Chapter 1: The Gang of Four

“Mummy, I don’t want to go to school.”

Those were words I never said.

School wasn’t just a place for me. It was where everything happened — laughter, fights, secrets, and the kind of memories that don’t fade easily. It was my stage, even before I knew I was performing.

I was just two years old when my parents met Catherine’s parents. Same nursery school, same chaotic mornings, same tiny chairs and crayons. What started as polite conversations between parents slowly turned into something deeper — they became friends.

And without even realizing it, we did too.

Catherine and Kay were my first constants. We didn’t “become” friends — we simply were. From nursery to kindergarten, we were inseparable. Three tiny humans who believed the world was as small as our classroom and as big as our imagination.

Then came first grade.

That’s when Mathew and Dhruv entered our lives.

Five of us. A complete circle. Or at least, that’s what it looked like from the outside.

Because somehow, even though Dhruv was always there, it never felt like he belonged the way the rest of us did. Not in a bad way — just… distant. Like a character in a story who never got enough lines.

But the rest of us?

We were chaos.

Especially me and Mathew.

Our mothers were best friends — the kind who spoke for hours and laughed too loudly. And somehow, that energy passed down to us. Me and Mathew were exactly like them, just smaller and louder.

Everyone called us Tom and Jerry.

We fought over everything. Who got the window seat. Who cheated in a game. Who started the argument. Honestly, I don’t even remember most of the reasons now.

But I remember the feeling.

The comfort of knowing that no matter how big the fight was, we’d be talking again the next day like nothing happened.

Those fights weren’t cracks in our friendship.

They were proof of how strong it was.

Until sixth grade, we were everything friendship was supposed to be. No overthinking. No distance. No replacements.

Just us.

Then sixth grade hit.

I walked into my new classroom, scanning faces, searching for familiar faces. But I couldn't find any.

No Matthew. No Catherine. No Kay. No Dhruv.

None of my friends.

I tried to push down my disappointment, maybe they were all just running late. But even as I took my seat, I knew the chances of all four of them being late were slimmer than slim. Still, I took a window seat, ignoring how it felt being able to sit there without arguing with Matthew.

Weirdly, I found that I even missed Dhruv's presence, his quietness. Without it, I realised just how alone it felt.

Until lunch, I was dreading every minute. When the bell finally rang, I packed my bag and practically ran out of the classroom. As soon as I entered the cafeteria, my eyes scanned the room like some sort of robot.

Eventually, I saw them. Matthew, Dhruv, Catherine, and Kay, all sat at a table with their lunches. A smile tugged at my cheeks as I walked over, sliding onto the bench beside Matthew, "Hey, guys!" I grinned, setting my own packed lunch down.

"You made it!" Matthew cheered jokingly, hooking his arm around my shoulders and tugging me into his side with a laugh. Catherine leaned over the table, "Hey, I thought you weren't in today or something, where've you been?"