In the name of Allah, the most Gracious, the most Merciful
He created the heavens and the earth with profound truth. He winds the night about the daylight. And He winds the daylight about the night. For He subjugated the sun and the moon to a fixed order, each one running its course for a stated term preordained Him. Most surely, He alone is the Overpowering One, the Most Forgiving (Q: 39 V: 5)
Aunt Melanie didn't ask any questions, which I was grateful for. She took one look at me, standing all drenched in the foyer, and ushered me in silently. She led me to Hannah's room and turned on the heater, and left after leaving dry clothes for me on the bed, promising to come back with warm soup.
A while later after I had taken a warm bath and was wearing Hannah's college sweater and a pair of trousers, I was sitting on the bed, willing myself not to burst into tears when Brian entered. He opened the door before knocking on it and I rolled my eyes, typical Brian.
"Hey", a half smile tugged at his lips, "can I come in?"
"Sure", I motioned for him to sit on the bed.
He came inside and sat down after shutting the door, he was silent for a while, puffing out his cheeks and looking around the room. Then he said, "how long?"
I looked up from where I was playing with the sleeves of the sweater, "how long what?"
"How long has she...", he paused, a guilty look crossing his face, "how long has Valerie been bullying you?"
"I wouldn't call it bullying exactly", I shrugged, "she didn't really do anything to me, her friends are the more terrible ones, she just didn't like seeing me with you"
Brian's face grew tense, "so, her friends have been bullying you then?"
"Kind of"
"Dammit Zahra", he sighed and clasped his hands behind his head, I bit the inside of my lower lip and looked down. He didn't call me by my name unless he was really serious or pissed, "why didn't you tell me about it? About Valerie, I could have cleared things with her"
"I thought I could handle it", I protested, "besides I have my friends, and I actually tried to tell you about Valerie one time"
"Well why didn't you?"
"I missed the opportunity, and then it didn't come up again"
Brian exhaled loudly and ran a hand down his face, he looked frustrated and was quiet for s while, "I'm sorry", he said finally.
"For what?"
"For how Valerie treated you, I should have noticed", his face twisted in guilt, "I should kept a closer eye on you in school"
I frowned, "hey it's not your fault", I told him, "besides if you were constantly checking up on me I probably would have told you to buzz off", I added with a chuckle.
"Guess so", he chuckled, "does Zayd know about this?"
My already bad mood deflated further at the mention of Zayd's name and I frowned, "he knows a bit"
"And he didn't do anything?", he frowned, a tinge of annoyance in his voice.
"Like I said, it's not that bad", I said, "besides I barely see him in school"
"I'm sorry", Brian apologized again, "I'll make sure this doesn't happen again"
"It's fine, thanks", I smiled gratefully at him, Brian had been more of a brother to me in the past few hours than Zayd had been in the last two weeks, "also, you really didn't have to break up with Valerie", I told him, "I mean I know what she did was wrong, but was that really enough to end your relationship with her?"
"It was about time", he sighed, "we should have called it quits a long time ago, not just as a temporary break where we eventually get back together. Lately, it feels like we've been merely tolerating each other- I can't speak for her, but that's how I've been feeling. That girl's a puzzle, she switches from sweet and playful to prickly in the blink of an eye. It's like she's trying to be someone she's not, and it's draining, sometimes I feel like I'm dating two people, we just weren't right for each other"
My brows rose in surprise, "wow, who would have thought?", my lips quirked up in amusement, "I thought you guys were the perfect highschool couple- school jock and queen bee"
Brian rolled his eyes, "far from it"
"Well", I shrugged, "it's for the best then"
"Yeah", he stood up and stretched, "I'll leave you alone now", he ruffled my head in his typical fashion and I slapped his hand away.
"Thanks, now get out", I told him playfully.
"Get some rest", he said as he opened the door, "night Squirt"
A while after Brian left my phone rang, it was Mom calling. I stared at the screen contemplating on what to tell her, before picking up.
