All You Need is A Little Faith

By Vaanya Singh

Eighteen-year-old Faith takes us through the fast-paced life of a teenager in this candid book. Having grown up without her biological mother, who died when Faith was a young child, she learns to overcome her fears, form new relationships, and eventually finds love.

In the background is Faith's immediate circle of friends-a group of youngsters-who are going through the adventures of falling in and out of love, discovering their passions, and growing up with their fears and ambitions.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
• Release date: Jan 15, 2020
• ISBN: 9789389391954

Book preview

smirk.

CHAPTER 1

Sometimes I wonder if

love is worth fighting for.

Then I look at you and I’m

ready for war!

FAITH

‘I am warning you, Faith, if you don’t get out of bed in the next minute, I’ll throw ice-cold water on you,’ Alex threatened for the umpteenth time.

I sprang out of bed because I knew he was quite capable of doing so.

‘I’m up!’

I loved Alex dearly. He had helped me get my life back to normal after it seemed like I would never get out of the abyss that I had sunk into. Soon we became best friends; we even introduced our single parents to each other, causing them to fall in love. The day I came to know Alex was to become my stepbrother, I was the happiest person on earth.

I had a leisurely shower, washing my hair with my favourite shampoo, Orchids. I decided to dress in a plain white T-shirt teamed with my denim dungarees—perks of going to an international school! Slipping my feet into my striped Converse shoes, I walked out of my room.

‘Mornin’,’ Beth greeted me as I entered the kitchen. ‘Mornin’,’ I replied, giving her a kiss on the cheek. She was the best stepmum ever. She made my dad happy, for which I was grateful.

Dad was seated at the counter next to Alex. They were flipping through some bike magazine. I’m more of a car girl; I’d rather drive a car than ride a death trap!

‘Alex, hurry up! We’re getting late for the first day of our school,’ I almost whined.

‘Since when are you so excited for school?’ he asked with a raised eyebrow.

‘Since today. I don’t want to miss anyone’s reaction when they see the new me after my weight-loss makeover.’

‘You’re evil.’

‘I know. Now come on.’

It was a short drive from our Sainik Farms’ bungalow, and we decided to take my car to school. Alex asked our chauffeur to turn on the radio; they were playing Faith by Stevie Wonder. I hummed along all the way to school. However, as soon as I saw the familiar gate, I started feeling nervous. Sensing my discomfort, Alex gently held my hand and said, ‘Don’t worry, sis. You’re not the old you. You’re a totally different person now. You’re not the Faith they remember.’

‘Thanks, Alex.’

We found a vacant parking space near the entrance. Alex got out first. I wanted to laugh when I saw the reaction of all the skanks. Sure he was hot, but I only saw him as a brother. Taking a deep breath, I too got out of the car.

The whole parking lot broke into whispers. ‘Who’s she?’

‘She’s hot, man.’

‘I’d tap that ass.’

I smirked and walked towards the gate. Alex pulled me closer protectively when he saw a bunch of guys eyeing me.

‘Hey, beautiful, do you need help?’ a guy asked, jumping right in front of me.

He looked somewhat familiar. ‘No,’ I said in a neutral voice. ‘No?’ he repeated, shocked. ‘No,’ I said simply. ‘But no girl has ever said no to me.’

‘Well! There’s a first time for everything,’ I said, patting his cheek and walking off.

Burns’ Midas Touch was playing somewhere in the background. The guy walked back to his group. One of them in the group looked familiar. I was walking away when something took over me.

I turned around and walked towards the little group. ‘Faith,’ Alex whispered in his ‘what are you up to?’ tone. I tapped the rejected guy on his shoulder. ‘Do I know you?’ I asked once he turned around. ‘I don’t think so.’

I thought for a moment before I realised who the guy was. ‘Samrat,’ I barely whispered.

‘Wait, how do you know my name?’

‘And Ron,’ I said, pointing to the guy standing next to him. I didn’t know the third guy though.

‘My! Look at you now, all ho...’

