Some people leave schools. Some leave memories. And some leave a part of themselves behind.
Chapter One: The Girl Who Thought She Had Time....
At 5:03 in the morning, the alarm rang for the third time.She opened one eye.The room was still dark.For a few seconds, she stared at the ceiling, trying to remember why she had set an alarm this early.Then it came back to her.Class 10th .Homework.A chapter she hadn't revised.A test she had almost forgotten about.She groaned and pulled the blanket over her face.“Five more minutes.”Five minutes later, her alarm rang again.This time, she sat up.“Fine.”She had learned that there were two kinds of people in the world: people who woke up immediately when their alarm rang, and people who negotiated with their alarm clock like it was a person.She belonged very proudly to the second category.She washed her face, tied her hair, and sat at her desk.The notebook opened.The textbook opened.Her brain did not.She stared at the page.Nothing.She read the same line three times.Still nothing.Then, somewhere outside, a bird began making an irritatingly cheerful sound.She looked toward the window.“Must be nice,” she whispered. “No exams.”The bird continued singing.She sighed and went back to studying.That was how most of her mornings began.Not dramatically.Not beautifully.Just a little sleepy, slightly chaotic, and filled with the quiet pressure of becoming someone.She didn't know it then, but this ordinary morning would become something she remembered years later.Not because anything extraordinary happened.But because it was one of the last mornings when she still believed she had plenty of time.School was different in Class 10.At least, that's what everyone kept saying.“Class 10 is serious.”“Boards are important.”“
Don't waste time.
”“Start preparing now.”
Every adult seemed to have suddenly become an expert on her future.Teachers spoke about marks.Relatives spoke about careers.Parents spoke about hard work.And students spoke about everything except studying.She wasn't completely different from them.She laughed with her friends.She complained about homework.She forgot things.She danced whenever there was music.She argued over the smallest things.She could spend twenty minutes deciding which pen to use and then somehow finish the entire assignment with another one.But beneath all that was something she rarely showed.
She cared.
A lot.
Sometimes too much.
She wanted to do well.She wanted people to be proud of her.She wanted to prove to herself that all the dreams she had spoken about so confidently were actually possible.The problem was that she didn't know which dream was truly hers anymore.Once, the answer had been easy.
Medicine.
A white coat.
A stethoscope.
A life where she could help people.
She had imagined herself becoming a doctor so many times that the dream almost felt like a memory from the future.But growing up had complicated everything.Science fascinated her.Teaching fascinated her.Biology fascinated her.The idea of becoming a professor sometimes felt just as exciting.There were days when she was certain.There were days when she wasn't.
And on the worst days, she wondered whether everyone else had figured life out except her.She hadn't realized that almost nobody had.The school corridor was already crowded when she arrived.Someone was running.Someone was shouting.Someone was trying to finish homework before the teacher arrived.Someone had lost a notebook.Someone else had apparently found it.It was the usual morning chaos.She walked toward her classroom and saw her friend standing near the door.“You're late.”“I'm not late.”“You are.”“The bell hasn't rung.”“That doesn't mean you're not late.”She rolled her eyes.“Good morning to you too.”Her friend smiled.“Good morning.”They walked inside together.The classroom smelled faintly of chalk and old books.Sunlight came through the windows.Someone had written something ridiculous on the board.Someone else was trying to erase it before the teacher came.She took her usual seat.For a moment, everything felt normal.Comfortingly normal.She didn't know that normal was about to The first period began.Then the second.Then the third.At lunch, everyone gathered around their desks.Someone shared food.Someone complained about the previous class.Someone was discussing a teacher.And then a girl suddenly said,“Wait.”Everyone looked at her.“What?”“I heard something.”“What?”She lowered her voice.“One of our teachers is leaving.”The table went silent.“What?”“Who?”“I don't know. I just heard it.”“No way.”“From where?”“My friend told me.”“Which teacher?”“I don't know.”Everyone started talking at once.She laughed nervously.“Stop. It might not even be true.”But something inside her had already become uneasy.Teachers left sometimes.She knew that.Schools changed.People transferred.Life moved on.Still, there were some teachers she couldn't imagine leaving.Teachers who had been there for years.Teachers who knew the students beyond their marks.Teachers whose voices had become part of the sound of school itself.She looked toward the classroom door.Nothing had changed.Yet suddenly, the room felt different.After school, she forgot about the rumor.At least, she tried to.She went home.Changed clothes..Ate, Studied.Argued with someone about something completely unimportant.Laughed.Checked her phone.Then studied again.It was an ordinary evening.Until her class group started buzzing.One message.Then another.Then five.She picked up her phone.A photograph had been sent.It was a notice.She zoomed in.Read it once.Then again.Her expression changed.For a long moment, she didn't move.Because the rumor had been true.And the name written on the notice belonged to someone she had never imagined saying goodbye to.She put the phone down.Then picked it up again.She didn't know why her eyes had suddenly become heavy.It was only a teacher leaving.
Right?
So why did it feel like something much bigger had just begun?.
