“So, are you all ready for the much-awaited reunion party?Yes, you heard it right! The 2005 batch is invited to the prestigious Convent Public School for their batch reunion this Sunday!”

The invitation read, and I couldn’t help but scoff.
“After so many years… the school finally remembered that our batch deserved a reunion. What’s even the point of this reunion when she isn’t here?” I thought to myself.

She… my best friend Tanya!

The only girl who shared her pencil with me on our very first day in first grade. Since that day, Tanya and Anika… Anika Oberoi and Tanya Rajput became inseparable. Coincidentally, from first grade to tenth, we were always in the same section.

She was the one who had seen all my highs and lows. The only one who witnessed my heart being broken and healed again. The only girl who… left school after that incident.

That incident…

“Anika! You’re getting late for work!” Mom’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
I brushed away my emotions, grabbed my purse, and left for work.
The board above read “Malhotra Publications.”
My own publishing company, just like I had dreamt—with Tanya.

She always wanted to be a teacher, and I always wanted to be an editor-in-chief. We used to dream about our future, sitting on my bed every day after school, talking about how life would be.
Life was going smoothly, but one reunion message dug up all the buried memories from the past.

After a few days:-
Today was the day—the reunion!
I wore a beige coat and pants, tying my hair in a high ponytail.

“Ma’am, we’ve reached the stop!” The driver said, and I looked at the green and white building with mixed emotions.

The building that had shaped my life—for better or for worse.
I stepped down and entered the school. The same beige walls, the same green-black board, the same wooden green desks and chairs. Nothing had changed, except for the addition of air conditioning.

I entered the auditorium, where almost everyone had already arrived.

“Hi Anika!!! It’s so good to see you! I read about your publishing company in the newspaper just yesterday!” Mehak, the class topper and now a dentist, said excitedly while engulfing me in a hug.

“Thank you so much!” I replied with a smile.

“Hey Anika! I’m glad you could make it! Do you remember our math teacher who always scolded you for bringing a novel to class every day?” Vritika laughed.

“Oh my God! She made my life hell!” I replied, laughing along.

After chatting with a dozen people, I quietly sneaked out to the ground, enjoying the silence in a secluded corner of the playground.

“She didn’t come,” I thought.

“I wonder how she is doing?”

Suddenly, a thought hit me!
When Tanya and I were in eighth grade, we had hidden a memory box under the last bookshelf in the library!
I ran toward the library and entered. It was empty. I rushed straight to the bookshelf—the romance aisle.
Tanya and I used to bunk classes and sit there for hours, talking about everything. Then one day, we decided to hide a memory box there, promising to open it after ten years.

But… it had been fifteen years now.

I ran my hands along the wooden plank at the back, pulled it towards me, and it came loose!
Two metallic boxes covered in dust rolled out.I brushed off the dust and opened my box first. Opening the box, I found,
A letter I had written to my future self, A page from my first poem, A photo of my first trophy, An old cash prize envelope, And at the bottom… a photo of me, Tanya, and… him.
The one who always third-wheeled between us.I sighed and closed my box. I proceeded to open Tanya’s box.
A lot of things spilled out—A letter to her future self, Her vintage rings, A photo of her first boyfriend, And a page…
I picked it up, my heartbeat racing.
It wasn’t that old.
Did Tanya come here recently??
When?
I quickly opened the letter and sat down to read it.

“My dear best friend,
Please forgive me before reading this letter. I know I am leaving everything behind in the middle of it all. I know you will be very upset, but after he left this world, I couldn’t stay in this school anymore.
I don’t even know if I’ll be able to study anywhere else. But one thing I want you to remember—I will never forget you!
You were my first friend, after all.
I don’t know why he made that decision, but ever since he left, life has felt incomplete. Taran! My brother!
But Anika, I don’t believe it was a suicide… It was a murder!”

My hands trembled, and my breath hitched.
Tears blurred my vision. When did I start crying?
I wiped my tears and, with shaking hands, picked up the letter again.

“Taran had discovered something about Raj Sir! He tried telling me once, but I never let him speak. Anika, if you ever find this letter, please find out the truth about Raj Sir… so my brother can get justice.
I love you, Anika! Please don’t be upset with me!

Your best friend,
Tanya.”

I crumpled the paper and took a deep breath.

Tanya, when did you write this?
Did she intend for me to find it only after she left?
I looked around and found an old school magazine.
Raj Sir was still listed in the faculty list!
His photo sent shivers down my spine.

“Anika!” A voice startled me, and I turned in shock.
Gaurav Kapoor entered the aisle, looking grim.
Gaurav Kapoor… Tanya’s biggest rival in school. The two of them always fought over who was better. Always argued, always competed. Everyone in our class shipped them together, but they always remained rivals.
“Do you miss Tanya?” he asked.
“Why do you care? You both hated each other!” I replied.
“Maybe…” he whispered. “But after she left, I realized… I didn’t hate her that much.”
A lone tear escaped his eyes.
“I loved her.”
His words shattered my heart into a million pieces.
“I need to tell you something,” he said, controlling his emotions.
I nodded.
“Tanya told me about Raj Sir… but I didn’t take her seriously.”
He pulled out his phone and showed me something.
“On the last day of school, I sat on Tanya’ desk and saw this!”
The letter X was carved on her favorite school bench.

