Aditya was at a crossroads here. There was no doubt that Anjali and he would readily take in Ragini. He loved and cared for her just as did for Divya. She grew from an innocent little girl to a strong woman right in front of him. The girl had spent more father's days with him than Rohan and it made his heart swell with happiness every time she held up a drawing with an innocent smile on a festive day. It had started when she was six, a year after the stayovers became more frequent. That one was framed and hung on the wall of his bedroom. At this point, it was a tradition.

He shook his head. Despite all this, it was a conversation Ragini needed to have with her mother. From what Sanjana had told them, the last one ended on an incomplete and ugly note. It's better to let them finish it before things get more complicated.

The two enraged teenage girls continue to stare Sanjana down. The intensity of their glares or more precisely Divya's glare was enough to warrant her looking away. "Well," she probed impatiently, tapping her foot on the polished wooden flooring.

"I came here to talk to your mom and dad," she whispered and flitted her vision at her surroundings, trying to gather her thoughts which seemed to have scrambled and left formation.

The two looked much bigger than this morning in front of her; or Divya at least. She knew enough about the rockstar to have the decency to look shameful at her actions that resulted in this predicament. She had last been acquainted with the younger girl a couple of years back. The churning in her belly only seemed to intensify at the sinking of information.

Divya raises an eyebrow in question. The tension in her shoulder doesn't falter in the slightest. "I am assuming you are done then."

"Far from it actually," Anjali stepped in before curt words could be exchanged. She sent a warning look at Divya. "The two of you should be at school right now. What are you doing here?"

"Hunting down a prey in broad daylight," the guitarist retorted. "Figured we'd get in some cardio."

"And what made you think an animal would be in our house?"

Divya shrugged. "Call it a hunch." she gestured to the awkward mother standing in the living room.

Anjali's teeth found her lip and she rolled her eyes at the unimpressive comeback while Aditya chuckled under his breath. Leave it to my daughter to turn such a serious situation into this.

"I am so sorry for this behaviour, Sanjana. We will leave you two to talk this out." Anjali nodded towards Ragini and proceeded to drag Divya out to the porch. Suffice to say, it was an unsuccessful attempt at prying her daughter away.

"I am not leaving Jaan alone with her," she said firmly.

Sanjana stared tentatively at her own daughter who looked...drained? She internally scoffed at her ardent ignorance. After all, Ragini was recently confronted by her behemoth of a past. "I won't do anything. I just want to talk," she pleaded.

"Your relentless crusade to fix things is not going to earn you any mother of the year awards." the younger of two remarked with arms crossed.

A startling fissure of sharp pain prodded into her at the statement. "Do you want to talk, Ragini?" she asked, deciding to focus on the person she really needed to hear the voice of.

The air around buzzed in its own fervour and embraced them like a curious case of disjointed realities. The pianist finally gave a caustic nod and hum of approval. It was enough for the mother that moved to the living room; patiently waiting for what was to come.

Over at the doorway, Divya rounded on Ragini, giving a look that rivalled an angry squirrel. "What the hell?"

"I'll be fine. I want to get this over and done with," Ragini didn't give her best friend the chance to protest. "I will call if I need it."

The rockstar rolled her eyes and stormed out with her parents. Aditya stopped briefly to give her a pat on her back. "For the record, we chose you too," he whispered into her ear and left after his wife and younger daughter.

As he left, Ragini smiled fondly to herself. Thank you.

"Quite a protective best friend you got there."

"Yea, if you stayed around more, you would have known how important she was."

Sanjana lowered her head in shame.

Ragini flopped down onto the couch opposite her mother and turned to look at her. She sighed resigned, expecting this conversation. This time she took in her dishevelled appearance that clearly didn't agree with her before looking closely again. This time really studying her face.

The passing of time had definitely been good to her. She was undoubtedly gorgeous before. The...what was my mother's last name before her marriage? Whatever it was, those genes are definitely shining bright. She had however gained maturity. Her cheeks met with wet tears as the image of her father came to mind and she swallowed. She turned her focus on Sanjana and realized that the eyes full of warmth and passion were filled with guilt and regret, the spark has disappeared under the weight of her actions and consequences.

"Before I start, I just want you to know that whatever I am going to say is not an excuse for my actions," she heaved a shaky deep breath before starting. "Rohan and I got married young. We were madly in love. Epic love if you will."

