I was in the ninth grade when my parents shipped me off to a boarding school. At first, I was heartbroken. My friends, who are my family now, were not going to be with me anymore. They've always been there for me.

In a household with a drunkard father and a workaholic mother, I was given the responsibility of taking care of my twin brothers. I had a good childhood. Although we weren't rich, my parents did all they could to make me happy. But from the seventh grade onward, things went downhill.

My father turned to alcohol. He used to beat me mercilessly. And in these times, my friends were there for me. I once got kicked out of home, midway through my dinner, because my parents were having an argument. I walked around like a vagabond for hours. I then realized I needed a place to sleep and contacted my friend whose parents were in India. He told me that his house was as good as mine. This is just one of the many incidents.

So, I was sent off to India. The school, at first, seemed nice. But it got bad. I lost a lot of weight, was bullied, and I lost my will to live.

The seniors once forced me to smoke, and without any other option, I did. And now it has become an addiction. I started hurting myself, punching the walls, crying and what not.

I was an average student, but after going to that school, my academics has gone to the docks. I managed to get an 8.0 CGPA, though I know I could've done better.

After that year, my parents brought me back to the UAE, where I was born and brought up, because they couldn't financially afford another year in that school.

I was still in a bad place. I started drinking. It was an escape. And mind you, I was 16 and it was bad. But thank God for friends because they've been there all the time. Although the friends I had back in ninth grade have become strangers, I have acquired better ones. One day, my dad shouted at my mom that they should have aborted me. Not really grasping it, I asked them what they meant.

Well, guess what? I was a mistake. I was an evidence of the fact that my father did not buy a condom before succumbing to his lust.

But little by little, my friends have changed me for the better. Through the very long lectures of caring for me as if I was their blood. Yes, I hate my parents, because they're the reason for what I've become; A monster.

But, any day, I'd choose my friends over my family in a heartbeat. Because when my parents weren't there, my friends were.

You'll lose friends in the journey of life. But nothing can stop you from making new ones. Don't lose them, you'll regret it.

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