Alya has had a lot of bad ideas before. Sending goons behind Nandini, choosing to hide her bulimia, getting Harshad out of prison and the list goes on. This idea seemed to top the list by a large margin. She was the one that called out its flaw but it looks like she was going to be the one to rain on their parade.

Seeing the band on stage had thrown all the arguments out of the window. She needed to help them. Their talents shouldn't go to waste.

Manik was definitely going to talk to the leader. Mukti would have been better to go with Ragini. Which left her with the Maheswari brothers since Cabir had dragged Dhruv with him to the canteen screaming about injustice against food.

That's how she found herself standing in front of the brothers in the parking lot. Lakshya was busy admiring his idol and shikar wasn't any better. Admittedly it was becoming a little uncomfortable.

"Stop staring or I'll make sure you regret having eyes," she warned in the diva tone she was known for. "I want to talk to you."

The boys slammed shut their mouths and straightened out. Laskhya tried putting on a professional face and began, "what about miss Saxena?"

She took a deep breath. This was harder than anticipated. "Why do you bully the other students?" her shoulders dipped slightly.

"I don't see how this is any of your concern," shikar said, seeing his brother unable to form a sentence. "You are super seniors and frankly have nothing to do with what's happening now."

Oh, he wants to do it this way.

She narrowed her eyes at him, shoulders returning back to their tensed position. "Don't play that game with me. You and I both know who I am and what I'm capable of." she shifted her weight onto the left foot and looked at them expectantly.

The fear travelled in shikar's veins but never made it to his facial muscles or skin. He turned to leave, showing he wasn't afraid to turn his back despite each step increasing his thumping heartbeat.

"Because they got in our way," Lakshya said, stopping his brother from going any further. "They hurt someone we care about and suffered the consequences."

"You know that is considered ragging which is a serious offence."

"We know but whether or not we care is a different question." he shrugged. The question had caught him off guard but the answer to it was always the same.

"You care and that's why you are sure there isn't any permanent damage."

"We wouldn't want to get into trouble for breaking someone."

"Then stop ragging. Your band has so much potential to achieve bigger things in life. Belittling others is not going to make you feel any better about yourselves."

Shikar came back and stood by his brother placing a reassuring hand on his back. "The people who bullied us felt better. Do you know the kind of names we were called?"

Alya shook her head. "I don't. If you understand how they feel then why do it yourself. It doesn't make you any better than them."

Lakshya stepped up in front of his little brother. It was getting irritating to have to explain this to everyone. Lately, these questions were popping up more than he liked. First miss Sharma and now Alya. The basis for his favourite stopped him from walking away. Maybe a full explanation would make her understand. He respected her enough to not turn away from a conversation she was clearly not going to let go of until she got answers.

"My fa- mother's ex-husband was sent to jail in front of me. I was guilty from the moment he stepped out of the house that day. I still carry some of it now. But that's not what pushed me to apply the famous saying, an eye for an eye, in my life," he was so blinded by annoyance that he missed the smirk on her face and went on. "Shikar and I were teased relentlessly. People called us names like child murders. It didn't stop there. There was shoving in the hallways, putting dead insects in the locker, and even locking us in a room. Newsflash! Not just students, the teachers as well were not very welcoming towards the children of a criminal. Much less a child trafficker."

Shikar held Lakshya's hand in his own, giving it a squeeze, reminding him of his presence, in this moment and for always. "It didn't stop there. One kid was paranoid that we would kidnap him as well and he almost sent us to the hospital. It took years before finally passing out of grade school to get the taunts and shoves to stop." Shikar finished for his older sibling.

Lakshya cleared the tightness in his throat. "Now you tell me. How do I not get back at those people...why are you smiling?" he asked, baffled, having noticed the casual stance of the older woman.

"Because you just explained your reason and failed to see how flawed it is."

"Excuse you." he gasped. Shikar gave a murderous glance.

"You went through all that and yet you do it to others. To what? Make the score even. Whatever you just talked about was in grade school. I am pretty sure that doesn't happen here anymore. Anyone who accidentally harms your friends becomes a victim because you are afraid if you don't do anything about it, the same thing will happen."

"That's not..."

"Name me one person who you genuinely thought was going to harm you or better yet actually did it. Or the police can't handle it."

