ARNAV RAIZADA

The moment I heard her voice over the phone, I felt like every nerve in my body tensed up, and in a matter of seconds I got so angry I dint even realize what I did until I saw Khushi standing in front of me looking all scared.

I don't remember ever being this angry, I was doing pretty well in life with the only important person in my life beside me, I was happy until the woman that called herself my mother decided to ruin everything for me.

What did she want after all these years? Why was she calling me now? Did she think it would change the things she did to me in the past?

"Arnie." Khushi whispered my name as she looked at me in shock, I hated that she had to see this side of me, but I just couldn't control myself, and if I dint leave from here right now, I would get angry on her and Tanvi for no reason so I had to leave and calm my freaking mind.

"I... I need to leave. I'm sorry I'll see you two later." I said as I rushed out of her house, she dint try to stop me or anything, I was glad she didn't, I dint know how I would react at this moment.

Why would she call me? I had BROKEN all my ties with her and my so-called father years ago, when I left that house, I swore that they were dead to me, so why were they interested in my life after all these years?

Just when I was having a good peaceful life, they had to remind me of their existence. I was so freaking pissed!

I headed straight home as a lot of thoughts ran into my mind and all the possibilities of why they had decided to contact me out of nowhere, nothing just seemed to fit, I had so many questions whose answers I dint have.

Once I arrived home, I headed straight into my room and broke the first thing that came into my hand, when I got angry I usually broke a lot of things, I had already broken my phone and it looked like it wasn't enough to calm my anger.

Why did she call? The question kept on repeating itself in my mind. After all this years, after all that they did to me, they had the audacity to call me!

I liked down on my bed trying to inhale deep breaths so it could help me calm down, I shut my eyes as all the memories of the past came flashing in my mind.

I dint deserve their hatred, I dint deserve the way they treated me, I dint deserve all those horrible things they did to me! Parents are supposed to take care of their children, trust them, believe what they say but mine did the complete opposite.

They never trusted me, despite me telling them repeatedly about what was happening to me in their own house, how could they be just so damn ignorant?

I hated them, I was always going to hate them for the rest of my life. It took me leaving them for good, for them to actually start trusting me, I mean how horrible could they get? I was never going to forget any of it, never!

How could I forget the day... how? I remember each and every detail of it until today and that's why I would never forgive them.

It was one of those days, when the Raizada mansion was everything but silent, a lot of guests came, from very rich families, it had become a sort of tradition. The Raizada's would throw a party for no specific reason and invite every rich famous friend they had, it was like a fish market.

I hated these parties, I hated everything to do with them and most of it, I hated the guests that came for the party, the were the worst kind of people ever.

I would always find an excuse to run away or just escape it but somehow my parents found a way to force me into it, after all, it was our society and I had to grow up here and be around them so I had to learn to be around them through this useless parties.

Despite me telling them so many times about why I dint want to attend, they never seemed to care, they thought I was lying, faking things to avoid attending those stupid partied of theirs.

This year, I was glad though, because Shona was coming too, at least I could stay around her and just feel safe from everyone else, if I had to go anywhere or do anything, I would take her along, it sounded like the perfect plan.

Flashbacks

"Shona, I was waiting for you." I rushed to hug my best friend in the whole wide world, I was so happy to finally see her here. Even at the age of fifteen, I was so attached to her, I knew my life was always going to be incomplete without her.

"Here I am then." She giggled.

"Okay let's go play some video games." I grabbed her hand and pulled her along to my room, hoping that if I stayed in my room playing video games with my best friend, nothing horrible would happen today, but five minutes into it, mom came to call me saying she wanted me to meet the guest.

I hesitated a lot, but she wouldn't stop forcing me, so I dragged Khushi along, as long as she was by my side, I was going to feel safe.

"We were waiting for you Arnav, where were you hiding huh little boy?" Sharmila aunty grabbed my cheeks and pulled them like I was a baby. She was my mom's best friend and her husband was in some political party, I dint know much about it because I never paid attention to it. I hated this woman, I just wanted to escape her as soon as I could.

"Who is this little girl you've brought along?" She asked as she looked at Khushi, she was pretending to be all smiling and stuff but I could notice the hatred she had for Khushi, she was just pretending to be all nice and likeable.

I greeted a few more ladies and they wouldn't stop telling mom how cute I was and all that crap, after the torture, mom finally let me go so Khushi and I headed to get something to eat in the kitchen, we put whatever we needed in our plates and headed back to my room upstairs, these elder people parties were too boring for us.