"Forgive me for not believing that very much." Ragini snorted.

"I don't either. Not anymore. But after our marriage, things started changing. It used to be small disagreements, a little passive-aggressive quips. Then they grow even worse with time. Then you were born. I thought that would give our relationship a second chase."

"Did it?"

Sanjan regretfully nodded her head, causing Ragini to breathe sharply. She got an idea of where this was going. "Your father and I started fighting more and while we were busy taking care of you, the business took a hit. We were facing so many losses. We were on the verge of bankruptcy. That's why the trips became more and more. We needed to make up for the losses and I didn't want you to witness the kind of mess your parents were in."

The pianist grimly recalled all the times her father had stormed into the house late at night and broken anything he could get his hands on. "That's why dad was always so worked up after work and kept getting angry."

"Yeah. We worked hard to rebuild everything but that didn't stop the bedrock our relationship had reached. and I knew that if the business really tanked, we wouldn't be able to give you a comfortable life. One that you deserve. You wouldn't get to fulfil your dreams. Go to space or any other luxury you want."

"I would have been just fine with dad and you around me. I didn't need you to break your back and work all hours of the day on end just so you could provide me with a luxurious life that despite all, was bare of your love and affection.'' Ragini's voice cracks a little but she manages to school her features and regain composure.

"And I realize that now. I thought that if I focused on the business I could keep you safe and save my dying marriage. Neither of them worked out and here we are thirteen years late. With an estranged daughter and dead marriage," she tentatively reached out to grab onto her daughter's sweaty palms. When Ragini didn't pull away, she dared to get closer and kneel before her. She had purposely left out the details about Rohan's curtailing attachment to his offspring. It would only cause more pain. "In the process of wanting to give you the best, I lost sight of what was really important. I wish I could go back and fix all my mistakes."

"I wish that was possible too." she sniffed.

She lovingly ran a thumb over Ragini's knuckles. "I am so sorry honey. For abandoning you. For not being there. For not showing you how much I love you and how important you are to me. I am sorry for making you feel uncared for. I am sorry for hurting you.'' Sanjana said, sincerely lavishly painted across her face.

"Mom, i-i can't forgive you for this right now. I need time."

"Anything you want, baby girl. And I am sorry for what I said this morning. I never want to take you away from the life you have built here even if it's without me. I can't take it away from you."

Ragini had never been one to hide her emotions unless it was really painful. Today was no different. Yes, Sanjana had hurt her. But she was the only one who could dull the aching, soothe the pain and make her feel better. So she let it go- let the grief of everything she could have had but don't swallow her whole. She fell into her mother's arms and wept.

"Does dad love me? Did he ever?" she asked forlornly in between sobs.

Sanjana held her close, strong the tresses of her daughter's hair. She lost the right to shed tears.

"Does he?" the distraught girl asked again.

She couldn't tell her truth and neither did she want to lie. "He does.in his own weird way. He does." she rubbed her back and managed to calm her down considerably.

While the still absence of her father was stinging, Ragini held onto the parent she had. The one who was willing to make amends. Once, Ragini could get her words out without choking on them; she told her mother, "I can't forgive you right now. That doesn't mean I don't want you in my life. I wanna try and repair what was damaged. I wanna be able to share my silly crushes, heartbreaks, milestones, successes, lows and everything with my mother. Only if you want to."

"Of course, I want to. I want nothing more than that."

Ragini gave her a small smile, pulled her into the couch and snuggled into her side. Sanjana let out an amused chuckle. "Thank you," she whispered, planting a kiss on her head.

"Mom," Ragini called after a few beats. "What's your last name?"

"Khanna?" Sanjana said although it sounded more like a question.

"no, I mean what was your last name before marriage?"

Sanjana visibly stiffened. Ragini thought she might have not a nerve but calmed down when she answered. "Sharma," she muttered a little too coldly.

"all the weirdos descend from that clan, I see," Divya jibbed, coming back into the room looking less than pleased. "After all, birds of a feather flock together."

"I take it. your relationship isn't the best with them." Ragini tried redirecting while Sanjana scrunched her face in confusion.

"I can see why that would be the case."

"Jaan," Ragini glowered, her tone warning. "Let's be civilised."

