I continued, "When I was in grade 8, Rash and I came up with the idea of starting a bank for students. The policy was simple: deposited money would increase by 10 Rs every week. It wasn’t a huge profit, but it was the best we could offer. Our bank became quite popular, and many students started depositing their money with us. We kept meticulous records of every transaction.

We had about eight regulars who faithfully used our bank. One of them was Ken, a short, slightly chubby guy with glasses. Ken always deposited the least amount but frequently asked for double as a loan, which he never repaid. Since he was a close friend, I didn’t mind much.

Everything was going smoothly until Pras joined us. He was fascinated by our idea and became one of the three founding members. Our bank was thriving, but then disaster struck.

One day, Ken asked me for 20 Rs, and I refused. We were in class, working on some assignments, and he kept pestering me for money. The teacher overheard and asked what was going on. Ken, trying to be clever, said, 'Sir, he has a bank, and I’m asking him for a loan.'

To prove it, Ken showed the teacher our logbook with all the records. The teacher confiscated the logbook, and that was the end of our bank. Just two days after Pras joined, the teacher threatened to report us to the principal. Luckily, he didn’t follow through and left the school soon after. We had no choice but to close the bank. We returned all the money, and Pras covered the interest out of his own pocket.

If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

And that’s how our bank went bust—thanks to Ken’s borrowing habits and a meddling teacher!" I said, laughing.

Dan and Rash chuckled. "Oh, Ken and his loans!" Dan said. "He never did pay up, did he?"

"It was also the year everyone wanted to show off their strength," I continued. "I was a bit strong myself. Big biceps always help. To show off, everyone would punch a geometry box to prove their strength. It sounds dumb now, but back then, it was a big deal. Maybe it was just teenage confidence, but I believed I could knock out anyone with one punch.

2018 was also the year everyone was excited about the World Cup. Rash and I used to play catch with a filled bottle, predicting which country would win. My favorite team didn't win, though."

"Yeah, I remember," Rash said, chuckling. "We always arrived at school early and waited for the doors to open. The moment they did, we’d race to our class to see who got there first. One day, I won and shouted, 'I won!' But then a voice said, 'No, I won,' and to our surprise, it was our science teacher. She thought I was an intelligent student, which gave me many advantages. She rarely asked me questions, and I often scored better on tests, even if I didn’t do well. It was fun!"