Collided (currently discontinued)

Collided- Chapter One

Published: Wednesday, May 3rd 2017 5:48 am

2 years later

Chapter One:

February 2nd, 2018

        One of the worst things to happen to you on the first day of school, let alone college, is to be late. It isn't like high school where the teachers find you and give you detention if you're late or haven't done a test or turned in a paper. You're an adult now and you have to act like it. Your papers must be completed and perfect and you have to be prepared to push yourself past your normal pace. Whether or not you attend class is up to you, but skip even once and you'll be behind. When I first moved down here and took one class, I learned the hard way how different college and high school lives are.

        That was two years ago. Not many people have the opportunity to reinvent themselves and move past their past selves. Luckily I am one of the few people. If it wasn't for my sister Tehreem and her husband Noor, I honestly would have stayed back in Riverside and went to the small community college at the edge of town. I would have been at home for who knows how long until my parents brought up the topic of marriage or getting out of bed to be productive. There isn't really much for me back in Riverside anyways. Alia went a thousand miles away to college, my sisters and their families went back home, and Jafar and Ayah are mostly in New York for their jobs.

         It was my time. It and now is my time to shine and I wasn't planning on passing that up. So I packed what I needed–clothes, phone, laptop, and some food and hopped on the next plane here. Two years later and I still don't regret that decision.

"Jamila, you're late. Again."

I suppressed an eye roll at my sister who was sat at the table drinking a cup of coffee. Amna, Mina and Zak sat at the table with her quietly eating their breakfast. You could definitely tell from the scene in front of them how much they have learned from their mother. If it was me who raised them they would probably be doing anything but being quiet and not making messes. Even Tehreem hinted at me not being the best influence after one influence.

   Granted that I caught Mina with one of my crop tops on and my red lip stick smeared across her face. It was a school day, we were running late, and Tehreem was not happy. The little girl in question looked up at me from where she was eating her cereal, her hazel eyes staring deep into my mine.

"I'll try to do better next time," I assured her and placed my school supplies down on the couch to go and scan the table for breakfast. After fainting last week because I was up late studying and hadn't eaten in almost a day, I had been highly reprimanded and told to stuff the food down my throat if I had to. Inaya for you. Tehreem took this time as I made a plate to usher the kids to the car while I was mid way through the table.

She stood there after Zak was the last to go through and folded her arms as if she was our mother at me. She has been acting this was since I got here and I'm guessing Ummi told her too. In this moment they look too much like twins to think otherwise. I had to scowl at the fact that she was even doing the foot tapping.

"Can you not help yourself? You look too much like Ummi," I said, voicing my thoughts as we walked out of the door. She laughed as she locked the door behind us and continued walking besides me to the driveway.

"You're basically my child," She smiled widely, making me groan. While I may be the youngest of my siblings and yes Tehreem does have a daughter a few years younger than me–I am almost twenty one! There has to be a point where I'm given my adult credit.