Today was supposed to be my first day at school here. Yesterday was a busy day so I was not able to think about the school. But now as I acknowledge the thought I admit that I am nervous. All the kids here had grown up together, their parents might have been toddlers together. I would be the new girl from a different city, a curiosity , a freak. Facing my pallid reflection in the mirror , I looked at the girl standing in front of me. A sense of nostalgia hit me because I never looked like my mom. I should have had dark brown hair or blue eyes like her's. Instead I had brown eyes and black hair which reached till the middle of my back. I was ivory skinned , that is the only trait I inherited from  my mom. She was as pale as me. She had an perfect hourglass shaped body and she looked younger than she was. Yes, she was a santoor mom.

In contrast to her I had  a toothpick figure without any everlasting glow. I might blame the foster system for that because you don't have all the time in the world to care about  your beauty when you struggle to live unharmed. 

I kept my thoughts hanging over the ledge for now as I dressed for the day. I was finally relieved to get rid of the uniform, which was a compulsion till tenth grade back at my school. I opted for a cream colored sweater and faded navy blue jeans. Yeah, I know nothing new. I picked out a pair black wedged boots which went well with my outfit. I brushed my hair and decided to leave them as it is. I packed my school bag last night which was disastrously heavy, as I had to carry all my books today to keep some of  them in my locker at school. I put my phone and the earphones in my jeans  pocket. I reached downstairs to see Sunaina aunty setting the dining table for breakfast. School started at eight , I still had an hour to go. Assuming that I was an early riser , I ignored the fact that none of family members were in sight .

" Good morning Ananya ", Aunt Sunaina greeted me.

"Morning", I tried to fake a smile because the fact that I was about to face a ton of unknown people didn't really sparkle my morning.

" I know you are nervous about school and that is totally natural dear. How about having some breakfast? I know you love food", she attempted to tease me.

" Yeah , it surely isn't a bad idea. But I guess I will wait for the others to join", I just didn't want to be rude to them.

" Um...Actually they already left for school. But don't worry, Nia will accompany you. Vikas will drop you both to school", she disclosed the information guiltily.

How could they do this to me? Yesterday they were all acting as my best friends and now when I need them the most they have disappeared into thin air. Even Danish did not try to pitch for me. Why? What else did I expect? It was just an obligation for them to be nice to me. 

Just an obligation.

That's what I really was. I don't blame them. I blame myself to have expected otherwise.

" And I thought I was an early riser ", I chuckled trying my best to hide my disappointment.

" Hey, Ananya", Nia greeted me. She wore the school uniform, white button down shirt with  a navy blue blazer and a navy blue skirt which reached her knees, school socks and black shoes. I scrunched my nose imagining myself in it. I was glad finally I had gotten rid of that thing.

" I know , it sucks ", Nia chimed.

" You don't look so bad ", I tried consoling her. She laughed.

" That's better than what Danish commented. I have already had worse", she giggled.

" I can clearly imagine that he might have called you a sixty year old nun", I spoke in a total serious tone . We looked at each other for a second and then we bursted  out laughing.

" I think  you all are having a great day", I heard a modulated voice.

" Yeah , its utterly great when your so called friends ditch you on the first day of your new school", without even thinking; the words were out of my mouth. I regretted them immediately. I looked up to see the recent victim of my sarcasm. It was Vikas uncle. He was tall and gigantic , his looks could intimidate anyone. It wasn't wrong to say that many people found him scary at first sight. But I knew for a fact that he was opposite of scary . The first day when I had come here, he had lightened my mood by his small talk. I felt guilty and idiotic. I was a laughing mess and in seconds I snapped like I had pent up anger since ages.

To my utter shock instead of being offended he was amused. " Sorry , I didn't mean to snap at you ", I apologized.

" You are weird", he chuckled, I was suddenly at ease.

" Yes , I get that a lot "

" Sure you do", he smiled.

" I think you should get going now, I don't want anyone of you to be late on your first day", Sunaina Aunt declared.

" What about breakfast?", Nia whined.

