Time passed.

Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months.

Mihika never forgot that day in the classroom—the disappointment in Mrs. Sharma's eyes and the gentle reassurance from her parents.

Instead of giving up, she decided to change.

She slowly returned to her old routine. Every evening, she sat at her study table, revised her lessons, completed her homework on time, and asked questions whenever she didn't understand something. She still laughed with her friends and enjoyed school, but she learned how to balance fun with responsibility.

The hard work wasn't easy, but it was worth it.

With every test, her confidence grew. Her marks started improving little by little. The subjects that once worried her—Physics and Chemistry—became stronger with practice.

Mihika's POV

It was October.

I was lying on my bed, absentmindedly scrolling through my phone. The room was silent, but my thoughts refused to calm down.

A random thought crossed my mind.

I don't even have a best friend.

Anaya used to be the closest thing to one. But when it came to studies, she became my biggest competitor. It always felt like she wanted to prove she was better than me. Sometimes, it even seemed like she wanted to see me fail.

I sighed and unlocked my phone again.

Out of curiosity, I downloaded a few dating apps.

As I scrolled through them, I felt completely lost. Some were too confusing, and on others, the people didn't seem genuine at all.

"This isn't for me," I whispered.

One by one, I deleted every app.

A few minutes later, while watching YouTube, an advertisement appeared.

It wasn't exactly a dating app.

It was an app where people from different places could chat, make friends, and get to know each other.

Something about it caught my attention, so I decided to download it.

The app was surprisingly easy to use. Within minutes, I had created my profile.

There were so many people online.

I wasn't looking for a boyfriend.

I just wanted a real friend.

Someone who would listen to me... understand me... respect me.

Someone I could talk to without being judged.

And most importantly...

Someone who would never ignore me.

Taking a deep breath, I tapped on the "Start Chatting" button, wondering if somewhere on the other side of the screen, someone was searching for a friend just like I was.

My finger hovered over the "Start Chatting" button.

What if they're rude?

What if they think I'm weird?

I almost closed the app.

But then I remembered how lonely I had been feeling.

I took a deep breath and tapped the button.

"Searching for someone..."

A few seconds later, the screen lit up.

You have been matched!

I stared at the screen for a moment.

Should I say something first?

Before I could decide, a new message appeared.

Stranger: Hi!

A small smile formed on my face.

I quickly typed back.

Me: Hi.

There was a short pause.

Stranger: How are you?

I hesitated.

No one had asked me that in a long time and actually made it feel genuine.

Me: I'm fine... What about you?

Stranger: I'm good. My name is Aarav. What's yours?

I looked at the message for a few seconds before replying.

Me: I'm Mihika.

Aarav: Nice to meet you, Mihika. I hope we can be friends.

I smiled without even realizing it.

Maybe...

Just maybe...

This was the beginning of a friendship I had been searching for all along.

Here's a more natural and emotional Wattpad-style continuation:

The conversation continued for a day.

With every message, I got to know Aarav a little more.

He was from a small village in Himachal Pradesh, one of the most beautiful states in India.

And I was from Dehradun, the City of Duns, in Uttarakhand.

We talked about everything—our favorite food, movies, music, school memories, and our dreams.

That's when I found out he was an Army officer.

My heart skipped a beat.

Serving in the Army had always been one of my biggest dreams.

It felt like such a strange coincidence.

I had never seen his profile picture, though.

And something about him felt... suspicious.

The very next day, he suddenly stopped replying.

When it came to exchanging phone numbers, I had asked him to share his first.

He ignored the question.

Instead, he asked for mine.

For some reason, I didn't trust people so easily .

So I refused politely.

Hours passed.

I kept checking my phone.

Me: Where are you?

Me: Why aren't you answering?

Me: Hey... are you there?

Me: Are you busy with something important?

No reply.

For a moment, I felt alone again.

But not completely.

After all, it had only been a day.

You can't get attached to someone that quickly...

Right?

Two more days passed.

Morning turned into afternoon.

Afternoon turned into evening.

Just when I had almost forgotten about him, my phone vibrated.

Aarav: Busy, baby!

I stared at those two words.

Baby.

I didn't know why...

But that single word made me uncomfortable.

We had only known each other for a day.

How could someone use a word like that so casually?

A strange feeling settled in my chest.

It wasn't fear.

It wasn't anger.

It was as if an invisible voice inside me was whispering...

Stop.

Don't go any further.

Without replying, I deleted the chat and unmatched him.

As soon as I did, I felt... lighter.

Maybe I had lost a chance at making a friend.

Or maybe...

I had just saved myself from trusting the wrong person.