Ragini stormed into the jam room, slammed her bag onto the table and walked over to her keyboard. The precision instrument only fueled her anger and sadness. How could she think I would be okay to leave everything behind?

"Ragini?" Divya called out in confusion, gently shut the door behind her and stood in front of the pianist. "What happened?" she asked, immediately noticing the distress her friend was in.

"Mom and dad are back," Ragini informed. Moving away from the keyboard seemed like a better idea than standing in front of it and feeding the thought of smashing the precious instrument.

Divya pressed her lips into a thin line, annoyance clear as day. "What did they do this time?"

Ragini's lips quivered. It was moments like this that made her want to crawl into a hole and never come out. "They are getting a divorce."

"Oh," Annoyance gone, replaced with the need to comfort her first, the rockstar was quick to wrap her up into a hug, rubbing soothing circles on her back. She wrecked her inexperienced brain for something to say. "How do you feel about it?" she finally settled on using the same question her mother used on her when they were younger.

"I don't know honestly," the older girl shrugged her shoulders. They sagged slightly; like she was carrying the weight of the world on them. "I don't see why it should make a difference. But it does. When they weren't here, I knew they would be back eventually. But now, it's just gone. My family is broken." her voice cracked at the last syllabus, the burden of the word becoming too much to bear.

"It's not, Jaan."

"It is. They were never around, to begin with, but it's still painful for some reason. It's like a bad dream that won't freaking end!"

"It's okay, Jaan. Just let it out," she felt Ragini's body shake with her sobs. The situation is unsettling. They waited for a while until the cries became sniffs. "No matter what happens, you still have us. Me, lucky, shikar."

"I didn't know," she mumbled in the cotton of Divya's favourite flannel. "I didn't know that it was falling apart. Dad said they were fighting all the time. I didn't know. I never saw it." the distraught teenager pulled away from the warm embrace, held her head in her hands and wept on them.

Of course, you didn't. They were never around to show you. she was never good at comforting. At least not when it was something so serious. There was always the option of advising her friend with tips to deal with it but Ragini didn't need that right now. So instead of blurting out the sentence she had in mind, Divya continued tracing circles on the crying girl's back. "It's not your fault."

Ragini remained silent, soaking in the comfort of her best friend. Her thoughts, emotions and brain were a mess. The only thing she knew for sure was that there was no way she would be choosing between the father that couldn't care less or the mother that wanted to take her away from the world she had built for herself; a world in which is happy, content and understood.

"Mom wanted to take me away. Go to some other city to start over or something," Divya had Ragini in her arms again. The thought of separation spurred her on to tighten her grip on Ragini fearing the answer. "I said no. There is no way I'm leaving Mumbai for that. The life that I built here is too important."

"Then what are you gonna do about this? Whose custody do you want to be in?"

"I don't know."

She felt Divya peck her head and continued holding her close. Ragini found it easier to breathe with her best friend in the room. The Khanna household was a stone on her lungs. Weighing her beneath it, crushing her ribs in the process and all she could do was wheeze with her eyes burning and head pounding. Now, the weight was off.

"Remember that performance we did at graduation?" Ragini asked seemingly out of the blue.

"Yea?'' Divya replied although it sounded more like a question than a statement.

"Aditya was late. His car broke down on the way and the phone died. Miss Maheshwari and Anjali were already there cheering us on. But you kept waiting and looking at the door for him to walk through. He finally did. Right before the end of our performance. He was late but he was there, proudly standing at the back of the crowds on chairs so you could see him."

"Yes," Divya said, this time it wasn't a question. It was a sign of trust and gratitude. "I was still mad at him though."

"Yea, you were mad at him because he was late. But not disappointed because he kept his promise. He didn't let you down,'' Ragini sagged further against Divya clinging to the fabric of her shirt tightly. "I am still waiting for my dad to walk through that door. To not let me down for once. But...I don't think it's ever happening anymore."

"I am sorry, Jaan," Divya whispered to the older girl, gently running her fingers through her hair. "I am sorry that you have to go through this."

"When shahid tried too..." she trailed off. "That night in the hospital, I was trying to call them. I didn't care about the times they'd failed. I just kept calling and calling, hoping stupidly that maybe just maybe they would realise the urgency of the situation. I needed my mom and dad by my side."

"They didn't answer," Divya said quietly.