But I didn’t get to finish my sentence because Satan himself walked right up to the group.

‘Faith,’ Vaibhav said, with questioning eyes. Everyone was surprised at hearing my name. I shot him some daggers and grabbed Alex’s arm.

‘Come on, Alex,’ I said, dragging him along.

‘Faith, wait!’ I heard Vaibhav call out but I ignored him. I was done with him, forever.

Vaibhav and I went way back; we used to be best friends. He was like the other half of my soul. But that was until my mum passed away. He turned his back on me when I needed him the most. Since then, my life went downhill ... until I found Alex.

And now I was back—a different person, you bet! Vaibhav didn’t even recognise me when he saw me for the first time after three years—after that event that had turned my life upside down.

‘Faith?’ Aditya asked, with his eyes open wide. ‘The one and only,’ I answered with my signature smirk.

He opened his mouth and then closed it like a fish. I pulled him into a hug and then ruffled his hair. I had forgotten all about Vaibhav until he chose to speak.

‘Faith...’ Vaibhav whispered in a soft voice.

I pretended to ignore what he was saying. ‘Aditya, meet my brother, Alex.’ Dad got married again; to his mum. We practically got them together,’ I added in the end with a chuckle.

Then I told Aditya that I had come back to town and was rejoining school. I asked him how his eldest brother Malhaar was. Did he still play football? All this while, I was pretending to ignore Vaibhav. It was turning out to be a tough job since he seemed to have made it his life’s goal to annoy me.

‘So, why have you moved back?’

‘You got a piercing?’

Those were some of the questions he asked me. All I did was ignore him.

‘Well, Aditya, it was nice catching up. I hope to take you out for ice cream sometime.’

‘Sure, Faith. Any time.’

‘Bye.’

The rest of the school day was boring. While Alex socialised, I kept to myself. When people came to know that I was back, there was only one expression on their face—shock.

It was during lunch that my life spiced up a bit. This was because the school-slut, a.k.a. Vidya, decided to grace me with her presence. The whole cafeteria went quiet to witness the scene.

‘Oh! So, the little rat has decided to come out of hiding,’ she said, twirling her black hair.

‘Hello to you, too, Vidya.

‘I have been longing all day to ask you a question—are you a lesbian?’ she tried to provoke me.

‘What’s with everyone thinking that I’m a lesbian?! I mean, it’s not bad being a lesbian, but still ... honey, I’m straighter than the pole your mother dances on,’ I replied without getting worked up.

She gasped. ‘How dare you say that, bitch?’

‘Well, I just did,’ I answered simply.

The whole cafeteria burst out laughing. Vidya lunged at me. I ducked and she lost her balance.

‘Bye, bye,’ I said before walking away.

CHAPTER 2

Gravitation can’t be held

responsible for people

falling in love.

VAIBHAV

It had been a week since Faith had made a comeback. And for the entire week she had avoided me like the bloody plague. Every time I tried to talk to her, she would either run away or ignore me.

We had been friends once, right. So, what was the big deal?! But no, Faith had a completely different view on this. I thought everything was going to be like this until her parents called us to their place.

Faith, Alex, Aditya and I sat opposite Beth, James and my parents, Anusuya and Kabir.

‘So why are we here?’ Faith asked. ‘Well, we have something to tell you,’ Beth said anxiously. ‘Thanks for stating the obvious, mum,’ Alex replied. ‘We are going along with your parents on a holiday to catch up,’ said my mum bouncing up and down.

‘You mean with us, right?’ Aditya asked.

‘No, Aditya, without you kids. That’s why we are all here together to tell you this. All of you kids will be living together while we are gone,’ my dad said.

‘Wait, what do you mean?’ I finally asked. ‘This is a month-long trip. You and Aditya will be living with Faith and Alex for the duration that we parents are away,’ dad continued.

We all stared at each other until Faith broke the silence. She got up from her chair and looked at her dad straight in the eye. ‘How could you?’ Saying this, she ran away to her room.

