I'm late for College again which isn't great. My punctuality is terrible, not to mention my attendance. I'm so bad, how do I expect to get into a good University at the rate I'm going at.
"Nafisah!" I yell as I run to the kitchen to grab my jacket which I left on one of the chairs yesterday night. "Hurry up! We're going to be late!"
After pulling it on, I chug down some milk from the bottle. I slam it back into the fridge, frustrated with Nafisah.
"Nafisah!" I scream at the bottom of the stairs, wondering where she could be. She's normally downstairs but after checking both the kitchen and the living room, I presume she's still in her room.
I check the time on my phone and groan when it reads '8:35 am'. Having to drop my little sister off to school and then having to get to College in time is a major struggle.
"NAFISAH?!" I yell her name, anger now growing inside of me. "Get down here!" When there is no reply, I decide to stomp up the stairs and fling her bedroom door open, only to see it empty. Her bed is unmade and her curtains are still shut causing the room to be dim.
Where could she be?!
"Nafisah?!" I say, as worry takes over me. "Nafisah, where are you? This is not the time for-"
"She's gone, you idiot."
I grit my teeth and spin around to glare at Kamil. He leans on the doorframe, arms crossed against his chest. His greasy hair is in a mess - he must have just woken up.
"Why?!" I growl, unable to stop the anger from overpowering me.
"Your mother took her seen as you are not to be trusted." He smirks as he licks his thumb, picking up his smelly morning breath and runs it over his growing mono-brow.
"Someone could have let me know." I spit and push past his skeleton body. Honestly, I don't want to be anywhere near him.
I walk into the bedroom besides Nafisah's which is mine and grab my bag pack off the floor. After Stuffing in my Math homework which I quickly finished off after Fajr, I lift it onto my back and strap it onto my shoulders. I whizz around to walk back outside only to crash into someone.
My heart beat begins to speed up. This should not be happening...not again.
"Get out." I say as Kamil towers over me. He breathes on top of me and his morning breath causes me to gag. I don't even hide the fact that it reeks.
"Rude." He pouts his chapped lips at me before letting out a long sigh. His breath hits my face once again and I hold my breath, not wanting to breathe in the horrible smell.
I widen my eyes as he begins scanning my bedroom. His eyes wandering all over it, trying to find something - something to mess around with. Something to mess with my head.
"Get the hell out of my room." I spit and stand taller as I try to block his view. There are things which lay in a girls room that are seriously not meant to be seen by her prevented freak of a step brother- actually scratch that - perverted freak of a guy who lives in her home.
Kamil smirks and raises an eyebrow, his eyes finally landing back onto my face. "Why, little sis? Something I shouldn't see?"
I grit my teeth. "My room is out of limits. You barged into my home without my permission. Have some respect and leave my room alone."
My heart is thumping against my chest and I can feel my palms beginning to sweat within my clenched fists. I feel sick to my stomach and now I'm on the verge of tears.
His eyes scan over my desktop and dressing table as he takes in all the products which lay on them. "Well, we both know you didn't get to have a say when we were welcomed into this house, little sis. I live in this house so this room also belongs to me."
I scowl. "This house doesn't belong to you so get the hell out."
At this, Kamil bursts out laughing. He clutches his stomach as he bends over in laughter. I breathe faster and fight the urge to knee his face. After a few seconds, he stands back up and skims the bottom of his eyes with his fingers.
"You're cute when you're angry." He smirks.
I say nothing.
"It's kind of..." He says slowly, lowering his face to my level and biting his bottom lip. "It really makes me-"
"I swear," I growl before I hear the end of his sentence. I don't think I want to even know what he wanted to say. Nothing is pleasing to hear when it's from his dirty mouth. His eyes begin to scan my room once again. "If you don't get out then-"
All of a sudden, Kamil's smirk grows insanely huge. I follow his gaze and notice what he is staring at. My eyes widen in horror and my face begins to burn when I realise he is staring at my radiator which holds my washed undergarments.
"Wow." He breathes, amazed at the sight.
"GET OUT!" I scream at the top of my lungs, now unable to control my anger. I throw a punch to his stomach with all the force I can muster up. He yelps as his back hits the doorframe with a thump. He bends over in pain, his head lowered. He spits out some curse words. My mind is spinning with anger.
I'm embarrassed and disgusted beyond words. I hate this guy. I hate him so much! I just want him out of my house, out of my life but that will NEVER happen and I don't know what to do anymore! I just can't handle this! I hate him so much.
Whilst his head is still lowered, I take this chance to race towards him and grab his hair between my sweaty fingers before bringing my knee up to his face as hard as I can. He cries out in pain and stumbles backwards, out of my bedroom. He falls onto the ground and I take this chance to quickly lock my door with the key that is attached to my charm bracelet. I breathe heavily as I quickly stagger my way down the stairs. I stop half way, turning my head back to look at Kamil. He begins to get up off the floor, however taking his time. His head is still lowered but I swear I can see blood.
