Sky, John,Aakash and Adam were inseparable since kindergarten until that fateful night of high school prom.

"Sky you look beautiful" Adam complimented, while waiting in the school parking lot for John to appear . Suddenly they heard a scream.

They rushed to the spot to see Aakash and their dead teacher, Mr. William.
Aakash had a blood dripping knife in his hand.

"You killed Mr. William !" Adam exclaimed, while Sky looked at Aakash with horror.

"How dare he touch you ,Sky ! Disgusting man, I will kill him".
These lines echoed in Sky's ear.

Sky clearly remembered how Aakash was angry and hurling threats a day before prom, when he had caught Mr. William molesting her.

"You should have not killed him Aakash, Law could have punished !" Sky wailed in disbelief.

"I didn't kill him" Aakash could only utter this before police arrested him, and he got sentenced to spend 10 years Juvenile correction home being a minor at the time of conviction.

After 10 years, Aakash was released. He had lost friends and family had disowned him on the day he was proven guilty.

After Aakash was accused. Sky, Adam and John were publicly bullied  since now they had connection with a murderer .

That fateful prom night ended the friendship of 14 years as Sky, Adam and John ended their friendship to avoid the flake of being tagged as killer's best friends.

Time drifted quickly,  Sky, John and Adam climbed mountains of success while Aakash struggled to make a living. He worked in an old bakery whose 90-year-old owner was unable to run his old, crumbling bakery shop.

"Son we have got a big order tonight, we have got an order of 1000 pastries" the old baker spoke out to Aakash.

Aakash  worked all day to make those pastries. Then he loaded the delivery truck, and he sat next to the driver.

The driver stopped in front of a place which gave a chill in Aakash's spine. There stood Sherwood High School. The same high school where his friendship bloomed and ended abruptly without even a goodbye.

He hesitantly carried the boxes of pastries. He kept all the boxes in the canteen area and hurriedly made his way out.

But a familiar voice called his name. He knew who it was, but he didn't have the nerve to turn back, he was afraid to face those Grey eyes, the eyes which had  power to hypnotize him, the eyes which meant the world to him, it was his best friend, his first and last love Sky.

James and Adam too called Aakash's name. Sky, John, Adam and their batch mates all were here to celebrate 50 years of their high school.

"Why did you kill him, Aakash?" spoke out Sky with teary eyes. Adam and John too looked Aakash with eyes that had millions of questions and thoughts.

"Aakash tell us what happened that night!" Sky now exclaimed with pleading eyes.

Aakash sighed and started narrating,"That night I saw Mr. William he was sexually assaulting someone, so I tried to stop him, in return Mr William attacked me with a knife. In defending myself, Mr. William got stabbed ".

Aakash further added,"I was removed the knife from his torso and at that same you both spotted me".

Sky exclaimed," You are stupid! You could have told us the truth. Why didn't you speak up for yourself?"

"You could have brought this issue in the courtroom. You dumb head! "Adam shrieked in uncontrollable anger.

"I didn't, and I won't disclose the truth , "Aakash replied with a straight face.

Sky now gripped Aakash's collar in wrath and warned him, "Speak up or else...". Aakash interrupted "Do whatever you want, I don't care!".

Sky narrowed her eyes and she took a fork in her hand and she started piercing her wrist with it .

Aakash panicked and threw the fork away. He could bear anything, but he could not see Sky in pain or distress.

He finally blurted out," Mr. William was molesting John that day. So I tried to protect him. I could not say this in the court, became it could ruin John's social life and imagine in society".

"Seriously! Aakash what an idiotic act. You took the blame on your shoulders, became a murderer, our friendships ended !" Adam erupted.

"I had no other choice left" Aakash replied, not meeting the eyes of his friends.

"Aakash  spill the beans what made you do so !" Sky spoke out sarcastically.

"I saw you and John confessing love to each other that evening before the prom started, if this incident of molestation came up into light then this relationship could never blossom. I thought ending friendship would be easier than ending someone's love story," Aakash spoke out.

All 3  looked Aakash with shock evident on their faces.

"Love ! I never loved Sky," John blurted it out.

"Aakash were you high at that time ! John is more like a brother to me. We both never had feelings for each other"Sky thundered, losing her temper.

Aakash exclaimed," I swear ! I saw you both confessing love for each other!".

John replied," We were practicing for a drama play ! Omg, You took it for real. Are you insane ?".

Aakash was flabbergasted. Appearances are Deceptive, Aakash and his friends believed what they saw, and their friendship paid the price.

John, Sky, Adam and Aakash understood that fate had played games to separate them and fate itself again brought them together.

These buddies got united.Aakash confessed his long-lost hidden love for Sky. "You both possess similar names!" Adam teased Aakash and Sky on their wedding day.

Indeed, the word Aakash meant 'Sky'. Both of them were meant to be together. It was the Fate, the Gamer who played games with the 4 friends.

Fate is not in our hands, but we are the masters of our own Deeds (Karma) and Deeds are the maker of Fate. Deeds control the"Games of Fate".

Word count: 995