#andra.fics

You look up to the source of that voice. Wait a minute…you recognise her. A tall, olive-skinned lady with black hair tied up in a bun stands in front of your seat, calling your name in a sweet voice. She was your class teacher in 1st grade. The last time you saw her was when she had left the school for her retirement during the third grade. This was the grade when you had left the school at the end of the session. She was a sweet lady, someone whom you could rely on. But now, she’s standing in front of you, asking what had happened. You are so overwhelmed and confused that you do nothing, other than crying and sobbing.

“Ma’am, I…I…”

“It’s okay. Was it a nightmare?”

You can’t lie to her anymore, but you can’t even tell the truth, so you asked, “May I use the washroom?”

You run faster to the washroom after the teacher accepts your permission. Suddenly, you realize you are back in your old convent school—the same, shitty, hell spawn of a place you once called “the temple of education.” It gave you nothing but horrible memories. When you reach the washroom, you look at the mirror and hold onto the sink, noticing how different you look. There’s no way you could’ve travelled back in time, yet you haven’t bothered to check the date because a sinking certainty tells you: you’re not an adult anymore. You’re not in college. You’re in freaking kindergarten or something.

You lose all sense of time in the washroom. The echoing ring of the bell jars you from your daze. You drag yourself out, numbly watching classmates spilling into the halls, backpacks bouncing, laughter echoing like another world you can’t touch.

Was school over?

Yeah.

So, you rush to your classroom, grab your things, and the first thing you see after getting out is your mother. Beside her are two women, and two tiny girls standing beside them. You recognise the girls, one of them is Hilda, the menace. She was one of those people in school who had been bullying you throughout childhood. But she wasn’t the main problem. The main problem was her. Yes, her. The tiny girl with two pigtails of that curly hair, a mildly dark complexion, and a not-so-innocent smile on her face.

She’s Georgina, the main problem. She’s the one who has been bullying you since childhood. Everyone had been following her as if she could command dogs, and the main purpose of being bullied by your seniors and classmates was her. She spread all sorts of lies just to see your pain. And Hilda? She stuck to her like her personal sidekick.

You had considered this fish stick of a hooligan your “best friend,” but you’ll never forget the terrible statement she made in front of others. The statement was told to your mother by one of the listeners after you had graduated from the 5th grade. This was when you had left your ‘hell spawn of this place’ for another state due to your father’s promotion transfer.

Georgina stares at you, giving you a subtle smile which, you know, is fake. Everything about her is fake, faker than the cheap plastic diamonds found in thrift shops located in crowded areas. Remembering what she had done to you throughout your childhood, you look at her with anger hidden beneath your bones but you still give her a semi-awkward smile and stroll towards your mother.

A teacher from another class, whom you’ve been very close to, joins you and your friends on your way home. You don’t talk to Georgina and Hilda much, just listen to the adults chatting in.

Your mother finds it strange. Why weren’t you talking to your friends?

The car ride is silent for you. Driven by Georgina's family driver, you look out at the bypassing areas and surroundings from the window, remaining silent as ever. Funny because the last time you were chatty was when you ‘complained’ to the teachers about your seniors and your classmates, who had been treating you harshly, and the teachers neglected it. They had called you a 'complaint box' and made a remark on your marksheet that you complained a lot.

Wow! So much for trying to defend yourself.

Your mom is worried to think that you had a very bad day. In all due honesty, you are tired and still confused as to what is happening now. You still needed to go home and find out.

When you reach your home, you remember what living there felt like. Because a decade later, you and your parents will be moving out of the house and to a nearby apartment in your locality. That way, you can easily stay with the rest of your maternal family while visiting.

But who actually cares when you’ve got 4 years to move out of your hometown to another state?

After getting refreshed, you look at the date and day in your calendar...

2013????

Did you time-travel back to 13 years before????

“Why didn’t you talk to Georgina today?” Your mom’s voice interrupts your thoughts and brings you out of your daze. “Did Georgina do something to you again? I know she’s been really hard on you.”

So , your sweet mother knows about Georgina’s doings. But how long has she been doing all this? And what does your mom mean by ‘she’s been really hard on you’?

“No,” your voice is hushed and sweet, “not that she did anything wrong. I’m still sleepy.”

“First, have your lunch,” your mom sets the plates on the table, “then you can take a nap.”

Your afternoon nap doesn’t come so easily because you’re still in uncertainty. Let’s go into a recap of what happened during your time in college.

