“The new admissions are going to be announced tomorrow. I’m beyond excited! The new year is going to be amazing, I can already feel it,” said Faiza to her friend Nabiha as they chatted on the phone.

Nabiha replied nervously, “I’m a bit scared. What if our names don’t appear on the college merit list? My parents will be so disappointed.”

Faiza tried to comfort her. “We’ve got good marks in the previous grade. There’s no doubt we’ll get in.”

But Nabiha, still anxious, said, “I’ve heard the college we applied to is the best in town and it only takes students with excellent grades. Ours are just average, I think.”

“You and your anxiety!” Faiza laughed. “You worry for no reason. I’ve told you before: our marks are good enough for any college in town. All our friends have scored lower than us and they’re still happy. I really don’t understand why you panic so much.”

Hearing this, Nabiha relaxed a little. They were the kind of friends who often argued, but one of them always ended up winning — and that one was usually Faiza. She was bold, brave and much more confident than Nabiha, who always gave in during their small disagreements.

The next day arrived quickly. Faiza picked up Nabiha from her house, and they reached the college at 9 am. They checked the merit list and both of their names were there! They were thrilled.

Soon, a person from the management department guided the selected students to fill in the admission form for their chosen courses. Faiza and Nabiha had just started filling out their forms when Faiza suddenly remembered she had left her bag in the main corridor. Her bag contained money for the college fee, her ID card and some important documents needed for admission. Panicking, she rushed out of the hall; it was the first time Nabiha had ever seen Faiza so worried.

Faiza searched the corridor where she was sure she had left it, but the bag was nowhere to be found. She asked other students if they had seen it. It was a pink bag with a butterfly embossed on it, and Faiza was certain it had been there.

A wave of helplessness washed over her. Terrible thoughts filled her mind, what if someone had stolen it? What if she never got her documents back? She hurried to the principal’s office to request an announcement for her lost bag. But just then, she spotted a girl outside the cafeteria wearing a pink bag that looked exactly like hers.

Faiza ran up to her and said sharply, “Why are you wearing my bag? Why didn’t you return it to the office? I was so desperate to have it back. Give me my bag!”

The girl looked surprised and replied gently, “Sorry, but you must be mistaken. This isn’t your bag, it’s mine. Maybe we both have the same one. You should check where you left yours.”

But Faiza didn’t listen and took the girl to the principal’s office. The girl kept insisting that the bag was hers when suddenly Nabiha walked in — holding Faiza’s actual bag.

“Here it is!” Nabiha said quickly. “Isn’t this your bag? I found it in the hall, under the table where you were sitting.”

Faiza’s face turned red with embarrassment. She had accused the girl without any proof. Feeling guilty, she apologised immediately. The girl smiled and said kindly, “No worries, it was just a misunderstanding.”

Faiza was relieved that the girl didn’t take it to heart, and from that day, they became friends.

Published in Dawn, Young World, November 15th, 2025