"Hi Mom, Salam alaikum"
"Walaikum salam honey, Zayd just got home", she said, "he said you're at Melanie's place, is everything alright?"
I didn't know what to tell her, how was I going to explain that I was so angry, hurt, and disappointed in Zayd that I didn't even want to be around him right now. If I said that I was going to have to tell her all about Zayd and Lucia, it would crush her, and she might have another breakdown. There was no way I could tell her, not when she was just gradually getting better.
"Yes, everything's fine", I forced the lie out, and I felt my throat constrict, "I just wanted to see Aunt Mel, I'm sorry I didn't tell you first"
There was silence from the other side, and I feared she'd seen through me. My mom had a bullshit detector and could see through us almost all the time, I had hoped that since we weren't face to face she wouldn't notice anything. Ugh, what was I going to do now? I sucked at lying, and I hated it, Astagfirullah.
Then she finally spoke, "well I guess it's okay", she said, "when will you be back? You have school tomorrow"
I hadn't even thought of that, "um, I'll come home tomorrow after school"
"Alright, say hi to Mel for me"
"I will"
"And Zahra?"
"Yes Mom?"
"I'm your mother, you can talk to me about anything, you know that right?"
Tears blurred my vision and it suddenly became hard to speak, I swallowed thickly and nodded, "I know Mom, I know"
"Good, goodnight habibti"
"Goodnight Mom", I hung up and buried my face in the pillow, soaking it with tears as I cried, releasing all the pent up feelings into it; anger, hurt, disappointment, embarrassment, and frustration. Why was Zayd acting like such a twat? Why did Valerie have to embarrass me like that? Why was Mom sick? Why wasn't Nadia answering my calls? Why did Dad have to die? Why? Why? Why?
Dad, I needed him.
I wanted to talk to him, to tell him everything going on. I wanted him to tell me what to do, I wanted to feel his arms around me, and inhale his comforting scent. I just wanted to hear his voice, even if it was just for one more time.
I brought my knees up to my chest and hugged them, I wished I had my notebook with me, at least I could have written a letter to him.
My phone started to ring again and I groaned, I wasn't in the mood for talking to anyone, still I reached for it to see who was calling. I blinked in surprise when I saw Hassan's name, it was the first time he was calling me, we had only texted each other up till now.
I sat up and wiped my tears before answering it, "hello", my voice came out raw.
"Zahra", Hassan sounded breathless, "what happened? I saw a video of someone pulling you out of a pool"
"What?", my heart dropped, someone had been filming? "a video? Where?"
"On Snapchat", he answered, "and Instagram"
"Oh my God", my free hand fisted in my hair, what was wrong with people? Why did they get a kick out of humiliating others? I wondered how many people had seen it, this day couldn't get any worse than this.
"How did it happen?", Hassan asked me, his voice frantic, "it looked like it was at the Halloween party, did you go there? Are you okay?"
"Um, slow down Hassan", I squeezed me eyes shut as they started to throb, "it's kind of a long story, I didn't go there cause I wanted to. I went to get my brother, and it was Valerie who pushed me into the pool"
"Wait what? Who's Valerie? And why was your brother there?"
If it was another time and another situation, I would have been blushing from how Hassan sounded so concerned and sweet. But now I honestly wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone, even him.
"Hassan, I know you're concerned, and thanks for worrying", I told him, "but I'm really tired right now, can we talk later? I'm sorry"
"Oh", he sounded deflated and I felt a bit bad, "sure no problem, but you're at home now right?"
"Well, I'm at Brian's place, but yeah"
"Brian?", his voice carried confusion, "why are you at Brian Martin's place?"
"Oh", I hadn't told him yet, "he's my cousin"
"Seriously?", he sounded shocked, "wow, I had no idea"
"Yeah"
He must have sensed the resignation in my tone, cause he said, "alright well, I'll let you go now. Get some rest okay"
"I will, thanks"
"we'll talk tomorrow, goodnight Zahra"
"Night Hassan"
"Oh um... Zahra?"
