The best friendships are the ones that dissolve our rigid filters.No matter how different our paths or coping mechanisms may be, a true friend provides a safe space where we can embrace our beautifully loud, unscripted, and chaotic selves without hesitation with shared laughter.

After an hour and a half of being squeezed like toothpaste in a tube, Isha and Riya finally reached the college gates. The local bus had been packed to maximum capacity, leaving them practically begging for their lives just to reach the exit door.

"Bhaiya, thoda rasta de do! Humein utarna hai!" Isha pleaded, aggressively pushing through the sea of commuters.
("Brother, please make some way! We need to get off!")

When they finally hit the solid pavement, both girls took a deep, dramatic breath of fresh-though slightly dusty-air. Riya immediately doubled over, clutching her waist as if she had just survived a major natural disaster.

"Uff! Isha, aaj toh band baj gayi meri...hayee meri kamar," she groaned, her voice dripping with fatigue.
("Uff! Isha, I'm totally wrecked today... oh, my poor back!")

Isha couldn't help it; the sight of her glamorous best friend looking like she'd just fought a historic war was too funny to ignore. "Kya yaar, Riya? Itni jaldi thak gayi? Pakka buddhi ho gayi hai tu!"
("What's wrong, Riya? Tired so soon? You've definitely turned into an old lady!")

Riya straightened up instantly, tossing her flawlessly styled hair with a sharp pout. "Buddhi hogi tu! Meri toh jawani abhi shuru huyi hai!" She winked, completely recovering her energy in a split second.
("You're the old lady! My youth has just started!")

As they walked past the majestic college entrance, Isha looked at her, still genuinely amazed that they had actually ended up in the exact same Computer Science department. "But seriously, Riya, you kept saying your entrance exam went so bad. I was so worried we wouldn't be together. Kaise kar leti hai yeh sab?"
("How do you manage all this?")

Riya leaned in, her eyes twinkling with her signature theatrical flair. "Dekh, simple hai. Woh exam paper maine dekha aur OMR sheet fill karne se pehle har ek question par 'Jai Mata Rani' bolkar maatha tekh ke answer likha." She shrugged nonchalantly, giving a knowing smirk. "Tu apni mehnat se aagayi, aur main apni bhakti se!"

("Look, it's simple. I looked at the exam paper, and before filling the OMR sheet, I bowed my head and invoked Goddess Durga for every single question before marking the answer. You got here through your hard work, and I got here through my devotion!")

Both girls burst into unstoppable fits of laughter right in the middle of the campus. A few passing seniors and fellow freshers stared at them awkwardly, probably wondering why these two were acting so unhinged. Usually, Isha was the classic shareef (well-behaved), girl, but the moment she was with Riya, her internal filter completely vanished and pure laughter took over.

Meanwhile, just a few meters away, a sleek car smoothly pulled up to the grand entrance of the Engineering block. The moment the vehicle stopped, the vibrant atmosphere around the courtyard shifted. The loud chatter of student groups dipped visibly as people turned their heads to inspect the high-end car.

Stepping out into the open, Shivansh felt the sudden weight of dozens of staring eyes. He felt like a specimen under a microscope. He absolutely detested the limelight, but thanks to his father's uncompromising 'standards,' it followed him around like a stubborn shadow.
Anxious to escape the unwanted attention, Shivansh was ready to bolt straight for the orientation hall. His best friend, however, had entirely different plans. Yash stopped dead in his tracks, reached into his jacket pocket with agonizing slowness, whipped out a pair of dark aviators, and slid them onto his face with a deliberate, cinematic flourish.

Shivansh stared at him, his expression completely deadpan. "Bhai, seriously? Kaun karta hai aise?"
("Brother, seriously? Who even does that?")

Yash adjusted the bridge of his glasses, looking like an actor ready to sign a multi-crore movie deal. "Attitude banana chahiye, bhai! Swag hai hamara. Sabhi ko pata toh chale ki CS department ke kings aa chuke hain."

("One should maintain an attitude, brother! It's our swag. Everyone should at least know that the kings of the CS department have arrived.")

Shivansh glanced up at the overcast sky, then back at his friend's covered eyes. "Wah, wah... kamaal hai. College ke andar aane ke baad, jahan garmi bhi nahi hai aur AC chalu hai, wahan tumhe sunglasses lagane ki urge ho rahi hai. Wah!"

("Wow, brilliant... incredible. After coming inside the college where it isn't even hot and the AC is running, you suddenly feel the urge to wear sunglasses. Wow!")

Yash leaned in closer, whispering conspiratorially behind his lenses. "Shiv, tu topper hai, tujhe logic chahiye. Main legend hoon, mujhe sirf look chahiye. Tu coding sambhal, main crowd sambhal lunga!

("Shiv, you're a topper, you need logic. I'm a legend, I just need the look. You handle the coding, I'll handle the crowd!")

