It's not all Roses

Parental Threats

Zaynab

I catch up to Asad right after  first lecture. Mr.Bhatti was delighted to see me (Detect the sarcasm). It felt good to be marked present after so long. According to my attendance calculator, I need to be in all lectures for 30 days straight to get back on track.

I should be seriously worried. If Maa and Papa find out, I am a dead woman walking.

"Yo, wait up!" I call Asad who's strolling lazily towards his Forensic lab.
He looks back  for a second but immediately turns on seeing me.

"Asad, stop."

"What is your problem?"
Is he for real?

"Tell me where Talha is." I say shifting from one foot to other.

"I don't know."
I am fascinated by how he can just stand there and look me in the eye while he spits this bullshit.

"Stop lying, I saw him yesterday!"

Actually, I saw his backpack but I have a strong feeling it was Talha's.

"What?" His expressions go blank. "When did you see him? He wasn't even there."

I can't believe this guy.

"Okay fine, say he wasn't there," I say playing along, "what were you doing there?"

"I could ask you the same question."
He is not even slightly fazed. Bastard.

"Fuck you! You know why I was there, to find him!"
I am glaring at him and he glares back.

"I was there for the same reason."

"Really?" Someone says from behind. Azyah is here. Great.

But for the first time, Asad doesn't go from "Angry monkey" to "lovesick puppy" on seeing her.

"You stopped Zaynab from going there," Ayzah points out, "and went there yourself?"

"I don't know anything, now please get off my back!" His tone shuts her up before she can say anything. She looks mortified as Asad shuffles past her.

"What the hell was that?" she says looking at him walk away.

I stop myself from scoffing. Prince Asad has failed to maintain his cool in front of Princess Ayzah and now Her Highness looks like she's about to cry.

"What?" She looks at me, teary-eyed.

Damn, I wish I wasn't smiling.

"Get a grip, he's just being a bitch as usual."

"Why won't he tell us?"

"I don't know but we'll find out," I say.

"But how?" She looks at me, confused.

"Let's see, I don't know yet."

Ayzah leaves for her lab shortly after. I too finally mark all of my attendance today, not that I deserve to be considered present.
All this time I am busy devising a plan to get to know Talha's whereabouts.

I even go to hospital during ward time, but instead of paying attention to Dr.Sameena showing us an endoscopy, I daydream about going to Karachi and smacking Talha's scrawny little butt.

My batchmates topple over eachother trying to get a look at the screen showing the fleshy red interior of the patient's oesophagus. I step back and fish out my phone. I'm halfway through typing a text to Asad the douche when my phone starts vibrating.

Why is Talha's mom calling me?

There are enough students to hide me from Dr. Sameena' s view so I pick up.