TUTOR CENTRE – CYCLE STAND – LATE AFTERNOON

The cycle stand was like any other—dusty, noisy, filled with half-broken bicycles and full-blown teenage chaos.

Arjun leans against his cycle, spinning the keys around his finger. Rohith stands beside him, checking his phone.Rohith was scrolling through his phone, mumbling something about how Jeeva was always late. Arjun wasn’t paying attention. His eyes were on the math formulas he drew on the dust-covered seat of his bicycle. Not because he cared—but because tutor class meant headaches.

ROHITH(sighs): “Bro, Jeeva’s running on his own timezone again.”

ARJUN(grinning): “What’s new? He probably stopped to chat with every tea kadai uncle on the way.”

They laugh. Just then, ARCHANA and PREETHI walk into frame, chatting and laughing. PREETHI walks ahead, her braid swaying. Arjun notices.

School uniform, braid swaying behind her like some movie entrance scene. Preethi. With Archana beside her, laughing about something.

ROHITH (smugly): “Girls squad incoming daa.”

ARJUN(slightly distracted): Yeah, yeah…

*Arjun didn’t mean to stare. He didn't—but he just couldn’t help it.*

She looked smart. Confident. Way out of his league.

Preethi Pov: Archana was mid-rant about how tutor notes were boring when Preethi noticed him. Leaned casually on his cycle, spinning keys like he was in an ad. She knew the type—sports boy, likely full of jokes and zero seriousness.

Great...

She tried to ignore him. But then her stupid pedal jammed, and when she bent down, her notebook decided to betray her.

He picked it up.

ARJUN(smirking): “You’re dropping knowledge already?”

while handling notebooks to her.

PREETHI (raising an eyebrow): “Hilarious. Is this how you flirt with equations too?” But inside, she smiled.

ROHITH chuckles. ARCHANA gives a small snort.

ARJUN POV: He blinked. Did she just roast me?

He was impressed. And also a little speechless.

ARJUN (defensive, amused): “No, but I’ve heard sarcasm is a top skill in chemistry.”

PREETHI (flatly): “Then congrats. You just caused a reaction.”

They lock eyes. A pause—until the silence is broken by two more voices.

Behind them, Jeeva and Saravana appeared, high-fiving like they were in a slow-montage. Turns out, they were neighbors. Childhood buddies. And now, unknowingly, the bridge between two lives that were about to intertwine.

JEEVA (O.S.) (cheerfully): Yo! Look at this accidental assembly!

JEEVA and SARAVANA walk in, carrying their backpacks, all smiles.

JEEVA(to Saravana): “Didn’t I tell you? Our Tutor cycle stand is secretly a friendship hub”.

SARAVANA(grinning): “More like the start of a teenage soap opera”.

Everyone laughs. ARJUN and PREETHI exchange a glance—awkward, but not unfriendly.

*PREETHI stealing one last glance at Arjun as she locks her cycle on cycle stand and walk inside of tutor. He watches her ride off.*

Later in moment...

Desks are scattered, students are chattering, and ceiling fans whirl lazily overhead. It’s the first day of after-school tutoring for the 11th grade batch.

The room is buzzing. Students enter noisily. Bags drop, pens clatter, and chairs screech as they slide into place.

JEEVA(mid-stretch): “Brooo, it’s too hot for algebra.”

ARJUN(flopping into a chair at the back row): “And too early in life to suffer like this.”

He pulls out his book, flips it, and yawns exaggeratedly.

ARJUN (grinning to Jeeva): “Bro, this place smells like equations and fear.”

JEEVA (deadpan): “That’s just your homework anxiety, buddy. Sit tight.”

Front row. PREETHI walks in- with white chutithar , hair braided, bag organized like a pharmacy shelf. She places her water bottle and pens in order. Her friends ARCHANA, REEKA, and SARAVANA sit beside her.

ARCHANA (whispering): “New year, same back row monkeys.”

REEKA (giggling): Look! Arjun brought his sports bag... but forgot his textbook.

SARAVANA (teasing): Maybe he’s planning to dribble his way through physics.

PREETHI rolls her eyes but can’t help sneaking a glance backward. She spots ARJUN—half-listening to the tutor’s intro—doodling in his notebook. He’s drawing… a stickman surfing on a triangle.

