episode 6
274 Words
Outside in the back courtyard behind the sports block, a group of boys in black jackets were gathered near the wall, smoking and laughing loudly. They straightened up the moment they saw Kartik approaching — hands in pockets, headphones around his neck, jaw tight.
His walk was slow, confident… dangerous.
One of the boys, Raghav, tried to smile.
“Bro… we didn’t know you were coming—”
Kartik didn’t even blink.
“Oh, you didn’t know?” his voice was soft — too soft, the kind that made people nervous.
Another boy shifted uncomfortably.
“Kartik… last time was a misunderstanding, okay? We didn’t mean to mess with your bike—”
Kartik’s expression went cold.
He grabbed Raghav by the collar and slammed him lightly against the wall — not hard enough to injure, just hard enough to remind him who they were dealing with.
“Don’t touch my things,” Kartik said, gaze sharp, voice low. “Not my bike. Not my locker. Not anything.”
Raghav gulped.
“Bro… okay, okay, relax—”
Kartik released him with a shove.
“And stay out of my way,” he added, wiping his hands as if touching them was dirty.
“Next time, misunderstanding ho ya na ho… I won’t repeat myself.”
The boys nodded quickly, backing away.
Kartik turned around, brushing his hair back lazily — that perfect Korean-style fringe falling back into place — and walked off like nothing happened.
No guilt.
No second thoughts.
No difference between right and wrong.
Just Kartik being Kartik —
the boy everyone feared.
The boy nobody understood.
The boy with secrets.
- Writer
