True Colors Revealed

Chapter 12

Sorry guys im two days late i honestly lost track of time but heres the next chapter

Amatuallah's pov

Asalamu Alaikum wa rahmatu Allah," I ended my morning prayer.
Then, I got up and picked an outfit for school. I settled on my pale yellow jilbab and a black and yellow designed scarf. I wore a black under piece so I could tuck my hair into it before wrapping the hijab. Then, I wore my black flats and went downstairs for breakfast. I found a vegetable omelet, homemade biscuits, and fresh orange juice.
"Yum," I said. "Thanks Mama."
"No problem sweetie," she said. "Now eat up, or else you will be late."
As I finished eating, my dad walked in. he kissed my mom's cheek and then came to me. "Hey Amatuallah. Are you driving to school? Or do you want me to give you as ride?"
"No, I'm walking," I replied. "It's a beautiful day today."
"Okay, well be safe," he said.
With that, I made my way to school. I went into my home room and quickly spotted Susanna. "Hey Suzie," I said to her.
"Hi," she hugged me. "Just got here?"
I nodded, but realized her attention wasn't on me anymore. I turned around to see what had captured her attention.
"Hey Zanna," Michael said. "Sorry about last night. I had to go home for an emergency. You see, my dad had a stroke and I had to go back to rush him to the hospital."
"No it's fine! Is he okay?" she asked.
"Don't worry," he said. "It was a false alarm. He's coming home today."
"Oh good!" she smiled at him.
"Well, I'll see you later," he said. "I have to go find Matt so I could copy his homework."
"I saw him near the gym," she said.
"Ok thanks," he smiled and walked away, bumping into me as he left.
"Hey Susanna?" I asked. Clearly, she didn't notice him push me. "Did you think about what I told you?"
"Amatuallah please. You are beginning to sound like my mother. I'm not a kid. I know what I'm doing," she snapped at me.
"I know, I know. I, like your mom, just don't want you to get hurt. Besides, he is going to copy of his friend's homework. That's cheating," I pointed out.
"No it's not," she said. "This is different."
"Cheating is when you claim someone else's work as yours. He didn't answer those questions, and his friend did. But he will pretend that those are his answers," I explained.
"There's no harm in this, though," she said. "Besides, he was at the hospital yesterday. He couldn't have done his homework."
"Then he should tell his teachers. They would understand," I said.
"No they wouldn't. They would just fail him," she said. "Look Amatuallah, just drop this whole Michael thing, okay? I'll see you in lunch."
Without another word, she walked away. I stared after her, hoping she wasn't too mad at me. Sighing, I hurried to grab my things for my classes. I went from class to class, but I didn't run into her again. Finally, the lunch bell rang. I hurried to my locker to put a few things away and send a quick text to my mom. As I unlocked my locker, I heard two people talking nearby. I tried not to listen, but they were standing too close to me I heard everything they said.
"So Amy, you know I took Susanna out yesterday?" Michael asked.
"She didn't tell me," Amy said. "We haven't been talking much."
"Wow. I'm surprised she didn't. You guys are like super close," he said. "Well anyway, it was super cute. She totally fell for me. Especially when I ran into some friends and told them she as my girl. You should've seen how happy she was!"
"She didn't tell me anything!" Amy wailed. "Do you think I should go to her now and pretend we are still friends and nothing happened?"
"Not now. Later," he said, his eyes twinkling. "I'm going to go sit with her now and have me some fun. I love messing with girls like her. They fall for me just like that." he snapped his fingers.
"Poor Susanna," Amy laughed. "With a fake boyfriend and a fake bestie, everyone is taking advantage of her. I'm sure that Muslim girl is too!"
"Well, you aren't taking advantage of her if you aren't even talking to her," he pointed out. "Then you will never get Scott."
"Oh, I've got my ways," she smiled. "Scott and I are united against the new girl."
"Good," he said. "But still try to fix things. Just keep on pretending you are her friend."
"Duh," she said, and flipped her hair.
"You sure you want Scott? You can go out with me," Michael said.
"No way! You're a player," she said.
"I wouldn't play around with you," he protested.
