You never forget the first time someone says your name like it means something. Like you mean something. For me, that someone was Vijay, Vijay Sen. I was just... ordinary in the last tier of their hierarchy. The kind of girl teachers praised but forgot the moment class ended. Always a first bencher, always with the right answers. But no one ever looked twice. A scholarship student in a school filled with kids who had everything—money, last names that mattered, power.
BROKEN HEART: BEFORE THE FIRE - 1
Broken Heart — Chapter 1: The PromiseYou never forget the first time someone says your name like it means you mean something.For me, that someone was Vijay, Vijay Sen.I was just... ordinary in the last tier of their hierarchy.The kind of girl teachers praised but forgot the moment class ended.Always a first bencher, always with the right answers. But no one ever looked twice.A scholarship student in a school filled with kids who had everything—money, last names that mattered, power.They called it theSchool of Elites.I called it theHall of Ghosts.Because kids like me? We were the ghosts.Smart. Quiet. Useful. ...Read More
BROKEN HEART: BEFORE THE FIRE - 2
2. THE FALLThey say heartbreak comes in flashes.For me, it came in a red flash. That red dress I have wore, a party I never should’ve attended, and a bitter truth I’ll never forget, that tasted like a thousand deadly poison mixed with fine needles in one gulp.It all started the night Vijay invited me to his 'special' party and I kept quiet.After that day, he smiled at me in the elite hallway and said,“There’s a small party tonight. Just a few close friends. Come.”That sounded like command but I ignored it thinking he was... 'just nervous'.I looked unsure ...Read More
BROKEN HEART: BEFORE THE FIRE - 3
BROKEN HEART: 3. THE GIRL WHO DISAPPEAREDAfter the party, the world stop their work just to gossip about me.Classes on like normal on above. But the hostel chatter never returned to regular gossip and grades. I was the center attention of every single chat- 'Gold digger', 'Big dreamer', 'Dirt' and other names that I can't tell, they were the decent ones. Vijay moved on like a hero as always like he achieved an amazing achievement by humiliated a girl in his lavish party.This went on for weeks then they stopped suddenly. They went on their lives like any other ...Read More
BROKEN HEART: BEFORE THE FIRE - 4
4. THE WATCHERYou can smell danger when you’ve lived inside it.The dim fluorescent light.The cheap cologne.The lingering stare.The silence the door clicks shut.The voice behind silence.The scream behind laugh.Those things never leave you. They become a part of how you breathe, how you walk, how you prepare for the worst before it happens, how you see, live and act in this world.That’s why when the man at the bar surrounded by loud music and drunk party animals brushed the waitress’s arm and she flinched, I was prepared.Not because I cared.Not because I wanted to play savior.But because patterns never ...Read More