This is it! The end of my time at Indian High School. The feeling of contentment is gone.

Despite having completed my last exam one hour earlier, I do not feel the joy I should feel.

I never expected to feel so uncertainly downhearted at this moment.

Here I am sitting on a not-so-comfortable wooden desk. My head was flat on the desk, and I blocked out any light that might disturb my eternal peace.

Having just completed my last exam, today is my last day in India as a student, as I will not be enrolling for the next academic session. The past three months have been so frenetic for me.

After the winter carnival, I expected a relaxing and long-lasting winter vacation, but instead, I got a holiday on Christmas day and a week off starting on New Year's Eve, and then boom. Following our pre-board exams, I had our boards exams, also known as final exams.

Even though I had the exam date lined up in front of me, I did celebrate Christmas and the new year the best way I could have at that moment.

Christmas morning was spent with Ahujha's family. We bought Titan watches for everyone in Ahujha's family. The evening ended with our first night out in Delhi. We visited a mall. We shopped, watched a movie, went ice skating, and won prizes from the gaming zone. It was a fun night.

We went to Connaught Place, one of the posh areas of Delhi, for New Year's Eve with the Ahuja family. First, we visited the famous Hanuman temple, then the Bangla Sahib Gurudwara, and then the Sacred Heart Cathedral. I also saw a mosque on my way to the temple. These all places were located in a square.

I had too many firsts in my life at that time. To be all irritated at having to remove my shoes and walk barefoot to the temple, to help in the gurdwara as one should always do when visiting a gurdwara.

Dad and Arnav give prasad to the people whereas I helped uncle Karthik give water to the people. Mom and Aunty helped put people's shoes on the shelves.

It was funny to watch Arnav's reaction in the cathedral since it was his first time going there. The wait at the famous restaurant was too long for us, so we ditched the place and had a picnic at the India gate instead. As we roamed around, we ordered pizzas from Domino's.

We had a lot of fun ditching the rich restaurant for the picnic. We took many pictures and did the countdown at the India Gate itself.

Not the ideal way to spend new year's eve, but I guess it seems perfect at that moment.

The new year was spent snuggling up in my warm blankets at home with a good book in my hand. Delhi is so cold that you have to wear at least four layers of clothing by the new year.

Afterward, I didn't do anything but study. I was so stressed out that it affected my mental health, but now that it is over once and for all, I am relieved, but there are other feelings that will have to be dealt with.

Although I am sitting in a whole different school, in an unknown classroom, I just want a light blanket to cover me so that I can feel the warmth in this dreary room.

Even with the classroom full of students writing their final exam for the year in complete secrecy, the silence felt eerie, or was it just my heart, who felt strange? There was something cold about the air. The tranquility felt so unwelcoming.

My journey from the moment I entered the class to now, sitting here, made me realize how far I had come.

As much as I wished to get kicked out of this school and take the easy way out, I didn't realize when and how, but this place ended up growing on me. Getting too familiar with people makes me explore new aspects of myself. I became an easy-going, candid person, not a hard-core individual.

Even after being so different, I fit in perfectly for the first time in my life. Back in Miami, it was just me and Lexi, but here, even though I spend most of my time with Mishty, it was not just us but the entire class as a family.

My first day in the classroom is still etched in my mind. It was an adrenaline rush combined with a feeling of nervousness. Preparing a crammed speech is so not me. Trying that and I think saying all that crap was hilarious.

In addition, it was stupid of me to compare Aditya to Ezra, my Miamian crush at the time. I had expected to fall for Aditya after getting to know him, but guess what? Ezra isn't a crush after knowing Aditya, not because I started liking the latter one, but because I realize boys like Aditya and Ezra don't fit my taste anymore.

Another reason may be that we just have friendly sibling vibes, that I would never think of dating someone with even closer looks to him. I roast him indirectly even in my thoughts. Well, roasting each other is the first hallmark of our friendship.

As I walked towards Mishty, I was filled with hundreds of questions, but the smile on her face eased all my uncertainty.

Well, I am sure I wasn't feeling that way at the time, but I can realize this by reliving those memories. My bond with Mishty isn't something that can be easily described. It is something that one needs to experience on their own for one to really understand it.

Never thought I would get too attached to them all.

*Ring* *Ring*

The school bell rang to mark the end of the final exam and remind me of my need to leave this downhearted zone.

As soon as the invigilator collected the paper I took my pouch with me and walked out with the other children.

I quickly went to the spot where Mishty and other children from our school met. They were already standing there when I approached the place.

"Hey! How was the paper?" I enquired.

"Nailed it!" Anubhav, the class topper said.

"I don't care anymore." Mishty said.

"No more talking about exams." Soumil said.

"Cool! I get the vibe. What are your plans for the holidays?"

"Just chilling out." Everyone nodded to that response.

"Wait a second, I'll be back soon." I left them amidst to follow the familiar tall headed person.

"Hey Senior! Sup!"

"Hey Junior! How was the exam?"