"Is that an order or choice?"

"Order."

Divya pretended to think for a moment. "No,"

"Why not."

"Because I don't feel like it."

Ragini rolled her eyes in exasperation. "You are a meanie."

"No babe. I am a bad bitch."

---broken promises---

It was almost doubtful that the next couple of weeks could go by without any more drama. With all the chaos brewing every few days in the last month, Drishti couldn't believe how tranquil the following days had been. Not that she didn't appreciate them. No, she was utterly grateful to the skies for it.

As she sauntered down the hallway, a little skip in her steps, she wondered if she should tell Rakshit about her past. They had been dating for more than a month now and the trust between them had grown profoundly. He had shared his family life with her the other day. It only felt right to tell him something no one other than her family knew. Something that was deemed as an unspoken rule to never talk about and carried with her in the days that came after. It was time to liberate herself of the burden that carrying this secret came with.

With all other distractions out of the way; namely, the aspire camp that they had been in charge of, it felt like the right time.

Speaking of aspire camp, it was disastrous. Honestly, it was doomed from the beginning. The activities planned were fantastic. They were filled with excitement, and thrill and provided just the right mix of competitiveness and fun. The music band has outdone themselves. But with the different factions unable to put aside their differences and only engaging in constant squabbles, the execution faltered beyond imagination. She wasn't about to bluntly deny their efforts. They did try- tight-lipped smiles, jabs covered with pretty sarcasm that the second-year students didn't see, and lack of outlandish comments on the occasion that spelt the need for them. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough because, on the third day, the dam broke.

It was funny at first. Neil mutters something along the lines of the beggar thy neighbour theory. It was met immediately by Shikhar's retort and it sparked a war among the student body. The educators had to step in to stop them. Camp proceeded normally but the hostility was slick in the air. In fact, the kind of tension was unprecedented. Drishti felt like they had entered a much higher level of animosity.

The plan though was to use this as an opportunity to make her students responsible and less barbaric. For the most part, it seemed that the latter was working. Rakshit assured her that with a little more time and chances to learn this skill, it would result in ultimate success.

Despite everything, she was stupefied by the amount of patience displayed by shikar and Divya. From the looks of it, she was winning the bet until the third day. Even then, no one has three hands. In my favour I guess.

She presented a confident and pleased gait in the classroom. "Good morning." She greeted pleasantly.

"Morning." the students muttered back, least interested.

Shrugging at the less-than-enthusiastic returned greeting, she started the class. "So, today we are gonna start by recapping the law of conservation."

An hour later, the bell groaned loudly startling the sleeping pupils awake. The class parent sighed in annoyance at the interruption. "Well, that's the end of today's class. Remember to finish your assessment number two for academic writing."

"Ragini," the former teacher called, stopping the pianist from exiting the bare classroom.

She turned, a smile plastered onto her features that had dulled over the weeks. From the concerned look Drishti gave her, it probably wasn't as convincing as she hoped. "Hi, miss Sharma."

Drishti let her eyes roam the expression of the four students in front of her. The changes were glaringly obvious. The oldest girl was sad and looked a small moment away from a breakdown. The brothers were glowing. Like someone was waving their favourite candy in their faces. Odd. Lastly, the leader. She was...well she is being Divya. Stoic and unbothered.

"Are you okay? After that day we didn't really get to catch up."

Ragini found herself tongue-tied. "I-i," choking on her own words, she paused. She felt two hands grabbing onto her own. Looking to her sides, two firm nods from Divya and Lakshya allowed her to swallow the lump in her throat. "I am fine."

"Can you guys give us a minute?" Drishti asked politely to the other three. To her surprise, they gave Ragini a final hand squeeze and made their way out of the classroom. Divya stopped for a moment to give Drishti a stern glare. "Looks like they are becoming a little less paranoid."

Ragini giggled a tiny bit before looking at her teacher. "I should have said this earlier but a lot has been going on. Thank you for letting me crash at your place that day."

"Don't sweat it. I was just happy to help," she said. "Are you sure that you are fine? I am not the best with feelings but you can still talk about it with me."

Ragini lowered her gaze to her outer space-themed shoes. "I am not sure how to say this."