Not taking any chances," she said. "No go catch Susanna before the new girl does."
Angry, I quickly shut my locker and hurried to the cafeteria. I scanned it for Susanna, and was relieved to see I found her before Michael did. I made my way over, but just as I reached the table, Michael came and took the only available seat next to her, leaving me the seat across from them.
"Hey beautiful!" he said to her.
"I prefer Zanna, but yes I am beautiful," she giggled.
"Mind if I sit with you, Zanna?" he asked.
"Of course not," she said, and looked up at me. "Hey Amatuallah, what took you so long?"
I, uh, was at my locker," I narrowed my eyes at Michael, who smiled in return.
"Don't you need to go buy lunch?" he asked.
"Don't you?" I shot back.
"Me?" he laughed. "Hey, Zanna's lunch is mine." He stole one of her french fries.
"Of course," Susanna smiled and moved the tray closer to him.
"Why thank you," he said and kissed her cheek.
Susanna looked shocked for a minute, and then her face brightened.
"I can see you like that," he said and kissed her again. She just giggled.
Disgusted, I turned away. "Um, could you guys please tone it down a little? I can't really sit here and watch this, you know."
"Why? Are you jealous?" Michael asked. "You want to be the girl the new quarterback is in love with?"
"No I don't," I said firmly. "Susanna?"
"Amatuallah, it's okay," she said. "He just wants to make me happy!"
"You got that right!" Michael smiled. "Hey Amatuallah, you ever thought about getting a nickname? Your name is way too long and complicated, How about Emma?"
"That's really cute," Susanna chimed in. "From now on, I'm going to call you Emma."
"Listen, I would much rather you call me by my name," I said proudly. "I don't need to shy away from my identity."
"No, no that's not what I meant at all!" Michael exclaimed as he took a bite from Susanna's salad."It's just really cool to have a nickname."
"No thank you. I like my name the way it is. It has a beautiful meaning."
"What?" Susanna asked, curious.
"The slave of Allah," I replied proudly.
"Slave? Your name means slave? Who wants to be called slave? Emma is a much better name for you," Michael decided.
"Actually, I'm proud to be called slave of Allah," I clarified. "It's an honor for me."
"That's silly," he said with a chuckle. "I'll just call you slave girl then."
"Stop it Mickey!" Susanna admonished him. "I actually think it's cute."
"And I think you're really cute!" he said and tickled her.
"Michael, you are too much!" she said, pleased.
"Oh, you haven't seen anything yet, Zanna," he chuckled. "Well ladies, I have to go so I can practice some free throw with the guys. You know, toss a football around. Try not to get too jealous, okay Emma?"
He walked away, and I turned to Susanna pleadingly. "Please listen to me Susanna."
"Ugh not this again," she groaned. "Didn't I tell you to drop it?"
"I know, but something happened. When I was at my locker swapping books, Amy and Michael were in the hallway too. They were talking and I tried not to listen, but they were really loud and I overheard them anyway. They were talking about how they are using you to get to something. Michael is just a player, and he doesn't even like you. He even asked Amy out. It's all an act," I elucidated.
"No!" she said. "You are just lying. I thought we were friends and that you were a good person! I must have misunderstood you. Michael is right! You must be jealous of me! So because of that, you are trying to ruin everything for me! Well, I won't let you. Just go away Amatuallah! Go away and don't ever talk to me again!"
"Sus please listen!" I grabbed her arm before she went away. "I'm telling the truth! I'm just trying to protect you!"
"Go tell that to your other friends! Oh wait, I forgot. You don't HAVE any other friends. I'm such an idiot. I thought you were actually my friend, and that you were a normal person like the rest of us," she said and stormed off, not once looking back.
With glassy eyes, I then ran out of the cafeteria so no one would see me cry. I covered my face as escaped tears raced down my cheeks. Then, I bumped into something solid. Looking up, I saw it was Scott.
"Amatuallah, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" he asked.
"It doesn't matter," I said, wiping my face. "You are probably like the rest. You all hate me, I get it! Stop pretending you care about me and let me be!"
I quickly ran away and hid in the girls' bathroom and cried until the bell rang. Then, I stepped out of the stall and washed my face to get rid of all the traces of my outburst. Finally, I made a short dua to Allah and asked for help before heading back to class.
