Ch 1- FIRST LOVE
I was in ninth grade when I first saw his name on my phone screen.
It was late at night — the kind of night when the world feels quiet, and your thoughts make more noise than they should. I was scrolling through Instagram, aimlessly, until a message popped up. His profile picture was a simple selfie, messy hair and a faint smile. The message just said:
"Hey."
Three letters. That was all it took. I didn't know it then, but my life was about to change.
His name was Armaan. He was in 11th grade — older, cooler, and confident in a way that made me feel like I was part of something important just by talking to him. Our chats became regular, then constant. Morning texts, late-night conversations, endless voice notes. We joked, shared secrets, even imagined our future together.
In just one month, I fell for him. Hard.
He made me feel seen. Like I wasn't just another girl lost in a sea of school uniforms and unfinished homework. He said I was different. Special.
And even though we hadn't met in person, it didn't matter. Not to me. Not to him.
We were in love.
Or at least, I thought we were.
Two months into our relationship, we finally had the chance to meet — not in some movie-like cafe or a walk in the park, but in the one place that felt both familiar and terrifying: school.
It was a regular Monday morning. The bell rang just like it always did, and the hallways were filled with the usual chaos — students shouting, teachers hurrying, the smell of chalk and cafeteria food lingering in the air.
But my heart was racing.
I had dressed carefully that day — not too much, but just enough. My hands were shaking as I walked toward the senior block. Toward him.
There he was. Armaan. Standing with his friends, laughing like everything was normal. I froze for a second, watching him from a distance. Then I gathered every bit of courage I had and walked toward him.
My heart pounding.
My lips smiling.
My mind rehearsing all the things I wanted to say.
But as I got closer, he looked at me.
And then — he turned away.
Like I didn't exist.
No hello. No smile. Not even a glance of recognition.
Just… nothing.
I stood there, surrounded by noise, but feeling completely alone.
And in that moment, I realized:
Some people can love you deeply when you're behind a screen.
But in real life — they can pretend like you were never even there.