When Stars are Hidden

Chapter 21

High school was finally over.

It was the vacation before they would go to a new level of school again.

University.

It didn't seem to ever finish, did it.

Tawfiq was the Valedictorian of their year group. . .shocker to everyone.
Turns out he was really smart. . . like smart, smart not just normal straight As smart but SMART but he didn't seem to like everyone knowing about it.

And as crazy as he got at times, he had given a 60 seconds Valedictorian speech comparing a an oval football to life.

Life is like an oval football.
It goes how far you throw it.
A lot of people will fight over your life.
Depending on how you protect that life,
Some might end up leaving your life with a concussion or possible brain damage.
But protect that life and get to your touchdown.
I'm Tawfiq Abdul Rahim.
Captain of The Eagles.
Valedictorian of today's batch of graduates.
Thank you.

Everyone blinked in confusion except the football players who kept on shouting and cheering him on.
They all ended up clapping either way.

Clearly, he didn't write a speech and spewed anything out of his mouth.

He confirmed it later that he had forgotten to get a speech ready.

Alhamdulilah though, Naima had gotten her straight A's and she was really happy. Belinda got straight A's and 3 B's very impressive for someone who joined in their final year.

Tawfiq also got straight A's but he got the highest GPA in their year group, 4.9.

Don't judge a book by its cover. Dean got Straight A's and 3 B's just like Belinda and he wouldn't let it rest, claiming it was fate and what not.

Anytime, Dean would ask Tawfiq how he could balance learning and football because he personally couldn't. Tawfiq would just shrug and say it wasn't hard.

Not hard, her foot.

Fortunately, Tawfiq didn't tell anyone Naima was the Mascot. But told her she would have to tell them sooner or later.

Sorry, but. . .She was sending that piece of information to her grave.

Zain had gone to Dubai, to continue schooling, because it was supposedly better for their father that Zain became used to their home country.

As if Zain was ever going to live in Dubai.
He already saw himself living in a penthouse in New York or a beach house in LA.
Dubai was nice but he claimed there were too many family members there and he didn't want any aunty pulling his cheeks.

Naima on the other hand would go to the community college in Valley view.
Dad had 'kindly' offered to pay her college tuitions only and only if it was a community college in Valley view or close to Valley View at least.

Naima didn't want to go to a community college before University but she didn't have a say in it. She wasn't fending for herself even though she was legally an adult.
A community college she could come home from everyday for two years was her only option.

Tawfiq was going into the engineering field. Petroleum to be exact.

Naima had wanted to become a medical doctor as a child but not every dream could be fulfilled and besides medical school in the states was expensive. . .very expensive. And she wasn't interested in any student loans.

So she would rather venture into biomedical science.
Close to medicine but not so close.

Dean said he was going to offer Aeronautics and Astronautics.
He and Tawfiq were probably going to go to the same University. They stuck to each other like glue. It was like a sibling relationship but much closer. Because normal siblings didn't go everywhere with each other. And even though Dean teased and joked around with Tawfiq a lot, he had this awe and respectful look he gave him when no one was looking.
It was weird.