The both of us sat on my bed watching Tv when Khushi's mom walked in to take her away from me, I dint want her to go yet.

"Khushi, come with me for a minute please." Her mom said. I loved how Khushi's mom was with her, why couldn't my mom be like that with me?

"Where to?" Khushi asked sadly, she also dint want to leave.

"I just want you to meet someone, you can come back in two minutes, I promise it would be quick. I'm sure Arnav can wait for his best friend, wont you Arnav?" She smiled at me.

"Please hurry." I nodded nervously as Khushi stepped out of the bed and followed her mom outside, I got so scared, I decided it was better if I locked the door until she came back so I stood up and headed to lock it but I was just a few seconds late.

Here she was again! Please not today. Oh god! I felt like crying, I felt like screaming, I dint even know what to do, I hated this woman!

"Now why are you in such a hurry Arnav?" Sharmila aunty asked, she had this weird expression on her face as she pushed me inside my room.

"I am going to find Khushi." I said as I tried to escape, but she grabbed my hand and pulled me back.

Somebody help me please.

"Why are you running away from me? Don't you like me?" She asked. I dint even know how to answer, of course I dint like her, I despised her, and no matter how many times I would tell my mom or dad about the horrible things she did to me, neither of them would believe me because she was a freaking politicians wife and they couldn't believe she would do something like that.

They trusted a stranger more than their own son. What kind of parents do that?

She sat down on my bed and patten on her laps.

"Come sit here." She smiled and then pulled me as I fell on her laps, I tried to escape but she was a grown woman and I was just a fifteen-year-old boy, she wouldn't just let me go. She started touching me and I dint like it, I hated it, there were tears in my eyes already... Please somebody come and help me.

"Arnie... I'm back." I heard Khushi's voice as she pushed the door open and then she froze there, I rushed towards her and hugged her tightly as I broke down into tears. I felt so disgusted I was so glad she was here to save me.

"What was she doing to you Arnie?" Khushi looked at me in shock.

"I don't like it Shona, she... every time she comes here, she touches me... it's disgusting." I cried.

"How dare you hurt my best friend like this." Khushi said as she pushed me behind her, shielding me from this disgusting woman who was now laughing at the both of us.

"Seriously, you think a little girl like you would be able to save him, a boy that can't save himself?" She laughed. This woman was pure evil.

"Try me." Khushi said confidently, why wasn't I strong like her? Why couldn't I stand up to this woman like she did?

"Mom! Mom!" Khushi started screaming immediately and I could notice how Sharmila aunty was getting nervous, in no time a lot of the guests gathered around my room, I felt so scared, I dint want everyone to know what had been happening to me.

"What happened Khushi?" Khushi's mom asked immediately.

"Is everything okay here?" My mom came pushing through the rest of the people.

"Aunty can you please ask everyone else to leave? I need to talk to you and my mom about something very important." Khushi looked at my mother, right now even if she dint want to talk, she had no choice, Khushi was going to make sure she listened.

Mom nodded as she told everyone to leave and one my one all left, Sharmila aunty too tried to leave but Khushi blocked her way, once everyone was gone and it was only both our parents, Khushi looked at me sadly.

"How long has this been happening Arnie?" She looked at me worriedly.

I dint even have the voice or the strength to speak, I always wanted to tell her about it since the time it started but I thought she won't believe me just like my parents never believed me, so I dint even try to tell her.

"What are you talking about Khushi?" Her mom looked at her curiously.

"This woman is bad mom, she was harassing Arnav, when you took me with you and then I came back, I found her touching him. He dint like it, he was crying but she wouldn't stop. She is so bad mom." Khushi told her mother who looked at me and then at Sharmila aunty in shock.

"She's just a little girl, she doesn't know what she's saying." Sharmila aunty said.

"She knows what she is saying, she is right. This woman keeps touching me every time, I try to refuse, I try to escape but she doesn't let me go. Mom, dad do you believe me now. How many times have I told you about it, but you never believe me. Today even Khushi saw." I looked at my parents angrily, I hated that I had to go through all this because they would freaking believe me.

I had had too much of it, I was fed up, I was angry at them, how could they let this happen to me? Despite me telling them so many times about it, they thought I was just making up stories. What kind of parents think that when their kids tell them about something like this?