Confessions of a Muslim Girl

Chapter 33 -- Butt-Dialing Is a Miracle

            “Shh!” Adam holds up a finger to my lips and I immediately shut up. “Calm down. Breathe. I’ll explain it all to you if you just calm down.” I nod numbly, and I feel liquid gathering at the corners of my eyes. Seeing that, his agitated face immediately softens. He pulls me into a hug and soothingly pats my back gently.

            “Calm down. I’m explaining.” He says. I nod against his chest. “Zakariya’s been wanting to end it with Aiden for a while. He’s already talked to the principal about it, but Zakariya asked for them to take action when Aiden gets back from suspension. They couldn’t track him down either way. He got suspended for a week for fighting with some guy.”

            I open my mouth and all I get is the taste of the material of Adam’s shirt. Ew. “No. Shut up.” Adam says firmly, feeling my mouth open. I huff but shut up. “The girl on the voicemail is probably Shazia. In fact, I’m absolutely sure it’s Shazia.” My mouth opens again and he just holds me tighter, but not in a protective way. More like a threatening shut-the-hell-up way. “And when he said he wanted to end it, he me—”

            Adam releases me quickly, and I see how wide his eyes are, like full moons. “Shoot. God damn it! Noha, he must have gone to end it with Aiden. Now. That’s where he is right now.”

            “What have I been trying to tell you?” I wail, blindly searching for an exit. “Where could he be if he’s with Aiden right now?”

            Adam rolls his eyes and grabs my arm. “Back exit. It leads to the parking lot.”

            “How do you know all this?”

            “Because I was on stage crew freshman and sophomore years.” He explains hurriedly. “Now shut up and stop asking so many questions.” The exit is creepy because of how dark and unlit it is. When we first submerge into the darkness, I feel Adam waving his arm around. “What are you doing?” He ignores me, just waves his arms higher.

            I jump in fright when I see lights turn on one by one, like we’re in some kind of spy movie. “How did you—”

            “Noha, you seriously don’t understand what it means to shut up.” We hurriedly walk down the narrow exit. “The lights turn on through motion sensors. You just have to know what height to move around at to activate them.”

            “I don’t think Maysa’s here, Adam. If she was, why wouldn’t she have offset the motion sensor lights?”

            “Because you have to hit a specific one for it to turn on.” Adam hurries along. We slow down when we reach the slanted part, the one that’s steep and nearly forces us to run. “Now be quiet. Listen for anything.”

            As he slowly opens the door below the red EXIT sign, the moonlight pours through and spills all over the floor. It’s a full moon out today. It’s nice. Like a reminder that Allah is with us. The presence of God is truly amazing, especially in nature.

            When we step outside, Adam stops abruptly after a few seconds. “Noha, I’m not getting good vibes. We should go back.”

            “But what about—”

            “Why don’t you go back and I’ll check the parking lot? Because I don’t want you here.”

            “I’m not leaving you alone.”

            “Why?”

            “Because something could happen to you, Adam.”