Two Years Ago
The girl with the bionic left leg sat by the window in her classroom, gazing out at the blossoming spring.
She wore the standard high school uniform, the skirt brushing lightly against her artificial limb. The classroom buzzed with life—some students chatted in groups, while others munched on their snacks, enjoying the break between classes.
The door slid open, and Tamim entered the room. Immediately, the atmosphere shifted as some of the girls turned to look at him, their eyes following his every move.
Girl 1: "Oh my gosh, did you see how amazing he looks today?"
Girl 2: "I know, right? But sadly he never notices us"
Tamim approached the girl with the bionic leg, holding a tray of food from the cafeteria. He placed it gently on her desk. "Here you go. You really should've brought your tiffin from your home . You know it's important, especially for you with this state of your body "
"Thanks," the girl replied, a soft smile touching her lips. "I forgot, as usual."
"I figured. Just make sure to remember next time, okay?" Tamim said, his tone light but concerned.
"Where are Fahim and Tanisa?" she asked, glancing around.
"Student council duties. They won't be able to join us," Tamim explained, preparing to leave.
"Tamim… did you have your tiffin?" she asked softly, almost shyly.
"Yeah, grabbed some bread on the way here, ate it while standing in the crowd," Tamim said, waving it off.
"Can we talk?" she asked, her voice hesitant.
"Uh… yeah, sure," Tamim replied, pulling up a chair to sit beside her.
"I'm really glad I'm able to attend school again. I couldn't have done it without anyone. Especially you and Tnisa . Thanks for all the support these past few months," she said, her gratitude evident.
"And you've thanked me and Tanisa like a hundred times in the past few days," Tamim teased, pulling out his phone.
"Tamim… there's something else I've been wanting to tell you," she said, her voice suddenly serious.
"Yeah? What is it?" Tamim asked, distracted by something on his phone.
"It's important. Could you put your phone away for a minute?" she asked, a slight edge to her tone.
"Hold on, just a sec… The date for the international cup was just announced. Give me a moment," Tamim replied, his attention still on his screen.
"Sure," she sighed, looking down.
Across the room, those two girls whispered, their eyes glued to the pair.
Girl 2: "I'm sure she'll be rejected. There's no way Tamim will say yes."
Girl 1: "Yeah, no way. He's turned down every girl who's tried to ask him out, even us."
A boy sitting nearby overheard them and scoffed. "I don't think so. Tamim and Lila are close. Things might turn out differently this time. Plus, Lila's a good girl, not a bitch like you two."
Girl 2's face flushed with anger. "What did you just say?"
Girl 1 joined in, her voice rising as she yelled at the boy.
Tamim and Lila glanced over, startled by the sudden commotion.
"What's going on?" Tamim asked to Lila , confused.
The boy quickly bolted from the classroom, the two girls hot on his heels.
Lila saw her chance. "This is the perfect time," she thought.
"By the way, what did you want to sa—" Tamim began, but Lila cut him off, her face flushed.
"Tamim… I love you," she blurted out, unable to hold it in any longer.
---
Present Day :
Tamim stared at the girl who had just called his name. "Are you Tamim?" she had asked, her voice uncertain yet familiar.
"Lila?" he said, recognizing her immediately.
"Yeah, it's me. How have you been?" Lila asked, smiling warmly.
"Well…as flow… How about you?" Tamim responded, trying to keep his tone casual.
"I expected that answer from you," Lila said with a grin. "When I first saw you, I thought it might be you, but then I wasn't sure. I'm glad I trusted my gut and called out. Sorry if I startled you," she added, her smile fading a little.
"It's alright, no need to apologize," Tamim replied.
"No, I've heard it's bad luck to call someone from behind. They say saying sorry fixes that," Lila said, a bit of superstition in her tone.
"Bad luck? If anything, I'm already the unluckiest person around," Tamim thought to himself. Just then, something wet landed on his head. He touched it, his fingers coming away sticky and white.
"What the…?" Tamim muttered, realizing it was bird droppings. "Seriously?"
"Oh no, that's terrible! I really did bring bad luck. Hold on a second," Lila said, rummaging through her bag.
"What are you doing?" Tamim asked, puzzled, as she pulled out some tissues and a cap.
"Here, clean it off, and wear this," she insisted, handing them to him.
"It's fine, I can just go home and wash up," Tamim said, waving her off.
"No, clean it now," Lila urged. "And wear the cap." Said Lila
" No, i can hide it with jacket" Said Tamim
" No..Your jacket will get dirty." Said Lila, giving Tamim the cap.
Tamim took the cap reluctantly, thinking, "She's right. I don't have any other long jackets in my closet; they've all gotten too short."
"I'm so sorry. I really did bring you bad luck by calling out to you like that," Lila said, her voice full of regret.
"There's no need to apologize. It's just a coincidence, and besides, that's just a superstition," Tamim reassured her while wearing the cap.
From across the street, a guy snapped a photo of Tamim. The sound of the camera's shutter was unmistakable, and Tamim immediately looked in his direction. The guy quickly pretended he wasn't doing anything suspicious.
"Let's go inside the shop over there," Tamim suggested, gesturing to a Japanese café beside the road.
"I'm good, thanks," Lila said, shaking her head.
—---
Inside a laser jail chamber Jennie was sitting on the bed of the chamber looking at Raka who was outside smiling.
"You are nothing without your hand Jennie, the person who ripped that off is truly a life saver" Said Raka with a mocking smile.
" Tell me busted… how did you get out?" Said Jennie screaming with an angry face.
" Secret is nothing. They found out that I am the victim so they thought of letting me go. BSSB is not that bad.
Now I will be able to go back to my normal life… I truly hope that your cort statement will be announced soon. Sure you will get death penalty" Said Raka slightly laughing at Jennie.
" I don't have my arm.. If I had, trust me. I would take all your blood out from your body and kill you" Said Jennie with rage.
" That won't be happening however. BSSB offered me to be a superhero and it is confirmed that I will be one of the new recruits of New Hexa.
I still remember how you forced me to do stuff that I never wanted to do and made me a villain. Now I will be a hero. So I was here to inform you of that" Said Raka
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To be continued...