Your childhood friend-turned-bully, Georgina, after years of no contact, scored better in the entrance exam than you did. She got into your college on her first attempt, a year after you, which made you her junior. But her course was different from yours. Ever since she came to your college and convinced you to be her friend—which you accepted—she had been turning your life into a living hell as she did to you during your childhood. You had no shame, though—in considering her as your friend again—but you literally tried to ignore her, attending classes which clashed with her schedule, hanging out with your friends from the same course as you when she also had free time as you did, and avoiding her to the core. You also ignored and avoided the socio-cultural and regional society of your college, which you were a part of, as you were also from that region, as well as Georgina, since that drama happened. But Georgina stayed active in the society.

Things were clearly going your way, but when one of your friends showed you a post from an unofficial Instagram page of your ran by someone you had no business knowing, things went downhill. There was a rumour about you—a petty rumour—that you were on drugs. Petty! Just because of your simple attire and your hair getting shambled during a long day of work, people came to the conclusion that the rumours are true and that you were a drug dealer. Yes, you would wake up late, skip several classes, and go on because you would feel tired all the time. There was also another rumour about your parents that they were poor and in debt, so they had to start asking for money from some people. Those people mentioned were Georgina’s parents. The third rumour was that your drug dealing and drinking habits came from your dad, and that you got into this college because your father and mother had spent all their money on bribery, and that they had gotten into debt.

Despite standing up for yourself and for your parents, no one took you seriously. Your friends had left you, the seniors avoided you, the juniors called you demeaning names, your grades dropped, your teachers weren’t impressed with you, and you had no other option but to study. The people from your region would laugh at you whenever they crossed by. You became the butt of the joke to the whole college. You did try changing your college under the same university, but your request was denied due to your poor CGPA.

Even the older girls at your PG couldn’t look you in the eye. That’s because Georgina also lived in the same PG as yours, and she was the one who spread the gossip.

It was another day at your college, also the second day of your final month, when you overheard several girls in the room for the aforementioned regional society, talking about how their plan of destroying you became truthful. You could also hear Georgina’s voice from the room.

“So, tell me, Trina. Since we had ruined her reputation like you wanted to, should we ruin more of it?” one girl asked.

“Yeah, like you’re now the President of the society, how should we deal with her?”

“Well, I think we should all wait for her downfall to happen. She’s gonna be rejected from colleges, exams, or job applications because of her misconduct,” Georgina replies.

“But don’t you think she’d still get in? What if she reports us to the administration?”

“She might, but if we are careful and erase any evidence she has from us, then we’re safe.”

You could see through the crack of the door some recognisable faces. Some were in the same courses as you, some weren’t. There was Georgina, discussing your downfall. That’s when you knew she was the mastermind behind all this. She ruined your picture, your reputation, and your entire life. You had just been reduced to a squashable bug by the only anomaly in your life.

You didn’t care if Georgina had seen you peeking and listening to your chats, but you didn’t wait. You contacted the Internal Complaints Committee and told them everything, wrote an application to the principal, and told your teachers about it, but nobody seemed to be interested. Nobody cared. Not with or without the proof.

Georgina had been clever in making these rumours convincing and erasing any evidence of her drawing the plan. Wow!

The last day of your college, aka the last day of your exam, ended this way when you were returning to your PG from college after a long and tiring day. You were listening to ‘Ho Hey’ by The Lumineers, but while crossing the road to reach your PG, you felt a push from behind. When you got a glimpse of Georgina pushing you, you were struck by a car.

And that’s how you ended up in this situation.

Hours later, you sit on your study table when, while reading between the lines from an old textbook, you find these English words in italics…

“[Y/N]! You’re here.”

Suspicion arises from you as you reread the words again.

How is your name in here?

You shrug it off, thinking that a character must have the same name as yours, but then you realise, there was no character with that name as yours.

“It may be confusing, but read through the lines as I put my words through these pages. Read carefully. I’m your grandfather.”

You read, confused, as you remember that your grandfather is alive as of 2013. But who is this? Has this character been introduced to the chapter you’ve been reading?

“I’m your grandfather who died in 2021, and I’m writing this from the heavens. Go to page 26 to read more.”

So, you turn to page 26. But there were no words. There was only one tiny, heart-shaped drawing—a mark—on the corner of the page. And that’s when you realise something…

Your grandfather was the one who had teleported you to 2013.

When you booked a cab in 2028, a middle-aged driver with sleek hair gave you a textbook that looked like a school textbook of a 1st grader, which you have now as a token. He stated, and the author quotes, “This will be my last day as a cab driver. So, I wanted to give you this as a token for appreciation. It might be a requirement for you in the future, and I want you to read it in your free time,” he smiled at you for the last time and drove away.

But you never got that free time, and now you know why. You died the next day.

You reminisce how your grandfather would doodle these tiny hearts onto your books with a pencil, the charcoal imprints ruining your pages, you were only a kid that time.

