A loud gasp escaped from my mouth as I brought my hands to cover it.

"I am...s..sorry", I stammered like a fool and tried to walk towards the ground. Note the word tried.

I scurried down the corridor , slowly as I was still flustered by the turn of events. I had to get a grip on myself. Just then I heard the stomping of footsteps behind me. My reflexes made me turn around and I came face to face with Varun, who still seemed mad. Averting my gaze , I felt a sudden need to protect myself from his murderous glare. I know I had intruded something personal but it was accidental and I had already apologized. What was his problem then? He was the one  who had miserably failed to keep it discreet and anyone would have stumbled upon them, they were kind of lucky that it was me.

"What are you doing here , alone?", he growled, his voice simmering with anger. The corridor was completely vacant and most of the campus was empty, his voice echoed, terrifying me. I looked up into his hazel eyes , his stormy eyes were a whirlwind of emotions - a massive change from his usual guarded from. I tried to capture the fleeting emotions as his eyes furiously searched mine and I managed to retrieve anger, pain and the usual ancient grief; but there was something else that lay embedded beneath that. Concern? Was he seriously concerned about me? No, that's an impossible reality. Anger - that's what he feels when I am in the picture.

"Can't you hear? Answer me", he snapped as his slender fingers enclosed on the the skin of my wrist, tightening his grip, he was so close to me that I could feel the heat riveting off his body which was sending tiny little shivers throughout me. The air seem to have been engulfed me into a fresh , minty odor which radiated through him. I couldn't think straight, every thought was a blur as I drowned into the hazel pool of his eyes. Why was I so worked up?

"Angel, are you dumb?", he voice was full of venom. I couldn't take this anymore. I cleared my fogged up mind.

My previous feelings of embarrassment and fear dissolved ; anger conquered my mind. What in the world had I done to make him so mad? He couldn't treat me like dirt every now and then. The whole day I had fairly managed to stay out his gaze, but now I wondered why do I have to be afraid of him? I had done nothing wrong and his behavior towards me was hardly justified.

"Why do you have a problem with me? What have I ever done to you?", I chastised and used all my strength to snatch my arm away from his grip. My voice came out much harsher than I thought was possible and combined with my eye roll, all the emotions spiralling behind his eyes were suddenly sucked away into a bottomless black hole. I was now looking into empty, soulless eyes. A shiver ran down my spine but I gave everything I had in me to not falter.

"We have hardly spoken except for your taunt that it was inappropriate for me to come here. You know what , you are so full of yourself that you fail to notice , not everyone around you is dirt. If you don't want to be acquainted with me , its totally fine because I too don't want a jerk as my friend. Lets keep our distance. I won't bother you and I expect you to do the same", I finished my monologue and sprinted in the opposite direction.

Adrenaline was gushing into my veins, I could taste the bile in my throat. What did I just do? The realization hit me like a truck, Oh my god. I had planned my death moments ago. What had gotten into me? God how could I be so, reckless. I buried my face into my hands as I went through my monologue and immediately regretted it. I guess he deserved it for sure but then I live in the same house as his. There are so many ways in which he could lash out on me. Why had I not thought of this before?

I felt a set of arms curling around wrists which were covering my face.

"Hey, what happened?", his voice was breathy. I could smell his freshly sprayed cologne, cedar wood and lemon. I looked up to see Rehan who had a concerned expression on his face. Our faces were dangerously close, I could feel his ragged breaths on my face. But this was different , he wasn't as intimidating as the jerk because Rehan was sweet and he wouldn't intentionally make things uncomfortable , unlike Varun. I recovered quickly and took a step back putting some distance between him and me. Rehan seemed to have detected the awkwardness as he scratched the back of his neck nervously.

"What's up princess? I heard about your achievement", Danish joined us and saved me from the awkward silence but his teasing was no better I guess.

"Yeah, I heard about the list of yours too", I guessed that he too might have been into a lot of detentions , taking in consideration his racy nature.

"But still , you never leave the chance to surprise me. I thought that you were a nerd and miss goody-two-shoes. Hell, I was totally wrong wasn't I?", I flinched when he used the cuss word.

