Second Chances: a Coincidences novel (Book 2)

Chapter 27: Confrontations

Jabal and Kitana ended up renting an apartment not far from where I lived. They both decided they wanted to stick closer to me since we were best friends and we didn't like the distance that we had to endure all these months. Plus, having them in the mix was a bigger support system for me along with my family.

            It was a hot day and skating at the skate park was making me sweat bullets out of every pore on my body. I would have taken my shirt off like all the other guys skating here but I was still self-conscious so I kept it on. It was okay because it was a tank top and that was enough to sort of keep me cool.

            I skated for another hour and decided to go to Not (So) Guilty and get something cool to drink as the Dubai heat was quite brutal. Even my skin was a lot tanner than it was when I got here and while I was fair-skinned, my skin was more olive toned like Khaled's and Louai's.

            Entering the shop, which was a walk-up store with seating outside, I ordered quickly and hoped I did not run into Hassan or any of his family. Especially because they frequented this place and it was also growing on me. I also was not about to deprive myself because of some idiot and his family suddenly developing a dislike for me over something that they really should not have made a huge deal out of.

            If Hassan was a true friend, he would have understood what I was dealing with and how much my grief was affecting me to the point where I was also having a hard time falling asleep.

            I got myself a bottled iced tea and a couple of pastries. I sat down and started messing around with my phone.

            Opening the GMAIL app, I saw another update from Francie, giving me the daily reports on the shop and what was going on. So far, so good.

            The shop was running efficiently and it was making even more money than ever. I also had quite a bit of money from the modeling gigs, my trust fund which I barely touched, and what George left for me.

            At this point, I decided I needed to take charge of my life. I wanted to go to university and while I felt inadequate to go, I knew I had to make an effort. The only thing holding me back was the possibility that I would not be able to always travel with my family but I knew there was still a way for me to do a hybrid sort of way of attending. Most universities used Zoom for students with certain circumstances, and I hoped that was an option for me.

            I had also worked up a lot of college credits while in high school between junior and senior year, I had a feeling there were a few steps I could skip and I hoped my credits were valid here, as I was quite advanced and all my reading and writing comprehensions were at a college/university level.

            I was even doing college math, which not a lot of students felt ready for.

            From my peripherals, I could tell a group of people was walking up. I took a peak and to my dismay, it was Hassan with his brothers and parents. I knew if I got up and left, it would be quite obvious I had seen them and was attempting to run away.

            I was not going to make it easy for them. So I cranked up the music on my headphones and kept reading my book. I tried paying attention to my peripherals, trying my best to keep my composure because, at the end of the day, I no longer wanted to have anything to do with Hassan or his family.

            Cielo ended up texting me, asking if we could have lunch. I was unsure if I should tell her yes or no, especially because of how sweaty I was from having skated off all my frustrations. I told her and she was like 'who cares' and I figured lunch it was.

            I got up, feeling a bit giddy that we were going on a lunch date and she did not care I was a serious mess.

            Then Hassan had the audacity to walk up to me, which pissed me off. Only, I was not going to hurt him like I had Louai when I punched him, or Yacine who had it in for me. That was, of course, if he did not press my buttons hard enough.