“Grandpa?” You spoke in your regional language, “What are you doing? The pages will get ruined!”

“Aijoni,” Your grandfather stopped scribbling and gave you a sweet smile, “it’s only charcoal and not ink. The pages won’t get ruined anyway.”

“The teachers will notice!” you scrunched up in embarrassment, “and they’ll scold me.”

“Who cares what the teachers think?” Your grandfather laughed, “These doodles should be a reminder of my dearest love for you. Even if I die and am in heaven, I promise to look after you. Always.”

Now, you wipe your own tears, thinking about this moment. Your grandfather stood by his promise, and he is, as of now.

So, you have only one plan—to escape from Georgina’s clutches and avoid her at all costs. If she ignores you, fine. You will take that as an escape from her evils rather than being with her as a result of ruining your life.

On your second day at school, as a 6-year-old, everything goes fine, but you start to keep an eye on Georgina, since she might be causing another drama in school, making herself the victim and you the perpetrator. You wait for it.

What would be her next move?

You decide to sit next to someone whom you don’t even talk to. In your previous life, your classmates would fight with you for no reason—yell at you—and, being sensitive as you are, that would make you cry.

In this life, you won’t even utter a single word.

When lunch arrives, you finish whatever your mom gave you in your tiffin. As expected, Georgina leaves you out with her friends—which are your fakest friends—and your tiffin is finally done. So, you go out to wash your hands and go to Georgina, but not until she and her friends start forming a circle around you.

Oh, wait. You know this.

Good old Georgina and her friends flashed you the little finger after a count of three, which indicated the breaking of your friendship. You didn’t know what you had done to her to break the friendship.

“You know what, [Reader], we don’t want you in our group,” you stared at her after what she had said.

“Yeah, cause you’re very ugly, though,” a friend, whose name was Tapasya, spat out the harshest words.

“And you’re very talkative,” Hilda hissed at you, “like, why do you talk so much? It’s so annoying. You’re very annoying and irritating.”

A lot of insults came from their mouths, directed towards you. You bursted in tears, pleading with her to take her back and forgive her, but Georgina was too adamant. She strictly said no and left with her friends while you stood there in the same position, crying and wailing, but no one noticed.

As of now, Georgina and her friends count backwards. “3…2…1…”

“Stop,” you raise your hand at them, interrupting their moment, “Please stop, I’m so tired of this overrated trend.”

“Overrated?”

“Trend?”

Your friends, especially Georgina, have no idea what these terms mean. It’s not very popular as of 2013.

You ignore them and stroll straight towards Georgina, “Trina, I know how much you want to chase me away from your group, and I have known about it since. So, please stop announcing my exclusion using the katti-abba tactics. Just straight tell me the real reason as to why you don’t want me in your group.”

The kids are pretending to be confused. Some even said, “Huh? What are you talking about?”

“Oh, since y’all are acting like little brats and pretending to be confused, I’ll tell y’all. First…”

“Yeah, cause you’re very ugly though.”

“I’m ugly,” you eye at Tapasya, who is giving you a side eye, “because a certain someone failed to get their eyes checked. Maybe go see an ophthalmologist,” Tapasya stammers some incoherent words, but you ignore her and proceed, “and…”

“And you’re very talkative, like, why do you talk so much? It’s so annoying. You’re very annoying and irritating.”

“I’m very talkative, like, why do I talk so much? It’s so annoying. I’m very annoying and irritating,” you stare at Hilda, “it’s because you’re very impatient and you have the patience of a rat.”

Hilda’s eyes widen like saucer plates, “D-d-did you just call me a—?” But you interrupt her and proceed, “and whatnot? Also, I deliberately steal others’ opportunities in extra-curricular activities by participating a lot. I mean, I have natural talent, and I love to participate in dance and singing. If you people only could’ve improved your confidence, y’all wouldn’t have been that insecure and start projecting it towards me.”

They are all speechless, but some couldn’t even understand certain words. So, you push Georgina without a care for the world and go downstairs, since your classroom is on the 1st floor.

Georgina is sure to complain about this to the class teacher, and you are waiting for it.

As expected, after the lunch break, y’all open your textbooks as the teacher says. Georgina—like the kid she is—goes to the teacher and tells her something. Then, the teacher calls you towards her. You walk to her and stand by her side.

“[Reader], what’s all this behaviour I keep on hearing from Georgina?” she asks, raising an upset look with a raised eyebrow.

“Ma’am,” you proceed to tell her, “Georgina keeps on lying about my behaviour and talks badly about me behind my back to others.”

“Ma’am, that’s not true,” Georgina cries out, “she’s the one who is lying—”

“Ma’am, it’s the truth,” you interrupt her, “she has been planning to exclude me from her group for a long time and has even told her friends about her plan to exclude me. She tried to break our friendship and humiliate me in public.”

