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I got in.

Somehow.

Maybe my father bribed them.

I'm not gonna lie: I'm nervous as hell.

I was expelled from my last college.

Why? Because I slapped a bitch who thought it was okay to degrade an innocent girl, someone who, by the way, was a way better student than her.

Well, I'm Maya Oberoi, also known as a narcissistic bitch. Nineteen. And a professional mess.

Today's my first day at Saint Xavier's College and guess what?

People here are hella self-centered. Although it was always a dream of mine to be here. They're all mean here—that's what I've heard.

I'm just hoping I find real friends this time. Not like the ones back at my old college–fake smiles, fake promises. They only stuck around for the money. And me? I wasn't any better. I treated them like my minions.

Maybe I deserved it. Maybe not.

Either way, here I am–starting over. And let's see how long I survive.

As I walk through the college campus, a football comes flying straight at my face, and thankfully, I dodge it.

What the fuck!? Who the fuck is playing football? It's barely 8 a.m.

"I apologize, it was my fault," a tall, good-looking guy says to me, his tone genuinely apologetic.

Ahh, I hate this guy already. Not because he almost hit me, but because he's a man. Of course, I'd hate him.

"It's fine," I try my best to give him a fake smile, but I can't bring myself to do it.

"What's your name, pretty girl?"

"None of your concern. Thank you for almost hitting me on my very first day in this college. I'll be forever grateful," I say, annoyance dripping from my voice.

He raises an eyebrow, clearly unfazed by my sarcasm. "You sure know how to make an impression, don't you?"

I glare at him, not bothering to hide my annoyance. "What can I say? I try to keep it memorable."

I turn away from him, quickening my pace. But of course, he's right behind me, walking like he owns the place. I roll my eyes so hard it almost hurts.

"Are you always this charming?" he calls out.

"Only when I'm forced to talk to people I can't stand," I reply over my shoulder.

I hear him chuckle, and I swear it only makes me hate him more. Ugh. Why do I feel like I'm going to regret this day? He's so annoying.

He smirks, but then thankfully, he stops following me. I take a moment to breathe, feeling a bit better. I hope I don't see this dude again.

I shake my head and focus on finding my classroom. I walk through the hallways, ignoring the curious glances of the other students, and finally, I reach the classroom door. I open it and step inside. The teacher's already there, standing at the front, eyes glancing up as I enter.

"Ah, you must be Maya Oberoi, the new student," she says, her voice calm.

I simply nod, offering a polite smile. "Yeah, I'm Maya."

She returns the smile and says, "Welcome. Would you like to introduce yourself to the class?"

I clear my throat and speak, "Hey, I'm Maya Oberoi. I've transferred from Cambridge College. I'm looking forward to getting closer to you all. Thank you."

The teacher smiles warmly. "Thank you, dear. You may sit down now."

I spot an empty seat next to a girl with a kind, approachable face. She doesn't seem like someone who'd judge, and that's exactly what I need right now. She sends me a friendly smile as I sit down beside her.

"Hey, I'm Maya," I say, turning to her.

"Hi, myself Hira Kapoor," she replies with a genuine smile. "Nice to meet you."

We start talking, getting to know each other more, and I'm surprised at how easy it is to talk to her. There's no pretension or fakeness in her voice-she's just real. She tells me more about herself, the college, the teachers, and all the usual first-day stuff. I hadn't expected to meet someone like her on my first day, but honestly, it's a nice surprise.

As the bell rings, two girls walk toward us and Hira introduces them to me. "This is Simran Joshi, and this is Yashika Rathore–they're my friends."

They both greet me with a friendly "Hi," and I return the smile. Then Hira grins and tells me she'll introduce me to the rest of her group.

She takes me outside, toward the ground.

---

We reach the field, and a couple of guys are already there. Hira waves at them as we approach.

"This is Aman Singhania," she says, pointing to the guy who flashes me a warm smile, "and this is Aryan; Aryan Malhotra. There is one more person in our group but she's absent for today, her name is Himani–Aman's younger sister."

Aryan gives me a playful grin, leaning back with an easy confidence that makes it obvious he's used to charming people.

"Hey, welcome to the group," Aryan says with a smirk, his gaze lingering just long enough to be flirty without being over the top.

Before I can respond, someone else joins us–him. The football dude.

Of course.

He jogs over with a football tucked under his arm, looking way too comfortable with himself.

Hira turns to me with a grin. "Oh, and this is Ivansh–my favourite cousin. He's part of our group too."

He gives me that same knowing look, his lips tugging into a smirk. "We meet again, pretty girl."

Ah, not again.

I roll my eyes internally but keep my expression neutral. Of course he'd say something like that.

Hira turns to me and says, "Ignore him, he is a bastard."

Everyone's standing around chatting when Aryan suddenly pulls something out from behind his back. A daisy.

"As a welcome," he says, handing it to me with a grin.

I blink, a little surprised, but smile anyway. "Um, Daisy's my favorite flower."

