A fight

It was the last bell of the day, and the sun hung low, casting long shadows across the schoolyard. Aparna, a Class 12 student, walked out of the school gates, her bag slung lazily over one shoulder. She wasn't in a hurry. Truth be told, she rarely was. She loved lingering—watching people, absorbing the world around her, and letting her thoughts float wherever they pleased.

To most people, Aparna appeared quiet and reserved, someone who kept to herself. But her close friends knew the truth—she lived in her own magical world of thoughts and daydreams. She claimed to be single, yet almost every other day she found herself blushing over a new face. Crushes were her guilty pleasure—innocent, fleeting, and heart-fluttering.

Just as she reached the school gate, she noticed a sudden disturbance—a commotion that pulled her out of her dreamy stroll.

Boys. Fighting.

It was a serious scuffle between students from her school and a group from the rival DPV School. Shouts echoed across the street. Aparna paused, curiosity anchoring her in place. She moved a little closer, careful not to attract attention, her eyes scanning the chaos.

And then… she saw him.

In the middle of the brawl stood a boy she had never seen before. He looked about her age, maybe a year older. Around 5'7", with a muscular build that made him look like he belonged more on a film set than in a school fight. His baggy shirt clung to his body, soaked in sweat, his hair disheveled, jaw clenched.

He wasn’t just fighting. He was dominating. Every punch, every move he made was fierce, focused, almost cinematic. Aparna couldn’t look away.

There was something dangerously captivating about him.

One of the DPV boys tried to throw a punch, but the boy swiftly blocked it and retaliated with such force that the crowd gasped. Aparna's heart skipped a beat. She didn't know his name, or even where he came from—but at that moment, nothing else mattered. Her mind, like always, had already started scripting a story.

She was mesmerized.

Soon, passersby began gathering. A few teachers and shopkeepers intervened, pulling the boys apart. The fight ended as abruptly as it had started. Aparna watched as the mysterious boy stepped back, walking over to his group. But instead of drinking the bottle of water someone handed him, he poured it straight over his face, letting the cold splash trickle down. It made the sweat and anger on his face glisten like something out of a slow-motion movie scene.

And then… he looked at her.

Just a glance. From the corner of his eye.

Aparna froze.

It wasn’t the kind of stare that lingered. It was quick, almost dismissive—but it struck her like lightning. She looked away, then back again, hoping for a second look. But he had already turned, adjusting his bag and walking off with his group.

He was gone. Just like that.

Yet, Aparna stood there for a moment longer, lost. Something had changed inside her. He hadn't said a word. She didn’t even know his name. But something about that moment had carved itself into her mind.

As she finally turned toward her house, her footsteps were slower than usual. Her heart beat a little faster. Her thoughts, once again, had found a new character, a new story to hold on to.

That day, the world had seemed ordinary—until he stepped into it like a storm.

And she was already lost in the eye of it.

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