"Miss Sharma, Harshad, shahid the list goes on," Shikar stated.

"Miss Sharma was in every sense an accident. She paid the full expenses. Harshad was an asshole that authorities should have dealt with. Shahid too. So go on with the list."

Shikar stammered. I was not expecting that. "There is a sahil in year one who pushed lucky..."

"An accident. I said intentionally hurting," Alya interrupted. "I can keep going but it's wasting my time. So let me tell you this. My brother tried to kill my best friends and went to jail. Despite being a part of fab five, I was bullied too and that was my karma. So yes, I can relate to what you are going through."

They stared at her with questioning gazes, not having heard this story. They shared a glance. "We are sorry," Lakshya said on their behalf. "I didn't mean to bring up sour memories."

Alya sighed and took out the star-shaped fab five keychains. "That's the difference between me and you two. The memories aren't sour. They are just an event that changed my life for the better because it gave me a family I could call my own and one that would always be there for me when I needed them," she handed the keychain to shikar. "Not a brother by blood, whose pride was above the relationship we shared. If you don't want your father to have a form of influence or presence in your life, then let go. The name callings don't always stop, but letting this fear and pain cloud judgement is a bad idea. Don't waste your time and potential on silly things that won't matter in the future."

Shikar lightly traced the keychain catching on to the last part of what the pianist said. "Why do you mean?"

"You are going to graduate one day. Some will remember you, some won't. The reputation you bring out of space is important for your future. Don't waste it trying to get revenge that's based on fundamentally flawed reasoning," they were still sceptical. "Take it from someone who once stood in your place. Ragging is a waste of time and you shouldn't be putting others through something yourself cannot bear to think of."

For the first time, they stood speechless. A sentence or coherent thought wasn't able to form in their heads. Lakshya slowly walked back into the campus. His feet dragged lazily across the concrete as his mind tried to piece together whatever just happened.

She patted the drummer's shoulder as he continued standing there.

Her job was done. I think and hope it is. As she was about to leave, Shikar called her. She stopped and looked at him curiously. He took off the band on his wrist. It was a red steel bracelet with the engravings 'M.S' on it. Midnight spirits. "Is this an exchange for the keychain?" she chuckled.

He merely nodded and took off behind lakshya. She sighed. That was a bit harsh. "Oh well. As long as they got the point."

---broken promise---

Ragini had a weird sense of Deja Vu when Mukti caught her by the lockers on her way out of the ladies. Without thinking she raised her clammy palm in the direction of the person who had tapped her shoulder.

Mukti managed to stop the four fingers from being imprinted onto her cheeks. She raised an eyebrow at Ragini who was breathing heavily. "Scared munch?"

"Kind of," lowering her hands to her side, she looked at Mukti. "Sorry, I didn't know it was you miss Vardhan," she blushed in embarrassment. "I don't do well with people sneaking up on me."

"My apologies," Mukti said. "Umm. I wanted to talk to you...about ..." she trailed off not knowing what to say.

Ragini tried to study her senior. She appeared out of nowhere and wanted to talk to Ragini when she didn't know her personally. There wasn't a reason she could come up with and waited patiently for her to gather her thoughts.

"You are perfect the way you are. Just because people don't give you time doesn't mean it's your fault." the ever ineffective communicator blabbered.

"Thank you?" she rubbed the nape of her neck not understanding where this was coming from. "Is there a specific reason for these kind words?"

Mukti cleared her throat and played with her hands awkwardly. "Your parents...I heard about their absence. So I just wanted you to know that it's not your fault they aren't there. You have another great family."

"Oh," she breathed, finally getting what Mukti was getting at.

At the single syllable, Mukti thought she had offended her. "I am so sorry if..."

"No I get it," Ragini quickly added, noticing how her silence was mistaken. Many people have said this before and out of goodwill. It was flattering to think people cared this much even if they didn't know her personally. "I've come to terms with my parents' failure a long time ago," she shrugged her tired shoulders. "I know that it's not my fault. Honestly, I don't really care about it much anymore. I have jaan, lucky, shikar. And divi's parents are just like my own mom and dad. I mean after the age of five or six I spent more time at jaan's than my own place."

Mukti moved forward to give the younger girl a warm embrace which she returned graciously. "I know the feeling. You learn to live with it over time. But if you are fine then I am happy for you."

