OH MY ALLAH I WORKED SO HARD TO GET THIS CHAPTER DONE TODAY. Here you go, I'm way too tired to blab. -_-
"Is that really IT?! No passionate kiss, no tender stroking of your face, no confessions of love?" -- Naomi from Confessions of a Muslim Girl
Chapter 12
Romeo and Juliet Muslim-Style and Spontaneous Waves of Jealousy
☼ Maysa Malik ☼
I wish there was such a thing as do-over days. You know those days – the days where everything just happens to go wrong and you keep cursing fate? Yeah, I was having one of those days. And sometimes I really wish I could go back and do over that day.
My weekend went great allhumdulillah; I spent my time lazing around the house all Saturday morning, something I rarely get to do. But I had gotten to bed late Sunday night, which is why I’m running late today. God, Mondays are so not my thing!
First my alarm goes off twenty minutes later than usual. Not that I didn’t appreciate the extra sleep, but my waking up late causes both me and Zakariya to be late to school because he drives me. In the car, Zakariya drives with a scowl on his face, mumbling incoherent things about having to meet someone before school and how he was going to be late. I sigh and grit my teeth. This was one of those moments that I was cursing fate, because today just has to be the one day that Zak has to go to school early.
After the final bell rings signaling the official start of the school day, I gratefully sink into my seat in Mr. Kennedy’s class. He smiles at me slightly when he takes in my already-exhausted appearance. “Maysa, you ok?” he asks quietly before he begins addressing the class. I sigh and nod my head.
“Good morning, class!” Mr. Kennedy calls out in a cheerful tone. Some girls giggle and nervously begin to fix their hair and check their eyes for any messed up mascara and eyeliner.
One girl whispers to her friend, “Oh my God, he is so f-ing hot!”
Her friend nods and replies in an excited tone, “Yeah, I know! God I’m so glad we have him first period. It gives us something nice to stare at. Check out his abs!”
The conversation catches Mr. Kennedy’s attention. “Ms. Peters and Ms. Sanders, is there a problem?” Many teachers use that approach when busting kids in class for talking, but Mr. Kennedy is definitely cooler about it.
Liana Peters giggles and shakes her head. “Nothing, Mr. Kennedy. I’m sorry. And I insist,” she winks coyly. “Call me Liana.” She says this in a joking tone and Mr. Kennedy shakes his head and continues lecturing about Shakespeare and the connotations in Romeo and Juliet.
Liana’s friend, Brittany Sanders, giggles. “I insist he call me Mrs. Kennedy!” she whispers to Liana. I resist the urge to roll my eyes. What has gotten into girls these days?
I turn my attention to Mr. Kennedy again and observe him with much scrutiny. He’s relatively young compared to a good number of teachers, maybe not even twenty-seven yet. His hair is blonde and his eyes are sparkling blue; they remind me of Niall’s. I shake my head in shock. Since when do I see blue eyes and think about Niall? I don’t even prefer blue eyes. Yeesh. I should stop putting up with that boy.
While I’m trying to see what girls see in Mr. Kennedy, he calls on me, which I completely miss. “Huh?” I say lamely.
Mr. Kennedy sighs good-naturedly. “I see that my lectures are quite sufficient in keeping you awake. I just asked you to come up here and read Juliet’s part in this particular passage.”
“Oh.” I say lamely. I get up, and my chair squeaks loudly against the linoleum floor, causing even the kids who are asleep in the back of the classroom to wake up. I can slowly feel my cheeks starting to heat up. I take the open book that Mr. Kennedy hands me.
“Ok, I need someone to play Romeo. Any volunteers?” Mr. Kennedy asks. The class is silent. Mr. Kennedy sighs. “Come on, people! I need you guys to participate more. Alejandro, lose the headphones.” He commands, directing his gaze towards a boy with headphones in his ears.
A dark-haired boy with a light tan obediently unplugs his headphones from his ears and puts them in his pocket. “Thanks. Now get up here. You’re going to be Romeo.” Mr. Kennedy commands. Without a word, Alex, the name Alejandro goes by, gets up and stands beside me. Mr. Kennedy hands him a book as well.
