The cafeteria remained dead silent, the air thick with tension after Hamza's departure. The weight of his words still lingered, pressing heavy against everyone at the table.
Then, a sharp voice cut through the silence.
"Alright, show's over!" Siddarth snapped, standing up and glaring at the onlookers who were still whispering among themselves. "Mind your damn business and get lost!"
The crowd hesitated for a moment before shuffling away, not wanting to risk getting involved in whatever mess had just unfolded.
Shumaila sat back down harshly, exhaling sharply as she muttered under her breath, "Impossible. Absolutely impossible. How could he think this? How could he just—just blame me like that?"
Akansha and Komal immediately leaned in, concern etched on their faces. "Shumaila, take a deep breath," Komal said gently. "We know you wouldn't—"
"That's not the point!" Shumaila hissed, her fists clenching. "The fact that he even considered that I'd betray him—it's ridiculous! I don't even care about his damn competition!"
"But what if what he said was true?" Sneha's voice, though not accusing, was firm.
Shumaila's head snapped up, eyes narrowing. "Excuse me?"
Aarav, sitting beside Sneha, nodded. "Look, we're not saying you did it, but let's be real. You and Hamza have been at each other's throats for the past few months. You've both said some really out-of-line things to each other. If we look at this from Hamza's perspective, can you honestly say it's that far-fetched for him to believe you might've done it?"
Akansha scoffed. "Oh, come on, Aarav! Just because they fight doesn't mean Shumaila would stoop so low!"
Komal crossed her arms. "Exactly. You're talking as if he's the only one who should be given the benefit of the doubt. Why is Shumaila automatically guilty in your eyes?"
Siddarth, who had remained quiet until now, turned to Rudra. "Alright, let's ask this—Rudra, do you think Shumaila leaked his project?"
Rudra hesitated before answering, "I don't know, man. Hamza only shared his project details with a handful of people—his close classmates, me, and Shumaila. It's not like there were a lot of suspects."
Siddarth's eyes darkened. "So, what? That means you believe it was her? On what proof? And how are you so sure that it wasn't one of Hamza's close classmates? Or—" his voice lowered, "—what if it was you?"
Silence.
The entire table went stiff, the air suddenly heavier than before.
Rudra's face hardened. "What the hell are you trying to say?"
"I'm saying that you were also competing in that same competition," Siddarth said, voice calm but sharp. "And considering how well you know Hamza, it wouldn't be hard for you to take his idea and hand it off to someone else."
Sneha's expression turned to disbelief. "Siddarth, seriously? Rudra has been Hamza's best friend. If there's anyone here who wouldn't betray him, it's Rudra."
"Oh yeah? And what exactly are Hamza and Shumaila to each other?" Siddarth shot back. "Enemies? Rivals? People who can't go a day without making each other miserable?"
"Exactly!" Sneha countered. "Out of everyone at this table, the only person Hamza trusts completely is Rudra. Meanwhile, his relationship with Shumaila is literally built on throwing insults at each other! So, tell me—who do you think he'd find more believable?"
The argument was getting heated, voices rising in intensity.
Aarav exhaled, trying to keep the peace. "Look, no one's saying we think Shumaila did it. But… we also can't ignore how Hamza must see things right now. To him, it makes sense."
Shumaila, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke. Her voice was cold, composed—but dangerously sharp.
"You know what?" she exhaled, standing up. "I really don't care what any of you think. You want to believe Hamza? Go ahead. You want to doubt me? Be my guest. But I know exactly who I am, and I know what I have and haven't done." She let out a bitter chuckle. "And I sure as hell don't need to prove anything to anyone."
With that, she grabbed her bag and walked off, her posture rigid with suppressed fury.
The group remained in stunned silence as she disappeared from sight.
Komal was the first to break it, voice soft but firm. "That was messed up."
Siddarth sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah… it was."
Aarav leaned back, exhaling. "So what now?"
Sneha glanced at Rudra, who still looked tense. "Now? Now we wait and see how much worse this is going to get."