“Ma’am, she’s lying,” she’s again saying this same sentence, “we just wanted to include her and give her something extra,” what a manipulative bitch disguised as a 7-year-old.

“Ma’am, I don’t want to argue with Trina anymore,” the teacher looks at you in a sincere way, “I only came here to study and excel, alongside make meaningful friendships with other kids, so I’ll just say this; if someone doesn’t want me in their group, then it’s okay…but spreading numerous lies about me is not.”

A subtle silence.

“I’m not asking for punishment, ma’am. I just don’t want to be included in something which hurts me very deeply.”

Another subtle silence.

“And I’d be obliged to stay away and focus on why I came to school.”

A lot of ‘huh?’, ‘What?’ and ‘we did not understand a single word of what she said’ echo in the classroom. The teacher proceeds to silence everyone. She turns to you and says in a very comforting voice, “You know, [Reader]? You’re very mature for a 6-year-old kid, even I didn’t realise that until now.”

“Ma’am,” you continue, “if you have any query or are in doubt, then you can still ask Tapasya,” you point at the aforementioned person, “she’s the one Georgina relies on, other than Hilda, so she knows most of the things.”

Tapasya gives you a glare from her seat.

She closes this discussion, turns to Georgina and Tapasya, and says, “Georgina, Tapasya, meet me after school. I have something to discuss with you.”

Wait, does that mean you are safe?

You both go back to your respective places, Georgina sitting behind you and beside Hilda, and your entire mind goes blank.

Did you just change your history?

After school ends, Georgina goes to the staff room, and you go out. You’re the first one out of the three to meet your mother and the rest of the other women.

“Hi, my sweet little baby,” your mom gushes and takes your school bag. “How was school today?”

“School was fine though,” you reply, “the teacher called me today, and she asked me something. I replied with what she said was mature.”

“‘Matured’ huh?” your mom questions, “What did she ask?”

Hilda comes in between you and your mom with a subtle reply, “Aunty, she got in trouble again.”

Ahh, you forgot this little bug.

“What?” your mom questions, looking at you.

“Mom, it’s a very long story, and it involves Georgina.” You smile, “I’ll tell you exactly when we go home.”

“Speaking of Georgina,” Trina’s mom asks, “where is she?”

“Oh, she’s in the staffroom,” you shrug, “discussing with her teachers about a conflict that happened today.”

“It’s because of you that Trina is in the staffroom,” Hilda glares daggers at you, “she didn’t do anything, and yet you got her in trouble.”

“Do you have proof?’ you spat your comeback to her, “When did I get her into trouble? She’s the one responsible for it.”

The adults are confused as heck.

“Aunty, she pushed me today,” and here comes the hooligan of your life, “and called Hilda a rat.”

Lmao, what a joke.

“She was in my way!” you retort back, “she didn’t even let me go!”

“She’s lying!” Georgina cried, her manipulative tactics being of no use, but you care less.

“Mom,” you speak, “she tried to insult me today, at school, in front of everyone. She even tried to break our friendship and humiliate me in front of everyone!”

“Georgina!” her mother spoke, “Is this true?”

“Mom,” you tug on your own mom's sleeves as you don’t want to listen to Trina throwing tantrums anymore, “I want to go home, I’m very hungry.”

But good things go better when Mrs. Thomas, the class teacher of 1B (you were in the A section, along with these two), comes out of the staff room and stands in front of you three.

“I think it’s better if we discuss this in the car.”

And now, here you are, in the car, on your mother’s lap, while you listen to Mrs. Thomas’ words. She was there when Georgina and Tapasya were talking to your class teacher, and the truth had been revealed by Tapasya.

Wait…

Tapasya told the truth? Like, she would never; she would always follow what Georgina had commanded her, which also included lying, so why the sudden change of heart?

You can see the disappointment from the driver, Mrs. Thomas, Georgina’s mom, Hilda’s mom, and your mom. Their disappointment is aimed at Georgina and Hilda.

Once the driver drops you and your mom on the bus stop, you look at her while crossing and walking on the road, on your way home.

“Nisa is making saagoli, gaahori, and xaxor mangkho in his house,” your mom says, “he’s telling us to come there. We’ll freshen up, and then we’ll go, okay?”

“Okay.”

“By the way, don’t let Georgina ruin your life, okay? She excluded you, didn’t she?”

You pause for a moment, then answer, “She tried, but I told her that if she didn’t want to be friends with me, she should’ve told me instead of publicly shaming and insulting me, which I find very weird and awful.”

“You’re trying to speak up for yourself now,” your mom praises and ruffles your hair, “It’s nice. I’m glad you’re defending yourself.”

