the vote

It had been a long week. A week full of campaigning, awkward speeches, overconfident handshakes, and failed attempts at making posters stick to the walls with cheap tape. Nick had poured his heart and questionable artistic skills into his election campaign for Assistant House Captain of Carnation. He'd even managed to give a surprisingly decent speech, one that earned him applause—and a compliment from Pearl.

Which he was still replaying in his head on loop.

But now, the final moment had arrived.

Election day.

Students gathered in the multipurpose hall like it was some dramatic season finale. The air was thick with anticipation. Or maybe that was just the combined body heat of 300 teenagers stuffed in one room.

Preeti Ma'am stood at the front, clipboard in hand, her expression as unreadable as ever.

"Okay, listen up! Each student will be given a colored chit based on their house—Carnation, Tulip, Daffodil, or Zinnia," she announced, raising four bundles of pastel paper. "On the chit, you will write the name of the candidate you want to vote for. Fold it. Drop it in the box. Don't try to be funny—no fake names. We will know."

Nick was already sweating. And not because it was warm. The weight of possibility sat on his shoulders like a toddler that refused to get down.

One by one, students stepped forward as names were called and collected their chits. K got his blue Daffodil paper. Zaid followed with Carnation red. Nick clutched his own chit like it was a lottery ticket to destiny.

This was it.

He was finally going to write his name. The name of a legend in the making. The man with the, powerful, red T red logo.

He picked up the pen.

And just as he was about to write—

"Hey, Nick," a voice said softly behind him.

He turned.

Pearl.

She looked… calm. Serene. And somehow still glowing like she had her own personal Instagram filter following her around in real life.

Nick blinked. "Y-yeah?"

She gave him a small, hopeful smile. "Will you vote for me?"

Boom.

That's it. His brain short-circuited.

All campaign logic? Gone.

All those nights spent sketching out ideas on how to convince others to vote for him? Obliterated.

His speech? Irrelevant.

His chart? Pointless.

His vote? Hijacked.

"Yeah," he said, the word slipping out before his soul had a chance to stop it.

Pearl beamed. "Thanks, Nick."

And just like that, she turned and walked away.

Nick stared at his chit.

His hand moved, like it belonged to someone else.

He wrote: Pearl.

He folded the paper like it had just rejected him personally and dropped it in the box with a deadpan face that would make even statues say, "You good, bro?"

He walked back to where Zaid and K were standing, dazed.

Zaid immediately narrowed his eyes. "Why do you look like you just watched your dreams do a backflip into a shredder?"

K looked suspicious. "You didn't just… vote for her, did you?"

Nick gave a guilty half-nod.

Zaid dropped his jaw. "YOU VOTED FOR PEARL?!"

Nick rubbed his face. "She asked! I panicked!"

K threw his hands up. "Bro, this is like showing up to a sword fight with a spoon—and then giving your spoon to the enemy!"

Zaid looked personally betrayed. "You've been campaigning for a week. You convinced half the juniors to call you 'Captain Nick.' We helped you print posters. I went through the trauma of seeing your logo 87 times and didn't tell you it looked like a suspicious fruit."

"I thought it radiated power," Nick mumbled, still staring into the void.

"She batted her eyes, and you folded like laundry!" Zaid declared dramatically.

K patted Nick's back. "Rest in peace, Candidate Nick. Gone too soon. Defeated by love and poor impulse control."

Nick groaned. "I hate myself."

Zaid shook his head. "You should. I hate you a little too. Not a lot. Just enough to make fun of you forever."

Nick sighed, slumping into the nearest chair.

Around him, students were buzzing with post-vote gossip. The ballot boxes were being sealed. The results would be announced the next day in assembly. The excitement was rising, but for Nick, it felt like the credits had already rolled.

And the blooper reel was just him voting for his crush.

K leaned in. "So… what if you actually lose because of that one vote?"

Nick stared off into the middle distance. "Then I will have sacrificed myself… for the greater good."

Zaid raised an eyebrow. "Bro. You sacrificed yourself because you have a crush and no spine."

Nick paused. "Okay, and for the greater good."

K chuckled. "Whatever happens tomorrow, you better hope Pearl wins too. Otherwise, that's gonna be one tragic love story."

Nick groaned louder, grabbing a nearby paper fan and covering his face.

Zaid grinned. "At least now we know your true weakness."

Nick peeked out from the fan. "It's love."

K and Zaid, in unison: "It's Pearl."

