"Oh my goodness! It looks great, English 98, maths 96..." I exclaimed in joy.
"Calculate it! The percentage," my brother shouted next to me.172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUqaFhYYTad
"Just a second... I'll figure it out."172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5fdCNhb7B1
"Sister, please hurry... please, it has to be above 95," I prayed.172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrtkAtytKhM
"How did it go?" I asked her, my eyes shut, and my hands trembling.172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuvC3AaPnbQ
"97," she replied.172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg2c6GBRC7r
"Wow... fantastic, my child. I knew you could do it," my brother praised, patting me on the back.172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6f6Io5daOd
"97? Is that good enough?" I asked, trying to conceal my excitement.172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ48wZSpKt6K
"Good enough? Are you joking? I only got 88. Well done!" my sister exclaimed, shaking me in excitement.172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7LSUd7KORT
"How much did you get?" My mother rushed into my room.172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ytYWYD2X9
"97.03," my sister shouted with joy.172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgcdSveLmyN
"Oh, it's above 90... now I can proudly show off," my mother said, looking at me.172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT0jWcY0uel
"This must be the highest in your class, I'm sure of it," my brother commented as I was downloading the result card.172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4CdGg6fGZF
"My highest score is in social studies, it's a 99," I shared.172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTDDjkT3xdY
"Wow, maybe you should consider arts," my brother suggested straightforwardly.172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6lCMgn7xF4
"Arts? Stick with science, good students choose science," my mother interjected.172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnj1d2JCtxG
"You could also consider commerce, like Chartered Accountancy and such. Not everyone in this family is meant for engineering," my sister added.172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPVGllwgn9i
"No commerce, no arts, only science. Your father will agree with me, call him," my mother insisted, her gaze fixed on my siblings.172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYqc2bZtT8h
"I was actually thinking about arts, maybe for UPSC and other options. Arts offer a wider range of opportunities," I pondered aloud.172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk6HZOVSI6x
"Didn't I tell you? Take science then, medical..." 172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG1Fa6F15zr
"But mummy, let her decide!" My sister said to my mother, her voice loud172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR7FTrgPeE3
"Who do you think you're shouting at? My mother directed her voice loudly at my sister."172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5EC2477fGR
"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.172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLQFYrhAO6L
"Why...why are you guys fighting....? I said trying to get the situation at hand172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7EzjKZ9UFe
"I am pretty sure, mummy will win", my brother stated sitting on the bed and eating an apple 172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUl4RlvNppZ
"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.172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡko7SEz5jca
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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.172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfbGfalAu65
"Shut up. You ruined your own life," my mother retorted sharply.172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWthfxpCANi
"I wanted to study archaeology," Apoorva expressed her frustration.172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5dCNu5QWQi
"But now you are in a good college, what more do you need?" my mother questioned.172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs3Jy5aMIr6
"This is getting intense now," my brother commented, trying to intervene.172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDHgiN2QQNG
"Go and do your work, rather than complaining," my mother dismissed him as she headed into the kitchen.172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡipw7lxDETe
"You are so mean sometimes," Apoorva shouted towards the kitchen before retreating to her room.172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyHb9iK0tsF
The tension in the air lingered, leaving a sense of unresolved conflict hanging in the room.172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1PnMIfKt4t
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............... Meanwhile outside..........
"Hello, Amisha."172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTASVDOmGTH
"Vyakhya, I scored 98 per cent, the highest in the school!" she shouted joyfully from the other end.172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFpoZaPq1oT
"What?" I responded, my dream of securing the 1st position shattering around me. "Congratulations, well done."172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRyu8oMDhNs
"I know, right? I worked too hard for this, and teachers already congratulated me. Did they call you? How much did you get?"172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2jHjWMaSEQ
"97..." I replied, a tear escaping my eye.172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp633t7Z7uE
"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.172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhYFwgwlsEB
"Did you score so bad?"172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFVBptybX7Y
"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.172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpvhXeiXClv
"Are you satisfied?"172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCjRkaE5bxX
"I don't know, actually I don't care. It's just another mark for another test."172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6RABEuPwR9
"Then, why are you crying?"172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2y0odOzddN
"Oh, it's jealousy. You won't understand."172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFH6tXk9Rg8
"Another human emotion?"172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRbmU5mta6U
"Kind of..." I replied, heading to my sister's room.172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGp1CFwvaSZ
"Didi, what are you doing?"172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMzHci3Y0Mv
"Nothing, come in, topper girl," she said with a smile, wiping away the tears from her cheek.172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZSVXhOlm7x
"Don't lie, you were crying."172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqhIjxOGSSo
"No, I wasn't. Wait, were you crying too?"172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWXV2PurOmP
"No, I wasn't."172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡInBS0bTAil
"Hmm... Hey, don't listen to mom. Choose whatever you want, okay?172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1S5HM5zLCn
"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."172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBv6hEYCm6P
"It's nothing... just an older sibling duty," she replied, but her eyes told a different story.172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpeMioEcVWs
"Don't cry. I know you never wanted to do engineering-"172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Pxbb2d89n
"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.172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡua8FavnW5f
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?"172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwL6kFtUjrC
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