Before Aunt Sunaina could offer her anything. I dragged her outside. I had lost my appetite, I wanted to get out of here and get done with school. Finally, living with them was taking a toll on me because I had mastered the talent of dragging . Nia didn't complain further , practically scared by my moody bipolar nature. 

We quickly got into the car. Nia suggested me to go for shotgun while she sat on the backseat. The ten minute ride to the school was silent. My eyes were screaming to come out of the sockets as I was gaping  at the awesomeness of nature. The blue sky was dotted with fluffy white clouds that drifted lazily in the gentle breeze. A green blanket was spread on both the sides of the road, somehow promising and hinting of the gaiety of the bloom to come and I bet that it was still summers.  The flora seemed to have danced around the summer air, a jubilant fiesta of vibrant hues. Wild flowers grew in the midst of the green carpet spreading like rainbow freckles to adorn the green.  A sweet, almost sickly, smell of flowers cut through the scent of the morning's dewy grass. I surely had missed this in my  entire life of sixteen years.

Someone knocked at my window , that is when I was snapped out of my thoughts. I didn't even realize that we were at school. I unbuckled my seat belt but before I could open the door, it was held open by Rehan standing in all his glory.

I scowled. "Look who's pretending to be a gentle man", I was still mad at everyone for leaving me behind.

" I live to serve", he smirked , totally unaffected by my sour mood. Is he delusional? 

" Just so you know" I said, " I have the capability to open my own door"

"Except ", he corrected " It's my door therefore I can open it for you", I shrugged recollecting that this was the same car he had brought to the airport. Was it his car then? Yeah it was, judging by his smirk. "Other girls would have loved it", he continued.

I just shrugged and ignored him.

" Isn't this the part where you tell me ' I am not like most girls'? ", he spoke again. Does he not understand that I am in no mood to speak?

" Do you know who else said ' I not like most girls'? ", I questioned him and he was blank. " The girl from Orphan" I answered ,"but she was actually thirty three years old , so I would like to say , I am pretty normal"

He laughed!! He laughed at my outburst. " Do you always have comebacks like these?", he marveled between his chuckles.

" Yeah she does",  a huge arm rested on my shoulders which unfortunately belonged to Danish.

" Yes , she always has her ways to put you kids in your places", Kamya snorted , Kartik followed behind her.

It was just the start of the day and I was already mad beyond my level. How could they behave as if nothing happened? Does everyone here has a short term memory problem? Not being able to take more, I sprinted off  ahead.

It was Rehan who caught up with me soon enough , my three steps were equal to his one long stride , so much for being big. He jogged a bit and my face collided with a hard wall. I looked up to see that the wall was Rehan's chest.

" Have you lost your brains? First you eloped with your friends leaving me alone , then you behave as if nothing happened and now you are standing in my freaking way. If you all wanted me to stay away from you then why are you behaving the opposite? " My pandora jar had opened up now. 

" Ananya calm down ", he held my wrists to keep me grounded and looked straight into my soul " Please give me twenty minutes and you will know why we didn't tag you along early", he pleaded with his eyes " Please"

" Ananya trust me, he is right ", it was a serious, calculated voice. I glanced sideways to sight Kartik. I succumbed to his plea and nodded. A wide grin spread through Rehan's face. Danish came to my side nudging me.

 "No one gets to upset my princess on her first day"

Kamya laced my hand with hers ,"Get ready to enter the rollercoaster known as highschool"

Nia and Vikas uncle were out of the sight now. Flanked by Danish, Kamya , Rehan and Kartik, I walked inside the school. Was I upset minutes before ? Why ?  The school was huge, it had a series of building in the campus. The building which now I was headed to consisted of three floors. 

We strolled through the corridors , occupying  all the place. Students silently made way for us. I guess my friends were popular in the school. I glanced sideways to see that we were passing by the office.  "I was supposed to collect my schedule from the office ", I made an attempt to stop. Attempt which failed.

" You won't have to", Danish smirked

"What? Why?", I was hell confused. Before I could demand the reason, my gaze fell on the hazel eyes . I could see that the corners of his lips were twitched upwards. Was he smiling? Could he smile? of course he could. His looks intimidated me somehow and I was spellbound.

