After study hour, I walked out of class with a sense of relief. But oddly, none of my usual friends walked with me. Not that I minded. I've always loved walking alone during this time—part speed walk, part half-run. It's not just about reaching the dining hall early; there's a strange joy in feeling the wind brush past when the roads are nearly empty. My footsteps felt light as I crossed the hostel corridor, my mind already thinking about the food line. Getting there before the queue started was a little victory of its own.
Tonight's dinner was parotta and vegetable kurma. I grabbed my plate and headed straight to our usual table without thinking twice. The mess was still filling in slowly, and I didn't notice anything unusual at first. I was halfway through my first bite when I saw it—Prerna walking into the mess, but instead of coming toward our table, she veered off and chose another one. Amritha, Pavani, and Sree Lekha followed her, casually settling in with their plates.
I paused for a second.
Was she... still upset with me? All because of the science assignment?
Sastika and Jai Harini arrived a few minutes later and sat beside me, glancing in the direction of the other table.
"What's going on?" Jai asked, leaning in slightly.
I shrugged, still chewing. "No idea."
Mahathi arrived next, tray in hand, looking genuinely conflicted. Her eyes shifted between the two tables. Ours had a seat left, the other was already full. She gave a tired sigh and sat down beside us.
She looked straight at me. "Prerna's still upset with you."
I sighed. "About what, exactly?"
"She says you didn't share your assignment when she needed it. And that you made her feel small, like she had to beg for help."
I dropped my spoon, staring at her. "What? That's not what happened at all."
"She's just… venting," Mahathi mumbled.
I looked around the table. "Do you guys understand what she's talking about?" I asked Sastika and Jai Harini.
They shook their heads in unison. "Not really."
"She's the one who asked me for my work after submission," I said. "How is that my fault? I didn't even have any rough notes or printouts left. I told her honestly. And now I'm the villain?"
Mahathi bit her lip. "I think she's just embarrassed."
I pushed my tray forward slightly and leaned back. "You know what? I don't care anymore. I've got way too much to do to waste energy on this."
There was a beat of silence as I picked up my spoon again. I focused on my food, letting the steam from the kurma warm my face and calm my thoughts. Let her be angry if she wants. I didn't do anything wrong.
After dinner, Sastika and Jai Harini walked with me for our usual night stroll under the hostel's dim yellow lights. The air was cooler now, and the trees along the path rustled gently. Our footsteps echoed in the quiet, and for a while, none of us spoke.
"She sounded so unreasonable," Sastika finally muttered.
"Exactly," I said, glad someone else could see it too. "I mean, I'm always willing to help if I can. But I'm not a machine that stores assignments on demand."
"You've always shared your stuff with us," Jai added. "This just feels like she's making it a personal issue."
We continued walking, letting the tension slowly melt away into the darkness around us.
Meanwhile, Mahathi had gone straight to her cot. She still had assignments pending for tomorrow. It was ironic, really—those who focused on complaining wasted more time, while those who focused on finishing were still trying to catch up.
As we returned to the dorm, I felt a little lighter. There would always be people who misunderstood. People who expected you to carry their weight without ever acknowledging your own effort. But I knew where I stood. I had my priorities, my goals, and most importantly, my peace.
When I sat down on my cot, I pulled out my notes and textbooks to double-check if I had finished everything. Social Science? Done. Math? Almost—I had left a page blank for one last problem I needed to solve. I sighed and stretched a little. My checklist was almost complete.
That's when I noticed it—Prerna's cabin had become a little gathering spot. She was sitting with Amritha, Pavani, and Sree Lekha, all huddled together, working on their assignments. Not a single glance in my direction. Not a single word.
I tried not to let it bother me. I mean, I did have an argument with Prerna. But how did that automatically pull the rest of them to her "side"? I wasn't expecting them to shun her or anything—I'm not a child saying "if you're my friend, you can't be hers." Please. Mentally, I'm 25. I've lived a whole adult life before this. But these 14-year-olds acting like I'm radioactive? Avoiding eye contact, changing direction the moment they saw me? It was irritating.
The corridor outside the cabins was narrow. If I needed to go to the restroom or get water, I had to cross their space. I was halfway through solving a math problem when I realized I'd left my guidebook near Sastika's cot. As I passed by Prerna's cabin, I heard them.
"She acts all high and mighty just because she submitted her project on time," someone said.
"What's wrong in sharing the assignment? It's not like we'd copy word-for-word."
"She could've at least told you which book she used," someone else added.
That was it.
I felt my annoyance snap into place.
I took a step back and stood in front of their cabin doorway.
"Do you all have an issue with me?" I asked, voice calm but sharp.
Pavani looked up first. "What do you want?"
"I should be asking you that. What is your issue with me?"
Amritha looked uncomfortable. "We don't have a personal issue. We just didn't like how you treated Prerna."
"What exactly did you expect me to do?" I asked, folding my arms.
Sree Lekha chimed in. "You could've guided her—told her which book or page to refer to, at least."
I looked directly at Prerna. "Did you ever ask me for help in learning how to do the assignment?"
Prerna narrowed her eyes. "I know how to do it. I didn't need you to teach me."
"There you go," I said, turning to the others. "How do I help someone who insists they don't need help?"
Pavani frowned. "Even if she didn't ask, you knew the due date was today. You could've helped her, knowing she was behind."
"Oh wow," I scoffed. "So now I'm supposed to babysit everyone who doesn't finish their work on time? What about my work? I have French homework, math problems, and all the classwork to check before tomorrow. I don't want to get punished for being unprepared."
"But you're already ahead of us in class," Prerna snapped.
"Is that my mistake?" I asked, genuinely baffled. "I came here as a student. My only job is to complete my assignments, study regularly, and stay prepared. I didn't know helping you do your work also became my responsibility."
Prerna fell silent. I couldn't tell if it was embarrassment or frustration, but the flush on her face said plenty.
"I honestly don't understand what your issue is," I continued, my voice lower now, calmer. "If you need to borrow a book and I have it—I'll give it to you. Just ask. But if I don't have it, and you expect me to drop everything to guide you through work you don't even want help with, that's not fair. I can help. I can guide. But I can't do your homework for you. And I don't have endless free time either."
No one said anything.
I stepped away and headed back toward my cot. As I passed the next cabin, I noticed Mahathi, Sastika, and Jai Harini had been listening. Sastika gave me a silent thumbs up. Harini smiled, eyes filled with quiet approval.
I settled onto my bed, let out a long breath, and opened my math notebook again. I didn't even care about finishing the problem anymore. I just needed to calm down and sleep. I had vented enough. I'd said what needed to be said.
If someone still wanted to sulk over it, that was their problem, not mine.