Ragini stepped out and looked at her senior curiously. "Are you okay? Do you want to talk about it? Whatever it is."

"Nope," she said, popping the 'p'. "We are only here for a while and your band is very infamous around here. Following in your seniors' footsteps I see. Not very smart."

" I've tried stopping them and myself a lot but they don't listen. Even I can't help it sometimes,'' Ragini rolled her eyes and started walking down the hall towards the backstage. "I've given up trying."

"Don't you think you should keep trying? Bullying isn't right and before you say it, yes I know I have done it. Which is why I'm telling you this."

She wasn't here to give a moral speech. No, she was here to make sure this feeling of abandonment she faced in her adolescence does not occur in her junior year. Navya had made her and cabir more empathetic and less self-centred. This is a good way to practice the kindness she had developed over the years. That largely rang true in the earlier part of this conversation.

The turn it was taking is in no way planned from her side.

"I wasn't going to say that and I said I've tried but it never works. Anyways, I'm not judging you if that's what you're thinking."

Mukti blinked at Ragini in surprise. "That obvious?"

Ragini nodded. "Yea reminds me a lot of Shikar. The dude can't lie to save his own life. When he was younger at least."

"The drummer?" Mukti guessed.

"Yea. but it worked in our favour on the day we met him," They stopped by the vending machine for a coffee. Ragini fed it a dollar bill and they waited for it to be made. "If he wasn't such a bad liar, he wouldn't be here today."

Mukti picked up the newly brewed hot drink and handed one cup to her junior and sipped from the other herself. "What do you mean?"

"Thank you," She accepted the cup. "When Jaan and I first met him, he was teased relentlessly by the children in grade school. He got into a lot of trouble for getting into fights. But one day he decided to just stop." this would have been a violation of the privacy if it had not been all over the news when it happened. Those channels had used derogatory terms that no child school should have ever used on them. It was a reality they lived in and she vainly wished it away.

"Kind of hard not to know when it flashed all over the news. I feel bad for him," Mukti sighed. "The world is cruel."

"Yea..." Ragini said quietly.

"I am never talking to you again," eight-year-old Ragini grumbled. She stalked to the end of the corridor with crossed arms. Irritation was clearly visible in her gait. "This is the third time this week. Mom and dad are going to kill me."

"They need to be actually home to do that and it's not my fault the bird kept pecking on the window." shrugged her best friend, Divya.

Ragini whirled around and glowered at the rockstar. It did little to falter the unbothered expression on the other girl's face. "You didn't have to open the window and let it fly around and then laugh at me."

"That's not why we got kicked out. You started the fight. I just retaliated in self-defence."

"Shut up," They continued walking with Ragini ranting about having to deal with her parents when they found out. She stopped when she realised it was just her and Divya had stopped by the terrace door. "You are going to be the death of me," she caught up to her and whacked the back of the younger girl's head.

Divya ignored her however and stuck her left ear flush against the door.

"What are..."

"Shhh. listen."

Ragini did as she was told and covered her mouth in shock hearing muffled sniffles from the other side.

"Crying alone is stupid and not going to help you," Divya stated bluntly earning another whack on the head. "Stop it." she snapped.

"Don't say stupid things like that and I will," the guitarist rolled her eyes and leaned with her back against the freshly varnished wooden door with arms crossed. Ragini quietly knocked on the door. "Hello, I am Ragini. Are you okay? Do you want me to call anyone?"

They heard shuffling before someone said, "There is no one here. Go away."

"Right. Our minds must have lost it. That's why we got an answer." Divya said sarcasm coating her words.

The pianist tried turning the knob but it was locked from inside. "Please open the door. We can help you if you are upset. I am a good listener."

"She is." Divya agreed.

"Don't you get it! I said get lost. You are just like the rest of them. Bullies who don't care about others." someone- a boy, exclaimed pounding a fist on the door.

"If she was then you would be crying ten times harder than you are now a little boy. Trust me, she is anything but a bully." Divya countered, coming in defence of her best friend.

"Lies. this is a trick to get me out so you can make fun of me again." he was soft again.

