Apastron

Chapter 1

My laptop screen glares back at me with the worst possible words: Compilation Error: Line 47.

"Arre yaar, ab kya hua?" I mutter, resting my chin on my palm. Six days before nationals and my code decides to throw a tantrum, not to mention how distracted I have been because of her Instagram posts.

The computer lab's marble floors echo with the distant chaos of morning assembly and kids in pressed white shirts and navy ties rushing past the glass doors, their chatter mixing with the AC's relentless hum.

I crack my knuckles and dive back in. Line 47. Always line 47. The cursor blinks at me mockingly while I trace through the logic, my fingers moving automatically across the keys.

Just a minute into the debugging, and my phone buzzes. Student Council Group. I almost ignore it—probably another Excel sheet assignment or meeting about "upholding school pride"—but the preview makes me freeze.

"Presidents and VPs of Coder's Club expected to meet Legal Club leaders for National Legal Services Day collaboration."

Maya Agrawal. Legal Club President. The girl whose LinkedIn, Instagram, timetable, and even Pinterest I may or may not have memorized.

My chest tightens. The President badge suddenly feels heavier against my blazer.

From tech events to making PPTs for the school, I have faced every emotion on the spectrum. Confusion, Frustration, Excitement, Panic, Happiness, Satisfaction, and a blur of every other.

But how do I label this feeling? This feeling makes my heart race, but also twists my stomach. This feeling where I would hug even the 100-year-old computers at my school, and also run away as far as I could to escape whatever I was about to face.

She's had a habit of stirring things up in me that I did not even know existed anyway.

The plain white walls of the computer lab start to feel suffocating. I notice a drop of sweat trailing down my face through the screen of my laptop, and a million questions start flooding back into my brain again.

The only difference is I can't use a debugger on this one.

"She is probably straight, she has a boyfriend anyway", "What if she thinks you're weird?", "What if you stutter while talking to her?", "What if she catches you stari-"

"Bhai, you look like you've seen a ghost." Darshini drops into the chair beside me, already raiding my lunch box without permission. She pulls out a sandwich, inspecting it with the dedication of a food critic.

"Legal Club collab," I manage, still staring at my phone.

"Ooh, your girlfriend's club?" She grins, tomato slices hanging from her mouth. "Wait, as a member of the Legal Club, amn't I supposed to hate you? All that 'coders have no social skills' nonsense?"

"She's not my girlfriend." I grab my own sandwich, methodically removing the tomatoes, because I would rather go on a hunger strike than eat those. "And yeah, we're basically opposite ends of the universe."

"Universe, galaxy, solar system—yaar, you really need to get over this space metaphor phase." Darshini kicks my chair. "When's the meeting?"

Before I can answer, my laptop chimes. Build Successful. The green text floods my screen like a small miracle.

"Yes!" I pump my fist, then immediately look around to make sure no one saw my moment of pure nerd excitement.

"You're such a geek." I ignore her comment and just grin at my laptop, watching the code run smoother than my brain after 5 hours of sleep.