An American Muslimah

Chapter 2

As I walk into the building the first thing I notice is how crowded the halls are. There are students laughing and hugging, some walking around to get to know the school better and some trying to find their names on the class lists-speaking of which I should be doing as well. I walk over to where the class lists were posted and try to find my name but fail miserably. Why do I have to be so short and stubby? I'm 5'1 which means it's kind of hard towering over a huddle of kids when you're that short. I accidentally bump into a girl who you could say was barely dressed. Talk about following dress code. What was up with girls these days? Do they not have any self respect and value themselves? Then again. Who am I to judge. My fashion back then didn't quite match with the definition of modesty.

Alhamdulillah that I recently started to take my Islam more seriously. Better late than never right? Allah honours women and tells us to dress modestly in order to respect ourselves. I now dress to impress Allah and not the eyes of others.

"Hey watch it!" Says the girl who I bumped into.

"I am so sorry. I didn't mean to."

"Whatever." And with that she walks off.

After a bunch of the students had already found their names and homeroom, I made my way to the sheets so i can find mine. Aisha Qazi. Hah! It turns out that my homeroom was on the third floor. Yay me! Oh how I do so enjoy going up three flights of stairs, note the sarcasm. But then again, climbing stairs is a great way to burn off calories.

As I was looking at a group of girls who were busy crying and hugging each other, a thought popped into my head. Where was Laila? Laila was my best friend since we were in elementary school. She was Lebanese with green eyes, olive skin and beautiful brown hair. Ma sha Allah she was undeniably beautiful. I on the other hand was Pakistani with brown eyes, slightly tan skin and brown hair. I didn't have many friends. In fact Laila was my only friend as I was an introvert.

Suddenly I see a pair of familiar green eyes staring at me. Laila. I had missed her so much as she and her family had went to Lebanon during the summer vacation. But i'm not gonna lie. She looked very different. Her fashion sense had changed. She was wearing a pair of skinny jeans topped with a low cut shirt. Her hair had grown longer and she was wearing make-up. I approached her and gave her a huge hug.

"Assalamualeykum Laila! I missed you so much."

"Wa alaikussalam Aisha. Yeah i missed you too." She smiled at me.

Then she took a step back to examine me.

"Why are you dressed like that?" She frowned.

"Well over the summer i decided to fix my Islam and improve on my lifestyle."

"Oh thats cool." She replied.

Then the bell rang signaling us to head to class.

"What's your homeroom Laila?"

"I have science on the first floor. You?"

"Aww man! That means we don't have science together. I have math on the third floor."

"Well see you later." And with that we headed our own ways to class.

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As I walk into math I cannot help but think how am I going to do in math this year. I was never good in math as all the numbers and equations didn't make much sense to me. I make my way to a seat at the front of the class as 1. I don't have the best eyesight and 2. I focus better when I'm at the front. After a couple more kids walk in, the teacher finally starts the class.

"Good morning everyone. My name is Ms. Hawkin and I will be your math teacher for the rest of the semester."

She seemed pretty nice. She then sat down and took attendance.

"Amanda Bungler"

"Present" replies a girl with blonde hair and glasses.

"Tyson Crain"

"Here" calls out a guy who I couldn't see.

While Ms. Hawkin continues to call out names I start zoning out as I know my last name is among the last ones as my family name is Qazi. As i was doodling on my notebook a name brings me back to reality.

"Abraham Maccarthy"

This. Cannot. Be. Happening.
Abraham was my worst nightmare. He was rude, conceited and manipulative. He was in my elementary then middle school and NOW high school. It's almost as if he made sure to go to the same school as me so that he can make my life a living hell. He would always pick and bully me. To make things worse he was always considered one of the cool guys so all the other idiotic guys look up to him and try their best to impress him. Take a wild guess on how they receive his approval.

By bullying me.

"Present" says the voice that never fails to send goosebumps up my spine whenever I heard it.

I look back to see where he is sitting. Thank God he is all the way in the back. He catches me staring at him and gives me an evil smile. Ugh. Can this day get any worse?