"Oi, you fu-"
"Don't you dare try anything like that again. My room is out of limits, perv." I say with confidence and stride away from his view.
As soon as I'm out of the front door, the cold air hits my burning face. I exhale and watch as my hands shake. Did I really just do that? He deserved it. He deserved even worse.
I breathe heavily as I stand on my front porch, trying to gather myself up. I wipe the palm of my hands against my skirt and adjust my bag pack which has fallen to the side of my back. My heart is still beating extremely fast.
The event replays in my mind as I make my way towards College. I grit my teeth every time I replay the part where he caught sight of what he shouldn't have seen. He's such a pervert and he claims to be my brother?! My freaking brother? Which bloody guy walks into a girls room without a freaking invite and eyes all of her belongings?!
...Why do I feel so inferior to him?
I just don't know what to do anymore.
"You look exhausted," Hudayfah says once I've reached work. I decided to skip College for today as my mind isn't thinking straight. Cleaning doesn't require much thinking. "Are you okay, Al?"
I smile at him as his face is full of pure concern. He's always been like this. "I'm good, thanks. What about you, Hud?" I turn away from him and begin to pull out the cables from inside of the vacuum. These things take forever to unwind.
"No, seriously, Alvina," My actual name sounds so weird coming out from his mouth seen as he's always shortened it. "What happened?"
I force out a weak laugh and turn my face to look at him. "Nothing's happened?" He puckers an eyebrow in disbelief. "What's wrong with you?"
"Wrong with me?" He questions and rolls his eyes. He inches closer towards me and crosses his arms against his chest. "I know something is up, Al. Stop pretending."
Without a doubt, I understand that Hudayfah is only worried about me but seriously, too many questions leads to an angry Alvina. He knows this as its happened way too many times before in the past where he'd end up asking me one hundred and one questions and I'd explode.
"I'm not pretending." I roll my eyes back at him then turn away. I plug in the socket and stand up with the vacuum cleaner in my hands before turning it on. The sound whooshes through my ears and I smile as Hudayfah's questioning finally ends.
I decided to stay an extra hour today, just so that I didn't have to go home so early. I mean, why would I want to stay at home with a woman who detests me and with her perverted son who is lazy as hell and doesn't seem to leave the house. I really don't understand why he didn't bother applying for University but I guess he's just got nothing in his head to actually be able to study and achieve things in life. I don't care how mean that's sounds.
It is currently lunch time and I'm sat with both Hudayfah and Uncle Walid in his cosy office.
Hudayfah raises his dark eyebrows in amusement at his Father who is nearly on the floor, howling at a joke he just made up himself. "Ba, it wasn't that funny!"
Uncle lets out a shriek and laughs harder, clapping his hands in the process. "It...it is!"
"It's funny, alright, Hud?" I smirk at Hudayfah who leans back into his chair, raising his hands up at me. I laugh at him and then laugh harder once I look at Uncle Walid again. I also raise my eyebrows in amusement once he begins to heave for air, tears trickling down his stubbly cheeks.
"The-the..." Uncle Walid attempts to repeat his joke but fails as he falls onto the floor in a fit of laughter. I shake my head at him whilst smiling. He really is one hell of a guy.
"Ba!" Hudayfah drags out, whilst staring up at the ceiling, clearly tired of his Dad's behaviour. "No more! It seriously wasn't that funny! You made it up yourself?!"
I snort on the drink I'm currently trying to swallow, only causing the fizzy bubbles to make their way up my nose. I grimace as it hits it, stinging a little.
"See!" I hear Hudayfah cry as I wait for the bubbles to calm down. "You just made Al choke on her drink!"
I laugh once the bubbles are out of my nose. That felt horrible! "I wasn't choking."
Hudayfah playfully glares at me, annoyed that I'm not going along with his words. I stick my tongue out at him before chugging down the rest of my fizzy delight - courtesy of Uncle Walid.
Speaking of Uncle, he finally stops laughing and is now wiping the stray tears away from his tomato coloured cheeks. He grins before turning his head to look at his son who is drumming his fingers against his Dad's desk. They stare at each other for a few seconds, Hudayfah raising one eyebrow whilst Uncle Walid pulls a funny face. I watch the two as they get into an undecided game of who-blinks-loses.
By the way, I don't know who first played the game but seriously, why is there no actual name for it?!