I sighed, "what is it?"
He stalled for a while, "it's nothing, I'll see you tomorrow"
After I hung up the adhan rang out for Isha, and I realized I hadn't even prayed Maghrib, "shit", I muttered and sprang out of bed and entered Hannah's bathroom, after performing ablution I raided her closet to see if there was anything I could wear to pray, but anything I found was either too short or too tight or it was see through. Well what was I expecting? with a frustrated sigh, I walked out of the room and found Aunt Melanie in the kitchen slicing apples.
She smiled when she saw me, "want some apples?", she asked me.
I shook my head and declined, "maybe later, um Aunt Melanie...", I hesitated, "do you have any um... clothes that I could pray in? Like something long and free?"
"Oh", her brows scrunched up in thought, then she dropped the knife she was holding, "wait here", she washed her hands in the sink and left the kitchen, "I think there's something you can use"
"Thank you", I smiled and went to wait in the living room, I sat down on one of the couches next to a shelf with framed pictures on top of it, I looked at them and chuckled when I saw on of Brian when he was a baby, he had a pacifier in his mouth and drool trailing down his chin.
"Here you go", Aunt Melanie emerged from the hallway and handed me a dress, I took it from her and was surprised to see it was a jilbab, "how come you have this?", I asked her.
She laughed, "I think your mom left it here sometime ago", she said, "maybe during your last vacation here, I just remembered, good thing I didn't get rid of it"
"Yeah, good thing", I smiled and nodded, "thanks Aunt Mel", I hugged her and made my way back to Hannah's room.
"Come down for dinner when you're done", she called after me.
"Okay!"
I put on the jilbab and prayed Maghrib and Isha, then I did my duas and said a few prayers. When I was done I sat down on the bed and checked my phone, there was a ton of messages from Hailey, Kamilah, Ben and Adam, there was also a text from Aiden. I read them without opening them. They basically said the same thing- asking what happened and if I was okay, and Aiden offering to egg Valerie's house as payback for me. I closed the messages without replying, and was about to toss my phone aside when the notes app caught my eye, and an idea struck me. I clicked on it and opened a new page, taking a deep breath as I began to type.
Dad...
I miss you.
I know I usually end my letters with that, but today it's all I can think about. I miss you Dad, so much it hurts. It hurts so much.
Today was horrible, one of the worst days I've experienced. And it's all because of Zayd, well partly because of him. He went to a party, with his siren girlfriend, which is maddening enough. But what made it worse was that he lied to me and Mom, he told us he was going somewhere else, then my friend who was at the same party texted me to tell me he was there. I was so angry Dad, at him for lying and for going to a Halloween party, even when he knows it's Haram, just as he knows that dating is Haram.
I took a taxi to the venue of the party without thinking, now that I'm looking back I should have just called him on the phone. At least that way I would have been saved from humiliation, when I got there the first person I saw was Brian, I explained everything to him and he was helping me call Zayd when Valerie- his girlfriend and my sort of nemesis saw me with him. She got angry and started yelling at me to stay away from him, which wasn't new so I wasn't really bothered. But then she pushed me into the pool, and you know I can't swim, I was so scared, I thought I was going to drown.
To summarize the rest, Brian helped me out and cleared the misunderstanding with Valerie. He let her know that I was his cousin, but he also broke up with her, I finally saw Zayd after that. I was too angry to even look at him, because of him I could have drowned, it was a total mess. I left there immediately and followed Brian to his house, so now I'm here in Hannah's room; writing this letter, and feeling like the world is collapsing around me.
I wish you were here, things were so much better when you were around. You would know what to say to Zayd, and Mom wouldn't be sick and depressed- she's getting better, but sometimes she has this sad, faraway look on her face. And I know she's thinking about you, I wonder if Zayd misses you, cause all I see him doing is mess around with Lucia. What do you think is going through his head? Is it some kind of rebellious phase? I'm worried about him, and I'm getting tired of worrying, I have my own worries to think about. For example, Nadia hasn't been answering my calls, and I'm worried sick about her. I'm worried about Mom too, and I'm worried about my friends- they've also been going through a rough patch and are just barely coming out of it.