"You know what, I could eat a bowl of alphabet soup and come out with a smarter statement than that", I exclaimed frustrated by everything.

"Whoa. whoa someone's fiesty today. I bet you had a lifetime experience in the detention", Danish continued to irritate me.

"First , it wasn't a detention it was a discussion session and second, even if it was a detention then its none of your business", I felt more normal by each passing second because somehow bickering with Danish made me forget my encounter with the bad boy.

"Yeah, I know you would say that but Princess you can't fool me, we make a good team of detention buddies"

"I have neither the time and nor the crayons to explain you this , so let it go okay", I grinned satisfied with the comeback whilst Rehan chuckled.

"Ouch... that was a good one but come on princess , you got a detention on the first day of the school. We have got to celebrate this", he ruffled my hair and walked towards to school parking.

"He is not going to let it go, is he?", I sighed looking sideways at Rehan.

"He never does", Rehan grinned. It was so easy with both of them, they seem to have made me at ease unintentionally.

How could anyone think that they were meant to be harmful? Danish was a total goof ball and is known for his humor whereas Rehan is a gentleman who shows a lot of concern. Kartik too seems nice and Kamya likes me. Nia is the simplest soul I have ever met. Why do the people at school think something so opposite? They can't be dangerous and they make me happy , except for one though.

"Ananya , I was wondering...", Rehan's voiced gave a red signal to my train of thoughts.

"Hmm", he was again scratching the back of his neck. Why was he nervous now?

"I just..umm...wanted to....I mean Oh god", he muttered something under his breath , I gave him sometime to gather his wits.

"You owe me a favor because you lost the bet , so I guess I wanted to use that favor", he spoke again.

"Yeah , so what do you want me to do?", I did not expect him to ask for it so quickly but I knew that he won't be hard on me.

"I want you to go out with me on Saturday?", it sounded like a question, like I was free to refuse. I did not anticipate this. I thought it would be like doing his laundry or some homework. I kind of liked the fact that he asked me rather than telling me. How can you refuse such an innocent offer?

"That's an easy one , right", I grinned.

"Is that a yes?", his nervous expressions turned into a cocky smirk. Boys.

"Yes, but only if the treat includes icecream", I marveled.

"Yeah sure", he flashed me a Cheshire grin.

The drive to home was good, Danish kept bickering about everything whereas Rehan did all the efforts to shut him up , but failed miserably. Rehan was in all giddy mood, I felt good that I had made him happy too. But then, I wanted to confront them about the rumors in the school, only if I had guts to do so. People say that ' Light burdens carried far become heavy'. I had a feeling that if I kept this information inside for a long time, it might come out in way which might harm my friendships. I didn't want this misunderstanding to come between me and my newfound friends. I wanted Naina to know that they are not bad. I was unaware of their pasts but their presents tell me that they won't hurt anyone intentionally. I decided that I would try confront them tonight. I had to.

We reached home, it was almost five. Kamya was watching a movie in the lounge room, she asked me join her but I politely declined and to my surprise she let it go. I think it was obvious that I needed some me time. Nia and Kartik were nowhere to be seen , I guess they were in their rooms. Sunaina aunty asked me about my day, I faked a smile and replied by 'it was good'. I went up to my room and changed into a black tank top and grey sweats. I pulled my hair into a messy bun. I had to study today, because I wasn't that attentive in most of the classes. But I decided against it, I pulled out my diary from the bookshelf and wrote down today's entry. It had been a long day.

It's been many years, since I have been around people who make me happy. I had learnt from my past that 'No expectations no disappointments' so I never expected anything from my new foster family and I still don't. On the brim of my mind, I think that whatever Naina had said might be true, because that would be normal for me. I have been surrounded with cruel people for half of my life and this would be no different. Deep down inside my reckless , fragile heart still hoped that they might turn out to be my new beginning.

That is what I am terrified about, if they turn out to be good, I don't know how will I be able to keep my walls up. I am afraid that maybe I have lost the ability to trust someone. I am afraid that I won't be able to let anyone in. I am afraid that my mask of the carefree , sarcastic girl might worn up. I have struggled for years to make my facade believable. It is said that ' if you let people walk all over you , you become a doormat' , I never wanted to be one so, I did my best to not be weak, many devils fed on me but they had made me strong.

