Sᴇʀᴇɴᴅɪᴘɪᴛʏ

15. Bᴇɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ sʜᴏᴜʟᴅᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ᴄʀʏ ᴜᴘᴏɴ.

I still remember those days when I used to pull her hair so hard and she would cry the whole day, snuggling into Mom, and Mom! She used to scold me endlessly for how I used to annoy the hell out of her, while she used to hide her tiny frame behind mom, clutching onto Mom's saree in her tiny fists and peering at me like a baby owl. She was one fragile, little kid, with those round glasses and two short pigtails hanging at either sides of her head making her look like a cute little animal. I used to despise how mom would always back her, over me, no matter what. She was the most favourite kid of hers, even though she had two of her own, that she had herself birthed. Mom never used to hear what I had to say in my defence, when it was about her - and one day, when the teacher in the school had asked her, that what her favourite animal was, she had very blatantly said that I was the one. "Jojo is my favourite animal, Miss!" - these were her exact words, painted in innocence, and polished with a baby-like-smile, and that day I pulled her hair, and Mom didn't even consider that as a reasonable excuse. I had enough reasons in my childhood to hate her, not just one.

But, today, it didn't feel good, when Mom finally chose her own, over her. What just happened right before my eyes, it was something I had never expected mom to do to her.

**

The 9:00 AM news played in the background, as loud as it could, as Arjun kept raising the volume, a bar at a time, not able to hear it amidst the shrill and noisy barking of the dog, which had taken an oath to not stop, today, when Kabir ran down the stairs, quickly, tying his wristwatch across his wrist and walked right out of the door, panicking, and not stopping even after Vasu had tried at least a ten times to make him have his breakfast, before he did so.

He saw Abir and Nisha standing in the scorching heat, leaning against the car, obviously not talking to each other and glaring at him, as he quickly walked towards them, apologising, for being late. And as he pressed the button on the remote, unlocking the doors and walked over to the driver's seat, Abir opened the front door to take his regular place, when Kabir said, "Sit at the back, Abu. Let Cheekoo sit at the front, today," and as obvious as it was, his brother's words stunned him beyond words. Giving Kabir a questioning look, frowning, Abir shook his head in confusion, not able to understand why he said that, when Kabir repeated his words again.

"But, this is my seat!" Abir stated.

Kabir sighed, and shaking his head, "But, you sit here everyday. Let her sit at the front for once, at least. You'll get down at your school, anyway. Moreover, I need to discuss some notes with her. There's a viva today, and I am sure that idiot hasn't studied for the same."

Nisha's jaw dropped, as he said that, and she gawked at him, in irritation.

"Whom did you call an idiot?" She asked.

"Of course, you," Abir said and snickered.

"Oye, you-," Nisha began and stopped, as Kabir shushed her up.

"Shut up and come to the front seat, if you do not wish to fail," Kabir said, not entertaining any opinions from his younger brother, irking him more, and not having anymore choices either, Abir exchanged the seats with Nisha. And within minutes as Kabir started driving, he even forgot that his brother existed in the car, and started explaining the topics to Nisha, and Abir could not at all understand the reducing friction between the two, and he wasn't very fond of this fact, as he realised. And to add more to his misery, the routined fact that Kabir had to drop off his brother at his school, somehow slipped his mind, and he changed the route towards his and Nisha's college, without even realising, and continued driving until Abir looked out of the window.