**********************************
"Asalamu Alaikum Baba," I said as I got into his car after school. "Don't you have work?"
"Yes but I have a short break before I go back for the night shift," he said. "So, how was school today?"
"Well, I'm not going to lie; it wasn't great, but that's okay. I know I'm going to have bad days every now and then, so you don't need to worry," I assured him.
"Are you sure?" he asked, concerned.
"Yes," I said.
When we got home, I found my mom setting the table. "Here Mama, let me help."
"Thanks sweetie," she kissed my cheek. She then moved on to pack my dad's lunch.
After he left, I turned to my mom. "Mama, can I talk to you about something?"
"Of course," she said, sitting at the table and giving me her full attention. "What's wrong?"
"Well, Susanna and I got into an argument. I heard her friends talking bad about her and I wanted to warn her. But every time I tried talking to her, she got mad and thought I was lying. I don't know what to do," I told her the story.
"It seems like these friends are important to her and she really cares about them," Mama said.
"Yes. One is her boyfriend and the other is her childhood friend," I informed her.
"Well, it will take time," she said. "But you must not force her to do anything. All you can do is advise her and pray for her."
"Yes I understand. Thanks Mama," I said.
"Now eat up and try not to worry too much," she said.
After I finished eating, I went upstairs to do my homework. I wasn't able to focus, so I opened my recordings on my phone and decided to listen to some Quran. Puzzled, I saw that my first recording was short and didn't have a proper name. I opened it, and after listening to it, I realized it was the same conversation I heard in the hallway today! I must have recorded it accidently when I texted my mom. I made a quick prayer to Allah and thanked Him for giving me this as an answer to my prayers. I ran downstairs and told my mom, "I have to go talk to Susanna now! It's so important Mama please!"
"Alright, but try to be back before Maghrib," she said. "I don't want you to be out when it is dark."
I walked all the way to Susanna's house. Once I got there, I took a deep breath and rang the bell.
Scott opened the door and smiled at me. "Hey Amatuallah. Sue is up in her room. You know where that is, right?"
I nodded. Thanking him, I went up to her room. I knocked on her door and she opened it.
"Emma?" she asked. "What are you doing here?"
"Susanna, please don't call me that," I begged. "And I came to get your trust. Now before you say anything, I want you to listen to me. I have proof that what I said is true. When I was in the hallway, I had texted my mom and I didn't realize that I accidently turned on my recording. Only now did I find the recording and realize what happened. Please listen to it before you say anything."
I played the recording and watched her face go from annoyed to sad and from surprised to hurt.
"I'm sorry I didn't believe you," she turned to me once it ended. "I can't believe it! Amy and I have been friends since preschool. Preschool!"
I went to her and wrapped my arms around her. "It must be so hard for you to hear this. I'm so sorry."
"Oh, how can I face Amy?" she cried. "After this? And she was using me! To get to my brother? How could she do that to me? Her best friend?"
"Unfortunately, some people don't care about others and will hurt anyone to get what they want," I said. "You just need to be strong."
"How can I face her in school tomorrow?" she asked helplessly.
"You can," I told her. "Show her that she doesn't deserve to be friends with you. As for Michael, don't even talk to him. Don't allow boys like him to mess with you. It really isn't worth it."
"Don't even get me started on him," Susanna said miserably. "Oh, Mom was right! He is a player! Well you know what? He can find himself another stupid girl to play with. He can even take Amy for all I care! I'm done with these superficial relationships. I'm just glad I found out the truth before anything bad happened."
"That's a really good thing," I comforted her. "I'm glad you think so."
"But Amy is another story," she whispered. "I mean, look at my room! That's a picture of me and her when we went camping. This is one of us at the beach. That painting was a gift from her. And there are clothes that we both share! Oh my God! This shirt I'm wearing right now is one of them! How will we ever be able to do that now?"
"The important thing is that you aren't mean to her," I warned. "I know it's hard, but you won't get anything out of trashing her. I didn't tell you this so you can get mad or because I wanted to ruin your friendship. You can fix your relationship and try to work out the problems. Be the better person, and act first, if that is what you want."