"Yea. and I had given up and called Anjali instead. She answered on the first ring. I didn't even have to say anything and she was on her way. When she finally arrived the hospital staff didn't allow her in because visiting hours were over."

Divya smiled a little at the memory. "But she argued with them until they relented and spent the night with you."

Ragini nodded meekly. "I was so scared that he might break in and do it again. But with Anjali there, I could sleep peacefully knowing I was safe. I knew that there was no way he could harm me as long as she was there,'' Anjali had watched the door like a hawk the whole night while sitting beside her. She wasn't liable but the unofficial mother did it anyway. The pianist couldn't help but smile tearfully. "Mom did call back the next morning."

Divya couldn't stifle the surprised question falling from her lips. "She did?"

"Yea and scolded me for spam calling them in a meeting. She didn't even listen to what I had to say and hung up. She still doesn't know why I called or what happened with Shahid. What the hell kind of parents are they?"

"The shit kind and you are better off without them," Divya declared. The apathy the Khanna parents possessed was stupefying. She had known about the night's incident but never had she imagined that Sanjana would shut her out like that. It only made her dislike for the woman grow. "Screw the legal procedure. You do what the hell you want."

Ragini kept her head safely tucked under her best friend's chin as she breathed in the vanilla scent. "Divya," she said carefully. "What would you say if I chose your family? As in anjali and aditya?"

The guitarist kept mum for a second before a huge grin broke onto her face. Ragini mistook her silence and tried to move away only to be held tighter than she thought possible. "I would say that we need to get our asses home to tell mom and dad how much you love them,"

Divya had always seen Ragini as her older sister. She protected, comforted, and corrected her wrongs. Ragini never failed to be there for her and Divya would do anything for her. She is my blind spot. They have been best friends since five. Granted there was friction initially but Ragini had managed to break down her walls and make a home in her cold, unfeeling, sacred heart. She never left that spot.

"Really?" she asked uncertainly, looking at her best friend.

"Of course, we love you Jaan. You are a part of our family. Have been since we were five. Officially on pieces of paper or not, it doesn't matter. Mom was so happy when you won your first singing competition in middle school. Remember the grin on their faces on graduation night? For every dyslexia class, mom sat right outside and waited. She tucked you in at night. Hell, she cried with you when your squirrel ran away even though she was relieved of that menace."

Ragini gasped dramatically. "How dare you call Mr Williams a menace. He was the cutest thing ever!"

"He ate my favourite sweatshirt," she deadpanned. "And no I will not get over it."

"Aditya got you a new one."

"Dad promised to get you another guinea pig in place of your squirrel but you refused. The reason being an unexplainable attachment that was way beyond words could describe."

"You cannot compare my precious squirrel, Mr Williams, to some random genie pig."

"Rude," Divya rolled her eyes at how easily distracted they got. "Well, Mr Khanna might be an ass..."

"Language," Ragini chided.

"Dad is still here. He was the one that stayed up at night to make sure you got your homework done. He was there for all the parent-teacher meetings. Every fathers day after you turned five was with him. Nobody does that for anyone just because why not. You have always been their oldest child."

Ragini played with her hands shyly. She remembered every single one of these incidents. It kept her from becoming completely detached from relationships and developing commitment phobia. They showed her what it meant to be a caretaker. What it meant to be in a solid relationship that was filled with love, care and respect.

"I know, I remember everything. But I am still nervous. What if making it official ruins everything."

"Well if that does happen, which it will not, we will deal with it together. We will find a way out of this mess. 'Sides you won't know until you ask."

Nodding her head happily, she stood up taking her best friend's hand. "Let's go tell them then."

Divya gave her a satisfactory smile and followed out the door, making their way to the parking lot. Their steps held urgency, determination and nervousness for what the future held. The answer from the Singhania parents was pretty much make it or break it for them. No matter how she tried, Ragini knew she would not be able to handle another rejection. Their pursuit for answers was abruptly halted when the bane of my existence, as Divya eloquently put it, came in their path.

Ragini smiled gratefully at her, before she could express her gratitude, her best friend spoke. "I didn't know you were also incapable of using your movement concept of spatial awareness. You know, something we learned as toddlers."

Drishti pinched her bridge in annoyance. "Well, if I did let you do that, it would be a disgrace to my job as a teacher."

Ragini wanted to protest but stop, confusion taking over as she glanced back at their class parent. "I am going to need an elaboration for that."

