~ You never know how strong you are, until being strong is the only choice you have~

"Do you think Roshni hates me too?", the question left Abhi before he could stop himself and Shaheen's hand holding his shoulders dropped off, as the smile on her face was wiped off. The reality of what she was doing sunk in, how could she be this close to a guy, more so ever the guy she knew loved someone else?

Abhi looked at Shaheen's face, and she looked suddenly too pale for his liking. He didn't like it a bit, the blank face of hers. For some reason, he could not bear Shaheen's smile not lingering on her face. In life, there is always this one friend who might not be the closest to you, but you have a deep sense of respect for them, your heart always wants them to be happy and their approval means a certificate that you are on the right path. Ironically, Abhi felt the same way about Shaheen. She was always high on morals, knew wrong from right and she was the kind of person who would never hurt anyone else irrespective of what it costs her. Abhi adored her, respected her and having her friendship meant a lot to him, even though he had never acknowledged it upfront to Shaheen.

Shaheen's trance broke when Abhi nudged her slightly, and in a wink the question he had asked her, sent current down her system. She knew she needed to handle herself and grasp her heart in the moment, so she responded with her sweet smile.

"Abhi, no one hates you for anything. How did this even came to your mind? You are the most popular guy in school and you are aiming to be a superstar! You are only going to have a lot of fans ahead, lots of love! Understood?", Shaheer spoke very softly, trying to lighten his mood, and Abhi did blush slightly at her comment, because hearing good wishes from her meant a lot to him.

"Once I stand on my feet, I will take Roshni away from all this grief in her life", Abhi sighed, and Shaheen smiled genuinely this time. Roshni was like their baby and she adored her too.

"You really are smitten, aren't you?", she teased, playfully hitting him on his shoulder. Abhi was surprised and delighted, for him it was a new chapter of friendship he was writing with Shaheen. For her, it was their last few moments she wanted to treasure forever.

" I don't know about smitten, I don't even know if it's love. But yes, she matters alot to me. Watching her happy does something to my heart. I have promised mom I would never break her heart, you know?", Abhi blushed, as he looked at Shaheen, " she will disown me If I hurt her anyway! She loves Roshni a bit too much", Abhi laughed, and Shaheen laughed too, both giggling at the prospect, but in her heart Shaheen knew that day could never come. The guy who couldn't hurt an acquaintance would never hurt the girl he had fallen in love with.

A fake cough from the door grabbed their attention, and both turned to find Samaira standing with eyebrow raised and a smirk on her face.

"I didn't know you guys were best friends now", she teased as she jumped on the bed, but Shaheen saw it in her eyes, the questions directed at her, while Sam pretended to laugh. So when Abhi moved out of the room at his mother's voice, Sam's question didn't come as a surprise for her.

"This is why you are hell bent on moving away? Because Abhi loves Roshni and you love him?", the accusations in Sam's voice were pretty clear, and Shaheen immediately lowered her eyes, because she knew Samaira was actually angry because she didn't want her to go away.

"Sam-", Shaheen did not know what to say, how to explain.

"I can't watch them together in front of my eyes Sam, I didn't realise when and how I fell in love with Abhi, but somehow I did. And I can't hurt him or Roshni either, they both love each other, and I am the odd one out. I have a legit reason to move away right now, and I really think that's the best for us before things get complicated", Shaheen uttered in a low voice, but before Samaira could speak Abhi's voice cut them off.

"Who is moving away? And what's getting complicated?", Abhi questioned watching both the girls indulged in a serious conversation. Saheen breathed in relief when she realised he hadn't heard the entire conversation but only a part of it.

"Shaheen is going to Lahore for college after boards", Samaira's voice choked, and Abhi looked at both of them completely shocked, his throat constricting as he struggled to form words.

Shaheen was leaving? But why?

Shaheen had her gaze lowered but when she didn't hear anything from Abhi, she raised her orbs to look at him and for a splits second her heart was filled with happiness watching Abhi's face. It was crystal clear he was affected, that he didn't want her to leave, his eyes were wide as they flickered between her and Sam, who had began to cry. In some sadistic way that Shaheen hated herself for, she liked being the centre of his attention, for that one moment when it felt like she mattered to him, that he wanted her in his life.

"Shaheen?", Abhi's voice cracked as he called her name for confirmation, his heart beating haywire.

Shaheen might not be his best friend to hang out with but she was the modesty all four of them needed in their lives. She was their notion of right and wrong, the glue binding their lives together, she was the one he knew would understand what nobody else would. He respected her like he respected his mother, and it didn't matter that he hadn't ever told this loud but Shaheen was very important to him.

Before Shaheen could react, Abhi's phone started ringing and since it was kept on the bed, everyone could see the caller name.