Their eyes meet. A flicker of mischief in his smirk. She quickly looks away, unimpressed.

PREETHI (whispering to Archana): “Who’s the backbench Picasso?”

ARCHANA (smirking): Your future science partner if karma’s in a mood.

Meanwhile, ARJUN leans back, whispers to JEEVA.

ARJUN (watching her): “She looks like the kind who dreams in bar graphs.”

JEEVA (grinning): “Perfect. You dream in cartoons. Balanced.”

TUTOR enters and claps hands.

TUTOR: “Settle down, everyone. This year, you’ll be sitting in fixed rows based on roll numbers.”

Groans from the back row. ARJUN flips to the last page of his notebook and writes:

**“RIP Freedom 😩”**

PREETHI sharpens her pencil with Zen-like calm. Behind her, ARJUN blows air into his pen like a flute and doodles again—this time, a girl with braided hair yelling at a stick boy.

JEEVA (peeking): “Is that her?”

ARJUN (smirking): “Art imitates life, bro.”

The tutor, MR. VARADHAN, stands at the board. He’s in his late 30s, spectacled, with a strict voice and zero patience for nonsense.

MR. VARADHAN (firmly): “Roll numbers 1 to 25 – front three rows. 26 and above, back three rows. Boys and girls can sit together. But God is watching.”

Groans. Some smirks. Preethi sits up straighter, adjusting her ID card. Arjun checks his roll number, yawns, and then—surprise—realizes he’s in the 24th spot.

ARJUN (to Jeeva, fake dramatic): “I’m front row now. This is betrayal.”

Preethi hears this and quietly mutters to Archana..as she was 20 roll number.

PREETHI: “Front row? This day just keeps getting better.”

Arjun walks toward the row just behind Preethi’s. She senses his presence before he even sits. He flops into the chair and leans slightly forward.

ARJUN (softly to her, mischievous tone): “Hey front row topper, any chance your aura makes answers appear on my page?”

PREETHI (without looking back): “Only if your brain has Bluetooth.”

Jeeva snorts from his seat beside Arjun.

MR. VARADHAN (snapping): “Silence! Let’s begin with chemistry basics.”

He starts writing atomic structures on the board. Preethi’s already copying neatly. Arjun lazily sketches half an atom and then starts doodling a stick figure holding a test tube labeled “BOOM.”

PREETHI (turning halfway): “You know he’s going to call on you if you keep drawing like a 4-year-old.”

ARJUN (grinning): “Then I’ll just say I was illustrating explosive potential.”

PREETHI (smirks): “In chemistry or stupidity?”

ARJUN: “Both. But I excel in the First one—ask anyone.”

INT. TUTOR CENTER – 20 MINUTES LATER

Mr. Varadhan throws a question at the class.

MR. VARADHAN: “Alright. If an element has 11 protons, what is its atomic number?”

No one answers immediately. Preethi starts to raise her hand—but—

ARJUN (loudly): “Eleven, sir.”

Preethi turns back, eyebrows raised. Arjun leans in with a whisper.

ARJUN (softly): “See? I do pay attention. Sometimes.”

PREETHI (smiling despite herself): “Congratulations. You just passed Kindergarten Chemistry.”

She turns back, but he catches the tiny smile on her face. His 👀Eyes widens.

ARJUN (to Jeeva): “She smiled. I win today.”

INT. TUTOR CENTER – END OF CLASS

The bell rings. Bags zip. Chairs screech again as everyone begins to leave.

REEKA (nudging Preethi): “So... thoughts on Mr. Doodle behind you?”

PREETHI (hiding her grin): “He’s got more sarcasm than sense.”

SARAVANA: “And more charm than attendance marks.”

ARCHANA: “Perfect disaster waiting to happen.”

Meanwhile, Arjun packs up slowly, watching Preethi from the corner of his eye as she walks out with her friends. She doesn’t look back—but the corners of her lips are still curved.

ARJUN (to himself): “Front row just got interesting.”

.

...

Author pov;

She was the calm in his careless world,

he was the spark in her silent skies.

And though neither said a word, in that fleeting glance,

something tender...

somewhere between rolled eyes and whispered jokes,

And as the chalk dust danced in the golden evening light,

two hearts seated rows apart, unknowingly took the first step towards a story neither syllabus nor science could define.

To be Continue.....