"Your classroom is that way," she said pointing down the hall. The students did turn despite knowing where their classroom was just in time to see the history teacher entering to conduct his class. "You should be in your history class right now. Not heading to the parking lot."

"History classes are conducted with the intent to spread propaganda. Sorry not sorry for indulging in such mediocre mind-numbing crap."

"Oh for christ's sake, It is not propaganda. What is with your class and its vehement hate for history and the teacher."

"I'd rather swallow a bowl full of casu marzu and send myself to the ER than sit in that old hag's class." Divya quipped, grabbing Ragini's hand and moving around Drishti to the parking lot.

"I am going to call your mom if you don't stop," Drishti warned them. Ragini turned to give her an apologetic smile as she was dragged away. Divya however, continued travelling down the part of the truth. "And history is not propaganda!"

"Why do you always have to lock horns with her,'' Ragini scolded her once they were in the clear. "She's right. We shouldn't be cutting class anyway and now Anjali is going to find out."

"Has her stupidity rubbed off on you after spending time with her?" Divya asked after a moment of dumbstricken silence, her tone raw and an octave higher.

"Uh no. and she isn't stupid."

"What are we five?" Divya raised an eyebrow mockingly. "We are eighteen years old. She isn't going to call our parents and be a tattle tale."

"When Anjali is pulling your ears, don't turn to me to save your ass."

"The saying is true. The type of company will show its colour," Divya mumbled, turning the key to unlock the car door "By the way, why did you meet miss sorry soul yesterday?" she questioned. "Miss Sharma." she elaborated seeing the confusion on Ragini's face.

"Oh. after mom and dad told me about the divorce, I bolted and sort of ran into her," the pianist clarified with a sheepish smile. "I couldn't think straight so I just let her lead the way."

"The next time," the younger girl sighed. "If something like that happens, please call me or answer your calls. I've been worried sick since she told me. I was about ready to start interrogating her and call a search party."

They made it into the car and buckled their seat belts; Ragini diligently and Divya after a glare from her best friend. "I'll keep that in mind. Although I saw a picture in her house."

"So?" the rockstar probed when Ragini didn't continue.

"I can't remember where but I've seen the girl before."

"So you guys have mutuals. What's the big deal?" Divya shrugged, not seeing why this piece of information was of importance and turned on the engine. She swept a glance around her making sure the coast was clear before turning out of the parking space.

"I don't know but it was just weird."

"All hail Ragini Khanna. The newly turned physic. I guess that's where all your intellectual skills come from. A big glowing ball." she snarked.

"Shut up,'' Ragini babbled. "You have not told me about what happened at the counsellor's office by the way." The smile left her face and the gears in the car loosened as the speed increased. "I think it didn't go very well then."

"Let's just deal with one problem at a time." Divya rubbed her hand down her face, tired by just the thought of her first and last therapy session. I knew shrinks were a hoax. "We'll cross the bridge when we get there."

"Well okay. Our lives have had too much drama lately."

"Misery likes company, I guess." she snorted.

---broken promises---

Rohan gave the lawyer sitting in front of him a smug look. He swiftly assigned the papers and handed them back."Get these processed as soon as possible. I wanna leave this place."

"You're not even gonna try fighting for custody?" the lawyer asked incredulously.

"No. Ragini is eighteen. She doesn't need a parent in the first place. It's only because of the law that she needs to be under legal custody." he shrugged carelessly.

"But sir, she is still your daughter. I can get these papers re-written..."

"I pay you to do your job, not share your wisdom." Rohan barked, glaring at his lawyer.

The younger man lowered his gaze after a nod. "I'll take this to court. See you, Mr Khanna."

Once he left, Rohan took out the bourbon from his desk drawer, pouring himself a drink. He smirked out at the window. The thought of leaving this town to explore the world alone leaves him in a reverie. He imagined climbing Everest, paragliding, camping with a bunch of drunk friends, clubbing and all the things he couldn't do due to being tied down to a child and wife.

He scowled as the faces of the woman he got married to and the daughter he was responsible for came into the forefront of his mind. Unlike what the world thought, he wasn't in a happy marriage.

They were young when they fell in love and got married. Building a business was easy. That's when the fights started and only got worse when Sanjana found out she was expecting. Rohan didn't want a child that early but he didn't have a choice. He went along with it and for the most part, he was excited to be a father.

