CRAZY LOVE FOR YOU

CHAPTER 4: MY FIRST DAY AT SCHOOL

The car ride to Imperial College was 30 minutes but it felt like 3 hours and 3 minutes at the same time.

Dad was driving but kept glancing back at me through the mirror. "You okay back there, princess?"

"Yeah," I said, tugging at the pink gown Rumi forced on me. It itched. It was frilly. It was everything I hated.

"You look really nice," Mum said from the front seat, turning to smile at me.

Rumi was beside me, fixing my hair for the 5th time. "Stop frowning. You look like a princess who’s about to conquer a kingdom."

"I look like a cupcake," I muttered.

Shaurya, sitting on my other side, bumped my shoulder. "My sister’s a dangerous cupcake though. So watch out, Imperial."

I laughed even though my stomach was in knots.

When we pulled up to the gates, I forgot how to breathe.

Imperial College wasn’t a school. It was a whole world.

White buildings with big windows. Green lawns so neat they looked fake. Girls walking around in uniforms, laughing, carrying books, some with headphones, some in groups. There were trees everywhere and even a fountain at the entrance.

"This is..." I trailed off.

"Beautiful?" Rumi finished for me.

"Yeah," I whispered.

Mrs. Kapoor, the hostel warden, was waiting for us at the main hostel building. She had kind eyes, a neat bun, and a smile that made me instantly less scared.

"You must be Poorvi Mehra," she said, shaking Dad’s hand first and then mine. "Welcome to Imperial, dear."

"Thank you, ma’am," I said quietly.

Dad carried my bags. Mum held my hand. All three brothers followed behind like my personal security team. Rumi walked beside me, matching my steps.

Room 12B was on the second floor. My heart was pounding so loud I was sure everyone could hear it.

In my old school, "new girl" meant whispers. It meant someone would hide your bag. It meant eating lunch alone.

I pushed the door open slowly.

Inside were three girls.

Girl 1 was tall with long braids, sitting on her bed painting her nails.

Girl 2 had short hair and glasses, reading a book on the floor.

Girl 3 had a high ponytail and was organizing her desk with color-coded notebooks.

For 2 seconds, nobody moved.

And then Ponytail girl screamed.

"YOU’RE HERE!! The new roommate!!"

She ran over and took my bag from Dad. "I’m Zara! This is Tasha and that’s Nia! We’ve been waiting for you!"

Tasha, the one with braids, stood up and smiled. "Hi. I’m Tasha. Here, let me help with that." She took another bag from Akshay.

Nia, the one with glasses, pushed her book aside and stood up. "I’m Nia. Do you want water? Are you tired? Do you need the washroom first?"

I blinked. "Uh... hi?"

Zara was already pulling me to the empty bed by the window. "This is yours! We picked it because it has the best light and you can see the garden from here. Also we put new bedsheets on it for you. Pink and white, because Rumi told us you’d be wearing pink today."

My mouth opened. "You... you knew I was coming?"

"Of course!" Nia said. "Mrs. Kapoor told us last week. We even cleaned the whole room yesterday."

And they had. The room smelled like lemon. There was a small plant on the desk next to my bed. A little note taped on the wall said: _Welcome to 12B, Poorvi! We’re so glad you’re here._

My throat felt weird. "Thank you," I managed.

For the next hour my family and I unpacked with them.

Tasha showed me where everything was. "This is our cupboard, this is the common bathroom, this is where we keep extra snacks."

Nia asked me what subjects I liked.

Zara asked if I could dance because "we need more people for the dance club".

Mum kept watching me with teary eyes. Dad kept nodding like he was approving everything.

Shaurya pulled me aside. "See? Not everyone is bad, Poorvi."

"I know," I said. And for the first time, I actually believed it.

At 1pm the lunch bell rang.

"Come on," Zara said, grabbing my hand. "You can’t eat alone on your first day. That’s against 12B rules."

"There are rules?" I asked.

"Yes," Tasha said seriously. "Rule 1: No one eats alone. Rule 2: We share snacks. Rule 3: We protect each other."

The dining hall was huge. Long tables, big windows, girls everywhere.

And instead of the stares I was used to, I got waves and smiles.

"Hey new girl!"

"Welcome to Imperial!"

"Is that Rumi? Hi Rumi!"

Rumi was at another table with some girls from her old tuition. She gave me a thumbs up and mouthed _Told you_.

I sat with 12B. Tasha gave me half her sandwich. Nia poured me juice. Zara told me the names of everyone at our table.

That’s when I saw him.

By the juice counter. Tall. White shirt, sleeves rolled up. Hair messy like he’d just run here.

He looked up, saw me, and smiled. Not a teasing smile. A soft one. Like he was genuinely glad I was there.

"Who’s that?" I whispered to Zara.

"Aryan Rathore," she said. "11th grade. He’s in the student council. He’s... really nice. Don’t let anyone tell you different."

My phone buzzed in my pocket.

I pulled it out.

*Unknown Number:* _Pink really does suit you. Even if you keep pulling at it. Welcome to Imperial, Poorvi._

My heart jumped into my throat. I looked up. Aryan was still looking at me. He lifted his juice glass a little, like a silent "hello".

I quickly put my phone away, face burning.

After lunch, Mrs. Kapoor gave me a tour. Library. Science labs. Art room. Dance studio. Rooftop garden.

"Any questions, dear?" she asked.

"Is it always this... nice?" I asked honestly.

She laughed. "Imperial tries to be a home for everyone. I think you’ll like it here very much."

Back in Room 12B that evening, I called home.

"How was it?" Mum asked immediately.

"It was good," I said. "Really good. The girls are nice. The school is pretty. I think... I think I’m going to like it here."

I heard Dad sigh in relief on the other end. "That’s all we wanted to hear, princess."

When I hung up, Zara was playing music. Tasha was braiding Nia’s hair.

"Movie night?" Zara asked me.

"Tonight?" I asked.

"Every Friday is movie night in 12B. You in?"

I looked at my pink gown, at my new bed, at these three girls who didn’t even know me 6 hours ago but were treating me like I’d always been here.

"Yeah," I said, smiling for real. "I’m in."

Later that night, lying in bed, I stared at the ceiling.

No one bullied me. No one ignored me. No one called me names.

Instead, I got "welcome". I got help with my bags. I got half a sandwich.

My phone buzzed one last time before I slept.

Aryan: _Hope your first day was good. You belong here._

I didn’t reply. But I read it three times.

I closed my eyes.

For the first time in a long time, I wasn’t scared of tomorrow.

I was actually excited for it.

Because Imperial didn’t feel like a punishment.

It felt like a second chance.

And I was ready to take it.