This one's dedicated to my little sis from Wattpad.

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Here's the thing about teen kids.

If they dislike you, they spew the sassiest one liners with no regard for social etiquette, you would legit start wondering if you had run them over with a truck in the past.

If they like you, they shower you with so much affection with no regard for social etiquette, you would legit start wondering if you had been besties since kindergarten.

I fall under the second category with the hippie kid.

We texted frequently. That is to say, he sent me loads of latest memes and I spent several minutes researching the meme in question, and debating an appropriate reply, so that I didn't look uncool and outdated to him. The pressure was real.

I wouldn't call him a close friend I could count on, when I needed someone. But in the current situation his presence was calming.

Because I couldn't meet Prakruthi's eyes. Not that she would judge me for being vulnerable. Would she? What if she did? Did I mess it up?

Oversharing. A vice of which I wasn't guilty. But in the car, when I started speaking I felt the urge to say more. I had to remind myself several times that the woman sitting next to me was a newly formed acquaintance. Not a therapist.

I was saved the trouble of breaking the ice by the kid. "My dad has a favourite child. And it's not even his own child."

"Did he like... rent a child?" Prakruthi tried to match his weird humour. I scoffed nonetheless.

"He didn't give me the car keys even on my birthday. Ruthi gets drenched in rain once and he gave her the car just like that. Indefinitely."

"Not indefinitely. He will take it back after the rains stop." She hung her head as if driving a car to school was something shameful.

"Buddy! Do you even have a licence?" I was genuinely curious if he had one.

"No. But how hard can it be? It's like riding a horse."

I glanced at Prakruthi trying to determine if I heard that right. She shrugged in a way that said 'Honestly what did you expect his reply will be?'

"Do you know horse riding then?"

"Nope. But I watched a lot of fantasy movies." He looked like he was struggling to keep a straight face.

"Next time when you ask your dad for keys explain all this stuff to him. He would be relieved to know that his car is in the safe hands of a fantasy film fan." I suggested.

I didn't know who started it first. But we didn't stop laughing until our orders were served.

We sat there exchanging stories about all the interesting things that happened to us that week.

Prakruthi informed how she had been asked to substitute for Science teacher who was on leave for two weeks. "It's like I have to be a completely different person while teaching this subject. I usually encourage discussions in the middle of the lesson. But yesterday while teaching animal kingdom, I had to demand pin drop silence. Feels weird."

"Yes, it does. It's not in your nature to be strict while teaching. You are more suited to teach interactive subjects where students can actually voice out their opinion. Nevertheless, I'm sure you are doing a great job." I tried to encourage her.

"Thank you." She nodded. "I'm glad to have friends who have so much faith in me."

"And family." Her cousin added. "My parents are one step away from building a shrine for little Miss perfect here."

Prakruthi gave a dry chuckle and waved her hand as if he was a fly she was trying to swat away.

"No, it's true." He continued, ignoring her. "I'm glad, though. When you have more kids to take care of, you focus on one, more than the others. And I'm glad to get some breathing space from their helicopter parenting."

Prakruthi gave him a pointed look to make him stop talking. But he remained oblivious. Honestly kid, read the room.

"Poor Ruthi is stuck with them though. They won't let her find her own place. Whenever she talks about it her parents and mine guilt her into staying."

I glanced at her briefly expecting her to look annoyed. But she sighed heavily and locked eyes with me. "I got into a road accident two years ago. Almost died. Was bedridden for better part of the year before gaining enough strength to walk again. Now everyone is over protective of me."

My expression must have betrayed the absolute shock I was feeling. She broke eye contact and stared at her cup. But she didn't stop talking.

For once I didn't know if I wanted her to continue. How traumatising it must be to share what had happened to her and to make it sound like it was no big deal.

"I had to make a hundred promises before I switched careers and moved to this town. Mum and dad only agreed because my aunt and uncle will be here to look after me. I have to make a video call twice a day to show them that I'm alive and kicking. No complaints though. I get to see my little sister and my baby nephew everytime."

I didn't know what to say.

I felt like she still downplayed her suffering. It must have been a huge emotional blow to the entire family.

Especially to the person who had to stand still and see the world moving forward.

"I'm so sorry you haven't had a peaceful life in the recent years. I hope it gets better for you." I had no idea if my reaction was correct. But it was honestly what I felt. I genuinely wished for her to be happier today than she was yesterday.

"It already started getting better. Still a long way to go though." She took a sip and immediately hissed. "Gosh! That's hot."

I offered my icecream. She ate a spoonful and sighed dramatically. "I can literally feel the steam coming out my ears."

It wasn't much of a joke. But it set me off. I started laughing again. And within seconds all three of us were laughing again.

In that moment it felt like the past two hours happened in a dream. I felt weirdly confident.

