Sameera was a student in the eighth grade. One morning, after assembly, Sameera went to her class and joined her group of friends, who were mostly backbenchers. She greeted them with her usual smile, but they all looked unusually quiet that day.

After some time, Ahsan nudged Mahira and whispered, “Tell Sameera our plan.”

“What plan?” Sameera asked in confusion.

Abdullah spoke hesitantly. “We are going to bunk the last two chemistry classes.”

Sameera was shocked. “Are you guys serious? This is dangerous. What if we get caught?”

“No one gets caught,” Mahira replied quickly. “There’s a new arcade near our school. We just want to enjoy ourselves for once.”

Sameera refused immediately. “No, this is wrong. We shouldn’t be doing this.”

But her friends kept insisting. Ahsan reassured her, “My brother’s friends have done this several times. Nothing will happen.” They warned her about FOMO — the fear of missing out. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” they said. “You’ll never get this opportunity again. You must come with us.”

Sameera felt tense inside. She knew it was wrong, yet her friends’ pressure kept increasing. Finally, she asked nervously, “How are we going to get out? The guard will never let us.”

“We’ll leave through the back gate when the guard isn’t there,” Mahira replied confidently.

Although nervous, Sameera decided to go along with them. After the break, none of them returned to class. They quietly slipped out of school and spent the afternoon at the arcade, playing games and enjoying themselves, unaware of what was happening back at school.

During the chemistry class, their absence was noticed immediately. The teacher asked, “Where is Sameera?” because Sameera was never absent without a valid reason.

One student stood up and said, “Ma’am, I heard them say they were going to bunk the class.”

The teacher was shocked and informed the vice-principal immediately. The CCTV footage was checked and the truth was confirmed.

The next day, when the four students entered the classroom, their teacher called them aside. “You four have disappointed me greatly,” she said. “Especially you, Sameera. I never expected this behaviour from you.”

Sameera burst into tears. Her parents were called and the embarrassment her family faced was unbearable. The final blow came when the teacher announced, “Sameera, your name has also been removed from the Student of the Year nominees. Your prefect’s sash will also be taken back, because you violated the school’s disciplinary rules.”

That day, Sameera understood the real price of one wrong choice. She realised that true friends would never drag her into doing the wrong thing, and that integrity is far more precious than a moment’s enjoyment.

She learnt that one irresponsible act can wipe away years, of hard work in an instant. The thrill of those few moments was nothing compared to the loss of her integrity, respect and confidence that she felt afterwards.

After paying a very heavy price for her misdeed, Sameera made a promise to herself that she would never again let peer pressure guide her decisions.

Published in Dawn, Young World, March 19th, 2026