Dad, I'm confused, angry, sad and frustrated. And I don't know what to do, I wish you were here to tell me.
I miss you, I love you.
Zahra...
I saved the note and closed it, the dropped my phone on the nightstand. I went downstairs to eat dinner, even though I wasn't really hungry. I knew if I didn't it Aunt Melanie would keep insisting, and it would seem rude since I was a guest.
After dinner I went back upstairs ready to crash into bed and forget about the day for a while, I laid down and checked my phone; I had a few missed calls from Hailey and Kamilah, and another from an unknown number. I dropped it beside the pillow and pulled the covers over me, saying the dua for sleeping.
I was just dozing off when my phone started to ring, a pissed off grunt escaped from my throat, why was I getting so many calls today? I grabbed the phone and glared at the screen, it was the unknown number, who the heck was this disturbing my sleep? I swiped to decline the call and dropped it, burying myself under the covers again.
It wasn't even up to ten seconds later when my phone rang again, "Oh for fuck's sake!", I yelled out and grabbed it, answering it this time, "who the fuck is this? Leave me alone!"
"Holy shit, did you just say the f word?"
My fury dissipated as I recognized the voice and I gasped audibly, "Nadia?"
"Yeah, hello to you too, Oscar the Grouch"
Tears pooled in my eyes immediately and I choked back a sob, "Nadia! Oh my God!", I cried as I sat up, "where have you been? Why weren't you answering my calls?", I sobbed, "I've been so damn worried!"
"It's only been a little over a week", she laughed, then added teasingly, "did you miss me that much?"
"Of course I did you idiot", I sniffed, "where were you? What happened?"
"My phone was stolen, can you believe that?"
"Seriously?"
"Yeah! It was in the subway", she said, "I was waiting for the train to arrive and was sitting on one of those benches. How was I to know that the bitch beside me was a sticky fingered thief, I was reading a novel and was so immersed in it, also my skirt didn't have a pocket so I put my phone on the bench beside me. My train didn't arrived until around twenty five minutes later and by that time the bitch was gone, I didn't even notice anything, when the train arrived and I got up, my phone was gone. I thought I was dreaming honestly"
"Oh wow, so that's why you haven't been able to reach me", I asked.
"That's partly why", she replied, "I wanted to call you with my mom's phone, but she didn't have your number, also none of the girls at school had your number, which wasn't really surprising since you were kinda of a loner"
I rolled my eyes, but a chuckle still escaped from my lips. I was really relieved to finally hear from her.
"And then as if that wasn't enough, I fell sick", Nadia continued, "food poisoning, it was hell. I couldn't leave my bed for two days, it was only until yesterday I felt a little better. And I got even more better when Mom handed me my new phone this morning, I knew I had to call you immediately, why didn't you answer the first two calls?"
"Well, I missed the first one", I told her, picking out invisible lint from the blanket, "and I saw the second one, but I ignored it since I didn't recognize the number. I thought it might be a scam or something"
Nadia snorted, "was that why you yelled at me like that? I nearly fell of my bed when I heard you say the word fuck, you've grown my child"
I let out a halfhearted chuckle, "thanks I guess"
"Hey are you okay? You sound kinda down"
I closed my eyes and massaged my lids, all the crying I did was making my head ache, "no Nads", I sighed, "I'm not okay"
"What's wrong? Did something happen?"
"A lot of things happened"
"Shit, I'm listening"
I sighed, "where do I even start?"
"I have an idea, how about the beginning"
"Nadia, don't play smart with me", I laughed, and I instantly felt lighter. This was what I needed, to talk to her- someone who understood me more than anyone else here.
"Okay okay, just talk", she pressed, "my curiosity is overflowing"
"Zayd has a girlfriend", I dropped the bomb on her.
