MY CRAZIEST ADVENTURE

*"Do not let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace. Their chaos is not yours to carry, nor their anger yours to hold."* 

Veer repeated this mantra in his head as he and Sonia stepped through the gates of Dhirubhai Ambani International School. Despite the grandeur of the buildings and the lively chatter of students around him, Veer remained calm, centered, and observant. His eyes scanned the school, taking in the elite status of the institution, but inside, he felt like he was walking into a situation all too familiar from the stories he'd read—like he was entering the world of a Chinese young master, surrounded by powerful, influential kids, with no choice but to play the game. 

But his thoughts were interrupted when a voice from behind broke through his calm.

"Hey, Sonia! I haven't seen you in a long time!"

Veer turned to see a boy, tall and smirking, approaching them. It was clear from his appearance and demeanor that he was someone who considered himself important—just the type to cause unnecessary drama. *Here we go,* Veer thought, feeling the air thicken with tension as the boy, Jeet, sauntered over.

Sonia, however, barely spared him a glance. "Oh, hey," she said coolly, not even stopping to engage. 

Jeet's face shifted, clearly annoyed at being brushed off. "What? No 'hello'? I thought we were friends," he pressed, his sarcasm evident. His gaze then shifted to Veer. "And who's this?"

Veer kept his expression neutral, letting Sonia handle the situation. "This is Veer," she said flatly. "And no, Jeet, we're not friends. We hardly spoke last year."

Jeet's smirk vanished, replaced by irritation. His eyes flickered to Veer with disdain, as if sizing him up. "Seems like you've got yourself a new lapdog, Sonia," he said, clearly trying to provoke.

Veer felt the jab but chose to remain calm. Reacting to a guy like Jeet wasn't worth it. Instead, he focused on keeping his cool and let Sonia's silence speak volumes. 

Jeet wasn't done though. "What's wrong, Veer? Can't speak for yourself?" he sneered, stepping closer.

Just as Veer was about to respond, he noticed a teacher walking nearby. Taking the opportunity to defuse the situation, Veer raised his hand, calling out, "Excuse me, ma'am. Can you help me? I'm new here and need to find the office to collect my schedule."

The teacher, sensing some tension, approached them. "Of course. Is everything okay here?"

Veer smiled politely. "Yes, everything's fine. I was just asking for directions."

Jeet, realizing the teacher's presence, shifted awkwardly, clearly annoyed that his attempt to provoke Veer had been diffused so easily. Without a word, he backed off, giving Sonia a final glance before walking away.

As the teacher escorted Veer to the office, Sonia waved goodbye and headed off to her class. Veer couldn't help but feel a small victory in keeping calm, even under Jeet's attempts to rile him up. *Not bad,* he thought. *Don't let them drag you into their chaos.*

In the office, Veer collected his class schedule and took a moment to glance at the large display detailing the history of the school. Something about the founding dates caught his attention—it was earlier than it had been in his previous life. *Strange,* he thought, but shook it off, not letting it distract him.

With his schedule in hand, Veer made his way to class. As he entered the room, he was greeted by the soothing voice of the teacher, explaining a lesson on Indian history. The classroom was filled with the hum of students scribbling notes, and the teacher's question hung in the air. 

"So, can anyone tell me which king unified the northern regions and promoted the spread of Hinduism?"

Veer, without missing a beat, answered as he walked toward an empty seat near the window. "Chandragupta Maurya," he said calmly, his voice carrying through the room.

The entire class turned to look at him. Even the teacher paused, slightly surprised by the quick and correct answer. "That's correct," the teacher said. "And you are...?"

"I'm Veer," he said simply, not offering more than he needed to. "I'm new here—just got my schedule today."

The teacher nodded and gestured for him to sit. "Well, welcome, Veer. Let's all make him feel comfortable here," she said to the class, though Veer could tell she was still curious about him.

The eyes of the students lingered on him a moment longer before they turned back to their notes. Veer, however, remained unfazed. He'd gotten used to blending in while keeping a low profile. It was best if people knew as little about him as possible.

As he settled into his seat near the window, the rest of the lesson passed without incident. He kept his focus, absorbing the information, even as thoughts of his next steps, his training, and what he needed to accomplish swirled in the back of his mind.

After class, as students filed out, Veer couldn't help but think back to his earlier encounter with Jeet. *This school really does feel like one of those places where some mobster-looking kid will show up to cause trouble,* he mused with a wry smile. *Hopefully, that's not the case.*

But in a place like this, anything seemed possible.