And as they walked out of the hall, Nick tried to convince himself that maybe—just maybe—he hadn't just doomed himself.

But deep inside, he knew:

Tomorrow's results were either going to make him the school's next hero…

…or its biggest romantic clown.

Chapter: And the Results Are In…

Date: Monday | Time: 9:00 AM | Location: Morning Assembly – Terna International School Grounds

It was the kind of morning where the air felt heavy, like the school itself knew something big was about to happen. The stage was set—literally. The mic was out. The principal was standing at the podium with a sheet of paper and a neutral expression that made her look like she was about to announce the end of the world or a spelling bee winner. Could go either way.

Nick stood in the Carnation row between Zaid and K, his hands sweaty, his mind racing.

"This is it," he whispered. "Today's the day I either rise… or completely evaporate."

"You already evaporated when you voted for Pearl," Zaid mumbled, fixing his tie with the elegance of a raccoon.

K raised an eyebrow. "I still can't believe that actually happened."

"Neither can I," Nick muttered. "I went in with the spirit of a warrior and walked out as a simp."

A hush fell over the students as the principal tapped the mic, causing a minor earthquake in Nick's chest.

"Good morning, students," she said with her usual calm-but-slightly-intimidating voice. "After a full week of campaigning and voting, the results of the House Captain and Assistant House Captain elections are in."

Nick's heart did parkour in his chest.

The principal continued, reading from the paper like she was narrating the Oscars of school leadership.

"For Carnation House…"

Nick's body tensed so hard he thought he might snap in half like a dry breadstick.

"…The position of House Captain goes to… Tanishq Patel."

A wave of polite applause went through the crowd. Tanishq stepped forward like a seasoned politician, shaking hands and doing the subtle smile-nod combo like he'd been born for this.

Nick didn't care. Tanishq could be president of the world for all he knew—Nick was waiting for one name.

"And the Assistant House Captain for Carnation is… Pearl D'Costa."

There it was.

The crowd clapped harder this time. Pearl walked up with her usual grace, offering a soft smile and a tiny wave that somehow caused five juniors to faint and Nick to forget his home address.

Zaid leaned in and whispered, "Damn. She really won."

Nick nodded slowly. "I voted for her."

"You voted for everyone's Assistant House Captain," K said. "Congrats on being the Romeo of democracy."

The principal moved on.

"For Tulip House, the House Captain is Parthak Mehta, and Assistant House Captain is Simran Bhasin."

Parthak walked up looking like he just got out of an anime transformation sequence, and Simran smiled so widely it threatened to blind the first three rows.

"For Zinnia House," the principal continued, "House Captain is Yash Sharma, and Assistant House Captain is Rhea Kamble."

Yash walked like the school runway was built for him, and Rhea winked at her squad of cheerleaders before taking her position.

"For Daffodil House, House Captain is Praneet Vyas, and Assistant House Captain is Mehek Kapoor."

K gave a small clap. "Hey, I know Praneet. He once tripped in the corridor and blamed gravity personally."

Nick didn't laugh. He was still watching Pearl take her position next to Tanishq, her expression calm, professional. She looked like she belonged there.

He looked down at his shoes.

"I could've been standing up there with her."

"You could've been, yes," Zaid said, patting his shoulder. "But instead, you voted for her. Like a Disney prince."

Nick exhaled. "I regret nothing… except everything."

The rest of the student council names were read out. Cultural Head: Ananya. Sports Head: Omkar. Discipline Head: Sameer—who somehow always looked like he just finished filing taxes. Academic Head: Kriti, who already had a clipboard in hand, ready to rule.

Once the final names were called, the principal smiled.

"Congratulations to all the new leaders of Terna International School. We look forward to a year of responsibility, excellence, and teamwork. You are now the faces of your houses—make us proud."

The clapping reached its peak. Students cheered, friends shouted names, and somewhere in the back someone tried to start a "Pearl! Pearl!" chant but was quickly shut down by a teacher.

Nick stood still.

K looked at him. "You good?"

Nick nodded. "Yeah."

"Liar."

Nick sighed. "Okay, no. It hurts a little. I'm happy for her. Genuinely. But it stings. Like when you order pizza and someone eats your last slice while smiling at you."

"You'll survive," Zaid said. "You always do. With excessive drama, but you do."

Nick cracked a smile.

As the new captains exited the stage, students slowly began to disperse. Pearl was instantly surrounded by congratulatory classmates, a few juniors who looked like they'd die for her, and even Preeti Ma'am, who gave her a proud nod.