"Guess I have good taste, then," Aryan replies, clearly pleased with himself.

Aman laughs lightly beside him. "Don't let it get to your head, man."

Simran and Yashika join in, their energy warm and inviting, and I can't help but feel comfortable around them. They all seem so easy to be around.

They ask me what made me transfer here, and for a second, I think if I should tell them the truth or just avoid the question.

"I slapped a girl who was bullying a nerd; I even locked her in the bathroom," I say simply, shrugging like it's no big deal. "She pretended to be a victim and then I got expelled."

"Woah. Seriously? Remind me not to get on your bad side," Aryan teases, holding his hands up in surrender.

I laugh softly, shaking my head at him.

"Let's go to the canteen. Mrs. Kaur had to leave due to some reasons, which means we have a free class," Simran says, slinging her bag over one shoulder.

"I'll join you, Daisy," Ivansh says with a grin, sliding his hands into his pockets casually.

"Huh?"

"What huh?"

"What did you say?"

"I said that I'm joining too."

"No... what did you call me?"

"What did I call you?"

"Are you insane? You called me Daisy."

"You heard me and still acted like you didn't. Damn."

"You are irritating."

"Charming, you mean."

I shoot him a glare, but he just smirks like he knows he's winning. Ugh. I hate smug people. Actually I hate those who are a pain in asses.

We all head toward the canteen, the group's energy light and easy. Simran and Yashika are talking about some drama that happened last week–something about a guy confessing his love in the library and getting turned down in front of a whole crowd. Aryan's mimicking the whole scene, over-the-top and dramatic, making everyone laugh.

It's weird how normal this feels. I'm not used to this. I was the girl everyone wanted to be friends with, sure, but not like this. Not genuinely.

The canteen's buzzing with noise. Students everywhere–shouting across tables, laughing mid-bites, others staring at their phones like zombies. It smells like samosas, fries, and overpriced bad decisions. I kinda like it.

Hira leads us to a table near the back, and we all slide into the benches. I sit next to her, grateful for someone like her on my first day. She's warm in a way that doesn't feel fake.

"I'll get the snacks. What do you want?" Hira asks, already half-standing.

I glance at the menu board, overwhelmed. "Uh... just some chips, I guess."

"I'll come too," Ivansh says.

"Of course you will," I mutter under my breath,

"Only for you, daisy," he replies.

I groan audibly. "Please stop calling me that."

"But it suits you," he says with that same tone, teasing, and stupidly confident. "Sweet. Soft. Slightly wild."

"Sounds more like a stray dog than a flower."

He laughs and disappears with Hira.

Aryan chuckles beside me. "Don't mind him. That's just how he is."

"Annoying?"

"Pretty much," he grins. "But he grows on you."

I highly doubt that.

"So," he says, shifting to face me more, "you've probably figured this out already, but we've all been friends since forever. Childhood stuff. Me, Ivansh and..."

"Me too," Aman adds, leaning back in his seat, popping a fry from someone else's plate.

"Yeah, he's the thief of the group," Aryan jokes, and Aman just shrugs proudly.

"We're also in the football team. Ivansh is the captain," Aryan continues. "I'm midfielder. Aman's our keeper."

I raise an eyebrow. "Didn't expect Captain Football to be the team's golden boy."

"You think he's a golden boy?" Aryan teases, smirking.

"No. I think he's a golden pain."

They both laugh at that, and then...

"You ever play any sport?" Aman asks.

"Badminton," I say, stretching my legs under the table. "Used to be obsessed with it. I was good too."

Aryan nods. "Used to?"

"I quit. Got bored, I guess. Or maybe I just lost the reason to play."

Hira and Ivansh return with trays. Mine has chips and a bottle of water. Hira places it down gently while Ivansh plops his tray dramatically like he just did some heroic task.

"Your daisy snack is here," he announces.

I glare. "I swear, I will end you."

"Threats this early in our friendship? I'm flattered."

I roll my eyes and dig into the chips to avoid responding.

We're halfway through eating when I hear a voice that makes the hairs on the back of my neck rise.

"Ivansh."

A girl walks up to our table like she owns the place. Tall. Perfect hair. Lip gloss too shiny for a college canteen. The kind of girl you just know is going to ruin your day.

"Tanya," Ivansh says, not even bothering to hide the irritation in his voice.

"Oh, don't look so thrilled," she says with a fake laugh. Her eyes quickly scan the table until they land on me. "New girl?"

I raise an eyebrow, not rising to her bait. "Maya," I say simply.

"Interesting," she hums. "I'm Tanya. Family friend and Ivansh's girlfriend," she adds, directing the last part at me like it's some kind of warning.

"Ex girlfriend," Ivansh corrects her.

Tanya's eyes narrow slightly but she ignores him. "Well, just thought I'd say hi. Didn't know you were into flower girls now," she says to Ivansh, her lips curling.

I stiffen slightly. Wait. What the hell?

Ivansh just leans back and replies, "Didn't know I had to report my choices to you."

Ouch.

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