Roshni calling.

It jerked Shaheen out of the emotions she wae drowning in. It brought back her divide of right and wrong. She could not come in between Roshni and Abhi, even at the cost of her own happiness. A silent look was exchanged between Sam and her as she left the room collecting her belongings when Abhi picked up the call.

Samaira sighed as she watched Saheen go away. She hadn't realised she had started crying until Abhi's fingers wiped them away. She immediately hugged him tight and started sobbing into his neck, shaking like a leaf.

Abhi hugged her back holding onto his own tears for her, as he rubbed her back. Samaira cried her heart out, frightened at the aspect of Shaheen leaving.

"Stop her Hero, stop Shaheen", Samaira mumbled and Abhi held her tight, wanting nothing more than exactly that.

Every bond in the group was different from each other, and Abhi and Sam were special in their own way. She was an abandoned child, someone her father had literally thrown away to have a good life of his own and compensated it with a flat, a nanny and bank balance. And Abhi was the one who had made her feel like she was person, an important person for the first time. She always called him Hero because he had been the savior of her life in more than one way. She had a profound sense of adoration for Abhi, and he cared for her like his child, they shared a very deep bond like that.

Hence watching her cry wasn't something Abhi liked. He somehow managed to sush her and eventually made her fall asleep in his room only. Closing the door behind him, he walked out, distressed when his phone pinged.

"Bro, I will propose Sunshine tomorrow. She will say yes, right?"

Abhi smiled as he repied in affirmative to Kabir. At least someone was happy. He prayed to god to let Kabir have his happiness because he knew he needed it.

Another message broke his trance and he blushed to see it from Roshni.

"Abhi, I need to tell you something. Meet me after your exam in the computer lab".

Abhi thought about the prospect of finally confessing about their budding feelings to each other tomorrow, maybe she wanted to do the same. She liked him too, he knew, he had seen it in the way she reacted whenever he was close.

Exhaling deep he hoped for the next day to go well. It was his last board exam, the last day of school and he hoped it would turn out good.

Only, in the long run he would know, it didn't.

March 26, 2014.

The last day of St. Xavier's for the 2014 batch turned out to be something none of them would ever forget, neither the students, nor the teachers, nor the staff. It was a black day in the history of the school.

A day that tore apart thickest of friends.

"Oh please, Shaheen isn't even my type, and you think She could be my girlfriend? I need to be at least intrested in her for that, don't you think?", tears ran down Shaheen's eyes as she stood frozen hearing the words from Abhi, and the moment he turned and their eyes met, Shaheen knew it was the last time she was seeing him and before he could say anything, she ran away, the mannat ka dhaga she brought for him lying on the ground!

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"Sunshine, I really need to talk to you", Kabir insisted and Roshni sighed before taking a glimpse of his watch.

"Kabir I really need to go. I wanted to tell you later but there is someone I like and I need to meet him in the computer lab, so laters okay?", she ran out blushing leaving a devastated Kabir behind.

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Roshni stood in front of Abhi, her eyes down as she gathered courage to speak her heart out, but before she could the door burst open, and Kabir entered in tears without realising that the girl standing with her back to him was Roshni.

"Abhi, Sunshine said she likes someone-", Kabir wae cut short when Roshni turned horrified at Kabir's choking voice and Kabir was shocked out of his wits to see Roshni and Abhi together.

"Kabir?"

"Sunshine?"

If dread could have a name, it would have been Abhi to realise the sunshine Kabir was mad about was Roshni, the girl he had fallen in love with.

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"Kabir wait.... No!", Abhi's voice hung mid air as he watched a tear stricken Kabir looking at him with hatred in his eyes, before he slit his wrist with the rounder from his geometry box.

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"Have you seen your face Roshni? You think somebody like me would ever feel attracted to you? Expecting too much from life aren't we?", Abhi mocked Roshni facing his back to her, wiping the traitor tears and left, unaware of the shattered girl who had fallen on her knees behind him.

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The parting whistle of the train jerked Shaheen out of her thoughts and gulping down every emotion, she boarded the train to Lahore, with one suitcase she could pack hastily as she fed logic less stuff to Mrs. Khan about why she was leaving so urgently. Samaira stood near her window, waving at Shaheen, crying in silence as another pillar of her life was leaving. Only if she knew everything else that had happened elsewhere!

Note: End of the flashback, we would be back to present with the next chapter.

The last day is mentioned in form of only devastating peep into events because they were perspective specific. They cannot be written in a chapter, every character's version of the turmoil would be different from the other. So the answers would be revealed only when and if they confront each other.

There is so much more in this story though, stay tuned for an avalanche of emotions coming through!