A small, reluctant smile finally tugged at Shivansh's lips as he shook his head. "Theek hai, 'Legend' sahab. Chalein? Ya yahan red carpet ka wait karna hai?"

("Fine, Mr. 'Legend.' Shall we go? Or are we waiting for a red carpet here?")

As they began walking down the crowded corridor, Shivansh noticed Yash's gaze shifting toward the side pavement. Following his friend's line of sight for a split second, Shivansh froze. It was her again-the completely unbothered girl from the bus stop. Her laughter sounded even louder and more infectious in person. Without even realizing it, Shivansh found his head tilting slightly toward her side, his rigid focus breaking for the second time that morning.

A few moments later, Isha and Riya were busy navigating the confusing maze of the main building when-thud-a guy suddenly bumped right into them.

Riya quickly straightened her top and looked up, fully prepared to give the culprit a serious piece of her mind, when she came face-to-face with the duo. One was a decent, quiet-looking guy, but the other one? Oh, he was a total piece of work. He was standing there wearing dark aviator glasses inside a dimly lit hallway.

Who even does that? Riya thought instantly. He looks like a total 'pheku' (show-off) type.

The quiet guy quickly cleared his throat, looking genuinely apologetic for the collision. "Sorry about that. I'm Shivansh. We're actually looking for the CSE Department, Section 1 Freshers. Do you know which floor it's on?"
Isha, being the inherently helpful person she was, offered a polite smile. "It's on the second floor, wing B."

While Isha handled the directions, Riya's eyes remained locked onto the 'cool dude' standing next to Shivansh. He was posing with an immense amount of unearned attitude, his head held high as if he personally owned the campus real estate. Riya felt that familiar, restless chul (restless urge) rising inside her-whenever she saw something incredibly ridiculous, she simply had to call it out.
"Excuse me," Riya said loudly, staring directly at the sunglasses. "Aap andar glasses kyun pehne hai?"
("Why are you wearing glasses indoors?")

Shivansh suddenly burst out laughing, completely enjoying his best friend's sudden awkwardness. Isha's eyes widened in horror as she nudged her friend, whispering frantically, "Riya! Kya kar rahi hai?"
("Riya! What are you doing?")

But once Riya started, she didn't just stop. "I mean, we are inside an AC campus. Aapke aviator glasses abhi tak kyun on hain. Yeh college haina isliye ppoch rahi hoon?"

("Why are your aviator glasses still on?It's college na that's why asking")
O teri! Yash thought, his internal alarms going off.
("Oh byhii!")

He had been fully invested in maintaining his flawless 'Cool Guy' persona when this absolute firecracker of a girl put him right on the spot without a single shred of hesitation. One second he was the undisputed Legend of CS, and the next, she was casually dissecting his fashion choices like an annoying bug in a line of code.
"Matlab..." Yash stuttered, his smooth confidence totally derailed.
("I mean...")

Beside him, Shivansh was leaning against the corridor wall, trying to control his laughter.

"Listen, Miss," Yash tried to recover his scattered dignity, puffing out his chest. "Yeh swag hai. Style ke liye tum nahi samjogi iskeliye fashion sense hona chahiye"
("This is swag. It's style. You need to have fashion sense for it . You won't understand.")

"Style?" Riya scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Aise sunglasses pehenna inside college ,style nahi, fashion nightmare bolte hai. Kahin deewar se na takra jao!"

("Wearing sunglasses in college like this isn't style, it's called a fashion nightmare. Make sure you don't go bumping into a wall!")

"Arre, tension mat lo. Meri nazar tez hai," Yash joked, finally giving up and sliding the glasses up onto his head. He flashed a charming grin. "Glasses toh bas koi meri aankhon mein na kho jaye, isliye... Waise, main Yash hoon. Aur aapka naam, 'Miss Tadapta Bhadakta'?"

("Hey, don't worry. My eyesight is sharp. The glasses are just to protect people from getting lost in my eyes... Anyway, I'm Yash. And is your name 'Miss Fiery'?")

"Riya! Mr. Over-The-Top," she snapped back, though a tiny, reluctant smirk fought its way onto the corner of her lips.

Before Yash could fire back another witty comeback, Isha checked her watch and gasped. "Riya, we're getting late for class! Let's go."

Without waiting for a response, Isha grabbed her friend's arm, and the two girls rushed off toward the stairwell. Yash stood rooted to the spot, his eyes watching them disappear into the crowd of students.

"Shiv," Yash muttered, nudging his friend who was finally catching his breath. "Lagta hai Engineering mein sirf coding hi nahi, thodi 'war' bhi hone wali hai"

("Shiv, looks like in Engineering, it's not just going to be coding, but a bit of a 'war' also")

Hey my beautiful Paglus!
We officially completed Chapter 3, and things are just getting started! Don't just silently cruise past this page-please take two seconds to hit that Vote button(⭐️) and drop your chaotic thoughts in the Comments! Your support is literally the sweet Gajar ka Halwa that keeps my writer brain running.✨

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