If life had laid something nice ahead of me , I wasn't ready to embrace it, yet.

The whole labyrinth of thoughts in my subconscious drained every ounce of energy left in me. I did not know when my eyelids became heavy and I dozed off.

I heard soft knocks on my door but I was in no mood to abandon my comfy bed , I just didn't want to face or talk to anyone. My silence was a real gold. The knocks became louder.

"Is she hibernating again?", it took me no time to realize the amused voice.

"Lets just let her rest, she has had a long day", the concern indicated that it was Rehan.

"You know what , if we don't deliver this to her room there's a huge chance of us getting killed by my twin", Kartik grumbled and I let out a chuckle. I got up into a sitting position and tried to tame my hair which were sticking into different directions now. Just when I was going to ask them to come in , Danish barged in shamelessly.

"Danish, you shouldn't intrude in someone's room like this", Rehan attempted to stop Danish whilst Danish took in my appearance , widened his eyes for a second or two before bursting into a ghastly, hysterical laughter. Hearing Danish, Rehan and Kartik too couldn't keep themselves out of my room and came in as I steadied myself  for an another bout of laughter. Rehan's jaw dropped as he looked at me but he recovered quickly.

"What happened to your hair?", Rehan's voice was laced with amusement. Oh god , please let the ground swallow me whole.

"It looks as if a cat ate your hair, puked it back and then let it dry into the sun", Danish joked and again drowned into a pool of laughter , this time Kartik and Rehan joined him too.

"What are you all doing here at this time of the hour?", I gave them all my scariest death glare, which made Rehan and Kartik stop laughing but as expected it had no effect on Danish. Rehan cleared his throat.

"We just came to drop off your dinner and snacks for the girls", Rehan chimed in. I gave them a confused a look.

"Kamya said something about a girl's night, I thought you were aware of it", Kartik mused.

"Don't worry princess, you might just watch a movie, have a pillow fight, paint nails and braid each others hair--", Danish broke into a series of laughter. I was having second thoughts on whether to pounce on him now or wait and come up with a plan to kill him. Considering his huge figure I went with the second one.

"Yeah of course, you might have a lot of experience. So, what kind of nail color do you prefer?", I jibed.

"Before you both start bickering, I think we might just step out because if Kamya steps in we might have to start the  World War III ", Kartik spoke while Danish shuddered by thought.

"Yeah, you are right", Rehan suggested and dumped a heap of snacks on my study table while Kartik put my dinner plate on the nightstand. Danish dropped the blankets on my bed.

"So, princess have fun in untangling your mess and --", Danish was interrupted when Kartik put a hand on his mouth and nudged him out of the room.

Rehan stood there looking at me, amusement tried to spill from his eyes whereas there was something else that lay underneath that , admiration? No , that's not happening here.

"Your hair doesn't look so bad , you know", he teased me while I groaned.

"Well, thanks for the compliment", sarcasm dripped out of my voice.

"You are always welcome", he smirked.

My door rattled and Nia came in , dressed in pink pajama pants and a coral t-shirt, her hair were made into a messy bun. She wasn't classically beautiful, but her large liquid green eyes held such intelligence and serenity that it was hard to resist her innocence.

"That's my call to leave", Rehan gave me an enigmatic smile, which might have turned numerous girls into a mush. He hugged Nia good night and left the room. Nia pulled a box out from behind her, which I suspected that she was hiding from Rehan.

"I baked some cookies after school today, it took me a lot of effort to save some for you", she gestured me to open the box. I opened the box and tasted one, a soft moan escaped my lips, my taste buds were on fire, a strong flavor of chocolate erupted into my mouth whereas there was a lingering taste of banana too. I did not waste time and shoved an another cookie into my overflowing mouth. I neglected the rattling on the door and the strawberry perfume as I was savouring my treat.

"You really eat like a pig", Kamya declared as if realization struck her. I chewed furiously and gulped down the remnants of my treat. Being called a pig twice in a day was quite an achievement I guess.

