Arranged Marriage

chapter 9

"you're right, i probably wouldn't be here talking to you. one thing for sure is that i'm falling for you, Dinah. i believe that if i had married Kehlani, this would've been different. i'm glad that i got to marry you."

"i'm glad to have had a fake wedding with you." i said, smiling.

"you knew?" she asked, surprised.

"of course i knew."

"how?"

"dad told me a week ago. we were just having dinner and he told me because he felt bad that you wanted to divorce me."

"you're not mad?"

"of course i'm not because i was hoping to get married to you for real."

"do you still want to know about my side of the story?"

"i sure do. i'll tell you how i found out too. it's not long though."

"i'm pretty sure mine will be."

i watched as she took a deep breath before grabbing my hands. i entwined our fingers as she looked at me.

"i'm here okay? just calm down and tell me."

"okay so the bullying started and ended in sixth grade. i was new to the school so i didn't know where i was going. i tried to ask someone i saw but when i asked her, she laughed in my face and pushed me on the floor. i watched as her friends came and started laughing at me. they began to make fun of me saying that i didn't belong in that school. when they left, i picked up my things crying. i watched as a girl came to help me after coming from the bathroom. she told me don't mind them because they're jerks. she introduced herself as Zendaya and i introduced myself. that was the first time i had meet Zendaya. she was the one that helped me through the next couple of weeks but i couldn't take the bullying anymore. the moment i didn't want to be there was when i was repeatedly called ugly. that hit me right there and i ran home crying. i asked my dad if he could let me have surgery but he refused. he said he'd withdraw me because he thought i was beautiful. i told him as long as i didn't have to see that girl again i'm okay with that. so for 2 years, i was homeschooled along with Camila. zendaya always came over and my childhood friend Ally came over. they made me forget about what that girl had done to me. when i asked my dad if i could go back to school, he was hesitant. Zendaya told him that she would watch my back if i came back and he agreed. it was great because i never saw that girl and Zendaya protected me. Ally was on her senior year the year i came back but it was okay. then the next year, i saw you come through the entrance and i automatically hated you. i thought you were that girl that did that to me because in some ways, you acted and looked alike. so from then on, i hated you until recently."

"she was that bad?"

"yeah she was. now it's your turn to tell me."

"i found out through Tori, who's a friend of ours and is dating Zendaya or whatever. i was in fifth grade when Tori came running up to me. she pulled me somewhere where the girls couldn't find us. i was confused as to why we had to hide from my sisters but i never questioned it. when we got to that place, she told me everything. she told me how Kehlani was bullying some girl in middle school. she found out from Lauren but she was too scared to tell anyone so she told Tori. when it kept continuing, i was started to get mad. she knew what Kehlani was doing but did nothing to stop it. so when Tori told me that you had moved, i was happy because Kehlani couldn't bully you anymore. years go by and i'm pretending that i love my sisters when in reality, i was angry that Kehlani bullied an innocent girl and Lauren keeping her secret. then i went off on Lauren, who i knew would tell Kehlani. i told her that they better not come to my house because i will change every lock in this house."