Monday morning. The sun hadn't even fully risen, and Karthik already had three texts from Vikram.
> "Da. Bulletin board. Now."
"You and Ananya made it to The List."
"RUN."
He blinked, still half-asleep, and trudged into school.
The moment he stepped in, he saw it—students crowded around the red school notice board, giggling, gasping, snapping photos.
Shruthi waved frantically. "Karthik! You have to see this!"
He shoved through the crowd and stared.
Pinned right at the top was a sheet titled:
"Top 5 Suspected Secret Couples of Grade 11"
1. Ananya Yadav & Karthik Iyer
2. Shruthi & Some Poor Soul
3. Vikram & His Cricket Bat
4. Teachers suspected it first
5. Confirmed by glances in the hallway
Karthik's mouth fell open. "What is this?"
Ananya walked in just then, reading the board casually. "Oh wow. Number one?"
"You sound proud," Karthik hissed.
"Why not?" She grinned. "We're trending."
Shruthi crossed her arms. "This has Riya and her gossip squad written all over it."
Just then, the intercom crackled.
"Attention students. The principal has noticed some… interesting creativity on our notice board this morning. While we appreciate your observational skills, please remember school is not a reality show."
The crowd groaned.
Karthik muttered, "I feel like I'm in a Tamil serial."
Ananya leaned in. "Relax. This is fun."
"You think getting exposed like this is fun?"
She shrugged. "They were going to find out eventually. Besides…" She tapped the list. "We beat Vikram and his cricket bat."
Karthik chuckled in spite of himself. "That's true."
The bell rang, and the students slowly dispersed.
As they walked to class, Karthik whispered, "You really don't mind people knowing?"
Ananya smiled. "Not when the person I like walks beside me like this."
His heart did a small somersault.
And just like that, gossip or not, Karthik felt… okay.
Maybe even happy.
---
End of Chapter 40