Strings Attached

~Chapter 7~

"Be good and study well, my child," dad says, coming towards me and tenderly dropping a kiss on my head. "Did you talk to mum?" he asks me. "Yeah, I did last night. I've given her my number. Rafiah and Samira are missing me already," I tell him, and he chuckles lightly. "After all, you've been inseparable since so many years." I miss them too, but I won't tell dad, or he'd think there's something wrong.

"I won't go with that weirdo dad, I tell you!" I suddenly hear Hiba shout from somewhere. I don't try to take offense but I'm already offended. How am I a weirdo? Is it because I wear Abaya? But... wouldn't she be wearing it too?? "Shh, keep your voice down, Hiba. What will she think if she hears you?" "To hell with what she thinks! I don't care a mite about that!! What will my friends say if they see me coming with her?" "Don't be so difficult, Baita. She's your guest."

"I don't think we should be listening in on their private conversation, Hidayah. Go to your room. Come down only when I tell you to," dad tells me in a soft voice. I just nod at that, and go upstairs to the room assigned to me.

As it turned out in the end, Uncle Jabbar had to take me to the school in his car while Miss. Hiba went ahead of us in her own 'Volkswagen Beatle'. Really!! That car isn't really something she needs to be so proud about, if she meant that by not taking me with herself. Stupid girl! Uncle Jabbar is constantly apologizing to me and dad in the entire car ride. He drops me off at the entrance of the school. Dad comes with me till the gates and then after giving me some directions, he's gone. Now, I feel utterly lonely.

The school a large old-fashioned and high-arched building, pretty much as I imagined it. People eye me as I walk past. Some snicker while some throw me wary looks. What the heck, yaar! I'm human, just like everyone of you! But who'd explain that to them. Not me!

I'm about to enter the building when Hiba comes towards me. I thought she didn't want to be seen with me. Then, what happened? "Just to let you know, I don't want to see you around any of the Big Bang Boys!" she whispers in my ear. Big Bang... What? I just wanna barf at the name, it's so silly.

"Especially Daniyal Hasan. He's single and I'm about to ask him out. Get that in your pea-sized brain." I feel like throwing a punch at her pretty face if she calls my brain 'pea-sized' once again, but I stifle the urge by saying the Kalma in my head, over and over again. I don't give two hoots about whoever these boys are anyway.

Since I'm new to the school and it's so darn big, I'm easily lost in the building. Finally, when I've taken my schedule from the main Office, I get to know I have my first class of English with a Mr. Whitmore, in Room 32. I get lost at least 10 times until I can find Room 30. Then there's Room 31, and when I come to the next room, it turns out to be a laboratory of some kind. In fact, there's no room of number 32 in the whole gallery. Ya Allaah, what rigmarole is this?

I see someone coming from the other side, and I pounce on him in my desperation. I'm extremely disappointed to find that it's none other than Aditya Goyal! The cool guy from my earlier school. Only, I don't think he's cool anymore.

"If it isn't the one and only, Hidayah Ali! How may I help you? Are you on your way to English class?" he asks me, and I can't help but nod. "Come, I'll show you. I changed some of my subjects, you know. So I won't be able to tease you much." I glare at him sideways and he just winks at me. Idiot! Why did I even accept his help? 'Because you had no other choice,' my brain answers. Yeah, you're right. Sigh...

I'm standing at the entrance of Room 32, asking for Mr. Whitmore's permission to enter when I hear a swish of canvas from outside the door, and the next second, I get pushed by something or someone extremely hard from behind. I fall forward with such force that I'm sent cracking straight into the teacher's table.

The whole class is silent for a second. And then, everyone bursts out laughing. There's a loud thud and I can't help but feel as if I'm in a parallel universe, light years away from the present. My eyes are going in and out of focus. I myself think I must be quite a comical sight.

"Wow! I didn't even see you there!!" someone says sarcastically from behind me. I scowl at the words in the worst way possible. But of course, it isn't visible. And when I turn around, I'm surprised to find that it's the same guy from the balcony yesterday. The one who was smoking a cigarette. Also, the one who was staring at me weirdly. The buffoon has the audacity to smirk at me.

I feel something soft and very much liquid dribble through my cheek and onto my abaya. Good Lord! I have been hit on my forehead, and I'm bleeding! This is not good, not good at all. I think I'm about to cry.

Mr. Whitmore, who was by this time stunned to silence, I assume, suddenly starts shouting at the guy. "Have you no manners, Mr. Hasan?! Pushing someone like that!!" Wait! Is he really that Hasan guy Hiba warned me about? If he is, I'm doomed. She will stop at nothing until she kills me for it. But I'm glad he got a scolding from the teacher.

"What the heck? How'd I know that somebody's standing in my way?" he says in an all-important manner. Is he really talking to the teacher right now? This place is full of weirdoes. "Are you alright, miss?" Mr. Whitmore asks me, all of a sudden. And everybody's attention is turned towards me.

I'm still sitting on the floor. I don't think I can get up anytime soon. "Do you need any help?" he asks me again. I shake my head. I know I need help, but I don't want to hold his hand or anything. So, I try to get up on my own. And my bloodied hand comes into everyone's focus. Sh*t! I'd been hiding it ever since I began to bleed.

And Mr. Whitmore goes ballistic. He starts shouting hoarsely at the buffoon. A few girls go crazy, seeing the blood. I'm taken to the Nurse's room. And eventually, Mr. Daniyal Hasan gets landed into detention. He's the same Big Bang Something guy. I'm doomed, totally.

I see the idiot himself near the lockers as I'm coming out of the Nurse's Office and he eyes me dangerously. "It's better that you stop being invisible before I break something else attached to your body," he tells me. He stands there thinking I'd retort but I don't plan to, not now, at least. I've a lot more patience than that. And giving me that creepy stare once again, he's gone to Allaah knows where.

With the kind of people I'll be dealing with in this place, I have no idea what's in store for me in the future. But I just have an inkling that at least, this boy wouldn't let me breathe in peace here.

-----AUTHOR'S NOTE------

Post your reactions below.... :) And the song above is 'Ten feet tall' bu Afrojack. I kind of thought it'll go nicely with the time when she gets out of the plane. Not necessary to listen to though.

Take care.

Cheers,

~Amenah