"I won't talk about it as it was my last, but I nailed it."

"My final two exams are still ahead of me. Lucky you!" Bhavya Bhayia (Brother) Chuckled, and I joined along.

"I came here to bid you farewell. I will be returning to Miami in the first week of August and am not planning to join the school again.

"Well, after my exams, I'll be out of school and preparing to study abroad."

"Oh great! Where will you be going?"

"USA is my first preference."

"Wow, that's cool! I hope your dreams come true."

"The same applies to you, junior."

"Good bye!" I waved and he replied the same. It was the easiest goodbye I've ever bid. Though thinking about the harder goodbyes still brings a pang to my heart, I can feel no other goodbye harder than the one I bid to Lex. So I know I can do this all again, but the thing is I can never be good at this.

Having already said goodbye to the entire class on our last day of 10th grade before the finals, I realized how much I had become attached to them. During game time and the interclass competition. It was all our class, from fighting with the other sections of students to having the best academic performance in the whole 10th grade throughout the year.

"Oi Katie! Why are you standing here all by yourself when the group is waiting?" Eddy asked, and a thought struck me.

"I was just coming! How are you?" I asked while pondering over the realization.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah but why?"

"You asked me how I am out of nowhere." He dragged me along to the group but I was still in my turmoil.

"Here she is! Why did you go MIA on us babe?"

"Here they go again!" The whole group chorused on Mishty's action.

"Are you going to remember me?" I blurted out my thoughts.

"Is that an even question? Of course, we will. I certainly will miss you." Everybody nodded in agreement as Mishty said.

"Believe me when I tell you that you aren't a forgotten person." Anubhav smirked. Of course, he would say that after all the trouble I put him through.

He was the most trustworthy person out in the class who I could trust to be on my side, whenever I go against Mishty or Aditya. It was just in the last months that we actually bonded very well due to the study pressure.

"If I will forget you, then who will stop you from being all cocky?" Aditya said and I chuckled.

"Girl, how can anyone ever forget you, and it's not everyday we get to speak with a Katie who is so dashing as us." Soumil complimented.

"Mister you made a mistake there. The only dashing one here is me and my babe."

"That's true my love!" Mishty and I both hugged each other dramatically, while the boys just shook their heads.

"Let's get out of here, until and unless we want to be especially kicked out by someone." Aditya suggested and we walked out of the school building where our center was.

"Well I guess this is it! The journey to an Indian highschool was so beautiful and remarkable just because of you. Thank you very much for being in my life."

"Haye Pagli! You made us all seem like strangers by that sentence of yours!" Mishty exclaimed. She called me pagli as in a foolish person, every time I thanked her for something.

"Arey Yaar, you know in what sense I mean that." I really got the meaning of the emotional words that people use. Yaar is used for addressing close friends, and arey is just an exclamation that I cannot explain.

"Whatever!" She said nonchalantly, and everyone took the cue to give us the space and bid their goodbye. Aditya also left, well I guess I will have to meet him again, before leaving.

"Oh c'mon Mishty, you know I can't let you go that easily." I comforted her.

"I know that Katie, but eventually in the end we both have to let go and it doesn't make the pain less. Well at least I am happy for you, that finally you are going back to Florida." She quickly changed the topic.

I looked deeply into Mishty's eyes and held her hand. "Some infinities are bigger than others,"

Getting the cue she grasped it tightly and said, "But Kat, my love, I cannot tell you how thankful I am for our little infinity." We both laughed out loud.

"Okay we should go now, or else your mom will get worried." I said to Mishty and we parted our ways after a long-lasting hug.

For the first time, I like the glances people give me as I board the public bus. Although people's glances irritated me here, this is something I will miss in Miami.

Taking the window seat in last which was as usual empty, I decided to just go through Mishty and mine's moment again.

Although we have portrayed our love for Fault in Our Stars so well, the lines we spoke were so relevant to our bond at this moment.

It is not like my leaving means the end of our friendship, but it is the end of the way we used to communicate. Despite never knowing how the future will play out, at least I have established a bond with Mishty that we can go months without speaking and yet sit down and get all the deets in that one video call.

My mind was so lost that I didn't even realize that the next stop was mine. In a rush, I took my pouch and walked in front.

After getting off the bus, I walked to the society, then took the lift to my apartment. At this point, I was exhausted physically and mentally, so I didn't bother taking out the keys since Mom was on leave for some reason I didn't ask about.

After ringing the bell and calling out mom, mom finally opened the door.

Wait, wait it isn't mom. I tilted my head and rubbed my eyes three times, but she hadn't disappeared. Blinking, I looked behind the person to see two little devils awaiting my response, and that's when the realization dawned on me.

It's Lexi Freaking Torres, here in India.

***

*Drum rolls*

Well, I sense some more drama before the ending now.

***

Q: What's Lexi doing in India?

A: C'mon I am the one who is going to write about it.

K: Still Blinking...

***

Vote and comment if you like the chapter.