Ragini was a happy child and easy to take care of. They spent all day with her after school and on weekends. As a result of the undivided attention towards their children, the business suffered. The Khanna parents had to refocus their time and attention on the work. They always told Ragini and themselves it was for her bright future. The frequency of them being at home decreased and the business empire grew.

Even then, the fights did not stop. They didn't do it in front of Ragini. When she was safely tucked in at night, they went out to the porch or backyard to commence their screaming match. They tried to make it work. Taking time off work and their daughter to go on a vacation. But nothing could fix and return the couple to the state of content they once lived in.

After years of being trapped in an unwanted and slowly dying relationship, Rohan finally called it quits with Sanjana.

Then there was his daughter. He didn't want her but he wasn't given a choice, so he tried to be a good father until the business he invested blood, sweat and tears into took the brunt of it. She is eighteen now. A grown woman who doesn't need him anymore and never has for a long time. To add on, she is friends with a bunch of hooligans. It's damaging to his reputation.

He doesn't want to be held down again and neither will he allow his reputation to suffer. If that means letting them go, he will do it.

"What the hell Rohan?!" Sanjana shrieked, about to go after the upset girl.

"Relax, Sanjana. She is a grown-up," Rohan rolled her eyes, munching back into his dinner. "Not some small child that needs cuddling to be soothed."

Sanjana pressed her lips into a thin line, biting back her irritation at his curtness. "That grown-up is our daughter. I don't care how old she gets. She is still my flesh and blood."

The CEO stopped slicing his piece of meat to match the intense gaze his soon-to-be former wife was giving him. "That's rich coming from you. Seeing as you have been just as absent as I am."

"And yet I am the only one that seems to be regretting this." her voice escalating at every word, she felt immensely frustrated at the situation and this pig-headed man.

"I never wanted a child Sanjana. So don't pin this on me," he shouted, pushing out of his seat to tower over the shorter woman. "I still don't."

Sanjana held her ground. "I regret ever wasting all these years trying to fix our marriage. You are nothing but a narcissist asshole that cares only about yourself and your fragile ego."

"Don't try to mary sue your way out of this," before she could retort, he spoke again. "You can keep her. I don't care."

Sanjna felt like a knife had been brutally stabbed into her heart but she schooled her features quick enough for him to miss the subtle change. "Gladly. She is better off with me either way. But this sentence that you just spoke stays in these four walls. She will never hear of it."

"What do you even mean?" he huffed, looking elsewhere disinterestedly.

"Ragini doesn't need to know that the man she has looked up to her entire life and thought very highly of is just a self-centred ass."

"Or what." he snapped his head back at her, taking a step closer.

Looking at him dead in the eye, she threatened. "Or I will beat the living daylights out of your not-so-handsome face."

"You really think you scare me? Seriously Sanjana, we've been living together for more than nineteen years."

"Then you should know that I make good on my words."

That was one of the advantages of living together. He learned and understood the capabilities of his wife. She was serious. And he wasn't necessarily scared but it didn't seem like a good idea to push her buttons. Especially when it came to Ragini.

He grabbed his keys and walked out of the office, to pack up his bags. He wasn't coming back. The business would remain as his and Sanjana's. After their death, the power of attorney will be Ragini. Until then, he would enjoy his life and continue growing this multimillion-dollar company he made.

"Goodbye, Mumbai. See you never again."

---broken promises---

Shikar and Lakshya got out of their car haphazardly. The bonnet was dented in and the garage door was barely hanging on the loose screws.

"Welp, there goes my favourite engine," Shikar grumbled. He inspected the damage closely through narrowed eyes. It was beyond salvageable. The whole thing had to be changed if he wanted the car to work again.

Lakshya walked up behind him to get a look at it himself. He smacked the back of his younger brother's head with a shake of the head. "How many times have I told you not to use your phone when driving? God knows what is broken in there." he pointed to the garage.

Shikar let his voice die in his throat as he thought about the room. "Come to think of it. What is in there?"

"Probably some stuff that the staff use. We gotta get the car back so they can access it later."

"Lucky, we have never been in the garage. Like never. Not even when dad was here. And mom told us she doesn't know either and just left it as it was."

"So?" the guitarist shrugged, not getting the point. "It's probably just a bunch of junk."

"So let's go junk exploring!" the drummer squeaked, outraged.

"No thanks," he shook his head in exasperation. "I have better things to do."

Shikar raised an eyebrow at him. "Sitting on the couch watching tv is not something important."

