MANAL

37: Manal

Feel free to point out typographical/grammatical errors. This chapter is unedited. First draft. I was actually dozing while writing this 😅

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Hala was right all along. I had been home for less than a month, but I was already fed up, being in confinement all day long. At first, I didn't really mind, because I got to catch up with my family. But as days passed by, I began to feel kind of bored at home. Just yesterday, I took permission to visit Khadijah, but Ummi declined.  Abii had travelled overseas for a business meeting, otherwise, he would have allowed me leave—by of course with Imran to act as a chaperone.

I heaved a sigh and left my room for Imran's. He was seated in front of his computer, punching the gamepads in his hands, agressively.

"Imran, stop playing, I want to talk to you."

Without sparing me a glance; his eyes fixated on the screen, he responded; "What is it?"

"Turn that off first."

"I can't, Manal, I'm winning."

"Then pause it."

"Please leave me alone, Manal. I don't want to talk right now. You're going to make me fail. Do you know how hard I tried, before reaching this level?"

I rolled my eyes at that. I didn't even bother to look at the screen, because I wasn't a tad bit interested in what it was he was playing. "If you don't pause it right now, I'm going to turn it off, wallahi."

He huffed.

"Oh! So you think I'm only bluffing right?" I asked, stretching a hand to turn off the socket.

"Did I say anything?" Exasperation dripped off his voice. "Please move, Manal, I'm almost done." He said and gently shoved me away.

Typically, I would have gone ahead and did as threatened, but I had to remind myself that I was no longer in secondary school and that I had to respect myself if I wanted him to respect me. I heaved a sigh and went to his bed and sat, waiting patiently for him to finish the nonsense game.

"Manal!" Out of the blue, he yelled and threw the gamepad across the room, then walked up to me, boiling. "You see what you've caused?"

I sneered. "What did I do?"

"Because of you, I failed." He fumed.

"You're not serious." I hissed. "How did I make you fail? I didn't do anything."

"It was you that distracted me." He retorted. "What do you even want?"

"Sit down." 

He snorted, but obeyed regardless.

"Now," I began. "Listen carefully to what I have to say; I need to go out urgently."

Not urgently...I might have exaggerated, but who cares.

Imran scrunched up his face and gave me the 'why are you now telling me that?' look.

"I'm telling you, because I want you to help cover up for me."

"Cover up for you as in how?" He inquired; his countenance, mind-numbing.

"Ummi won't allow me leave, so I won't bother asking her. When she asks you about me, I want you to tell her I'm in my room sleeping. That's it. Just it. I'm not asking for something huge from you."

"Not huge you say?" He raised a brow. "You want me to lie to Ummi and you're telling me it's not something huge. It is o. To me, it is. I won't do that. I have promised myself never to tell a lie again. You only act friendly towards me when you need a favour. I won't allow you use me this time. Not anymore."