married at 16: Scars that bloomed into strength.

episode 16 "She is not my type, He is not my choice"

Jamal's POV

Yesterday's dinner was great, but something felt off.

Can you imagine? I literally saw my own sister walking out of Yasir's room—with Jamila. And the funniest part? They both looked angry. I couldn't tell exactly what was going on because the view wasn't clear, but I'm not about to start asking questions. These days, I'm actively running away from drama. Plus, suspicion isn't good in Islam. Maybe they were doing something good and I'm just here thinking of nonsense. Oh Allah, forgive me.

I went back to the boys, and a little while later, Yasir joined us. He couldn't even look me straight in the eye at first. But again, maybe Shaytan is whispering these thoughts into my heart just to make me doubt my friends.

First, it was Khalid. Now Yasir. Khalid's issue happened when we first arrived at the house. The way he looked at my sister, then quickly lowered his gaze like he had no business catching feelings? I'm not dumb. I know he's attracted to her—but something about it just doesn't sit right.

Come on, Jamal. You can do better than this. A'udhubillahi mina shaytanir rajeem. Astaghfirullah!

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Zahra's POV

Whether I like it or not, one day I'll have to get married... or leave half my Deen incomplete. I don't want to die without fulfilling that part of my faith. But marrying that jerk? Yasir? Eww. The thought alone disgusts me.

I respect Aunt Halima and all, but I can't accept her request. It's not really her fault though—it was also my mom's wish. I don't even know how to feel. Angry? Sad? Confused?

All I know is this: I am never going to accept this marriage.

It's a hard no. More like a heaven no.

I hate Yasir. And now, I think I hate the entire male species. How could he even agree to something like this? He said we could "figure a way out," but all I saw was betrayal. I didn't mean to slap him, but he deserved it—every second of it. How could he lie straight to my face, knowing everything from the start? He didn't tell me. He didn't even tell Jamal. He just kept it to himself like I didn't matter.

I'm sure Jamal would kill him if he knew. What was Yasir thinking? That I'd accept and become his obedient little slave? No, sir. I'm not that girl.

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Class starts at 8 a.m. and here I am, still lying in bed in my pajamas.

I know I shouldn't skip. I've already jumped Grade 11, so I can't afford to slack off. But my alarm screamed in my ear, and I leapt straight to the bathroom like a frog.

I am not a morning person. Don't talk to me when I just wake up. I get irritated easily—and I look like a mess.

I tied my natural hair into a bun and started brushing my teeth. When I looked in the mirror, I nearly ran away. I looked horrible. Puffy eyes. Baggy face. It must've been all that crying last night. I was never a morning beauty anyway—but ugh. Sadly, I care. Too much.

I decided not to go to class. I wasn't mentally or physically ready. Still, that didn't stop me from eating breakfast and helping the kids get ready for school. I pretended to be happy because my family didn't deserve the mess I was feeling inside. So I pushed my issues aside and ate some popcorn.

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Yasir's POV

"You're a disgusting jerk who thinks everything is about money."

Those words have been echoing in my head since yesterday. I couldn't sleep. I couldn't think. The slap? I could handle that. She's a woman. I'd never raise a hand to her. But her words? They hit differently. Like a needle piercing my heart.

I knew she'd react, but not like that.

Zahra is... a whole psychopath.

I thought of telling my mom what happened, but I don't want to cause more tension between our families. That's the last thing we need.

Honestly, Zahra isn't even my type. But something about her gets to me. Every time I see her, I freeze. I don't understand this new version of me. It's weird... but interesting.

I'm angry, confused, and unsure what to do. Marrying Zahra feels like a selfish decision. We clearly don't like each other. But my mom? She's not going to let this go easily.

I think the right thing to do is reject the proposal. Everyone goes back to peace. I'll take care of my mom—she'll be fine.

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"Dude???" Khalid texted.

Weird.

"Why are you such a jerk?" he added, followed by an angry emoji.

"Are you afraid or what?"
"Stop playing, bro. What hap—"

I finally replied. "Stop acting like you don't know, man," he fired back.

"I heard you and Zahra were arguing upstairs. You proposed to her??"

Hah. Interesting.

"So what?" I replied. Yeah, I wanted to see him lose it.

"Why are you so selfish?" he wrote.

Now I was confused.

"Hey hey, calm down. First of all, I didn't propose. But even if I did, why do you care? Second of all, I don't even like her," I replied and hit send.

He shot back instantly. "Me caring is none of your business. Get this into your head: if you want to stay friends with me, stay away from her. Got it?"

Then he went offline.

He's probably crying right now. 😂
This is getting funny, man. Everyone's acting like I committed a sin.

"Good luck with your threats," I typed and turned off my phone, lying back on the bed, letting my thoughts wander.

Wait... Khalid's not her brother. They're not even related. So what's with the attitude?

Something clicked.

I jumped up and dialed Khalid's number.

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Enjoy!

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Peace ✌
Written ✏ by Haddy Nyang (Khaddija Uthman)