"Oh my goodness! It looks great, English 98, maths 96..." I exclaimed in joy.
"Calculate it! The percentage," my brother shouted next to me.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKXtsZDRGBo
"Just a second... I'll figure it out."347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjl1xHcgdpe
"Sister, please hurry... please, it has to be above 95," I prayed.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU2DfskIz8v
"How did it go?" I asked her, my eyes shut, and my hands trembling.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrQdXR4gQLU
"97," she replied.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG18QVYydPV
"Wow... fantastic, my child. I knew you could do it," my brother praised, patting me on the back.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlEOsWBA6z7
"97? Is that good enough?" I asked, trying to conceal my excitement.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe5dUMxCrZS
"Good enough? Are you joking? I only got 88. Well done!" my sister exclaimed, shaking me in excitement.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5eqQS95CAQ
"How much did you get?" My mother rushed into my room.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk59OIUciba
"97.03," my sister shouted with joy.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmWLsTfpnok
"Oh, it's above 90... now I can proudly show off," my mother said, looking at me.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZPUMonSVf4
"This must be the highest in your class, I'm sure of it," my brother commented as I was downloading the result card.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ34wliYlZd
"My highest score is in social studies, it's a 99," I shared.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9VBZrZO6qo
"Wow, maybe you should consider arts," my brother suggested straightforwardly.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1W7jsUDotU
"Arts? Stick with science, good students choose science," my mother interjected.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5FWQJh7iGl
"You could also consider commerce, like Chartered Accountancy and such. Not everyone in this family is meant for engineering," my sister added.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGXPwNorleN
"No commerce, no arts, only science. Your father will agree with me, call him," my mother insisted, her gaze fixed on my siblings.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWgZjz15AVf
"I was actually thinking about arts, maybe for UPSC and other options. Arts offer a wider range of opportunities," I pondered aloud.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWXSILNRZMJ
"Didn't I tell you? Take science then, medical..." 347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgsfRkQHkr4
"But mummy, let her decide!" My sister said to my mother, her voice loud347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ07YI4rZcwM
"Who do you think you're shouting at? My mother directed her voice loudly at my sister."347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0JQ5MP6rhK
"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.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgHGwwkl2jF
"Why...why are you guys fighting....? I said trying to get the situation at hand347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAg8yxh98om
"I am pretty sure, mummy will win", my brother stated sitting on the bed and eating an apple 347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡORjPJiw6QT
"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.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHkH42dQJ7f
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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.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAgVQIXzrHi
"Shut up. You ruined your own life," my mother retorted sharply.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7eySavaIAc
"I wanted to study archaeology," Apoorva expressed her frustration.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7BAr4QToau
"But now you are in a good college, what more do you need?" my mother questioned.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWGUkbgObIn
"This is getting intense now," my brother commented, trying to intervene.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSxYRzXrMhO
"Go and do your work, rather than complaining," my mother dismissed him as she headed into the kitchen.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcVOBkWOQpR
"You are so mean sometimes," Apoorva shouted towards the kitchen before retreating to her room.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZLZWBglfVn
The tension in the air lingered, leaving a sense of unresolved conflict hanging in the room.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcXz8Gd5Fir
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............... Meanwhile outside..........
"Hello, Amisha."347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgit0B0DOxF
"Vyakhya, I scored 98 per cent, the highest in the school!" she shouted joyfully from the other end.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhvV5hKxILg
"What?" I responded, my dream of securing the 1st position shattering around me. "Congratulations, well done."347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQmtfxPktWr
"I know, right? I worked too hard for this, and teachers already congratulated me. Did they call you? How much did you get?"347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUB16Jlz2V7
"97..." I replied, a tear escaping my eye.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs16gELxxaM
"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.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyNBBKLjxzQ
"Did you score so bad?"347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvUf0CV39fj
"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.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSD9C27N2jN
"Are you satisfied?"347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVfBD4IOykK
"I don't know, actually I don't care. It's just another mark for another test."347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCkcjbT1PpV
"Then, why are you crying?"347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrR09zgDWK8
"Oh, it's jealousy. You won't understand."347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBcMbsxr7gg
"Another human emotion?"347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj9Wvoa2KqI
"Kind of..." I replied, heading to my sister's room.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO5RKOPSMF9
"Didi, what are you doing?"347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXdUBI0WBTO
"Nothing, come in, topper girl," she said with a smile, wiping away the tears from her cheek.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8YBZzNNxx5
"Don't lie, you were crying."347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4FGiz5mjO7
"No, I wasn't. Wait, were you crying too?"347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCAQHYbF0K3
"No, I wasn't."347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRpCC1eZVtZ
"Hmm... Hey, don't listen to mom. Choose whatever you want, okay?347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0TafYXZVWS
"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."347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtzFkzBZF0f
"It's nothing... just an older sibling duty," she replied, but her eyes told a different story.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5QrDivc5dR
"Don't cry. I know you never wanted to do engineering-"347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡagpzYSaxgq
"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.347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2BRl2awKkb
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?"347Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKY9Dc7oMU9
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