Chapter 2 - sleepyhead

"It's getting late, let's wake her up," Nivik suggested.

Neena, who was seated on the couch, responded, "You go ahead."

He noticed Anvika still clutching her favorite teddy bear as she slept, a soft smile on her lips. Grinning mischievously, he tiptoed over to her bed and gently grabbed the teddy bear, giving it a tentative tug.

The teddy bear resisted at first, tightly held by Anvika even in her slumber. Undeterred, Nivik pulled a bit harder. Suddenly, Anvika shifted with the teddy, and before he could react, she tumbled off the bed, landing on the floor with a soft thud.

Her cry of anguish was, "Ho my back."

Neena said, "Brother, you really got her back," while laughing.

Ha, ha, ha, ha.

Nivik murmured, "Shush!" as he glanced at Neena. "Don't scream; the devil will murder me if she hears you."

He was also somewhat shocked since he hadn't anticipated her holding the teddy that firmly.His main goal was to rouse her.

When Anvika opened her eyes, she found Nivik standing next to her, her teddy in his arms.

She became enraged, got up, and began berating him, saying things like, "You stupid thing you wanted to brock my back early in the morning."

Neena stopped laughing when she observed Anvika's irate expression.

Nivik apologized immediately, saying, "Who knew that you would hold this teddy so tightly? I imagined to wake you up. Rather than you, I simply took this teddy out of bed.

"Is this my fault, you just shattered my back, and you're acting like it wasn't? "

"Of course, who told you to sleep with this teddy in your arms?"

Neena mulled it over, "I guess these guys are going to keep doing this till evening."

Even though they care more about one other, she has seen these two quarrel constantly since she was a little kid.

"Stop it, guys, it's getting late, you can have a brawl after school," Neena interrupted.

Anvika immediately inquired as to the time.

"It's thirty at eight already," Nivik remarked.

She yelled, "What?" and rushed into a restroom to change into her clothes.

Nivik remarked, "I'm granting you 10 minutes to get down," and he and Neena returned to the hall.

Anvika climbed up and got down in ten minutes.

She, determined to make up for lost time, managed to get dressed in a record ten minutes. She dashed downstairs, her hair still slightly damp from a quick brush, and made a beeline for the dining table. There, Nivik and Neena were already finishing their breakfast, chatting animatedly about the day ahead.

"Morning, sleepyhead," Nivik teased, flashing her a grin as she slid into her seat.

"Yeah, yeah," Anvika mumbled, grabbing a piece of toast and quickly spreading some butter on it. She began to shove food into her mouth in a desperate attempt to catch up.

Her mother, noticing the hurried frenzy, sighed in exasperation. "Anvika, slow down! You know it's not good to eat so quickly," she admonished, her voice a mix of concern and frustration. "And what did I tell you about staying up late? You wouldn't be in such a rush if you didn't kick your alarm clock off the bed every morning."

With her mouth full, Anvika could only manage a muffled, "Sorry, Mom." She chewed rapidly, her eyes darting to the clock on the wall.

"And don't think I won't have more to say about this when you get back," her mother continued, hands on her hips. "You need to start taking better care of yourself. Staying up late, sleeping through alarms, rushing through meals—it's not healthy."

Anvika swallowed quickly, washing down her toast with a gulp of orange juice. "I know, Mom," she said, her voice earnest but hurried. "I promise I'll listen to all your lectures after school. Right now, I just can't be late. It's our last day, and I don't want to miss anything."

Her mother shook her head, a small smile tugging at her lips despite her frustration. "Alright, but you better be ready for a proper talk this evening."

Anvika nodded vigorously, grabbing her school bag and slinging it over her shoulder. "I will. Love you, Mom!" she called out, already halfway to the door.

Nivik and Neena stood up, ready to follow her. "Come on, slowpoke," Neena said, her tone playful. "We don't want to keep everyone waiting."

As the three friends headed out the door, Anvika felt a mixture of excitement and nervousness. Today marked the end of an era and the beginning of something new. Despite the hectic start, she was ready to face whatever the day would bring, knowing she had the support of her friends and family behind her.

They all went to school, and as it was their final day, their pals were saying goodbye to one another in the school auditorium. It was a really depressing day.

Nivik had conversations away with his classmates when he suddenly sought for Anvika, but he couldn't locate her.

He approached Neena and said, "Where is Anvika?"

"I'm asking you about her even though I haven't seen her."

Concerned, Nivik turned to glance around and saw that a few males were absent from the hallway.

In school, such lads are their foes because they constantly cause them problems.