If a person who had her well settled life snatched away from her, could laugh again and start over, the rest of us could at least try.

I didn't know how but I was hopeful that everything would fall into place eventually.

Uttara's love life would go without hitting any snag, Shravan's trauma won't hold him back and Prakruthi's new beginning would be blissful.

And the hollow in my chest... I needed to work on it. I owed it to all these amazing people around me.

---***---

"What's up with you, kiddo?" I fought the urge to flick Shravan's cheek.

"Did you seriously say kiddo?" He bared his teeth. "You sound so old sometimes."

The audacity of this little devil! I flicked both his cheeks in retaliation.

"I heard your mom's here." I grabbed one of his textbooks and flipped the pages. Since when did textbooks become so colourful? Back in the day we only had lessons followed by questions.

Wait! What's that? A highlighted paragraph? Tiny dude's mature enough to highlight important stuff? How? I swear he was born yesterday! Am I really growing old?

"She's gone to talk to the headmistress about yesterday." He stopped me from spiralling further. "I think she's planning to give a picture of my dad to the school authorities so that he can't enter."

"Oh! Okay." I tried to sound nonchalant. I liked this new safety measure. But I couldn't bring myself to speak ill of his father in front of him.

Not that I carry any respect for him after what he did. I planned to call him few creatively colourful names which cannot be found in Shravan's third grade textbook, if I ever saw him again.

"She is also going to ask them to find a replacement for me."

"Not this again." I know I must've sounded frustrated. But he was being unreasonable. "You can't let this derail you."

"I want to be in... im.. immersible for some time."

"Invisible." Why was it hard to pronounce? He just said the word replacement like no biggie.

Wait! That's not the point. The dance performance. Focus, Devansh! Focus!

"Rocky was pointing at me when I went to the market with grandma. He was saying something to his sister."

"Rocky will point at someone else tomorrow when he gets bored of you. Once this news becomes stale they will move on to the next big thing." I felt like we were in a loop.

I try to convince him that this negative publicity is temporary. He replies with something along the lines of 'it takes a lot of courage', which he believed he didn't have.

"Who will put up with their bullying till they get their next big thing to gossip about?" It was Uttara. When did she get here? Did she teleport? Shadow travel? "We need to warn them."

"What are you doing here? You said you will clear your mind and think about how to proceed about your... thing?" I wasn't sure if Shravan knew.

"The thing with Radhika aunty?" asked Shravan.

"He knows?!"

"And he is supportive." Uttara pinched his cheeks affectionately.

"Yay! Your aunt, cousin, nephew and friends are on your side. I hear wedding bells." I teased her.

"I don't think I can." She shook her head. "It's scary."

Why would she hesitate when she was inches away from happiness? "Just one step. You will be set for life."

"That has gotta be the longest one step ever." She bit her lips and knitted her eyebrows. Uh oh! Not her too.

What's wrong with my speeches? No one felt inspired anymore. "An act of bravery and you don't have to look back."

"You first!" I heard a thunder followed by an earthquake.

It was... Shravan. Since when did he spoke so ferociously?

"You always ask us to be brave. You do it and show us." He nodded his head in a cartoonish way.

"Yass, queen!" Uttara nodded along.

I had absolutely no idea what was going on. But it was evident that they teamed up against me. Why? What did I do?

I asked them the same.

"You show me you can be brave." He's just repeating himself now.

"He's right, you know. You keep pushing us forward. But take ten steps back when it is your turn." Uttara pumped her eyebrows as if asking me to contradict.

"I... uh.. This isn't about me. It's about Shravu. And you."

"No. I am tired of everyone around me calling me a coward when don't know how hard it is. I will be brave only when everyone around me is brave." Shravan announced.

I glanced at Uttara who shrugged apologetically? Maybe she didn't realise Shravan would be so insistent.

My first instinct was to change the subject. But I remembered. I promised myself to try.

Somehow, I had been given the power to change their perception towards problems. I wasn't going to let it go waste.

"Okay." I said.

"What?" They said in unison.

"I said okay. I will do it. An act of bravery. I will do something that is unthinkable for me." It was my turn to nod like I wanted my head to fall off. "But you have to promise you will follow. No excuses."

"We will." Shravan tilted his head sassily. I swear this guy's a teenager trapped in an eight-year-old body.

Uttara didn't look so confident. Understandable. For Shravan it was just a dance performance. But for her it was a life altering decision.

"Fine." She finally muttered. "You first though."

"And you next." I held her to her promise. She nodded.

Going to be easy. I mean, all I had to do was to wow them with my courage and emotional strength.

How hard could it be?

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Statistically, this is my least popular story. But I love writing this. Makes me giggle every time I come here.

I desperately need comments and feedback though. A few words for the writer please.

Thank you.