"Do you want to tell me about it?" Drishti asked carefully. Timidly she reached over and placed a hand on Ragini's shoulder, giving it a gentle pat. "I am not going to judge you."

The pianist pondered the option for a minute. The sincerity from Drishti was practically bleeding from her words in streams. Over the past month, her life had turned on its axis at six hundred miles per minute, for better or worse- she had not yet decided.

Her parents were officially divorced. Divorce. A final and uncrossable chasm between two people who had once solemnized a marriage. The word still left a sour taste in her mouth. Like sand spilling from her lips- dry and suffocating.

Her mother was back in her life and genuinely trying to mend things. The Singhanias graciously accepted her presence at family dinners- except for the youngest one. Sanjana made it a point to contact her regularly despite not living in the same house. Above all, she respected her decision to stay with Anjali and Aditya.

Speaking of whom, she is now the legally adopted daughter of Aditya and Anjali Singhania and the sister of Divya Singhania. It was the happiest and irrevocably saddest day of her life. Because that was the day she found a complete family. Mother, father, sister. Picture perfect.

What was supposed to be the happiest day was also the day the father who gave birth to her walked out of her life, leaving a gaping hole in her chest.

It was a flash. The feeling of nothingness was swallowed by the blinding pain of a piece of flesh having been brutally wrenched.

Her family had been supportive through it all. But she needed someone who didn't know them to listen without judgment or feelings attached to it. Drishti was just that person.

"My parents...my mom and dad, got divorced," she stated solemnly, almost like admitting it to herself.

Drishti was taken aback but she nodded and waited patiently for Ragini to gather her thoughts.

"It shouldn't hurt because they weren't really there when growing up but it does. I used to think my parents were the epitome of perfection. As businessmen and women, they are but as parents, they are nowhere close. I just learnt that their marriage was not a bed of roses either. They were fighting all the time and it was slowly dying. It was my fault."

"I may not know you or your parents very well but I know enough to tell you this. It sucks that you are going through this. It's okay to not be okay. It's okay to feel the pain. What happens between your parents is not your fault. Their decisions are not your fault."

"I can't help but feel like it," Ragini stated, her expression solemn, the chuckle filled with sarcasm. "And then my dearest father, Rohan Khanna. he packed his bags and left. Not once did he bother to talk to me about this. Not once did he care to ask me how I felt about all this."

Drishti softened her gaze and asked. "How do you feel about this Ragini?"

"I..." she paused momentarily stunted. The vulnerability at this moment made her feel naked. "Horrible! I feel like shit. My own father doesn't give a damn about whether I live or not. A single note with the words 'goodbye. Take care.' That's it. And he is gone forever from what the lawyer told me."

"And," the teacher gently coaxed. The marker she was holding to control herself was long forgotten. Rubbing soothing circles on the back of the crying girl was more important. She tried to keep it casual not wanting to scare her away.

Ragini found herself leaning into the touch. "And I can't decide if I should be happy or not. Yea I lost someone but I got another one. One that actually loves me and gives me the time of the day. That supports me. A set of parents that have always been there during my ups and downs. When I failed a test, when I passed a test, when I learned how to ride a bike, when I was sick, when I chose my major, when I got my driver's license when I was about to lose myself because of shahid. Every step of the way." they stayed there for a while. "Sometimes I wish things could go back to before we met you. No offence." she quickly added.

"None taken."

"Things started going downhill from then. Life was simple. It was just my friends, Anjali and Adi. It wasn't perfect but I was happy. Then the Harshad thing happened, then aspire camp, and now this. Divya, lucky and shikar. All of them are dealing with one thing or another. It's like the world is taking revenge in the most painful way possible."

"I am not going to tell you how or what to feel. But I can say that it's okay to feel these uncomfortable emotions. Time heals all wounds. So give yourself time."

Ragini nodded. They sat in silence with the student calming herself down and Drishti offering comfort when needed with a hand squeeze or quick small. "Sanjana Sharma's daughter crumpled under the weight of an adversary. It's a shame." she scoffed wiping away a tear roughly.

"It's not. This isn't something you have to be ashamed of. You're only eighteen. I wouldn't be able to bear what you have gone through."

"How can you say that?"