"Oh, she is definitely not going to be best friends with me," Susanna decided. "I won't risk it. She might pretend she's over my brother when she's really not."
"Don't worry," I said. "Everything will be okay."
"Amatuallah, if I lose Amy, I lose all my friends! They all like me because I am Amy's friend. I'll be a loner! I won't even have Michael!" she cried.
"You'll have me," I reminded her quietly.
"Really?" Susanna asked. "You really mean it? Even after all I did to you? Especially today? Besides, no one ever likes me unless they want something from me."
"Definitely," I nodded. "You are a great person with an outgoing personality and a kind heart. If those girls don't want to be friends with you, then they don't have to. They are the ones missing out, not you. And I would never use a person like that. Wallahi. That means I swear by Allah, and I don't do that often. It's not good for me to swear, so you should know I'm telling the truth. The only thing I want form you is your friendship."
"Thank you. That really means a lot," she whispered and gave me a hug. "Will you join cheerleading practice with me? I can't bear to do it without a friend."
"Unfortunately, I can't. My voice is awrah, which is something I have to protect. My body is awrah too, so I have to dress modestly, and cheer leaders definitely don't dress modestly."
"Then I would have to quit!" she moaned.
"You know, cheerleading just attracts unwanted attention from guys," I pointed out.
"So you think quitting isn't such a bad idea?" she asked.
"No, I don't," I told her.
"Then what can we do for fun?" she whined. "No offense, but it seems like your religion really is restricted your fun."
I smiled. "We can still have fun," I promised her. "Just in a different way."
***********************************************
Susanna and I slid into two empty seats in the cafeteria. We had just bought our lunches, and I was trying to keep her mind off of Amy all day. All day she had been avoiding her, but I couldn't help but sense she was constantly thinking about her. Now, I looked at Susanna and smiled; she smiled back warily.
"Hey Sus, I haven't seen you all day," Amy said, coming out of nowhere. She forced her way into my seat and dropped me to the ground. Then, she dropped my tray of food as well and then added her tray instead. "Oops! I didn't mean to spill your food Emma! Sorry."
"Amatuallah," Susanna corrected with a frown. "And Amy, you better go buy her a new lunch. She shouldn't have to spend more money."
"Not my problem," Amy said cheerfully.
"No one invited you here Amy. Go back to your table of petty friends," Susanna demanded.
"Has the slave girl already influenced you?" she smirked. "Don't learn her bad habits. I'm your best friend, not your enemy."
"You are NOT my best friend," Susanna retorted. "I know exactly what type of girl you are, and I will NOT let you use me anymore."
Amy jumped out of the seat and looked at me. "I bet you are the one who is trying to ruin our friendship by telling her lies about me using her. First, you are jealous of her boyfriend, and now me? Well, you are going to regret it, and I will make sure of that."Then, she quickly left us alone.
"Oh my God, are you okay?" Susanna asked me.
"Yeah I'm fine," I said.
"I'll make her buy you a new lunch," Susanna said and stood up, but I pushed her back into her seat.
"No, its okay," I said. "I wasn't that hungry anyway. Now excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom really quick."
I got up and went to the nearest bathroom. There, I quickly made wudoo and felt all my anger wash away. My prophet recommended making wudoo when you are angry, and I was definitely angry. It took all my strength not to yell at Amy, but now that I made wudoo, I felt much calmer. Then, I turned around to leave, but realized Amy was blocking the doorway. I hadn't heard her enter.
"I know you convinced Susanna that you're the good guy and I'm the bad guy," she said, taking a step toward me. "Who do you think you are? You're just a little terrorist who's polluting our school and causing problems. Well, you are going to regret it."
She lifted her hand to my face and slapped me before I knew what was coming. Then, she said, "Just you wait till you see what I have in store for you."
Then, she left the bathroom. I stood there for a minute, dumbfounded. I shook myself out of it and then headed back to the cafeteria before Susanna began to worry. As I reached the table, tears gathered in my eyes. Susanna had bought a new tray of food for me.
"Thanks Susanna," I smiled gratefully. "You didn't have to do that."