"What? Did I hear you correctly? I could have sworn you said-"
"Zayd has a girlfriend", I repeated, "he's dating someone"
"Are you kidding?"
"I wish I was"
"Shut the front door", Nadia's voice was filled with disbelief, "of all the things you could have said this was the last thing I was expecting, I'd probably be even less shocked if you told me you got a belly button piercing"
I shook my head and smiled, trust Nadia to find humour in any situation.
"That asshat, I can't believe him", she went on, "how did you find out he's dating someone?"
"I saw them kissing"
"Ewwwww! Your poor eyes"
"I know", I agreed, "I've been trying to forget it"
"So who's the girlfriend?", Nadia asked, and I could hear the sarcasm and annoyance in her tone when she said girlfriend.
"Some girl named Lucia", I supplied.
"Humph, is she pretty?"
The question caught me off guard, when I thought of Lucia pretty was the last thing on my mind. The feelings I associated her with were that of annoyance and irritation, and I didn't develop any liking towards her simply because she was dating Zayd. Maybe under different circumstances we might have been friends, I pictured her in my mind, paying attention to her features- dark brown hair which fell past her shoulders, large blue eyes and freckles scattered across the bridge of her nose, and small plump lips. I guess she was pretty.
"She is", I answered Nadia, "but what does that matter?"
"It doesn't, I was just curious", she said, "so what happened after you found out"
"I confronted him about it, and it grew into this big argument", I told her, "he didn't listen to anything I was saying and then he tried to guilt-trip me, each time I try to talk to him it always ends in an argument, so I just gave up. Things have been awkward between us since"
"I wanna punch him in the face", Nadia hissed, "just leave him okay, you tried your best. Let him realize his mistakes on his own"
"That's almost the same thing Brian told me"
"It's true, wait...", she paused, "what did you mean when you said Zayd tried to guilt-trip you?"
"Oh", I warm blush crept into my cheeks as I realized I hadn't told her anything about Hassan, gosh she was going to freak out, "well... I kinda met someone, his name is Hassan and we've been... talking"
"Wait what?", Nadia sounded bewildered, I could almost see her with her eyes bugging out, "you've been talking to a guy? Do you have a crush?"
I breathed in deeply before answering, "yeah"
"Oh my Gosh!!!!!!", she screamed into my ear and I winced, "girl spill!!!"
"We'll get back to that", I laughed, her reaction didn't surprise me at all, "there are more serious things to tell"
"What could be more serious than telling me about this Hassan right now?", she demanded.
"My mom collapsed last week", I told her.
"What? Oh my God", the excitement left her voice and was replaced with shock and worry, "what happened? Is she okay?"
"She's better now, she had a mini stroke", I replied, "the doctor said it was cause by stress and depression, it was really scary at the hospital, for a brief moment I thought she wouldn't wake up"
"Oh honey", Nadia's tone was sympathetic, "Auntie Maryam isn't going anywhere, she's going to pull through it, and watch you and your stupid brother grow up and graduate highschool and college. And she'll take you dress shopping when it's time for you to get married to Hassan"
"Did you just comfort and tease me at the same time?"
"Did it work?"
"Yeah", I laughed and hugged the pillow, "you're the best Nads, I missed you so much"
I heard her chuckle, "I missed you too Zee, now any other bombs you wanna drop on me? If not can we finally talk about Hassan?"
"Just a bit more, my friends got into this huge fight", I said, "I can't get into details but it went on for a while, though it's pretty much been resolved. Also Zayd went to a Halloween party with Lucia today, I went there without thinking to drag him home but ran into Brian and Valerie. Valerie thought I was hitting on Brian and pushed me into a pool"
"She did what!"
"Pushed me into a pool"
"That snake, tell me you ripped out her hair"
"Nope", I chuckled, "but Brian broke up with her after he saved me from drowning"
"Oh yeah, you can't swim", she said, "but serves her right, I'm guessing she knows you're cousins now"
"Yup, that's all"
"That's all what?"