"You really agree with Danish then", I scrutinised her under my gaze as she seemed flustered by my comeback, while Nia's eyes flickered with amusement.

"I need a minute or so to freshen up, till then would you both like to choose the movie?", I suggested eyeing the laptop Kamya had brought with her.

"Yup, sure", Nia answered whilst I smiled at her and went into the washroom. I gasped as I looked into the mirror, my hair looked wilder than the jungle, untamable and unruly. My precocious wavy hair now vaguely resembled to a birds nest and the elastic bow which held them in place was long gone. No wonder I was a reason for everyone's laughter. I brushed my teeth and tried to tame my chaotic hair, once I thought I had enough I decided to wash it in the morning. As I stepped out of the bathroom, I saw that the lights of my room were off, only the dim fluorescence of the lamp present on night stand flickered, providing a perfect atmosphere for a movie night. Kamya and Nia were both huddled into the heap of blankets with  popcorn bowls on their laps. As climbed on the bed , heralding my presence. Nia scooted over whilst I sat in between both of them.

"So, what are we watching today?", I called out in my most cheerful voice. I guess Kamya did not expect the change in my mood,so she was surprised by my giddiness whereas Nia seemed happy.

"Before we start the fun, I seriously want to know , what's logged up in that butt of yours", she demanded with an eyebrow arching up. Nia gave her pleading looks and mouthed 'let it go' which she thought I couldn't see, but that was funny.

"Its nothing, just the first day stress", I managed to pass a wry smile. Kamya looked unconvinced.

"Okaaaay....", she stretched out the word as if deciding whether to broach the next topic or not. I gave her a smile. "I was wondering , did you play the whole Bruce Lee thing on Naina or something", she spoke hesitantly.

My mouth hung open. Was this the only thing they could make out of it? I mean seriously!

"What?", I was beyond flustered.

"I told you, she won't do this", Nia rolled her eyes at Kamya.

"What are you talking about?", I gathered my jaw from the ground and spoke.

"Aparently, there was a rumor that you....kind of fought with Naina and made her cry", Kamya elaborated nervously.

"Was?", I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Yeah, was , we took care of it", an evil smirk played on Kamya's lips.

"Do you want to tell us what happened?", Nia's voice offered me a choice whether to take the leap of faith or not. I had already decided what to do .

"So, let's start from the beginning", I took a deep breath as they both eyed me like a hawk. I had to tell them about this, I tried getting a grip and told myself that this wasn't too hard. I had nothing to lose.

"After the principal's announcement as we all moved out for our first lecture, I he-heard students whispering we-weird things", I stuttered. I don't know what was I afraid of. Maybe in the corner of my mind I was afraid to lose them but that wasn't all. 

"Oh Ananya come here", Kamya sighed and embraced me in a soothing hug. I had forgotten the comfort  of a warm hug . I had forgotten a lot of things in these nine years of my foster life. It felt good while she held me in an attempt to calm me down. She broke the embrace to look into my eyes . Her twinkling eyes which were always full of gaiety now were stuck in a labyrinth of hurt, pity and guilt.

"I am sorry , I should have explained you things before people's comments could affect you", Kamya pleaded as guilt flooded in her eyes. I looked at her in a confused gaze . What would she have to explain me? 

"Did you ever wonder, why our group is called a gang?", Nia said in a hesitated voice as if every word coming out of her mouth was hurting me. But no, it wasn't , yet. Before I could form a coherent thought Kamya spoke.

"Ananya, the  kind of life which we currently live wasn't chosen by us. It was either our parents who decided to abandon us or the situation we were in. You know it's kind of funny for people out there that we all live in the same house still every single one of us has a different last name", her eyes were filled to brim, she was trying hard not to cry.

"We are different, we don't have a normal family, where  there is a loving mom and a protective dad in the picture. That makes us mismatched in the so called 'normal' people's eyes. When we began school, we were bullied, we were bullied because we were different. We were always grateful towards mom , so we  had decided not to trouble her with our petty problems", she took in a breath and gestured Nia to continue.

"The harassing went to an extent where it was unbearable. We always had to calm down Rehan bhaiya because