"Hey, it's not fair for you to spend more money because of what Amy did to you," she said. "And before you say anything, you are not going to pay me back. I don't want to hear it."
Agreeing, I sat down next to her and began to it. We weren't interrupted again for the rest of the period. Once the bell rang, we headed to our next class. We got to the classroom, and Susanna, being faster than me, ran ahead to save us two seats. Just as I started to make my way over, I notice Michael slide into my seat and Amy into the other seat opposite of Susanna.
Susanna frowned. "Um, this seat is saved."
"For someone more important than me?" Michael pretended to pout.
"Yes, now get off!" Susanna ordered, disgusted with his flirting.
"Whoa, what's wrong Zanna?" he asked innocently.
"Don't call me that!" she shrieked. "Now get off and go away! I won't associate myself with people like you. And you, miss, go find yourself another seat! I don't want to be sandwiched between you two!"
"Hey, I got this seat fair and square," Amy argued.
"Fine you can keep it," Susanna said and she stood up. Michael grabbed her arm, but she roughly pulled away.
By that time, there were only two other seats available in the class, and they weren't next to each other.
"You can have the seat next to Julia and the window," Susanna told me. "The only other seat is surrounded by boys and I know you can't sit by them."
"Thanks," I said as I hurried to the seat. I felt Amy staring daggers at me and when I looked at her, she mouthed, "You are going to get it."
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Susanna and I were walking through the hallway after school, headed to our lockers. We had stayed late after class reviewing some material with our teacher about an upcoming test, so the halls were now deserted. After we finished from our lockers, we turned a corner and ran into Amy and Michael.
"Hey girls," Michael said. "Mind if we talk?"
"Leave us alone!" Susanna said.
"Hey hey, no need to shout," he said calmly and took a step towards Susanna. She took a step back, and said, "Michael, stop!"
"I just want to talk," he said, talking another step. Susanna did too, and then realized she couldn't go back farther. She was cornered. "Leave me alone! I don't want to talk!"
"Sorry, but you don't have a choice," he smiled and held her hands against the wall. "You see, Amy is busy seeking revenge from the bad guy, and I need to make sure you don't get into the way while she does that."
Susanna struggled to free herself, but it was useless. He laughed. "You know, you look pretty when you are mad."
I had my attention focused on Susanna, so I didn't notice Amy jump on me. She knocked me to the ground and my head slammed against the porcelain tiles. Pain erupted from my head and I blinked a few times, dazed.
"Didn't I tell you that you were going to regret it?" she growled at me. She pinned my hands to the floor with her knees and slapped me multiple times. I winced and tried to focus, but the pain was too much. She started to punch me and beat me with her heels.
"Amy, stop!" Susanna screeched. "Michael! Let go of me! Can't you see Amy's going to kill her?"
"We can rid this world of terrorism, one terrorist at a time," he chuckled. "Isn't that what you always wanted, Zanna? Weren't you the one who wanted to get her kicked out of the school? Well, if she's dead you won't have to worry about her being in the school anymore."
"Michael stop!" she cried, and I could hear the tear sin her voice. "This isn't a game!"
I tried to push Amy off but she grabbed my head and began banging it against the floor. Dizzy, I could feel myself losing consciousness.
"Amy, stop!" Susanna shrieked. "Don't you think that's enough? She's going to bleed to death with all that blood coming out of her!"
Susanna tried to duck under Michael's arm, but he grabbed her waist and pulled her close. "Where do you think you are going?" he said softly. "Let those two girls fight while we find someplace quiet to talk, okay?"
He pinned her hands behind her back and forced her to move forward. Suddenly, I heard a yell and mere seconds later, a large thump.
"What do you think you are doing to my sister?" Scott yelled as he began to beat Michael.
That was the last thing I could remember before I slipped into unconsciousness.

Left at a cliffhanger sorry guys
What do u think is going to happen next plz comment

Definitions
Awra- is the non expostion of parts of a body for men and women
Asalam u alaykum- arabic greeting meaning may peace be upon u
Jilbab-  long modest dress worn by Muslim women 
Allah- god
Asalamu Alaikum wa rahmatu Allah- may the peace and mercy of Allah be with u