All you have to do, is ask...

She looked about herself warily. The stares stabbed her like a thousand pin pricks. Suddenly, the air seemed colder than ever.

It's just September for Chrissake!

Never mind. She walked on as if nothing mattered. Head hung dangerously low, strands of hair fell loosely into her eyes, but they guarded the distress that radiated from her. She dragged her feet along the marbled corridors.

"Hey!"

She looked up to find herself face to face with him.

Shit! What lousy timing!

"Hey," she managed to murmur back.

"Trying out a new hairstyle?" He asked lifting up a few strands from her face. That's when he saw the tears.

Here we go again.

"What's wrong babe?"

"Nothing. I'll talk to you later," and she tried to walk past him. He held her back with a grip of steel.

"You won't tell me?"

"M-m-mom..."

"Oh lord..." He groaned and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Lemme go. Everyone's watching!"

He chuckled and kissed her forehead. "Why won't they? They're just jealous!"

Her mother had been imprisoned on baseless charges of having euthanized a patient without informing the relatives, when it had just been an allergic reaction to something the patient had consumed ignorantly. But the patient had been an eminent local politician and consequently, the doctor was to be blamed. The media was all hyped about the allegations and the public, wrathful. And through all this, she had to go to school, endure the disapproving glares, feel the abhorrence emanating from her schoolmates.

"You know it's not true."

She nodded.

"You know mom's not wrong. You are not on the guilty side. She'll win the case, babe. They can't prove her wrong. Some way or the other, she'll get through. You need to have patience. Your family needs your support more than ever. And if you need some more, all you have to do is ask!" And then he winked and smiled her favourite smile.

As they walked to class arm-in-arm, she felt more at peace than she had in days. And all she could think was

We'll be alright. I'll be alright.

Sometimes, life takes away all hope, but love gives it back. Sometimes, all we need to get through tough times, is support and a little bit of assurance, that, whenever we need hope, all we have to do, is ask.