I can hear slight protests from the rest of the class. Girls are staring at the boy he will read the part of Romeo to my Juliet. Liana is looking at me with a scowl on her face. “God, I can’t believe Maysa got chosen to be Juliet. It’s as if she’s Mr. Kennedy’s favorite. I’m been here raising my hand to read for Juliet.” She complains to Brittany. Brittany nods in agreement and turns her gaze to me, a slight glare on her face.
I turn my attention down to the passage I’m about to read. I gulp. If these girls are mad that they won’t be reading with Alex, they’re going to be even madder about the particular passage that I’m about to read. I sigh and shake my head. Who cares what others think? It’s just a play and it’s not even like I chose Alejandro – Alex – to play Romeo to my Juliet.
Alex and I position ourselves so that we’re facing each other with some distance between us, but both of us are looking down and concentrating on the lines we’re about to say. Mr. Kennedy signals for us to begin, and Alex’s powerful voice fills the room, surprising me and the rest of the class as well I presume.
She speaks:
O, speak again, bright angel! For thou art
As glorious to this night, being o’er my head
As a winged messenger of heaven
Unto the white-upturned wondering eyes
Of mortals that fall back to gaze on him
When he bestrides the lazy-pacing clouds
And sails upon the bosom of the air
My mouth nearly drops in shock and I work hard to keep it in place. Who knew that Alex was so good at reading Shakespeare? As he says the last line, he looks up at me and I take that as my cue to begin reading my favorite lines from the whole play. I can’t fight my smile as the rich poetry flows off my tongue like the honey rivers promised in Jannah.
Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name;
Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love
And I’ll no longer be a Capulet
And so Alex and I continue to read until Mr. Kennedy stops us. “Excellent! Great job you two! Wow, how come I didn’t think to pair you guys up more often? Now class, do you see how Shakespeare used iambic pentameter for Romeo and Juliet’s lines? It plays into social class and the whole social hierarchy of Verona, Italy at that time.”
Alex and I take our seats. In all honesty, reading my favorite part from Romeo and Juliet kind of cheers me up. The first lines that I said where my favorite ones from the entire play. I sit there, a slight smile on my face as I stare absentmindedly at my desk. I feel someone’s breath on my neck and I hear Liana’s voice in my ear, whispering. “Stay away from Alex, Maysa. He’s mine.”
Not tearing my gaze from Mr. Kennedy and the board, I say, “If he was yours you wouldn’t feel threatened that he and I got chosen to read together.” I make an effort not to make my tone sound scathing by saying the words calmly and simply, which seems to irritate Liana even more.
She gives no response, and when the bell rings, I stride out the door, praying to Allah for strength to get through this day.
☮ ☮ ☮
At lunch I dump my textbooks and backpack on the seat next to me and rub my eyes. Naomi, my friend, comes a few seconds later and sits down as well. “Rough day?” she asks.
I groan. “You don’t even know the half of it.”
“So I heard that you and that senior, Alejandro, made quite a performance in English today.” I look up at Naomi, and she’s grinning at me.
Noha comes and sits down, Farah in tow. “Wait, what? Maysa, since when are you performing in Kennedy’s class?!” she asks.
I laugh, despite how bad my day has been going. “It was nothing. I wasn’t paying attention and Kennedy called on me to read Juliet’s lines. And then he chose Alex to be Romeo. So we just read some lines and Kennedy really liked it I guess.” I explain.
“Is that really it?!” Naomi demands. “No passionate kiss, no tenderly stroking your face, no confessions of love?” Naomi looks almost disappointed.
I sigh and roll my eyes at her. “Naomi, if there was any of that, why would I do it? It’s against Islam, remember?”
Naomi lets out a deep sigh. “Yeah, yeah. The whole Muslim thing. But still, why wouldn’t you?!”
“Why wouldn’t she what?” Noha and Farah ask.
“Why wouldn’t she do it anyway?! I mean, God, Alex has got to be the cutest senior at this school. If it was me, I would jump at the opportunity.” Naomi explains.
All three of us – me, Noha, and Farah – roll our eyes in loving exasperation. “I’m not even going to answer that one, Naomi.” I say, shaking my head.