You, your mom, your cousins, your uncle, and your aunties live in the same locality and in the same lane, but in different houses, so going to their houses is like walking distance of about 1 minute. Also, you have a dad, who works in another city, just 130 km away from your city. He visits you both during the weekends.

You are busy having the fried saagoli and xaxor mangkho with boiled rice, when you hear your mom talking to your eldest aunt, from the drawing room, about your tiffin.

“[Reader], did you eat the food I gave you?” your mom asks you.

“Yes mom! I had it,” it’s true, you ate all the food she gave you, and did not waste anything, because you remember in your previous life how much you wasted food because of your pickiness.

Your mom turns to her sister as you continue eating the lunch your uncle gives you, “Georgina is again bullying her.”

“What?” your aunt turns to look at her, “Is Georgina picking on her again?”

“[Reader] said she tried to insult her in public and exclude her, but [Reader] retorted and called her out. At the end, Georgina and another girl were called to the staff room, and both of them were scolded very badly. Mrs. Thomas told me everything. And the way she and Hilda tried to put the blame on my daughter tells me that [Reader] should leave them both. They’ll continue to bully her if she still sides with them.”

“The first time I met Georgina, I could already tell that this girl had very bad vibes, like she was very cunning as a fox. I still don’t trust her and her parents. Maybe it would be better if [Reader] cuts ties with her friends. She needs to find a new friend.”

“I told her to stay along with Aditi, but she wouldn’t listen.”

Aditi is also another friend whose mom became friends with your mom ever since your first day at school. You remember she was very demanding and commanded you to do several god-awful things, like breaking your fast during your menarche in 5th grade, giving you very little portion of chips while she got the 80%, stealing your food, and calling you names like selfish and useless. But unlike Georgina, she wasn’t into humiliating you publicly, but you’d still consider this bullying.

Now, Aditi is your only option left.

At night, before going to bed, you pray to the lord that Aditi becomes the only person whom you can rely on, doesn’t bully you and steals your food, doesn’t end up like Georgina, and doesn’t break your fast this time, because as a future good friend of Aditi, this is the only thing you can do for her.

The next morning, during the first period, the class teacher calls you and Georgina. You both stand beside her, but you are the only one who is nervous. Was the teacher going to say anything to you?

No, you shrug it off. The teacher confronted Georgina and Tapasya yesterday in the staffroom, but then why is she calling you today?

That’s when the teacher tells her, “Georgina, give me your badge. I don’t think you’re eligible for the class monitor role.”

Whispers fill the room, with some questioning the teacher’s choice, while others are saying that this behaviour is justified. As the teacher silences the kids, she turns to you both and hands out her hand, “Georgina, c’mon. You can’t keep me waiting.”

Georgina, hesitantly, gives her the badge. You can’t believe this. Georgina Mahanta, a girl with brilliant brains and high confidence, is being stripped of the title of class monitor because you exposed her to the teacher. Her loss.

The teacher tells her to sit, and she goes back to her seat. The teacher turns to you and hands you the badge, “I was quite impressed by the remarks you made yesterday. I had a feeling that you were the one who could lead this class. So, I present you as the class monitor.”

Silence…

The whole class goes silent…

You take the badge from her and thank her for it, “Ma’am, I promise that I’ll do my best to monitor this class,” and go to your seat. The others gush over you, awing at you and your badge because you are now the class monitor.

This will be fun.

The next break time, the students come over to you and applaud you for your now prestigious title. You have so many admirers now that they all want to become your friend. But you politely decline and instead, promise to be a better classmate to them. You head towards Aditi and shout her name, “Aditi!”

Aditi looks in your direction and waves at you, “[Reader], come over here!” She beckons you to her group of only four people. Her group is tinier than Georgina’s, and you have to admit that this one seems more peaceful than the other.

Aditi also takes the same classical dance class as you do, so being friends with her seems pretty usual.

You just hope that she doesn’t end up like Georgina.

“She’s joining too?” another girl asks, you know her as someone who is an expert in judo. She wins all judo titles around Linkon as her name is always announced on stage.

The whole day, you stay with Aditi and her group, completely avoiding Georgina and her friends. You are satisfied with the karma she faced today.

As the break is over, you, along with Aditi and your new friends, go to your classrooms and sit in your respective seats. Georgina keeps an eye on you, green with envy and red with anger as you dare to take away her reputation and her title.

You wish that she doesn’t get the ‘Best Student Award’ for her behaviour and acing her exams. You want more of her misery.

As school ends, you take the school bus, which picks you up from the bus stop, as you told your mom yesterday not to pick you up from school anymore. You now know how these two were a very bad influence.