Ragini pressed her palm on the door. Whoever this was needed a friend right now. Ragini was friends with everyone. Almost everyone. Holding true to her reputation she tried again. "I promise I am not here to hurt you. I know what it feels like. So please just open the door."

"Promise?"

"Promise." they waited as the door slowly clicked open and pulled back.

Divya stumbled not expecting it to open. Shikar stopped her from plummeting to the ground back first and steadied her. "Thank you." she gave a curt nod.

Once they had stepped away from the door, he locked it once more not wanting anyone to come in. He looked to the floor unable to show his puffy eyes. "I-i m shikar. The..."

"Boy who lent me a pencil last semester 'cause I broke mine." Ragini finished, giving a smile of victory. Recognition had dawned on her the minute she saw him when the door opened.

Shikar stood stunned. For the last semester, people had been taunting him as the son of a criminal. He expected her to give him the same label. Instead, she mentioned something kind he did. "Thank you for not calling me the son of a criminal."

Ragini and Divya understood what he meant. They weren't gossipers but the relentless circulation of this news all over school made it hard to block out. It didn't bother them. They couldn't care less about the venom immaturity spewed. He was just like any other student going through a rough time for them.

Ragini looked at Divya. The younger of the two gave her a shrug. She didn't know how to deal with such things. "I am Ragini and this is Divya," she paused, unsure. "I don't know if this will help but we don't care what others say. And what happened is not your fault if that's what you are thinking."

Shikar looked at her like she was an alien. "Of course, it's not my fault. That's kind of the problem. When I didn't do anything, why am I being teased, mocked, locked in rooms, shoved into lockers, having said locker vandalised with hate messages? I don't deserve this and the teachers are so useless to do anything it's almost funny," he blustered in rage.

Ragini looked sympathetic. "I am so sorry this is happening to you shikar. We can talk to the principal or your pa- mother," she caught herself in time. "I am sure she will want to help." She tried to approach him but he pushed past them to stand in front of the threshold where another slightly older door stood. The door to the school's rooftop, she noted.

"She can't get time off running around calming the media to take a breather with her sons and you think she will talk to the principal." he scoffed. Resentment is a stronger emotion than lingers between dislike and hate. It's not strong enough to be called hate but enough to suppress dislike. It was perfect for what he felt about his leftover two family members- Lakshya his brother and Arya his mother. "I am done. With them, this school, this world and especially the people who don't care."

Before anyone had time to think, Shikar was standing on the edge of the school's rooftop ready to end his life. Ragini rushed to him and stopped only when he threatened to jump. "Shikar get off. You are only eight. Your whole life is ahead of you. What these childish people say now is not going to matter in ten years."

"Easy for you to say. Princess Khanna who gets everything served on a silver platter."

"You can fight me on this when we are back in the canteen. Please get off. Think about your mom and brother."

He brushed the tears with the back of his sleeve. "You mean the mother who is never there for me and the brother who broke his promise and is leaving me behind."

Divya who had remained indifferent chose this time to intervene. It was getting boring. "Jump," she dared him. "If you want your name to be penned down in the book of the great people who lived a shitty life and chose the easy way out, go ahead. Jump."

Shikar frowned at the girl whose name he didn't remember. Did she just ask me to jump off? He wondered.

"Don't stare at me. If you really think this is the end and there is no way around it. jump." she resumed her nonchalant posture and watched him.

"Aren't you supposed to be stopping me?" he questioned, distracted by her callous attitude.

"Aren't you supposed to fight for those you love and not leave them alone or fight back against those who are ragging you?" she answered.

"But lucky broke his promise and he is leaving. He won't listen to me and those kids won't stop."

"You are dumber than I thought."

He clenched his fist. "You are just like them. You don't care."

"I don't care about pretty much everything. But you on the other hand cannot find a good way to show your concern. So I'd say, find your brother, whack some sense into him and bring him back. Do the same to those who ragged you. Take it or leave it."

While Shikar remained unsure of what to do, Ragini had taken small steps closer to him. When his focus was completely off her, she grabbed his hand and yanked him off the edge and toward the door they came from.

Shikar jerked his hand out of hers. He gave them both a hard look, then turned back to Divya. "Whatever you just said looks good in stories. Not in real life. He broke his promise. He is not coming back."

