I come, I'm on the phone." She replies and goes back to the phone call.

Just when I was through the threshold, I hear her whispering, "I'm not going to deprive her teenage life just because we're having financial problems...Look, we can manage, get a loan, but we must help Rithvika to become what she wants...Well, we already know she studies well, so she could get scholarship for her college...Fine! I'll talk to her. I'm going to have dinner, goodbye honey, love you."

She opens the door suddenly and looks at me surprised. Oops?

"How much of that did you hear?" She asks after recovering, with a passive expression.

"About letting me live my teenage life, our financial problems...trying to manage." I pause and then continue hurriedly, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hear it. It just happened, you don't have to talk about it to me, I get i—"

Chuckling, she speaks softly, "It's ok. I was about to talk to you regarding it but you heard it anyway so...a talk is in order I guess."

"Come on, I'll tell you after dinner. Let's have food first." She says and leads me by my elbows to have dinner.

Dinner went on with me glancing at my mom now and then, but she kept her eyes glued to the food.

We then do the dishes, arrange them and sit for a few seconds on the couch, silence veiling us.

Clearing her throat and taking a deep breath, mom starts speaking.

"As you heard, we are having financial problems. Your Pa's salary has been reduced. We aren't broke-we can manage for now-but we might not be able to pay for a good college for your higher studies.

"So your father thinks, we must change into a school with less fee so that, we might be able to manage your college fee. I know that my daughter studies well and also that she could get a fair scholarship from a college no matter which school she studies in. So I was saying we could let you study here for this year."

Pausing, she looks at me, smiles and continues.

"I know that my daughter is capable of understanding her parents' worries and that she could achieve so many things if she wanted to."

"Thanks for believing in me Ma. I promise I'll study hard and get a good scholarship and I'll try to save money as much as possible—"

"Oh shush! I know you will." She interrupts me.

After a comfortable silence I speak up.

"Ma?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for letting me study here this year." I say honestly.

"You can thank me by not sulking about it this year and stay just as you did before you knew about this."

She walks away with a small smile before I could answer her.

Welp, now I really need that 450 out of 500 I guess.

***

The next week, I easily kept away from Nikhil since we had our midterm tests.

Waking up, school, test, review the answers for the test, revise for the upcoming test, come back home, study for the next test, dinner, sleep and repeat.

Our biology presentation was put on hold due to the tests but me, Mia and the twins had still stayed together as much as possible while revising or reviewing answers after the test or during lunch in school.

And I've loosened up to Mia; she had been a great companion. Also, I found something really really juicy.

Darsh used to have a crush on Mia.

I think he still does with all those fleeting glances he gives to Mia and he loves getting her riled-up.

But something I've felt being really weird was this new, evil glint in DQ's eyes whenever she sees me. It was as if she knew something that I didn't and she was saving it for later.

I couldn't care any less about it. Almost everything she thinks is stupidity.

All I was bothered about was the marks I was going to score in this test—and maybe a bit of the Nikhil issue.

This would tell me if I had to put more effort, or if I was good or—worst case scenario—if I flunked physics.

I really don't know how I went from loving Newton for his laws and equations of motion to hating Willebrord Snell for his laws of refraction.

Ved has been really helpful with my physics doubts since he was my senior and was a JEE program student.

And that was what I was waiting for now. We spoke about meeting in the evening and get some physics shit—I love you and all, physics, but your current topics and the aggravating teacher are making me say these things—into my brain and he is due to arrive anytime now.

DING.

Speak of the devil.

I open the door and let Ved inside.

"Hey, good evening." He greets me with a hug which I've gotten accustomed to in the past days.

Patting his back I ask, "Which part are we going to study today so that you can help my brain which knows jack about Physics?"

"Who's brain are you talking about? 'cause all I can see are two great minds!" He asks with mock confusion.

Slapping his arm, I laugh a little and we get settled in my room around the desk.

"Oh and I brought the book I told you I would, y'know the rough-book with some extra questions...?" He informs once we open the books.

"Yep. You told me that. Thanks though." I say and get the book which he holds out to me.

"First I'll finish explaining, then you can refer that book for more questions. 'Kay?"

"Sure." I agree and he starts explaining how the Snivellus law—I mean, Snell's law—works.

He explains things animatedly, his eyes lighting up whenever I ask doubts, his hands moving around as he elaborates on various topics. Physics has got him whipped.

2 hours into studying and we both lean back on our chairs letting out a breath.

"Break?"

"Yippee!" I throw up my hands and slump even more onto the chair.

Ved gets up and walks to my bookshelf.

I roll my head to the side and look at him as he picks out a book.

Starcross.

He opens it flips to random pages but suddenly stops at one and squints.

Curiosity blooms and I find myself making my way to him.

"'Hottest guy ever'?" He reads out a comment on the book and turns to me, shutting the book.

My face heats up in embarrassment but I defend myself, "What? Jack Havock, fifteen—probably sixteen by then—a human pirate, good defense skills...What's not to like?"

"He's hot, yeah, but not the hottest guy ever. I mean, you've got me." He says cockily.

"What makes you think that I think you look hot?" I raise my eyebrows.

Holding up a finger, he takes the book again, searches for a certain page and shows it to me.

"What do you think this says then?" He asks as I take the book from his hands and look at what he was mentioning.

There, written in a very curly, very neat handwriting was his name, surrounded by dozens of perfect little hearts and all of these enclosed within one big heart that had an arrow through it.

I blush furiously, slam the book shut and keep it back on the shelf.

"Cat got your tongue?" He asks.

"Shut up. It was something stupid I did back then."

'When I liked you, but I don't think I do anymore' I thought to myself.

"Something Stupid? Oh you hurt my heart." He puts up a hand against the right side of his chest.

"Um...your heart's on the left side..." I point out.

"See? Even my brain is hurt that it forgot where my heart is." He says with mock hurt.

Rolling my eyes, I walk back and sit on the bed, Ved following suit.

We just keep sitting, no one speaking anything, but I very well know that Ved is staring at me.

Well, the question on his mind is pretty obvious, I guess, unless he thinks I'm a creepy stalker that is.

Huh. If I saw my name doodled by someone else, I'll probably give them a knuckle sandwich and hold a wholeass investigation about their reasons.

Just kidding...not.

What? Safety's important first. What if they are planning to kidnap me? Or even worse, kill me?

I don't wanna die so early.

I still haven't completed watching the entire Supernatural series. I still haven't beaten Razor. I still haven't been to a concert of any of my favorite artist. I still haven't watched Wonder Woman 1984 or Black Widow. I still haven't gotten that DSLR my mom told she would give me.

Holy hell! I still haven't completed studying Physics for Chuck Shurley's sake!

Balls!

I'm pulled out from my inner rant as Ved asks the question I thought he would.

At least he doesn't think you're a creepy stalker.

"So...uh— you...um, you like me?"

A/N: Thoughts? Vote and comment, please and thank you.