" The game is on, Principal wants everyone in the gym ", Varun spoke in a silvery voice. He had a glint of amusement in his voice, which was new to me. Without acknowledging my presence he joined us as we moved towards the gym. Most of the students were gathered in the gym, all were bickering and gossiping. Soon they were silenced by a stern, shrill voice. I expanded my vision to see that a man stood on the stage with a microphone in his hands. His hair had a salt and pepper look but his face seemed young . He might have been in his early fifties.

" Mussorie High School is for those with fervor , intelligence and bright future", the man who was supposed to be the  Principal began as he held an expression of sheer annoyance and hurt.

" We do not tolerate impertinent behavior and severe consequences will apply for those who were involved in today's incident", students started to whisper among themselves , totally confused by the Principal's speech. I glanced around myself to see that Rehan and Danish smirked, Kamya was as usual , Kartik hesitated whereas Varun who was now joined by Amer had a blank expression but through the corner of my eyes I could see his lips twitched upwards. Before I could draw a conclusion the Principal spoke again.

" Years of  experience have taught me to discern a sudden occurrence of cats , many cats in my office as a prank rather than a coincidence ", My hands flew towards my mouth to suppress a chuckle. But soon students snickered. That irritated him to death.

" I encourage students who are retaining information to notify me as soon as possible. Reckless manners are not valued here. Expulsion applies to those responsible", he finished his speech and exited the gym. Soon the gym erupted with noises of students who were either amused or surprised by the warm welcome.

" So , you all did this", I tried to tease them and was met with Varun's death glare.

" Shut up. Do you want us to get expelled?", he hissed. Before I could contemplate my fault and his response he turned around and walked away.

" He just doesn't have a mouth filter, Ananya. I swear he is  troubled and you no where deserve his wrath", Amer finished it in a breath. I gave him a weak smile and then he nodded at Danish before sprinting in Varun's direction. 

" Will you really turn us in? I don't blame you if--", I cut Kamya in between who hesitated to speak.

"Why would I, among all the students , speak against you all? I considered you all as my friends since the first day we met", the last part was barely audible. It hurt that they did not trust me but it's natural for a human to have doubts. That was the reason they didn't bring me with them to set up the prank. After all it had been only two days and that time span was hardly enough to earn someone's trust.

" See , I knew my Princess was cool since dinosaurs walked on this earth", he ruffled my hair. Danish could lighten a tense mood anytime but what was with him and my hair? Before I could scold Danish for messing up my hair, Kamya lunged at me and engulfed me in an embrace. I  was suffocating.

" Kamya she is not able to breath, give her some space ", Rehan came up to my rescue. He had this expression of astonishment and a bit of disappointment. I had no idea what went through his mind.

" Good . Now this is your schedule and the keys to your locker I had collected them earlier", Kartik handed me the things and I was grateful because there was no way I was going to face the Principal at this hour.

 We went to locker to deposit my books , eyeing up my schedule I saw that I had sociology for the first lecture. 

" Who has sociology?" , I inquired. None of them answered. I was supposed to face my class alone I guess then.

I went through their schedules as well. I and Kamya had none of the classes together as her stream was completely different , whereas Danish was in the twelfth grade so no chance of having a class with him. I had a total of four classes common with Rehan except for English and Sociology. I shared two classes with Kartik, Chemistry and English. Varun and Amer both were in twelfth grade as Danish was , so there was no chance to come across them. Was I relieved or disappointed? No I was deranged.

The bell rang heralding the start of the lecture, Kartik showed me my class as it was on his way. I chose to sit on the third bench trying to be subtle. I could feel that there were several curious looks passed towards me , some were glares , people whispered.

" Is she new to the foster party?"

" God knows , where she came from"

"So the Gang has a new member I guess?"

"She is pretty, I bet none of them deserve her"

"But she is nothing compared to Rehan the golden boy , is she?"

 It took me no time to figure out that my friends were popular in the school. Either they were highly detested or worshiped. I could hear all the murmurs and whispers which were passed. I was about to retaliate when a bag slid beside me and a girl took the seat.