The school bus halts at your bus stop, and you get off. The bus goes away, making another stop for Aditi 50 meters away.

“Ahhh, my sweet baby! How was school to—huh? Is that…?” Your mom notices the badge on your uniform, “[Reader], was Georgina stripped of being the class monitor?”

“Yes mom,” you grin at her, “Wasn’t my fault, Georgina ruined her own reputation for the sake of ruining mine.” You shrug off and hold her hand.

Your mom is very proud, though.

But this isn’t over.

End notes: Nisa means "Uncle" in our regional language, and gaahori, saagoli, and xaxor mangkho means "pork, goat meat and duck meat" respectively, since Reader is hinted to be from the NE part of my country (y'all will get into that later on). Spoilers, Yi (MC) and the guys will be introduced in chapter 3. ©thelostdarling please do not steal, translate or repost my work on any other sites like ao3, tumblr or wattpad. this is my only account where i write my fanfics. do not even ask for permission. thank you for reading.

Georgina is a crying mess.

“She was once an idiotic child, and a very clingy insect too! I wonder what you had done to make her talk back to you!”

“Mom, I didn’t do anything,” Georgina cries out, “I’m telling you, she’s lying—”

“She’s lying, she’s lying, she’s lying,” Mrs. Mahanta slaps her, and repeats in anger and sarcasm, “If she’s lying, do you have proof?”

Georgina stays silent.

“That’s what I thought,” Mrs. Mahanta sighs as her daughter fails to give an answer, “We’ve raised you better than this. Now look at you. You not only allowed [Reader] to steal your position, but you also let her hate you. You’re pathetic,” she storms off, leaving Georgina crying like a mess.

There’s no way you hate her, right? I mean, even if she has started to bully you, there’s no way you’ve started to hate her, right? You’re a naïve, and an innocent idiot who’d still be her friends and subjugate yourself to her torture, right?

That’s what she is thinking.

Meanwhile, your family has been praising you for becoming the class monitor. You are no longer in your ex-friend’s shoes. They celebrate your victory with a very hearty dinner that night.

On 13th of November, 2014, Georgina Mahanta did something very unforgivable to you. She hugged every friend in your friend group, but not you. During the afternoon break, she chose not to hug you. Why? Because you were very pathetic and annoying, that’s what she said.

You called her out and cried, but seniors only noticed her discomfort and they all surrounded you. She was the one getting comfort, and praises. But you? You were insulted, mocked, and harassed on the school playground. They all mobbed you, tried to drag you to your classroom, but you resisted and held onto someone’s arm. As a result, you ended up scratching that arm, which you found out was your friend’s. Tapasya and some other girls grabbed you, preventing you from taking a part in the afternoon assembly.

As the next period started, a senior from grade 3rd came to your classroom and called out your name. As the class teacher of 2B was absent and had to take leave for some days, your previous class teacher’s daughter had to take in-charge of your class. She was left confused when that senior called out your name.

Few seconds later, you both were out of  the classroom and she grabbed your arm, almost tugging you. In a harsh voice, she said, “Wait, watch what happens when the Vice-principal and the principal, both, give you a TC for your bad behaviour.”

Bad behaviour? Bad. Behaviour? What behaviour? The only person who deserved this treatment was Georgina.

You sat on a chair, as you watch the girl complain about you in the worst ways possible and leave. The Vice-principal, who was just a nun, stormed towards your and yelled at you. “I’ll seriously be going to give you a TC,” she stormed off.

You waited for her to come back, but she never came. A minute later, a visitor came and sat on another chair beside you. He looked at you and questioned, “Hi, what’s wrong?”

You were crying and sobbing so much that you struggled to form proper words and explain the situation to him, and that’s when the janitor, mind you that she also witnessed this, explained the situation and that you were the one who caused all this trouble.

“I hope you don’t do anything good in life,” she curses you, “you always cause trouble to others. I hope you leave this school.”

Then the visitor turned to you, and as expected, scolded you for being the bad child.

The Vice-principal came and excused you with some harsh words. She was still angry and infuriated in something you didn’t do.

When you went back to your classroom, you met the substitute class teacher with a slap on your face given by her. “You disgraceful child. How could you do that to your friends? Look at Georgina, she got hurt because of you. Also, you scratched Gauri’s arms!”

“Ma’am, it was an accident. I didn’t mean to, I swear—”

“Go back to your place,” she shouted, “I sometimes feel like not looking at you. You infuriate me a lot.”

You glanced at Georgina and you swore you saw her smirk and smile at your pain. How thoughtful.

Dawg, your ‘best friend’ hugged everyone but you and you called her out, only to get threats of expulsion and forcefully giving TC, mobbed by seniors and classmates, slapped by teachers, and complaints from other students.