"I was going to the gym, dimwitt." Lakshya corrected, turning to head back towards the house before Shikar grabbed his arm and yanked him back.

"No, you are not. We are going to see what's inside this room."

"Yea who we might find you a girlfriend that will keep your crazy idea in check. I would finally be free." Lakshya grained, knowing there wasn't a way out of this.

They managed to move the car back to the parking spot in front of the house. While waiting for the contractors to come and open the door and unhinge the door, shikar thought about when they were younger. Their father spent a lot of time in that room doing god knows what. The rest were not allowed in there for reasons they never bothered asking.

Thinking about it now, after their father's arrest, this side of the house was never visited. They mostly kept to the inner parts. He assumed this was used as a room to store the cleaning equipment of the workers but if it was barely holding on from collapsing that couldn't be stable. It's been thirteen years after all. It's amazing that the door didn't drop on someone.

Oh well, time to find out.

They trudged into the garage once the shutter had been dislodged from his hinges. Coughing up the dust, they carefully made their steps in.

"Who died in there?" Shikar waved the particles out of his face and picked up a fallen piece of paper on the ground. "I think it's a record room of sorts."

"This place is a dump."

"You can say that again."

The room was covered in dust and a mess of pacers strewn all around the place. The musky smell lingered in the air enough to make them gag. The walls had lost their colour and were nothing short of a morgue.

It's a rut. Shikar groaned.

After a little cleaning and dusting, they gathered around what looked like the main table. Lakshya gathered a bunch of files in his hand and read the papers while shikar continued scouting the room for any other items.

Lakshya's face drained of colour as he read on. Picking up a few more pieces of paper, he shook his head in disbelief. "Shikar," he called out tentatively.

"Yeah?" shikar peered over Lakhyha's shoulder to see what had got him in a trance. "What's this?"

"Records." the older sibling breathed.

"No shit sherlock. Records of what?" the drummer asked, getting impatient at the lack of clear answers.

Lakshya dripped the papers back and turned to his brother. "Of the kids that got kidnapped and were involved in the trafficking."

Shikar gaped at him unsure how to react. "Well, shit." he rubbed his temple.

"Let's clear this place and gather the records."

"I am probably going to regret asking but Why?" shikar questioned, dreading the answer.

"We are going to help them."

"Superheroes in solidarity."

---broken promises---

Drishti wrung her hands nervously. The quiet cafe reeked of sophistication and simplicity at the same time. It was an elegant combination.

"Hey," Rakshit greeted cheerfully as he took the seat across from her. "Sorry about the hold-up. Trouble with a kid."

"No sweat. Great choice by the way." she complimented. Normally, any offer to go out on would have been straight away thrown out of the window without a second thought. But she was actually trying to make progress here and be a little more open with people. Putting myself out there. So when Rakshit had asked her to hang out after school, she agreed.

"Thanks. Romi recommended it. Anyways, how are you doing?"

"Preachy. I was thinking about where I should go during the semester break after camp."

"I suppose you have a location in mind."

Drishti gave him a dreamy toothless grin. "Singapore. Divya always wanted to go there. She loves Sentosa."

"Never knew you and Divya were that close," Rakshit gave her a weird look, recalling if he missed something. The teacher bit her lips at the slip of information. She had two choices now. Tell him the truth or hold out on it until she was more comfortable sharing something so personal with her. "Not that it's wrong or something. It's completely your choice." he fumbled with his words.

"Uhh yeah. Just a random conversation in the woods when we lost. I just thought it would be a cool place to go."

"Ouhh. Make senses. Anyways, let's get this started."

"Yeah. So what have you been up to," she asked, eager to change the topic.

"Nothing much. Just catching up with Romi after he came back from his trip to the Maldives. We talked, went out and stuff."

"Sounds fun."

"It is. How about you? Other than staring at the walls and living in your own world."

"Sheesh. Give me some credit for trying."

"Can't. I only do debit," he said sarcastically.

The female party placed her hand on her heart dramatically, feigning hurt. "You hurt me, Mr Shergill."

Rakshti decided to play along. "I am so sorry, Miss Sharma. Please forgive me for being so genuine."

"Let's see if you can earn my forgiveness by the end of this date." she laughed.

The counsellor had to do a double take. "Come again. date?"

Drishti looked like a deer caught in headlights before composing herself. She cleared her throat and craned her neck confidently. "Yes. It's a date is not."

"I guess it is." he nodded with a tremulous smile. 

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