The office is quiet, the only sound heard is Uncle Walid's deep breaths and the clock ticking away on the wall. I sit with my empty can between my fingers, watching the Father and Son stare at one another. It's a funny yet cute sight. They've always been close - Hudayfah and Uncle Walid. Every time I ask them what they did the day before, ninety nine percent of the time they spent it together. I smile at the men in front of me and I realise how blessed I actually am. I mean, even though I feel like a stranger in my own home, with no parents who remain...I still have Uncle Walid who is an amazing Father figure to me. I'm ever so grateful to have met him and I'm so glad that he was my Father's best friend. Not to mention having Hudayfah as my best friend - okay, my best friend after Maria! Although he really shouldn't be this close with me...but I guess he's just been there for me, if you know what I mean. Ugh. Complicated.
"AHA!" Uncle Walid yells, startling me and dragging me back to reality. He jumps up from the plush carpet he was sitting on and points his index finger at his son as he jumps. "YOU BLINKED!"
"No!" Hudayfah instantly defends himself and stands up from his Dad's office chair. I raise my eyebrows in amusement as he furrows his dark eyebrows before pouting his lips a little - almost looking like a child. "I didn't! You just - you're-"
"Na-ah!" Uncle Walid claps his hands in excitement, making me laugh. "I win! I win!"
Hudayfah groans and runs a hand through his silky hair. "I let you win."
"Didn't he blink, Alvina?!" Uncle Walid ignores his son and spins to face me with pleading eyes. His smile is so wide that it's contagious, making me feel warm inside. He batters his dark eyelashes at me and I nod my head.
"He definitely blinked." I side with my Uncle. "He never wins anything."
Hudayfah gasps dramatically and places his hand onto his heart in mock hurt. "Al? YOU BETRAY ME LIKE THIS?! HOW COULD YOU?!"
I shrug my shoulders and smirk before saying. "I didn't betray you, it's simply the truth. You even admitted it yourself!"
He knits his eyebrows. "Huh?"
I roll my eyes and then laugh when Uncle Walid sides with me by nodding his head and snapping his fingers at his Son. "You let him win."
"I said that?" Hudayfah has the memory of a fish. I wonder how he will ever pass his exams. Okay, that was a little mean. Shush, don't tell Hud.
"Mmhm." Uncle Walid pretends to throws his hand backwards as if to flick some hair behind his shoulders. He then struts out of the office, most likely to grab some food.
I smile before letting out a sigh and then lean my head back onto the glass window behind me. Hudayfah sits directly in front of me on Uncle Walid's desk. We in silence for a few minutes - an awkward silence which is unusual. We never have awkward silences. I try to block him out by closing my eyes, feeling the cold from outside seeping through the glass and kissing my cheeks.
"You going to spill now?" Hudayfah's voice booms through the mute room and I click my tongue against the hard palette of my mouth, annoyed at his sudden outburst.
"Spill what?" I say, in a firm voice, not at all bothering to hide the fact that he was already getting on my nerves.
"Why you're acting this way," He replies in a soft tone, making me regret my tone of voice I used on him. "What's up? What happened? Please tell me."
I exhale before lifting my head up off the glass and looking at his desperate grey eyes. He purses his lips, waiting for me to answer. "I swear, Hud. It's nothing," I shake my head, giving him a faint smile. "I'm alright."
He runs his fingers down his beard as he looks to the ground. "I can't push you to tell me, Al...but I know something's up. Something has been going on for months now and you're not telling me. I just want to help, that's all, it's not a good look on you - I mean, looking all glum." He says and bites the bottom of his lip - anticipating for my reply.
Okay, please waterworks you are so not needed right now. Not when Hudayfah Zain is in the room.
"Thanks, so now I don't look good?" I roll my eyes, desperate to change the topic. Anymore words from him and I know that I'll end up spilling everything. I mean, I know we're close and everything but I literally can't just bury him in all of my problems, now can I? Telling Maria only a piece of what happens at home was hard, never mind telling her everything!
Hudayfah instantly clicks on to the fact that I was trying to drag us away from the topic and so he stands up from the desk and walks towards me. I sit up straight and raise an eyebrow at him. He stops in front of me, leaving a good distance between us before lowering his face down to my level causing me to roll my eyes.
"Stop gazing at me." I tell him. He tilts his head to a side, observing my face which only makes me feel self conscious. Did I pop that pimple? Is there something on my forehead? Did I pluck my moustache?! Wait, what am I thinking? It's only Hud. "Get lost, you doof."
"Why would I gaze at you?" He asks me, looking into my eyes now. His hands slip into the pockets of his jeans after pushing a strand of hair away from his eyes.
I shrug. "I don't know. You tell me, you're the one staring."
He stands up straight now and taps his chin in thought. I bite the inside of my cheeks as he steps backwards a little and I wonder what he's thinking. "I can see it in your eyes-"
I click my tongue. "See what?" I snap at him and toss my empty can across the room, hitting it against the wall before it lands into the bin. SCORE!
