The bell rang at Rainbow International School, and the hallway instantly filled with chaos—shouting, laughing, running, the occasional teacher yelling over the noise. Somewhere in the middle of it all, a short, furious storm named Vashti stomped down the corridor, her fists clenched and her eyes practically on fire.
Twelve years old, barely five feet tall, and already famous for her temper.
Some kid had just called her "Volcano Vashti" behind her back.
She had punched the last person who used that nickname.
She flung open the door to the science lab, fully ready to slam her bag on a desk and yell at whoever dared to speak. But what she saw made her stop.
Shabd.
Seventeen. Calm. Unbothered. Six feet tall and completely unaware of the storm that had just walked in. He sat at the last table by the window, reading a thick medical textbook like it was a comic book. Human Brain: A Beginner's Medical Guide.
He didn't even look up.
Vashti narrowed her eyes, annoyed and curious. She walked straight up to him.
"You're blocking the stool," she snapped.
He glanced up, his dark eyes calm, and moved an inch to the left. Not a word. Not even a sigh.
Vashti sat down across from him with a dramatic sigh. "Thanks," she muttered.
No reply.
She stared at him for a few seconds. No reaction. Just the sound of pages turning. That annoyed her more than it should have.
"You actually understand that stuff?" she asked, pointing at the book.
He finally looked up. "Yes."
She blinked. "I'm going to be a neurosurgeon someday."
He didn't laugh. He didn't smirk. Just said quietly, "Me too."
Something flipped in her chest. She didn't know if it was respect, curiosity, or the start of something dangerous. Something she wouldn't grow out of.
Because in that moment, Vashti decided something.
She wasn't just going to be a neurosurgeon.
She was going to be one with him.
Even if he didn't notice her now.
Even if he never looked back again.
She would chase him.
All the way to the operating room.