I felt my face turn pink. My feelings about Josh had changed.

Megan's painting her toenails when I get there, door propped because she heard me on the stairs, foam spacers wedged between her toes, and she doesn't look up right away. "There's beer in the fridge," she says. "Grab me one too if you're getting one."

13.1 Your Sister

Sunday passed quietly.

Aarav felt relieved that the haircut had been cancelled, but he still did not know what would happen at school.

Once, while sitting with Riya, he picked up a small clip and fixed it into his hair. He kept it there for several minutes, removed it, then put it back again.

Neither of them knew whether they were preparing for a new beginning or only enjoying one more safe day at home.

On Monday morning, Mother called Mrs. Patwardhan.

"I would like to meet you," she said.

11.1 The Closed Door

Mother returned from work at six-thirty.

Riya opened the door. Mother placed her bag on the chair and removed her sandals.

"How was the carnival?"

"It was good," Riya said. "We enjoyed it."

"Where is Aarav?"

"He was tired. He went to rest."

Mother nodded and went to freshen up. She did not ask Riya to wake him.

By half past seven, dinner was ready. Riya sat at the dining table, but Aarav's bedroom door remained closed.

"Call your brother," Mother said.

7.1 The Quiet Weeks

For the first week of vacation, Aarav liked having nothing to prepare for.

He slept late, wore old T-shirts and shorts, and left his schoolbag untouched in a corner. There was no temporary pass to carry and no reason to think about which building he had to enter.

8.1 Riya's Result

The summer routine continued for a while.

Not every day. Aarav still wore his own shorts and T-shirts most of the time. But every few afternoons, he brought the clips to Riya, asked for the soft T-shirt, or chose one of the kurtis. Sometimes he went downstairs dressed that way; sometimes he stayed inside.

Then Riya's Class 10 result arrived.

5.1 Known By His Name

By the second month, Aarav knew the girls' building well enough to move through it without looking for Riya first.

He knew the crowded staircase after Marathi period, the library timings, and the corner near the office where students waited after forgetting an ID card. He could go for water alone and sit with Anaya and Kavya even when Riya had an extra Class 10 lesson upstairs.

Still, new girls sometimes called him "Riya's brother" before remembering his name. A substitute teacher once asked whether he was visiting.

Mother did not go to school in anger.

That frightened Aarav more than shouting would have done.

She ironed her cotton kurta in the morning, packed his tiffin, and checked his diary twice. Riya stood near the kitchen door, holding her own school bag.

"Aai, should I come?" she asked.

Mother shook her head. "You go to your building. I will handle this."

Aarav looked at the floor.

"I told you not to make it big," he said.

Mother closed his tiffin box and kept it in his bag. "If a child is scared to enter class, it is already big."

Reader note: This story contains scenes of teasing, bullying, and humiliation in the early chapters. These scenes are included only as story conflict. They are not shown as acceptable, funny, or something to copy. Bullying, forced humiliation, harassment, and pressure around clothing or identity can seriously hurt a person. The story supports safety, consent, dignity, family support, and respectful treatment.

In Green Park Society, Aarav was the only boy in his age group.

[prologue]

Trish was, as she had foretold, assigned to review a pile of cold cases after her return to work in Durham. That seemed to be all that her superiors thought her capable of.

Part 14 Very Bad Penny!

As the room filled people started finding their seats and we went with the organisers to the head table.

The guy next to me sounded startled.

“You are sitting in Julians’ seat, is he not coming?”

“Never fear. All will come good as the night progresses. This is the first one of these that we have organised and there are a few wrinkles to be ironed out.”

He seemed happier and Sam got up to the microphone, made sure it was on and then started the proceedings.