Naomi grins. “You guys are so much fun to get a reaction out of.” She declares. All three of us shake our heads and I look down to hide the smile that is unwillingly beginning to form on my face. Just then, Naomi’s long-term boyfriend comes up behind her and kisses her on the cheek. Her boyfriend, Hayden, grins as Naomi whips around and hugs him fiercely. Naomi may joke around, but she’s really devoted to Hayden.
Naomi gets up with a goofy smile on her face. Hayden acknowledges me, Maysa, and Farah with a smile and a hello. We return his sentiments. “Ok guys, I’ll see you later then, ok?” Naomi says.
“By, Nai!” Farah says. “See you, Hayden.”
“Bye guys.” Hand in hand, the happy couple strides off, with him carrying her books. It’s actually really sweet. I smile at the sight.
Sahanara sinks into a seat a few seconds after Naomi leaves, her eyes dreamy and with a far-off look in them.. “Hey!” We all greet Sahanara.
“Hey guys!” She says with a wide, blissful smile apparent on her face.
“What’s up?” Farah asks.
Sahanara grins. “Guess what?”
Noha looks at her expectantly. “What?”
Sahanara’s beautiful coffee-colored skin has a tinge of rosy pink in it. “Matthew.”
Farah’s eyes go wide. “What about him?” Farah bounces up and down in her seat while looking expectantly at Sahanara. We all are.
“He said he’s going to the African Culture Festival. And he asked me if I was going too. I said yes and he told me he would see me there.” Her face lights up as she finishes explaining.
Sahanara has liked Matthew since the beginning of high school. Him coming to the African Culture Festival is a really big deal because every year an African beauty is crowned as Ms. Riverside Africa, and this year, Sahanara is a promising competitor for the title.
“That’s great, Nara!” I exclaim.
Sahanara’s face lights up. “Thanks, Maysa. Oh my God, this is so exciting. Wait, no, this is nerve-wracking. Oh my God, what am I going to do? What will I wear?” She asks.
“Whoa, sweety, calm down!” Farah says. “Firstly, you are going to go to the Festival, that’s what you’re going to do. Secondly, you’re going to wear clothes. Now breathe.”
Nara laughs. “I figured that much was a given. But how am I going to explain this to my parents?” Sahanara isn’t Muslim, but her parents impose a no-dating rule on her and her siblings. In a way, she can relate to us, but sometimes she can’t. That’s the reason her and Farah are best friends. Somewhere down the line, their similarities and differences balance out.
The rest of the lunch is spent discussing the upcoming African Culture Festival. When the bell rings, I sigh and grab my books and trudge to Advanced Soccer, dreading the grueling exercises we were bound to do.
☮ ☮ ☮
Adam and I take our seats in Advanced Soccer, and I’m thankful that I at least just get to sit there for a few minutes.
“Hey, Mays. How was your day so far?” Adam asks.
I smile. “It was…tiring. But after this, only a couple more classes and then I can go home and sleep. How was your day?”
Adam sighs. “Academically…it was a lot of work. I had two quizzes, both of which were pop quizzes, and then a test in AP Biology. What are we doing today in here?”
I look at the board and groan. “Soccer drills. At least we don’t have to do them outside. We just have to do them in the gym. Oh God, why today?” I put my head down on my desk. I feel a comforting pat on my back.
Expecting it to be Adam, I look up, only to see Niall smiling down at me. “It’s ok if my sexiness overwhelmed you to the point you had to look down, babe.” He smiles at me and winks.
I roll my eyes and remove his hand, which is on my arm. “Dream on, Richards. You will never see me admiring your sexiness. Not that you have any.”
Adam starts laughing next to me and when Niall glares at him, he attempts to disguise it as a cough. I roll my eyes at Niall and begin to open my backpack to get out my soccer stuff. Niall takes the seat in front of me, next to Alex.
“All joking aside, can I ask you one question?” Niall asks in his British accent.
“If you’re going to ask me out, the answer is no, Niall.” I say, my face dead serious.