But Mrs. Thomas was thoughtful about this situation, and found out that Georgina planned this. It became so harmful for you that she decided to give you a handful of candy in front of Georgina and Hilda, in the car, but she didn’t give candy to both of them.

Coming to the present times, you have woken up in 2014, the same date. But how? Weren’t you in 2013? What happened?

Was it possible that you had faced a time-skip?

Things seem pretty fast-forwarding, but you can move on to that theory later on.

You find out that Aditi isn’t coming to school as she is sick. So, you have to stick to her friends.

Anya, Jia, Britney, and Anita are the only people who are a part of Aditi’s friend group. They are quite friendly, and as you figure out that Aditi has gotten very considerate and reliable than she was in your last life, you can’t help but feel relaxed.

As the bell goes on to announce the break, you glance at the clock. This is the time in which Georgina and her friends bully you. But since you’re now a part of Aditi’s group, will the same torture happen?

The same scenario happens, you watch as Georgina hugs each and every one to get you jealous, but you’re too zoned out and  very unbothered to care. The voices of the kids and your friends are now nothing but mere background noises.

Hmm. How funny.

You follow your friends as they go to the field where the flowers are blooming. Even in this hot, summer like afternoon, the flowers were blooming. You have observed how the bees around are collecting nectar from the flowers, the pollen grains attached to their bodies like static charges. You remember learning about static friction when you were in the 7th grade, in your previous life.

Anya drags you from behind and rushes you to the corridor of your school, but not until when Georgina and her friends bump you on purpose. You all fall down, letting go of Anya’s hand.

You stand up and brush off the dust on your skirt when you hear the hooligan shout at you, “[Reader], are you blind or what?! Can’t you see where you’re going?!”

You still treat her existence like it is minimal.

“[Reader], I’m talking to you, you dumb bitch!”

No response from you.

You run to Anya, when she asks, “are you alright?” but in the middle of it, Georgina pushes you from behind, hitting your head on the stairs of the corridor.

You feel stings on your head, and the inside of your lower lip, you feel your arm being broken, and the centre of your left leg pains. Blood pools out of your lower lip, and your head. That’s when you realise she tried to hurt you, so you wail.

Anya and your friends are terrified at your situation. They blame Georgina instead.

“Oi, Trina,” Anya retorts back, “what made you think to push [Reader] like that?! She got hurt because of you!”

“She fell!” Georgina defends herself, “it was her fault! She should’ve watched herself!”

“We saw in our own eyes!” shouts Jia, “you pushed her from behind!”

The commotion is so loud on the playground, that the seniors gather all around you and wonder what’s happening. Turns out, they find out that your ex-bestie harmed you.

You are rushed to the medical room near the classroom of 1A. The janitor applies ointment on your head, lip and leg. She also helps you steady your broken arm. A realisation sticks to your brain that the janitor, and the seniors, who were once against you in your previous life, are now siding with you. You see Georgina trying her best to defend herself, and at the same time being scared but not crying.

She doesn’t cry, she’s not like you. That’s because she is a heartless person.

You witness this from the entrance of the medical room, Georgina taking your place coincidentally. She is being dragged away by the seniors and her so-called friends.

Wow!

The assembly goes way unexpected, with Georgina ‘held captive’, and you in the medical room.

You lie on the beach chair, staring at the ceiling, not wanting to speak to anyone. You just witness Georgina Mahanta in your place now. When she is supposed to be the one to escape easily, you just witness her in this messy situation.

The janitor now offers you a hand to sit you on the bench outside the medical room. When she leaves, you see a scared Trina waiting for the Vice-principal to come to the office so that she can fabricate lies and put the blame on you. Meanwhile, you’re the one who’s hurt, all thanks to her attempts of harming you.

Is this a foreshadowing?

I guess…yeah.

You watch as the Vice-principal enters her office and scolds Georgina, threatening her to give TC, but Georgina stays quiet, as the ‘matured’ person she is. She tries to tell the Vice-principal that it was an accident, but she is not ready. Soon the Vice-principal leaves, enters into another room not passing by the medical room, and Georgina glances at your face. Tears are now dried, your eyes red and puffy, your nose as red as Rudolph’s. She does not give you a look of sympathy, nor she realises the damage she has done, because deep down she is very delighted that you won’t be able to volunteer for the Children’s Day celebration tomorrow.

You are one of the kids who was supposed to send a gift to the Chief guest, and supposed to wear a pretty dress your mom got you for your 7th birthday, but everything is now in the garbage when this minx has ruined everything.

But you’re stubborn. You are not going to let this slide, even with a partial broken arm.

Your mom is called to take you home but after an hour when she comes, you witness the horror on her face.