---

As the last class ended and the bell rang, Veer sighed, gathering his things. It had been an interesting day, but nothing too out of the ordinary. Just a regular school with its usual mix of groups—boys clustered together, girls huddled in their own circles, and then some co-ed groups, along with the inevitable nerds keeping to themselves. He watched them for a moment, the chatter and laughter filling the cafeteria. *Normal school life,* he thought. *Still, I need to be careful about who I interact with.*

Veer sat at an empty table, his tray of food untouched as he looked around, lost in thought, remembering his friends from his previous life. Those fleeting memories brought a small smile to his face until he felt a sudden tap on his shoulder. Startled, he turned around to see Sonia standing there with two girls, both smiling.

"Hey, Veer! How was your first day of classes?" Sonia asked cheerfully. "Made any friends yet? Do you want me to help you with that?"

Veer raised an eyebrow and replied with a smirk, "Sonia madam, I may be younger than you, but I have enough confidence to make friends on my own, so no, thank you."

Sonia pouted dramatically. "Oof! Call me elder sister, alright? I *am* older than you, and with that attitude, I doubt you'll make any friends!"

Not wanting to get into a back-and-forth with her, Veer decided to change the topic. "Alright, *elder sister,* but aren't you going to introduce me to your lovely friends here?" He turned to the two girls with a friendly smile. "Hi, I'm Veer. Nice to meet the beautiful ladies on my first day here."

The girls blushed, clearly pleased by the compliment but kept their composure. They offered polite smiles and shook hands with Veer.

"Well, these are my best friends, Saya and Maya," Sonia introduced. "They're sisters. Their father owns the largest toy store chain in India. That giant teddy bear you saw in my room? Saya and Maya gave it to me for my birthday."

"Wow, those are such beautiful names," Veer responded smoothly.

"Thank you, Veer," Saya replied with a smile. She then turned to Sonia with a teasing tone, "By the way, Sonia, you never mentioned you had such a sweet-talking brother."

Sonia shifted uncomfortably, clearly not expecting the conversation to turn in this direction. Veer, noticing her discomfort, decided to step in. "Well, I didn't know I had it in me either," he said playfully. "I grew up in Gujarat and only recently came here for studies. Lucky me, I get to meet you both on my first day! By the way, are you two single?"

The sudden shift in conversation made both Saya and Maya blush deeply, caught off guard by the directness of the question. Sonia, meanwhile, was torn between relief and embarrassment. In India, especially in school, open talk about relationships still carried a hint of awkwardness, but Veer had used it as a subtle diversion to keep things light.

Saya and Maya exchanged embarrassed looks, clearly not expecting such a question. Sonia, meanwhile, shot Veer a sharp glare, feeling both mortified and angry that he had turned the tables on her so casually. But Veer didn't flinch; he remained calm, and the situation defused itself. Soon, they all laughed, and the playful banter filled the rest of their lunch break.

As lunch ended, they parted ways for their afternoon classes. Veer returned to his classroom, blending back into the rhythm of the day. He focused on the lessons, making mental notes of the teachers and their teaching styles, absorbing everything like a sponge. The day passed swiftly, and before he knew it, the final bell rang, signaling the end of school.

Veer gathered his things and made his way to the front gate. There, a line of cars waited for the students—sleek, expensive vehicles, each with a driver waiting to collect their young masters. Veer couldn't help but notice a few familiar faces among the adults—people he had recognized from his past life. They were influential figures, both then and now, and seeing them stirred a strange sense of déjà vu.

"Veer, let's go!" Sonia's voice called, breaking his thoughts. "Our car is over there. Mom should be at office working now, so let's head back."

Veer nodded, following Sonia as they made their way to the car. He glanced back at the school one last time before stepping into the vehicle, feeling a strange mixture of curiosity and caution. *First day down,* he thought. *Let's see what tomorrow brings.*

As Veer and Sonia reached the school gates, The faint hum of conversation and the buzz of excited kids filled the air as students reunited with their families or drivers. Veer spotted their car, and the familiar driver waved them over.

They quietly slipped into the back seat, and the driver pulled away from the school. The atmosphere in the car was calm, but Veer could sense that Sonia had something on her mind. She sat quietly for a moment before finally breaking the silence.

"Veer... I'm sorry," Sonia said softly, her voice unusually serious. "I didn't tell Saya and Maya about everything—about the kidnapping or that... well, that we adopted you. I didn't know how to bring it up."

Veer turned to her, surprised by her sudden confession but understanding the hesitation. He gave a small, reassuring smile. "You don't need to apologize, Sonia. It's good that you didn't reveal too much. There's no need for everyone to know about that. Some things are better kept private."

Sonia looked at him with relief, her tense expression softening. "I just didn't want them to look at you differently. You're part of our family now."

"I know," Veer replied calmly. "And I appreciate it. But don't worry. I don't mind keeping things low-key. It's better for now."

Sonia nodded, grateful that Veer wasn't upset. They sat in comfortable silence for the rest of the ride home, the city streets blurring past the window as they returned to their new normal.