"That's all that's happened", I said, "it's been a crazy and exhausting two weeks"
"how are you feeling?", Nadia asked me, "it must have been terrifying"
"I'm still a bit shaken up", I told her, "but I'm okay, I followed Brian to his house immediately cause I was too mad at Zayd. I'm at his place now"
"Okay good good", she said, "damn, it's like you're in a movie"
I laughed, "a very tragic movie"
"Hey Zahra, you're gonna be alright", her voice was reassuring, "inshallah, I'm here rooting for you"
"Thanks a lot Nads"
"You're welcome, now tell me all about Hassan"
*****
"Hey Squirt, you ready?"
"Just a minute!", I called back, then turned my attention back to Hannah's closet where I was looking for something to wear to school. Today was even colder than yesterday with the onset of winter, so I was looking for something thick and warm, but also big and loose. So far I had secured a brown oversized sweater and a white t shirt to wear underneath it. But all of Hannah's pants that I found were too tight for me, or too short.
Well, that's what I got for coming over without any prior plans.
"Ten minutes", Brian called again.
"Dammit", I hissed and dug further, almost entering the closet. After two more minutes of searching and turning Hannah's closet upside down, I stumbled upon a long black skirt, it reached down to the ankles but had a slit at the right side that went up to the knee. I appraised it for a moment before deciding it would have to do, I threw on the shirt and sweater and shimmied into the skirt. Then covered the exposed part with black thigh high socks, I slipped on the hijab and crocs I wore yesterday, then turned to look at the mess in the room. I rushed downstairs after making a mental note to come back and tidy up.
Brian was waiting in the kitchen, he looked up from his phone when I entered and he shook his head, "you take even longer than Hannah to get ready"
"Whatever, let's go", I grabbed a packet of pop tarts before heading outside.
"What about your bag and books and stuff?", Brian asked me when we were in the car.
"I texted Zayd to bring them for me", I replied and bit into a pop tart.
"I thought you weren't talking to him"
"I didn't have much of a choice", I shot back, using the seat belt as Brian started the car, "it was either that or I went to school empty handed"
"You think he'll bring them?", he asked.
"He'd better", I growled, "I'll skin him if he doesn't, he's annoyed me enough already"
"The two of you, I swear", he laughed, "you'll kill each other one day"
I rolled my eyes, "shut up and go faster"
Brian smirked, "that's what she said"
I visibly cringed, "gross Brian, TMI"
When we got to school and got out of the car, I noticed people were staring, mostly at me. I was puzzled at first, then realized it was because I came to school with Brian in his car. I sighed inwardly, at least it was known we were cousins now- since a lot of people were present at the party and witnessed Brian and Valerie's fight yesterday, and I was sure their breakup was the biggest gossip currently.
Brian slung an arm over my shoulders as we walked into the building, and people parted like the red sea in front of us, their eyes wide. I felt my face grow hot from the attention and I scowled at my cousin, "you're causing a scene", I hissed at him, wiggling free from his grasp.
"I know", came his serene reply.
I huffed and crossed my arms, I knew Brian meant well and was protecting me in his own way, but it still felt weird, I didn't like being in the spotlight. The sound of a locker slamming shut caught my attention and I saw Rachael standing in front of it, for once she was alone without Valerie or Mira, she saw me looking at her and gave me a dirty look. But she said nothing and marched off, her boots echoing against the floor.
Wow, was this the power of the school's biggest jock? I guess I should have done this sooner, but who knew if she blamed me for her friend's breakup and was plotting my demise?
I shook my head and erased the thoughts, whatever happened happened. I spotted Hailey and Kamilah conversing animatedly up ahead near my locker, and noticed Hailey was holding my bag, I turned to face Brian, "I gotta go", I told him and added sarcastically, "thanks for escorting me... bodyguard"
He rolled his eyes, "later Squirt"
I made my way over to Hailey and Kamilah, "hey guys"
"Zee!", Hailey pounced on me and hugged me tightly, "are you okay? Why didn't you reply to our messages"
"Sorry", I apologized, "I wasn't in the right head space"
"I heard about what happened", Kamilah said, she was wearing a baby pink hijab with blue floral patterns, "and saw", she added with a slight wince, "are you okay?"