“X-A-2000”

It hit me instantly.
“The ‘X’ section records are stored in the school’s storage room!” I exclaimed.
“Exactly!” Gaurav said, and we ran toward the storage room.
After a frantic search, we found a drawer labeled X-A.
Inside, we found student records.

At the last page—
Name: Tamanna Sharma
Reason: Suicide with a big red cross.
Year: 2000
Teacher-in-charge- Raj sir.

A chill ran down my spine.
Then, another file caught my eye—T-R.
It was Taran Rajput’s record.
Father- Amit Rajput
Mother- Anita Rajput
Sister- Tanya Rajput
Reason- Removed with a big red cross.
Teacher-in-charge: Raj Sir.

We looked at each other in horror and stopped talking.
But suddenly, the storage room door creaked open and then shut again! My breath hitched! Gaurav quickly and silently closed the file and put it in the bag.
“We need to leave now!” he whispered.
We moved forward cautiously, but just as we took a few more steps, a shadow appeared in front of us!
“You shouldn’t have opened that drawer,” Raj Sir said with a wicked smile.
Fear gripped me, but I forced myself to think quickly.
“Sir, you’ve hidden a lot of secrets, haven’t you? What did Tamanna see that she wasn’t supposed to?” I asked confidently, while Gaurav looked at me in horror.
“She saw everything she shouldn’t have! She saw how our school really operates! How the authorities here remove students who can’t afford the fees, the ones who don’t ‘deserve’ to be in this school! And she said she would expose everything in the media! Like she could actually do that!” he scoffed, laughing.
“She was only in the library, taking something from the stairs, but suddenly, the stairs broke! Case closed!” Raj Sir continued.
“Sir, but what about Taran? You didn’t do anything to him, right? Why did he commit suicide?” I asked.
“That little boy turned out to be more cunning than we expected. He managed to reach that drawer! He shouldn’t have done that!” Raj Sir said.
“Sir, thank you for your confession. Now we’ll do what we have to!” I said and showed him the recording symbol on my phone.
His expression changed immediately, and he lunged at me! I quickly grabbed the red cylinder placed right above me and struck it against his head! He collapsed instantly, and we ran for our lives!
“That was WOW!!” Gaurav said, but we kept running!
I quickly sat in my car and drove off! A car chased us but we managed to drive faster!
We reached my office and let out a sigh of relief.
“What do you want to do next?” Gaurav asked.
“You will see tomorrow morning!” I said, smiling at him.
The next day, the magazine headline read:
“Prestigious Convent Public School Exposed! Taran Rajput committed suicide after discovering the shocking truth about his teacher!”
The entire three-page article covered the full story that we had worked on all night and published in the morning.
I went to the school and gave my statement to the police, leaving the investigation in their hands.

After a week…
I received a phone call from an unknown number.
“Hello?” I answered.
“Hello, Anika!” The voice on the other end said, and I stopped, my breath hitching.
“TANYA!!!” I gasped and sighed in relief.
“I’m standing outside your office. Won’t you invite me in?” she teased.
I ran towards the ceiling window and looked down.
There she was—my best friend—standing there with a little girl beside her. I ran downstairs and hugged her so tightly she could barely breathe!
Suddenly, I felt someone tugging at my kurti. I looked down to see a sweet little girl staring at me with innocent eyes.
“Hi! What’s your name?” I asked her.
“Tamanna,” she said, and I froze.
I looked at Tanya, and a lone tear escaped her eyes.
“This cute little doll… is she yours?” I asked, and she nodded.
I bent down and hugged the little girl, feeling my own eyes tear up.
Then, as I stood up, Tanya engulfed me in another tight hug.
“Thank you, Anika! You got justice for my Taran!” she sobbed, crying into my shoulder. I gently caressed her back.
“It had to be done! We’re best friends, after all! Here, I have something for you,” I said, handing her a photo from my mobile cover.

It was from my memory box—a picture of Tanya, me and Taran in the school playground that I found in the memory box!

She laughed and cried at the same time.
“Tanya!” a voice called, and we turned to see Gaurav standing there, looking completely shocked.
“Hi, Gaurav! How are you?” she asked with a smile.
“I’m fine,” he replied, but his words faltered when his eyes landed on the little girl. A pained expression crossed his face.
“Did you get married?” I teased her with a chuckle.
“I did… but it didn’t last,” she said with a small, sad smile.
Meanwhile, Gaurav’s face lit up like a lamp!

I chuckled at their reactions.
“So, did you finally become a teacher?” I asked her.
“Yes! And did you finally open your own company?” she replied with a bright smile.
“Tanya… can I ask you something?” Gaurav spoke up.
“Is there still space for someone in your life?” he asked hesitantly.
“Maybe,” she replied with a shy smile. Tamanna smiled at them and lunged at Gaurav’s foot like a monkey.

“Anika!” another voice called, and I turned to see my man walking toward me in a three-piece suit.
“Tanya, this is Omkar. And Omkar, this is Tanya and her little doll, Tamanna!” I introduced them.
Shocked, Tanya looked at me with a huge smile.
“You finally found someone too!” she said.
“And so did you, Tanya,” I replied, smiling back at her.

The End.