He shakes his head. “It’s not. Why do you insist on covering up for soccer games? You don’t dress like any of the other girls on your team. Not that I mind a woman with individuality…” Niall winks. “But why would you want to cover up all that beauty of yours?”
That has got to be the most sensible question that has over come out of that boy’s mouth. “It’s because I’m Muslim. We believe in dressing modestly, and the soccer shorts that we are required to wear aren’t considered Islamically-acceptable. So I wear longer shorts and leggings underneath them, and I wear a long-sleeved T-shirt underneath the jersey.” I explain.
Niall raises an eyebrow. “And…?” He asks.
I furrow my eyebrows in confusion. “What do you mean? I just explained it to you.”
Niall pauses for a second. “Rayyan and his sister Shazia are both Muslims, right?”
Adam nods. “Yeah, they are.”
Niall looks at the two of us. “Then how come Shazia doesn’t cover up like you do?” He nods towards my soccer bag, which contains my soccer clothes.
I shrug. “We’re all supposed to. Shazia’s parents either don’t care or don’t know about it. A woman’s level of modesty should and is her own personal choice. Religion is just a very personal thing.”
Niall nods slowly. “So, Adam, does that mean you can date? Or is that forbidden too?”
Adam shakes his head. “I can’t date, and I don’t.”
“So I’m guessing if I asked you why Rayyan dated, you would tell me the same thing Maysa told me about Shazia?”
Adam nods. “Yeah, it’s all about personal choice and how much religion means to you.”
As they talk, I think about what Niall said about Shazia. I interrupt their conversation, and when they both turn, I shoot them each an apologetic look. “Sorry, but Niall what do you mean when you say that Shazia doesn’t cover up like I do?”
Niall shoots me a strange look. “I’m talking about the before-school party, Maysa.”
Adam and I say at the same time, “What before-school party?”
Niall looks at both of us in disbelief. “Neither of you has heard anything about it?” We both shake our heads simultaneously. Niall holds up one finger and gets out his phone, and begins tapping furiously. He holds up the phone so both of us can see.
Adam and I exchanged shocked looks as we stare at the picture on the screen. It’s a picture of Shazia in a tight black dress dancing with a senior boy. The silky black material of her dress flows over her figure and highlights every curve of her body. She’s smiling and the boy is seductively leaning into her. Niall wordlessly slides his finger on the screen and another picture shows up, this one of Rayyan grinning at the camera with a revealingly-dressed girl in his arms. His handsome, masculine face is smiling slightly at the camera, and the girl’s arms are wrapped around his neck, her entire upper body pressed up against his as his arms encircle her tiny waist.
I shake my head, my stomach churning. I knew that Shazia always liked boys, but I never thought she would take it this far. Adam looks at me, and I smile because I love how he knows what I’m thinking.
I vow to myself that no matter what happens, I’ll keep whatever I feel for Adam within the limits of friendship. Keeping my feelings in check is challenging and frustrating, but I know the test of today will only strengthen my faith for tomorrow.
☮ ☮ ☮
After running through a grueling set of drills, Adam and I both walk tiredly to math class. When we sit down and the bell rings, our teacher acknowledges the class excitedly. “Ok, everyone! I have an important announcement to make, so listen up!”
When she says this, I’m looking down at my desk, but it suddenly dawns to me that she must be talking about the peer tutoring. I bolt in my seat and Adam looks at me with a concerned expression on his face. “You ok?” He mouths. I nod and smile at him. He smiles back and we turn our attention to Mrs. Matsudo again.
“You all will be participating in a peer tutoring program with Geneva Lake Prep. You’ll be assigned someone from that school based on your grades. Those of you who are performing well in this class will be assigned partners who are not doing so well. Those of you who are not performing as well will be paired up with students who are.” A wave of excitement and uncertainty travels throughout the classroom.
Mrs. Matsudo continues. “I have the list of names, and I’ll give out the slips with your partner’s name and contact information on it at the end of the period. The objective is to contact your partner and arrange a time to meet about once or twice every week or two. You’ll have to report to me every week and tell me your progress. We hope to see you and your partner’s grades improve. And remember, you are being your partner due to your math class, but this program definitely encourages you to peer tutor each other in all your academic classes.”