"Hey, I am Naina and you are the new girl I guess", she extended her hand towards me.

"I am Ananya ", I smiled at least she had the guts to speak to me rather than passing comments.

"Actually , I was late today so I missed the prank-- I mean the announcement , I guess that's what they all are talking about", she rambled.

So, she didn't know that I was friends with Rehan and the others and that is why she sat with me. But I wanted to know why people were so curious about me and the Gang as they said, so I decided to play along.

"Aahh that was hilarious , someone released a litter of cats in the Principal's cabin , you should have seen his face ", I laughed genuinely. She giggled along with me.

"This year they outdid it , Varun is a total mastermind", she praised. I was in shock , she knew they did it.

"You know who did it", more than shocked I was worried.

"Everyone knows it , it's the Gang who always sets up these pranks, but no one dares to speak against them", she said with caution in her eyes.

"Why are they called a gang? Why do students blindly support them?", I was curious as hell now.

"Support ", she laughed humorlessly "students are terrified of them, they are scary , intimidating and hot .Rumors say that they are involved in Gang stuff", she finished.

I had the sudden urge to defend them but then I gave it a thought Danish might be a goofball but he was muscular and strong, Rehan could look scary if wanted to threaten someone and Varun , yes, he was rude, intimidating and daunting. 

"Even when they are so reserved to themselves girls are crazy about the boys in the Gang, they are hot as hell and every girl wants the badboy to fall for her, right ", she remarked.

"Have they fallen for anyone yet?", my voice was barely audible. Why was I so affected?

"Nope", she she nodded sideways "there is this boy named Varun Khanna  , he is a complete asshole and a player. He has tons of girls running behind him and he has been with all of them. Once  the deed is done he doesn't even recognize them. Then there is Danish Sehgal, he also is a player and switches girls like clothes but at least he is sweet and rarely rude. Amer is unlike them, he can be an introvert but he is not a jerk. All three of them are seniors" she glanced at the board but the teacher was no where to be seen. I gave her a nod to continue .

She pulled out her phone to show me their pictures. God, she was a total gossip girl. She stopped at Rehan's photo.

"This is Rehan Mehra, he is the golden boy of Mussorie high , he gets perfect scores , he is the captain of the school cricket team , teachers have a soft corner for him, all girls want him and all boys want to be like him. But he never dates, he doesn't think that any girl in the school is worth him. He surely has a big head", she giggled. I wondered when he had turned her down.

Then she swiped to show me Kartik's photo. "This is Kartik Sharma. He doesn't look like a bad boy but he is one of them. He is the best hacker of our age, according to me. He is the main reason that the school never has any proof against the Gang as he hacks all the cctv's and deletes the footage", I gasped. It was unbelievable. Without taking my horrified expression into consideration Naina continued.

She shows me Kamya's photo next. "She is Kamya Sharma, Kartik's twin. You can see by her beauty that she could give any girl a inferiority complex by just her presence. Many boys like her but are afraid of Danish and the other members of the Gang so they never dare to approach her. She is currently dating Neeraj Pande" She stops to show me a boy's photo.

Neeraj was good-looking and had a good built. He totally fitted in the badboy category by his looks. " Neeraj is a rich brat and a jerk. I don't know how a girl like Kamya fell for him. Most of the Gang is not fond of him. They tolerate him for Kamya's sake. If you are close to sane then you will  stay away from them. If anyone gets close to them, they ruin the person",  she finished. I was dumbstruck and horrified to utter a word. Just then the teacher entered the class who was already twenty minutes late. The lecture dragged on forever because I couldn't pay attention to anything the teacher said.

I already had a lot on my mind. The truths , the revelations were astonishing. I had no rights to judge them unless it affected me. But after knowing all this how could I be normal. Their behavior around me was totally nice and I knew they all cared for me. But I don't want the rest of the school to be afraid of me or anyone of them. They never tried to hurt me or anyone as far now. They were not bad.

They should not be.

What if they really ruined others? What if the