"Because at the age of twenty-three, I am still learning. Like you. I am still learning to get by what happened to my sister. It's not the same as you but still, similar," Drishti reached across to hold Ragini's trembling hand in her own solid steady grip. "I am not saying I completely understand what you are going through. But if there's anything I've learned, blaming yourself and pushing everyone away is not the solution. It works for a while but then you're stuck in the same hole. Getting out becomes harder if you can't forgive yourself or accept that fate just has a twisted sense of humour."

"Was it hard?" Ragini asked meekly, detaching her hand from the gentle grip. She felt the loss almost immediately but ignored it. "Does it get better?"

The class parent held her breath and slowly engulfed Ragini in a warm embrace. She stiffened at first but allowed herself to melt, letting her tears fall on the older woman's shoulder. Fisting her shirt, she silently wept.

"Hard is an understatement. But it does get better. It doesn't seem like that at first. But if you let yourself go through the process, it does. Don't push the people who love you away. Let them in, let them help you." She felt her nod more than saw it.

Ragini was the first to pull away. "Thank you. I actually feel much better.'' she smiled in surprise.

"Your welcome," Drishti reassured with a pleasing smile. "By the way, I thought your surname was Khanna."

"It is but mom decided to take back her maiden name after the divorce. So I'm still Ragini Khanna but she is Sanjana Sharma."

Drishti glossed over the familiarity of the name. "I see. Why didn't you change it then? Your surname."

"It's the one thing that keeps me close to him. I may not like him very much right now and neither will I forgive him for abandoning me, but he is still my father. Although I'm seriously considering naming him a runaway groom."

"You're a good kid." Drishti crooned and playfully pinched her cheeks.

"You know what's the good thing about being in college though?"

"You are finally of legal age?" Drishti offreed.

"That and the fact that people in college are way more mature than high schoolers. They don't stick their noses in other people's business."

"That sounds awfully personal."

Ragini nodded her head. "It is. Why do you think we started bullying people anyway?"

"Right," Drishti said. That was an intriguing piece of information. So, people bullied them and then they bullied others. Tit for tat.

Hearing the notification bell on her phone, she excused herself. "Thank you again, Miss Sharma."

"Anytime."

As Ragini approached the door something clicked in her head. "Miss Sharma, what happened to your sister."

Drishti stiffened and looked at Ragini, dazed, lost in memories worth diamonds. Memories that worked as valleys to keep the broken pieces of her heart connected. "Fate had other plans for her."

Ragini frowned, not knowing how to respond. She thanked the teacher and left the classroom.

"Take care, kid." Once Ragini exited the classroom, Drishti went back to arranging her things for the next class.

Ms Malhotra had passed by right on time to hear Ragini leaving the room with Drishti returning to the peasantry with an informal tone. Weird.

"Someone once told me that she wasn't here to form bonds or attachments. Her job was solely transferring knowledge.'' she teased entering the classroom.

Drishti's face morphed into a smirk. "Eavesdropping is bad manners, principal Sahiba."

"Well, seeing as I am the principal, I have the right to know about the kind of rapport my students and teachers are forming. Their well-being is my top priority," the older woman boasted. She strolled to the first chair and took a seat, swapping a hand over the crisp in her prim and proper attire. "Now that we have that cleared, tell me Miss Sharma; has your opinion changed?"

She opened her mouth before closing it. It has. "You were right Mrs M. In this profession attachment is unavoidable. They are kids. Maybe not innocent but still kids trying to make it by just like myself."

"I am glad you have learned something."

Drishti raised an eyebrow at her boss. "Haven't you learnt anything?"

"What are you implying, Miss Sharma?"

"You said they can't change. They did. 3B2's msg has increased and the number of them going to detention has decreased. Not to mention the highlight of musicana."

"The announcement?" Mrs Malhotra asked, feigning innocence.

"The announcement," Drishti confirmed.

"Well," she got up, dusting herself off. Looking at Drishti she gave her the famous smirk the Malhotras were known for. "That's where you underestimate me. I didn't say they couldn't change. I said they wouldn't until they realised what was wrong with it."

"Why do I feel like there is something I am missing?" Drishti commented after a second with her eyebrows scrunched.

"Who do you think invited the super seniors back?" With that she left the room, an addled Drishti gaping at her retiring slender figure.

"Oh my god. She is sly." Drishti gasped, shaking her head fondly. 

A/N: Don't forget to R&R!