There is a knock on the door and the entire attention of the class is directed towards the door. Shazia walks into the class to deliver a note to Mrs. Matsudo. She catches Adam’s eye and smiles widely and gives him a small wave. I look at Adam from the corner of my eye and I see him smile slightly and wave back at her. For some reason, jealousy shoots through me and I tear my gaze away from Adam and Shazia and look down at my desk, playing with my ring.
“Hi, Mrs. Matsudo.” Shazia says with a bright smile. “Mr. McCartney told me to give this to you. He said he needs it now.” Shazia gives Mrs. Matsudo the note and my teacher nods.
Shazia stands looking down while she waits for Mrs. Matsudo’s reply. My teacher walks over to her desk and starts rummaging around her desk. “Class, take out your math books. I’ll be with you in a second.”
We do as she says and a few seconds later, Shazia struts over to where me and Adam are sitting. “Hi, Adam.” She says, beaming at him as if she has just won the lottery.
Adam smiles back. “Hey, Shaz.” Shaz?! Since when have they been so buddy-buddy that he’s starting to give her nicknames? Another wave of jealousy shoots through me and I feel myself feeling guilty for being jealous over such a petty thing, but I really can’t help it. Well, maybe I can, and I really need to find some way to control my emotions. I busy myself by opening my math book to the lesson we will be going over today.
“So how’s life? How’s soccer?” Shazia asks.
Adam sighs. “It’s physically challenging. It’s tiring as well, but I’m getting there.”
Shazia smiles. “The effort definitely shows.”
Adam coughs awkwardly. “Ah…thanks, Shazia. Oh, hey, Mays, can we share a book? I forgot mine in my locker.”
I nod at him. “Yeah, no problem.” I feel happiness shoot through me when Adam calls me Mays, which is a nickname only my close friends use.
Shazia is still standing there checking out Adam, and awkwardness slowly sets in. I clear my throat. “So, Shazia, do you know what our Spanish project is due?”
Shazia looks at me with an unreadable expression on her face. “I don’t know.” She says in a bored tone. “But hey, you should ask Niall. I bet he would know.” She smiles at me, but it comes across as a grimace.
“Why would she ask Niall?” Adam almost immediately demands.
We both look at him. “Because Maysa and Niall just seem so close.” Shazia says innocently.
Yeah, I’m so sure, I think darkly in my head. “We’re actually not close at all. And I highly doubt he would know – I don’t even know if we have the same teacher.”
Shazia looks at me with wide eyes. “Oh, well, that’s a shame. Funny how you two look so close though.”
I look directly into her eyes. “Hasn’t anyone ever told you that looks can be deceiving? We’re not close. Nor do I have the intent of becoming close with him.” I say firmly. I don’t know if it’s just wishful thinking, but I think I see Adam visibly look relieved when I say this.
Mrs. Matsudo calls Shazia’s name, and Shazia turns and walks to the front of the room. I can’t help but notice how she sways her hips as she walks. I resist the urge to turn and look at Adam to see if he has noticed at all. I tell myself I’m being completely ridiculous for being jealous and irrational.
I hear Adam clear his throat next to me. I look over at him and he’s looking at me with a troubled expression on his face. “Hey, Mays?”
I can’t fight the happiness I feel at the two simple words. God, I’m so weird. “Yeah?” I manage to croak out.
“You were serious about what you just said to Shazia, right? About Niall?” I look at him, confused. Niall? Is that the only thing he gets from the conversation? Aside from the fact that he just got hit on? Boys are so stupid.
“Yeah, I was serious. Why?”
Adam shakes his head. “It’s nothing.” He says. I shrug and then nod.
Mrs. Matsudo walks by and hands us both a slip of paper. “Your peer tutors.” She says.
My stomach turns in anticipation. I look down at my paper. Arman Rehmani.
My mind immediately thinks of Josh’s cute dark-haired friend. Could he be my peer tutor? Do I want him to be my peer tutor?
I sigh and shake my head. I have enough problems to deal with without adding him to the mix.
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Well?! Don't just SIT there! Freakin' comment and tell me what you think! Ok, I should sleep now -_-
-- aSh ♥