“Moina? Wh–what happened? How did you get hurt like that?” your mother struggles with her words after seeing you in such a bad condition.

Now, how are you going to tell her that you ‘friend’ tried to harm you?

Oh wait, you can just straightforwardly tell her. No big issue. You don’t have to side for your atrocious friend.

You explain to her the exact incident, but you stutter with your words, while Georgina looks at you and scoffs at your inability to speak. Not until, the janitor stands up for you and tells her the real incident.

“This girl,” she points at Georgina, “pushed  your daughter, and she broke her arm. Now, she’s telling everyone that she didn’t push her.”

“I’m telling the truth!” Georgina shouts from the office, glaring at the janitor.

“You dare talk back, young lady? No wonder why you will never be good enough to become a monitor! It’s your behaviour towards your friends that never makes you a good human being,” the janitor retorts back, giving a terrifying angry look at your ex-best friend, being protective towards you.

You don’t blame her nor her terrifying angry look, but she’s indeed a kind person. Because once upon your previous life, this dark-skinned tribal janitor with a grouchy face , who disappointed a lot of students and teachers, cursed you throughout your lifetime that you’d suffer a very atrocious life once you leave this school. But now, her curse towards you is being directed to Georgina. You feel bad for Georgina thought, because you wish that the curse would still get directed towards you.

Georgina deserves what she truly gets for putting the blame on you.

Your mom doesn’t care about Georgina anymore. She still takes you home with an auto rickshaw whose driver is a family friend of yours. You’ve been knowing him since childhood.

Once you reach home, with a plastered arm and a bandaged face, your mom looks at you and sighs.

“What am I going to do with this Georgina?” She hugs you and soothes your hair, “it’s okay, moina, you did your best. But you cannot go tomorrow for the Children’s Day volunteering.”

You stiffen.

“I know that Georgina broke your arm and I totally blame her for that, but you cannot go tomorrow.”

Rot in hell, Rhea.

“I want to go,” you said softly, “I’ll go, even if I’m hurt.”

“No, moina. The doctor told you to rest,” she kisses your temple and wipes away your tears, “you can’t hurt yourself anymore.”

You sob as the thought of Georgina ruining everything flashes your mind again. It’s all her fault, that little minx destroyed everything in your way.

Meanwhile, at school, Georgina enters her classroom with the substitute teacher glaring at her. The teacher seems really furious.

And then...

SLAP!

The children’s eyes are at them, mostly at Georgina. “You disgraceful child. How could you do that to your friend? You should be ashamed of yourself!”

“Ma’am, I didn’t do that, I swear—!”

“Ma’am, she’s lying,” Anya says, “I was there when she pushed [Reader] to the stairs of the corridor!”

“Not only that ma’am,” Jia continues, “She’s been bullying [Reader] for years!”

Then, the classroom is erupted with complaints, involving Georgina.

“Okay, enough,” the teacher hits the ruler on the table to shush the students. She points to Georgina and says, “Go back to your place. I’m so disappointed in you. No wonder why you couldn’t become the class monitor properly.”

At home also, she is verbally abused.

“You disgrace!” Mrs. Mahanta shouts at her daughter, “[Reader] doesn’t even talk to you anymore, and yet you still cause trouble to her? What kind of a child are you? No wonder why her mother doesn’t want to talk to us!”

Georgina stands there, on the corner of her bedroom, shaken by her mother’s yelling.

“You are so obsessed with her! Why can’t you leave her alone?”

“She was the one who pushed us first!”

“But Hilda is saying that you planned it? What is the meaning of this, Rhea?” Mrs. Mahanta, red with anger, turns her back onto her child, and locks the door from outside, leaving Georgina to starve the entire evening.

The next day, driven by the anger beneath her bones, Mrs. Mahanta gives her own daughter a silent treatment.

Today is Children’s Day, and most of the students in your class are upset that you won’t be able to come. But who cares, you’re going to bomb the entire class, with the damage your ex did to you the day before.

All eyes are on you since the moment you enter the classroom. They’re still worried about your arm and your forehead. But you do not mind; they’ll heal.

You just have to keep on smiling.

Even during the memento gifting ceremony which happens before any performances happen, the chief guests glance at you and your arm. They ponder about what happened and worry about you—not until the Vice Principal tells them everything.

After a very long day, you come back to your home, change your clothes, shower, and sit on the bed you’ve been sleeping in since.

The bed feels safe for you to be sleeping in.

End notes: I'm the one who's pretty fast-forwarding things (inserts kitty sad face) ©thelostdarling please do not steal, translate or repost my work on any other sites like ao3, tumblr or wattpad. this is my only account where i write my fanfics. do not even ask for permission. thank you for reading.