"Oh my goodness! It looks great, English 98, maths 96..." I exclaimed in joy.
"Calculate it! The percentage," my brother shouted next to me.181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk7iwpLM5IB
"Just a second... I'll figure it out."181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNHaC1sXWpM
"Sister, please hurry... please, it has to be above 95," I prayed.181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdMojkrlQBd
"How did it go?" I asked her, my eyes shut, and my hands trembling.181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzr9lh0ywKz
"97," she replied.181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2jX5nTYbf4
"Wow... fantastic, my child. I knew you could do it," my brother praised, patting me on the back.181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJdEX0U8iFp
"97? Is that good enough?" I asked, trying to conceal my excitement.181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7xgtIYsnhz
"Good enough? Are you joking? I only got 88. Well done!" my sister exclaimed, shaking me in excitement.181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeFIoDsOteW
"How much did you get?" My mother rushed into my room.181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZEtRQRtXh3
"97.03," my sister shouted with joy.181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQpU4f1OFep
"Oh, it's above 90... now I can proudly show off," my mother said, looking at me.181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCiKRFsW4cC
"This must be the highest in your class, I'm sure of it," my brother commented as I was downloading the result card.181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnSH7jpZoLG
"My highest score is in social studies, it's a 99," I shared.181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuCfrdiXiFR
"Wow, maybe you should consider arts," my brother suggested straightforwardly.181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡit2ELfrBm8
"Arts? Stick with science, good students choose science," my mother interjected.181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn3cRC1U3PS
"You could also consider commerce, like Chartered Accountancy and such. Not everyone in this family is meant for engineering," my sister added.181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIGqvCXbuTI
"No commerce, no arts, only science. Your father will agree with me, call him," my mother insisted, her gaze fixed on my siblings.181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRLaCUkACKC
"I was actually thinking about arts, maybe for UPSC and other options. Arts offer a wider range of opportunities," I pondered aloud.181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVj8RZd5R5m
"Didn't I tell you? Take science then, medical..." 181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ21WVj8oVx6
"But mummy, let her decide!" My sister said to my mother, her voice loud181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNYJ9foeBu5
"Who do you think you're shouting at? My mother directed her voice loudly at my sister."181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpjS0Ces0cQ
"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.181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDPMSLVj5K9
"Why...why are you guys fighting....? I said trying to get the situation at hand181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡroEIMINjQz
"I am pretty sure, mummy will win", my brother stated sitting on the bed and eating an apple 181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJyh5aCuBeD
"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.181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTmXhMxVbvg
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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.181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo7ew2PMdHw
"Shut up. You ruined your own life," my mother retorted sharply.181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnuNr4NY1KG
"I wanted to study archaeology," Apoorva expressed her frustration.181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgRzlPEpovx
"But now you are in a good college, what more do you need?" my mother questioned.181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡde5j3TeDDn
"This is getting intense now," my brother commented, trying to intervene.181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA9QgXPMpdt
"Go and do your work, rather than complaining," my mother dismissed him as she headed into the kitchen.181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzzKMhps4wc
"You are so mean sometimes," Apoorva shouted towards the kitchen before retreating to her room.181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIvEvN1ltAs
The tension in the air lingered, leaving a sense of unresolved conflict hanging in the room.181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFLChn1y2pQ
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............... Meanwhile outside..........
"Hello, Amisha."181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmm195BQRX5
"Vyakhya, I scored 98 per cent, the highest in the school!" she shouted joyfully from the other end.181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGzO9aYzdKQ
"What?" I responded, my dream of securing the 1st position shattering around me. "Congratulations, well done."181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Gs2PZ8xWY
"I know, right? I worked too hard for this, and teachers already congratulated me. Did they call you? How much did you get?"181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoi7z3SdII2
"97..." I replied, a tear escaping my eye.181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUZY6VD5sEk
"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.181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEYExohEY52
"Did you score so bad?"181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVFVNs55yEx
"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.181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2V7FI3COrO
"Are you satisfied?"181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxZXY8F9ch5
"I don't know, actually I don't care. It's just another mark for another test."181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkdfz8SKZGc
"Then, why are you crying?"181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ9iHI1PnWk
"Oh, it's jealousy. You won't understand."181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzr5bKga0pH
"Another human emotion?"181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Vh1vIkko3
"Kind of..." I replied, heading to my sister's room.181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUE2SQ5ykeu
"Didi, what are you doing?"181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8NPdYoBMrw
"Nothing, come in, topper girl," she said with a smile, wiping away the tears from her cheek.181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn0U7HaI6jz
"Don't lie, you were crying."181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSdxpQVJgeu
"No, I wasn't. Wait, were you crying too?"181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4YDHmCQtSK
"No, I wasn't."181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvlT2UvJo9k
"Hmm... Hey, don't listen to mom. Choose whatever you want, okay?181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGK10nmWoPJ
"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."181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNjUamwjswr
"It's nothing... just an older sibling duty," she replied, but her eyes told a different story.181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgYibItfnQd
"Don't cry. I know you never wanted to do engineering-"181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4vugP2eMyA
"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.181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5A5iPrss2I
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?"181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSMAQ85wSyY
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