She tried to fight it, try to return, suppresses the flashbacks but anger took its toll. She can't help the blood that boils, can't help the fist that curls, can't help the fingers clenching his collar and thrusting him into the wall. "So what? He is a child like us and he made a mistake. If it bothers you so damn much, go and stop him. Don't cry and try to jump off the roof because you think he won't listen without trying. The people who love us will do anything to come back to the ones they lost. You have a chance that others don't so make use of it, " she let go when Ragini managed to pull them apart. It doesn't stop her mouth from running. "Everyone has some sort of misery in their life. The ones who live through it are the heroes of their own life. If you want to be the hero, come and meet us in the foyer in five."

She stomped out to the foyer while Ragini stayed behind with a coughing shikar afraid he would do something drastic if left alone. She rubbed his back to help regulate the irregular breathing. "I am sorry on her behalf. I think you triggered something."

"I figured," he grumbled under his breath.

"But she isn't wrong, " she placed a hand on his arm. "You can still stop your brother if you want. At Least try to. If after that he doesn't stop, then, I won't say anything about it."

Shikar couldn't believe what had happened in just one day. His brother had woken up early in the morning to tell him that he was leaving and offered to bring him along. They fought because he didn't want to go. It ended with Lakshya walking out on him. Then he came to school to distract himself but the usual mocking, shoving in the hallways happened. This time there was the addition of soap covering his items in the locker.

He couldn't take it. It was too much. He had for so long taken the brunt of cruel outbursts designed to bring his self-esteem to zero and to shatter his sense of self-worth. It was working. The mind over heart tactic failed today. Shikar let his books spiral on the floor as the door smacked against the invisible air and he locked himself into the compact threshold.

He heaved continuously until control returned to his body. In this moment of weakness, accepting anything as bizarre as a totally apathetic world's existence was possible. And he did accept the possibility of no one caring for him.

Then two girls he barely knew found him in the small rectangular space he assumed was safe. He found himself complying with the sincere request and then attempted to do something he accepted as his biggest mistake in life.

At last, he is ready and convinced to save his relationship with Lakshya.

"Let's go.'' He walked with Ragini to the foyer to meet the other girl. His senses revolted in shock because she fell back to herself. If anything, she looked bored. He decided against questioning not wanting to be the receiving end of her anger again.

"Took you long enough."

"We are gonna have a talk after this Divi. That was not done." Ragini chided.

"Sure. not let's get that donkey of your brother back."

"The coffee has gone cold, you know," Mukti said, bringing Ragini back to the present time. She had finished hers long ago and discarded the used material into the trash bin. Since then the younger musician had been in her own world. Mukti respected it enough to give her a while to compose herself. But it was getting late and fab 5 had to leave soon.

She looked at the drink in her hand. It wasn't as appetising anymore. Passing it on to the student who walked by them she turned her attention to Mukti. "Thank you for this. I just wish that my friends would stop this. I don't like it but I love them so much."

Mukti smiled at her. "I know the feeling and it's not wrong. Here's some advice. Don't stop trying because one day they might just understand it. Or someone might just change them for the better."

Ragini's eyes twinkled in delight. "Is that how the fab five became better people? Was it someone special?"

"It was," Mukti agreed. "But that's a story for another time. Now I gotta go." She stood up to head to the parking lot.

"Miss Vardhan?" Ragini called out.

"It's Mukti to you," she corrected and came back to where Ragini was standing.

"Mukti," Ragini blushed. "Will you tell me the story next time we meet?"

"You like solving puzzles don't you?"

"Yes, " she chuckled. "Not knowing makes me uneasy."

Mukti laughed at her enthusiasm. "How about this, the next time I come back, we go out for a girl's day and then I'll tell you about it?"

"Deal." the senior caught Ragini in her arms when she jumped and gave her a quick squeeze before leaving without turning this time.

Ragini skidded happily backstage to tell her best friend what just happened. She made it just in time to see Manik leaving the room. They exchanged an awkward smile before he left. It gave her a weird vibe which she ignored and came into the room. Her excitement died and worry replaced it.

"Jaan?" her mind kicked into overdrive and she rushed over to her friend to give her a bear hug. "Look at me."

She obligingly turned to look at her friend. "What happened?"

"I think we have been wrong this whole time," Divya mumbled against her best friend's shoulder. 

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