"I'm fine, really", I told them, "I feel better, thanks"
"I don't know which idiot posted it online", Hailey said, "but I hope they fall into a ditch, here", she handed me my bag, "your brother told me to give it to you"
I took it from her and checked the contents, "when was that?"
"Like thirty minutes ago", Kamilah answered, "he came over to us and was like 'can you give this to Zahra? Thanks' and then he left"
All the books and assignments I needed today were there, I had to commend him for his accuracy, "what did he look like?", I asked them, "like did he look... I don't know, like he was sorry?"
"I'm not sure", Hailey said, "but he didn't look exactly thrilled either, he did ask me if I'd spoken to you since yesterday, and I told him if he didn't screw up in the first place, he wouldn't have to ask"
"No you didn't", I burst out laughing, "that's evil"
She shrugged, "I never said I was an angel"
"Hi Zahra", a blond girl I'd never seen before smiled at me, "good morning"
"Um", I stared at her in confusion, "good morning"
"Your scarf is really pretty"
Say what now?
I was wearing a plain black scarf.
"Oh... thanks?", it came out as a question, who was this girl and why was she suddenly complimenting me? Talk about random.
She smiled again and walked off, I turned to Hailey and Kamilah who looked equally confused, "do you guys know her?"
"Nope", Kamilah said and Hailey shook her head.
"That was weird", I shook my head and opened my locker, after taking what I needed and closing it I saw another girl staring at me. I flinched as she smiled at me, then waved, I raised a tentative hand and waved back. She grinned and scurried off.
"Okay", I looked at Hailey and Kamilah, "what the hell is going on?"
Hailey was grinning, "I think I know, this is hilarious"
"What's hilarious?", Kamilah wanted to know.
Hailey looked at me, "so remember how Brian announced that you were his cousin at the party yesterday?"
I nodded, not knowing where she was going.
"And then he proceeds to dump Valerie- who has been a major thorn in your side since the beginning of the school year"
"Yeah, so?"
"So members of the Brian fan club probably translated it this way: Brian broke up with Valerie because she was mean to his cousin, if I'm mean to her he'll hate me, but if I become friends with her I'll be able to get closer to him, and might have a chance to date him"
The clear irritation on my face made the two of them burst out laughing, "are you kidding?"
"She's most likely right", Kamilah wheezed in laughter, "it totally explains it", she nudged me and smirked, "how does it feel to be popular huh? Got lovesick girls trying to win your favour"
"That's disgusting, and incredibly dumb", I shook my head and we started to walk to class, "he's not even that cute"
"I bet you don't think any guy is cute except for Hassan", Hailey quipped and wiggled her brows.
I rolled my eyes but smiled, "of course not. Adam is cute, Ben is cute, Aiden is cute even with the green hair, and Mateo is super cute"
"Damn right", Hailey nodded, "he's cute and hot at the same time, and that's a deadly combo"
"Totally", Kamilah agreed, "to top it off he's a legend in the kitchen, I'm a bit jealous of his future wife"
When we got to class we met Adam and Ben engrossed in a game on their phones, they looked up when we called out to them and Hailey punched Ben in the shoulder playfully. Adam raised his hand to give her a high five, but she acknowledged him with a mere nod and walked past him. Adam turned red and I looked at Kamilah in confusion, "I thought they made up", I asked her.
"They did", she said, "but she's not completely over it, at least she's not flat out ignoring him"
"I guess so", I approached Adam and smiled at him, "fist bump?", I asked him, raising my fist.
He grinned and bumped his against mine, "fist bump"
I nodded towards Hailey, "she'll come around"
He nodded, "yeah, she will"