Chapter 9: Raju’s Sacrifice

It was my best friend, Raju. He stood, chest heaving, eyes blazing. His usually calm face was twisted with determination.

His breath came in gasps, but he didn’t look away. Slowly, he dug into his trouser pocket, pulling out his own phone.

Sir barked, “Ab tu kya natak kar raha hai? Baith ja chup-chaap!” But Raju ignored him.

He looked at me, voice low and steady, “Bhai hain na hum?” In that moment, the air seemed to thicken with old promises and shared secrets.

A lump formed in my throat. It was like all the years of friendship had come down to this one question.

I nodded hard. “Brothers.”

After getting my response, my best friend made up his mind and took his phone out of his pocket.

He jammed the steel scale under his phone screen, voice ringing out, “Dono ke phone same hain. Meri screen laga lo, Sir. Agar yeh jhooth bol raha hai toh mera phone bhi rakh lo, mujhe bhi nikal do. Par main bharosa karta hoon apne bhai pe.”

Sir shook his head, “Pagal ho gaye ho dono. Kya kar rahe ho?” The class murmured in amazement.

With a sharp twist, Raju’s phone screen came loose. He handed it to me, his palm sweaty but steady.

The wires dangled, the phone buzzing faintly. My hands trembled as I accepted it, heart pounding in my chest.

I almost smiled, hope flickering in my chest for the first time since morning. Maybe, just maybe, this would work.

I realised then that sometimes, having even one person on your side is enough to keep you standing.

Ignoring the pain in my fingers, I disconnected the screen, focusing only on the possibility of saving a life.

Excitement rippled through the room. Some students jumped up to help, others crowded around, forgetting discipline for once.

“Wire udhar lagao!” “USB yahan de!” voices rang out. In that moment, we weren’t rivals, we were a team. The energy felt electric, as if the IPL final was being played in our classroom.

Sir folded his arms, pretending to calculate. “Dus minute barbaad kiye. Ek class mein kitne bachche, sab ke dus minute gaye!” He shook his head, but no one paid attention.