Malika Bashir had a darkened view of the world. Ibrahim Ahmad refused to see anything but the light.
Soon, a friend from the past appears at Ibrahim's doorstep and a mysterious set of letters are left in his bedroom. Old conflicts are raised and ne...
Trigger warning: The next few chapters deal with delicate topics. If you're someone who's sensitive to sexual harassment and bullying, please proceed with caution (I probably should have added this warning at the beginning of the book but oh well).
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...
Leave me alone. Leave me alone. Leave my thoughts alone.
For God's sake, even a sinner like me deserves peace at times.
...
Malika Bashir arrived at school the next day with dread brewing in her chest.
She felt confident about ending things with Imran, even the next morning. It was long overdue. However, in the process of ditching her boyfriend she had also pissed off an entire group of people and almost tore apart another couple. Malika wasn't foreign to drama, but this was a record even for her; and she knew how nasty the consequences could be when it came to Imran and his friends.
Umaira and the girls threw daggers at her the moment she arrived in class.
Usually, she didn't care what these girls thought. She started finding them silly a couple years into their relationship, and didn't exactly hold back from expressing it. But this morning Malika's chest felt heavy as she approached them. The girls' accusing glares followed her every movement.
There was always a competition between her and Umaira, but also an unsaid understanding. However, the outburst the previous day had resulted in a fight between Umaira and Ryan, almost breaking them up. It broke whatever fragile friendship they had too. Malika saw nothing but hatred in the girl's eyes.
Natasha's purse was back in her seat. Malika scoffed at them and then continued to make her way down the isle, flicking her hair over her shoulder. On a second thought, she halted and retraced her steps. She turned to face the girls.
"You girls really need to get out of middle school one of these days," she snorted.
"You are speaking to us even after everything you did?" Natasha cried, tone accusing. "After what you did to Umaira?"
"I don't think you ever even deserved to be our friend in the first place," Safiya said. "You showed that girl code never meant anything to you."
Malika's patience, which already lived on edge these days when it came to these girls, snapped. "You really have some nerve talking to me about girl code," she bit out. "Umaira is the one who threw me under the bus first."
Umaira said nothing, however, her look could send Malika six feet under.
"How?" Natasha asked. "By speaking about your crush on Aryan?" She shrugged her shoulders with nonchalance. "It was never a secret. Everyone already knows you're a sl*t. You always have been."
