COACHING

"Every love story is different. Some are beautiful, some are painful, and some, like mine, are just… complicated."

Hey, my name is Raghav, and this is my story. Unlike most love stories where the guy gets dumped, mine is different. I don't have a writer like Chetan Bhagat to tell my tale, so I'm writing it myself. Don't expect it to be as good as his, but I'll try my best.

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ACT I : JAIPUR

"Allen Jaipur is the best institute for JEE preparation, right?" I asked a guy who had been studying there for the past few years.

He scanned me from head to toe, as if analyzing my worth, then finally replied, "Well, based on results and the number of students, yes. From my experience, their teaching style is amazing."

For a moment, I felt like he was advertising the institute rather than answering my simple question. But I didn't mind—I was about to join one of the best coaching institutes in Jaipur, and that was enough for me.

"Thanks for your time, dude," I said.

He didn't even acknowledge my words. The class had started, and he rushed off without looking back. I sat in the admission office with my father, waiting for our turn. Soon, the admission staff called us to the counter.

"Raghav?" The man at the counter looked up from his computer screen.

"Yes, that's me," I replied.

"Nice! How did you score in your last JEE Mains attempt?" he asked with curiosity.

"Only 50," I said hesitantly, lowering my voice.

"50 marks or 50 percentile?" he asked with a smile.

"Percentile," I admitted.

[Just to clarify, 50 marks are actually more than 50 percentile.]

"Oh, don't worry, kid! If you work hard, you'll improve," he assured me with confidence.

"For sure, sir," I said, suddenly feeling motivated. The truth was, I was good at Maths, but Physics and Chemistry were my nightmares.

After completing all the admission formalities, we were informed that classes would start in a week. Until then, we were advised to focus on NCERT books since we wouldn't receive our modules yet.

I wasn't alone in this journey. My friend Dev, who was from Jaipur, had also joined Allen with me. We had been friends for two years. Thanks to him, we had already arranged a PG—a costly one at ₹12,000/month. But it was worth it. The place was nice, clean, and most importantly, close to our coaching center.

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First Days in Jaipur

As evening fell, our parents left for home, and we were finally on our own. After taking some rest, I stepped out onto the balcony.

The view was breathtaking. A railway station was right next to our PG, and for the next few days, we didn't even need an alarm—the loud horn of the trains was enough to wake us up.

The next seven days passed quickly. I spent most of my time watching Manzil series by PhysicsWallah on YouTube. I managed to cover four chapters of Maths and even made proper notes. I thought I had an advantage over others—until the first day of class.

I walked into the classroom, confident about my preparation. But within minutes, my confidence shattered.

The moment the teacher asked a question, half the class answered before I even processed it.

"What the hell?" I whispered to myself.

That's when I realized—I wasn't just competing with beginners like me. Most students had already studied in coaching institutes for years. They were far ahead, and I had a lot to catch up on.

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The First Glimpse of Her

Days passed, classes continued, and I settled into my routine. And then… I saw her.

Brown eyes, long black hair, a cute smile.

For a whole minute, I couldn't look away. It was as if everything else had blurred out, and she was the only thing I could see.

Before I could process my emotions, the teacher started the class, snapping me back to reality. The rest of the day went by normally, but something had changed. She was special.

Since I sat on the last bench, I never really saw the whole class. But after that day, I tried to find her again. Everyone in the class knew me because I was the one who created the class group.

I thought this would make me popular, that people would talk to me. Wrong. No one cared.

But I had one mission now—to find out her name.

It took me two months.

She always sat in front of me during tests. So, I carefully predicted her seat number and checked the attendance sheet.

"Priya."

Her name was Priya.

"That's a beautiful name," I thought.

Excited, I rushed back to my PG, opened the class group, and searched for her.

She wasn't there.

Disappointed, I sighed. She never joined the group. That meant I had no way of contacting her.

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A Conversation with Dev

"What are you searching for?" Dev asked, peeking at my phone.

"Nothing. Just checking how many students have joined the group," I replied casually.

He laughed. "Bro, no one cares who made the group. Just focus on your studies."

I hated Dev.

He was a different kind of person. Our thoughts never matched, and frankly, I found him annoying.

"Mind your own business," I said, getting up from my bed. I walked to the balcony, my favorite escape.

Standing there, I did what every guy does when he sees a crowd of people—observed the girls.

An hour passed before I returned to my room. By then, our bhaiya had arrived with dinner. As usual, after eating, we went for our post-dinner walk—my favorite part of the day.

It was peaceful, a time when I could clear my mind.