The Last Day of 10th Exam

 Anubhav stared at the last question on his Science paper, but his mind was far away. He gripped his pen, his fingers trembling—not from fear of the exam, but from something deeper, something he couldn’t explain. This is it. The last paper. The last day.

The final bell rang. A silence filled the exam hall for a second, and then, like a dam breaking, the noise erupted—chairs scraping, papers rustling, sighs of relief, whispered conversations turning into loud cheers.

But Anubhav sat still. He looked around at the classroom where he had spent the last few years. The same dusty blackboard, the same creaky fan, the desks covered in scribbles—A + B = Friends Forever, Crush on Riya, I love Physics. The same walls that had echoed with laughter, whispered jokes, and hurried last-minute revisions.

Slowly, he stood up, his heart heavy. His fingers brushed against the desk one last time, as if memorizing its texture. Then, he walked out.

Outside, chaos unfolded. Friends hugging, some throwing their notebooks in the air, others shouting plans for the days ahead. "Movie tomorrow!" "Let’s play cricket in the evening!" "No more waking up early!"

Rishi and Kabir, his best friends, found him. "We did it, bro!" Rishi cheered, pulling him into a hug.

"No more school! No more exams!" Kabir added, grinning.

Anubhav smiled, but deep inside, a lump formed in his throat. No more school? The thought hit him hard.

No more waking up at dawn and cycling through the foggy streets with his friends, racing to see who would reach first. No more stopping at the tea stall, sipping chai, complaining about homework. No more sneaking into class after the bell, giggling as the teacher scolded them.

Would those days ever come back? Or were they gone forever?

His eyes wandered to the school building—the classrooms, the playground, the stairs where he had sat so many times, dreaming about the future. The future. It had always seemed exciting. But now that it was here, it felt terrifying.

Would he ever sit in these classrooms again? Hear Mr. Sharma’s voice explaining equations? Get scolded by Mrs. Sharma for talking too much? Laugh at inside jokes with his friends during boring lectures?

He clenched his fists, trying to push back the tears.

At home, his mother was already on a call with a relative. "Yes, we are thinking of Science. Engineering is a good career." His father patted his back. "Now the real journey begins, beta. You have to make us proud."

Expectations. From family. From society. The carefree days were over.

That night, he lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, memories flashing in his mind like an old film—his first day at school, the smell of new books, the innocent fights, the endless laughter, the shared dreams.

A tear slipped down his cheek.

Maybe this was growing up—realizing that some moments in life can never be relived, no matter how much you want them back.

The exams were over. The school days were over.

And yet, one question remained—

What next?