Sanjit slowly opened his eyes and sighed when he heard his mum shouting. Closing his eyes, he knocked off the screeching alarm clock on his table. When he couldn't get comfortable, he stood up and moved his heavy legs to the bathroom.

"What do you mean you got fucking fired?! Here I was going to bring you back into the family when you can't even provide for them?!"

"Honey, I will get another job! Listen to-"

"Will you two just fucking pack it in?! I wake up to you screaming! I go to you screaming! What more do you want me to take?! Natalia is always at Mark's house because she gets to get away from you! Selfish!" Sanjit slammed the bathroom door shut and had a short shower.

He heard his mum screaming behind the door but didn't respond. Then silence. He quickly stuffed a few clothes into his bag and then his headphones. Then his charger and his phone. He tightly closed his eyes when he heard his parents again and walked out the house.

"Maybe I should get away for a while..." he said to himself. "I need to."

"Babe, you going crazy? Been talking to yourself lately." With a small smile, he turned around and hugged her. He felt her full cheeks against his chest, her chubby fingers around his back. "Let's go from here," she whispered when she heard the shouting through the brick walls. He quickly entwined their fingers and walked away. They silently walked to her house. When she rang the doorbell, Sanjit stopped to give her a kiss at the back of her head.

"Hey, Mrs. Lopez. Mind if I come in?"

"You're always welcome. Please. But you know, you can't always miss school like this. At least not this early."

"I know...Sorry." They both stepped in and walked up to her room. Sanjit looked at her pink lips then up to her green eyes. He put his hands through her curled black hair and lowered his lips to her. She pulled him closer and he pushed her against the closed door. "God, I missed you!"

"I missed you too," she whispered against his lips. "You look tired, you should go to sleep."

"Thank you for giving me another chance. I will try not to get angry if another guy talks to you."

"That's okay. Go to sleep."

"Lay beside me?" She nodded her head and they both got under the blankets. "Get my headphones out quickly." Sanjit let his head rest on her lap when she sat up. She put one headphone in her ear and gave the other to him. He gave her his phone and she unlocked it before starting his track list. After the first two songs finished, Sanjit fell asleep.

'Anyone who knows me would know I'm not really a touchy guy that expresses myself as much as I could.' She heard. She looked down at Sanjit and relaxed when she realised it was a recording from his phone. 'Mum, Dad, although I shout and lose my temper, I want to say sorry and I love you two so, so much. I can never thank you guys for giving me a home. Nats. My sweet, sweet, sister. You have done so much for me. So much.' Sanjit sniffed through the recording and she knew he was crying. 'Nats, I love you so, so much. So much! I don't understand why you have to fight all the time, Mum and Dad? I am just so tired of this. I'm not strong enough for this. I came into this family thinking I will live happily, but I can't. Nats, I don't know why you have to suffer so much. Your eating disorder. Your cutting. Suicide. I tried cutting but I couldn't do it. Guys, I didn't know how to do this and I still don't. What do I say? You guys share those happy memories okay? I just...what do I say? I know I'm being selfish. So, so selfish but I can't help it. I need to get away. Nats, as you know, this is some parts of your suicide note but I just understood you so much that I had to include that. Mark Linton. Thank you for trying with me. Thank you for making my sister better. Taking her away from the house and taking her mind off things. Please, stay with her. She needs you. Marcus, thank you for being another dad to her. I know she loves you so much. I have never met you but I have heard so much about you. Aunt Paige! Lovely, lovely, woman. Again, we haven't met but I have heard so much about you. Thank you again. Oh, and Marcus, thank you for fixing my parent's marriage for a while. It was nice. Family dinner altogether. Movies. Sleeping under the same roof. My friends, love you guys so much. I'm gonna do another recording for you. One last person...Maria. My chubby, Mexican, hot girlfriend. Maria...I don't even know where to start with you. I know you are two years older than me and don't even go to school anymore and I still do but...I know I have never said this to you in person because of the coward I am, but I love you. I love you so fucking much. Nothing can change the way I feel about you. Nothing! After this, you can find that one special person of yours. You mean the world to me, Maria. I've now set you free. So long everyone."

Maria wiped away her tears and pushed Sanjit off her lap. "Maria, baby, what's wrong?"

"You promised you wouldn't leave me and would always be here for me!" she cried. Warm salty tears reached the side of her pink lips which were now trembling.

"Maria, I'm not leaving you. Baby, I would never leave you," Sanjit softly whispered as he wrapped his arms around her shaking body.

"I heard! I heard the recording, Sanjit!" Sanjit sighed and pulled her onto his lap. "I don't want you to go! I love you, Sanjit, you can't leave me!"

"Shh. That was just last week. I was just feeling like that because my parents were fighting extra and my sister was in hospital and we broke up. Everything just got on top of me. I'm so sorry. I love you. God, I love you so much. Look at me," he said as he pulled back so he was looking into her green eyes. "I love you. I was weak. Not anymore. I'm not leaving you in the arms of another man. You must be crazy," he said with a soft laugh. Maria smiled at him as he wiped away her tears.

"I'm sorry I woke you...wanna go back to sleep?"

"I can't now, can I?"

"Sorry..."

"No...I just wanna stay like this for a while," he whispered as he wrapped his arms around her again.