It was a sunny day on the university grounds. The atmosphere buzzed with energy as the seniors took the opportunity to "rag" the new juniors, laying out unwritten rules and testing boundaries. Among the crowd of nervous first-years stood a shy boy with glasses, silently observing everything around him.
Kabir, a loud and confident senior, noticed the boy and called out, "Hey, battery! You need to be cool in university!"
Laughter followed, but it was Bella's soft giggle that caught Kabir's attention. She shook her head in amusement. Bella - nineteen, strikingly beautiful, with long, curly black hair - stood out from the rest. She wasn't just pretty; she carried herself with a quiet confidence that made people look twice.
Kabir walked up to her, smirking. "You look cool. Are you?"
Bella smiled. "Yes."
"Alright then," Kabir said, pointing toward a row of empty chairs. "As you can see, there are some chairs in front of you. The rule is: you have to kiss whoever sits on the first chair - boy or girl. Got it?"
Without hesitation, Bella nodded and walked toward the chairs, fearless.
Soon, a man - handsome, about 28, with glasses - sat down on the first chair. Without blinking, Bella stepped forward and kissed him on the cheek.
A gasp rippled through the group. One of the seniors suddenly recognized the man. "Oh no! That's Professor Lee - the history teacher!"
Panic broke out. The seniors scattered in all directions.
Professor Lee stood up, shocked, and called out, "Hey! What is this nonsense?"
Bella turned, a bit nervous, and replied, "Sorry… It was part of the ragging." She pointed behind her - but the seniors were already gone.
Confused and flustered, she added, "Okay, I'm sorry again. I'll leave now."
But Professor Lee stopped her. "You know you could be suspended for this behavior."
Bella smiled slyly. "I'm sure I won't be."
"Why not?"
"Because the kiss was good." With that, she walked away.
Later that evening, Bella returned home where she lived with her grandmother. The moment she stepped inside, her grandmother scolded her. "Why are you so late? You're all I have left in this world. First your mother left, and now you - "
Bella's expression darkened. Her mother had died by suicide when Bella was just a child.
"Please, Granny," she whispered. "Don't bring that up again. It hurts."
She walked into the bathroom, filled the tub, and sat in it fully clothed, her mind drifting back to that horrible day.
She was seven years old, returning from school in her little uniform. "Mom, I'm home!" she had called out, holding a small musical glass lamp as a gift. But her voice was drowned by the chaos - police cars, neighbors, and whispers outside their house. She ran upstairs, calling again, "Mom?" That's when she saw her - her mother, hanging from the ceiling fan.
The memory crushed her, but her phone suddenly rang, snapping her back to the present. It was Kabir.
"Hey, I'm outside," he said. "I want to be your friend. You're cool and challenging - I really like that."
Bella didn't respond seriously.
"There's a history trip next week, out of the city. Are you coming?"
"Yeah," she replied softly.
"Great. It'll be fun!"
The next day, Bella dressed casually in a pair of small jeans and a fitted top, bracelets on her wrist, her curls bouncing as she walked into the history class.
Professor Lee stood at the front, mid-lecture. When he saw her, a flicker of surprise crossed his face. Bella smirked, amused by his reaction. She playfully tried to distract him - twirling her hair, biting her lip, even scribbling his name on her hand.
But Professor Lee kept his composure, trying hard to ignore her. The bell finally rang, and the class emptied.
Bella lingered a moment longer, still wearing that mysterious smile.