Everyone was silent before Alex said, getting up, ‘I’ll go check on her.’

‘Vaibhav and Aditya, I advise you to go and pack,’ dad finally said.

‘Okay,’ I said before dragging Aditya along.

‘What was that about?’ he asked once we were outside the house.

‘No idea.’

Our families, mine and Faith’s, had known each other since we were little. Moving around in the same social circle, we had been there for each other through good times and bad. As life passed us by, we had drifted away from each other on to different paths. Perhaps our parents had decided that it was time to catch up with each other’s lives, especially since Beth and Alex, Faith’s stepmum and stepbrother, were now part of their lives, and therefore ours.

FAITH

How could he do this to me? Didn’t he remember what happened the last time? I refuse to be in the same room as Vaibhav Raina! And here he is, talking about staying in the same house and that too for a whole bloody month.

Great!

‘Faith, you’ve got to calm down,’ Alex tried telling me.

‘How do you expect me to calm down? You know what happened the last time.’ Alex was sitting on my bed while I was pacing up and down my room.

‘People change, Faith. You did. You just have to give him a chance.’

‘Ha! Vaibhav Raina has made it his life’s goal to annoy me. How do you expect me to give him a chance when I want to rip his head off half the time?’ I screamed.

Alex started rubbing his temples. ‘Look, all I’m asking of you is that you think about it. How about I take you for ice cream right now to calm that head of yours?’

Ice cream. My one weakness!

‘Fine,’ I said, giving in.

Within half an hour I was ready to go. But when I went downstairs, I got the shock of my life. Vaibhav, Samrat and Ron were sprawled on my sofa, eating my nachos!

‘Excuse me, may I ask what the hell is happening here?’ I almost shrieked, catching their attention.

‘Oh! Hey, Faith! Didn’t see you there,’ Ron said.

‘No shit, Sherlock! Umm ... no offence, but what are you doing in my house, eating my nachos?’ I questioned.

‘Apparently it’s my house too, now. At least for a month,’ Vaibhav replied with a devious smirk. I was tempted to slap him across his face.

‘Faith, are you ready? We’re getting late!’ I heard Alex shout from the kitchen.

‘Where are you going?’ Samrat asked.

‘Ice cream.’

‘Oh, please, can I come along? Please! Please! Please!’

‘Fine! Just shut up, will you? You’re giving me a headache,’ I yelled at him.

So that’s how I ended up with four teenage boys trailing behind me to the ice cream parlour. We decided to go by car since the marketplace was some distance away from the tranquil surroundings of the Sainik Farms area.

When we finally reached the ice cream parlour, bells jingled as we opened the door. I saw a girl about our age standing there in an apron.

‘Hey! How can I help you?’ she asked in an all-too-cheerful voice.

‘Hey, gorgeous! What’s your name?’ Vaibhav asked her.

Feeling a combined sense of disgust and déja vu, I left to use the restroom.

VAIBHAV

I don’t know what was Faith’s problem? She always gave me those looks that said I had killed her cat.

‘I’m going to the restroom,’ she announced before vanishing. I turned back my attention to the leggy blonde who told me that her name was Amy.

‘What’s your name?’ she asked me with a very weird look.

‘If both of you are done with your little chatting session, can we order?’ asked an annoyed Ron.

‘Sure,’ Amy muttered going all red. ‘I’ll have two scoops of mint ice cream,’ Samrat said. ‘I’ll have one scoop of chocolate with wafers,’ said Ron. ‘I’ll have a scoop of vanilla with chocolate syrup,’ Alex said.

‘Hey, what will Faith have?’ Ron asked.

‘A scoop of vanilla ice cream with a brownie, without nuts. She’s allergic to them,’ both Alex and I said at the same time.

At that exact moment, Faith came back. All of us simply stared at her. ‘What?’ she snapped.

‘Nothing,’ we said all too quickly.

CHAPTER 3

It’s okay to be a glow stick;

sometimes we need to break

before we