"You're dissappointed." He sighs and crosses his arms against his chest.
I furrow my eyebrows. What the hell is he going on about now?
"Cause I'm the foolish-" He begins to sing and I bring the palm of my hand up to my forehead. He bellows out the song and I frown at the sound of his voice.
"Ugh," I groan, trying to raise my voice higher than his as I jump off the windowsill I was sitting on. "Stop, you sound disgusting!"
"It's gotta be you!" He falls to the ground on his knees right in front of me. I look down at him as he places his large hands onto his chest before repeating the same words, closing his eyes as if to put all of his effort into his horrid singing. I raise an eyebrow once he opens his eyes and holds his hands out at me, still singing. "Only you!"
"Sorry, mate." I cut him off this time. He finally stops singing and I let out a silent sigh of relief. "I'm taken."
His face falls until he crosses his eyebrows together. "No, you're not?" It sounds as if he's telling himself that.
"And how would you know that?" I ask, placing a hand on my hip, challenging him.
Hudayfah stands up and shrugs, slightly worried at what I'm saying. "You would have told me."
"And why would I tell you?" I question him, only to get under his skin.
He shrugs again and plays with the collar of his shirt. His eyes wander behind me, outside the glass window as he thinks. "Um, well..." His voice is in a low whisper.
I bite back my smile as he seems agitated. "I can see it in your eyes..." I say softly as I tilt my head to the side. His grey eyes fall onto mine.
"See what?" He asks, in a calm voice - almost soothing. Okay, that's horrible, Astaghfirullah.
I clear my throat before bringing my head back up. "You're disappointed."
This time Hudayfah clears his throat and fixes his shirt, bringing out his arms as if to show off some muscle. "Why would I be disappointed? It's your life, you can marry who you want."
"Cause I'm the foolish one-" I begin to say slowly, looking away from him dramatically until he cuts me off abruptly.
"THAT YOU APP-"
"NO!" I scream to stop his horrid singing from starting all over again. He grins at me, almost as if he is relieved by the lyrics that I just spoke. This makes Hudayfah laugh, showing off his straight teeth (which I am so jealous of).
"See!" He raises his eyebrows at me and points his index finger towards me, still laughing. "You're not taken."
"Obviously." I reply. "But if I was, you'd have to find them...and then kill them." I may be bad at jokes but come on, that's a good one!
"Kill your husband?" He says with a scoff. "Suicide is haraam."
I snort at his reply and then widen my eyes at him. "We're not talking about suicide, here." He seriously will never stop with his jokes.
"But we're getting married, so..." He trails off and leans against his Dad's desk. "I'm going to be your husband."
I grimace. "Ew, no thanks. You're way too annoying and so not pretty."
He smirks at my reply, before running his fingers down his beard. "Have you seen my beard?" He leans forward and tilts his face side to side to show it off.
"It's tiny." I say in a mono-tone voice.
"But you love it, don't you?!" He laughs as I begin to walk out of the Office. "It's beauts!"
I spin my head back to look at him. He's stood watching me walk out, with his arms crossed. "Your beard should not be grown just to attract girls, it's Sunnah-"
"Ugh, Al!" He groans in defeat, still smiling. "I'm only messing."
"That's what I thought." I pout my lips and pucker my eyebrow before I
strut out of the Office...like a boss.
It's funny arguing with Hudayfah because once I've given him a religious reference he backs down, unable to fight back. Although Religion should not be used to win a petty fight, it's just light-hearted. Hud already knows just as much as I do about the Deen -probably even more than he portrays. He isn't religious and so aren't I but I guess we both understand where the line draws. What just happened isn't flirting, might I say - well, I hope not because that's just horrendous.
After grabbing my bag and jacket, I make my way out of my workplace - not forgetting to give my Salam to Uncle Walid who was scoffing his face with muffins in the mini canteen. The air is cold as usual and the sky is dark. Clouds loom above me in dark greys, indicating that it is soon to rain. The wind hauls against me, forcing my legs to push harder. Tightening my arms around my waist, I walk a little faster and finally reach the playground.
I sigh, as my eyes scan the School. No kids are outside due to the weather...unless School has been closed early.
My eyes snap to my wrist watch but it appears and I groan incredulously before spinning away and charging back home. By now it is raining and the sound of thunder makes me jump. The grey sky has faded into a dark black and the street lamps are now switched on. Trees sway angrily side to side and the sound of a high- pitched whistle runs through the streets.
I grit my teeth in anger once I've reached my house and yank the front door open. The light is blinding but I stand in the corridor, soaking wet with no care that I'm dropping the liquid onto the laminate floorboards. The front door stays wide open yet the wind begins to pull it back as if it wants it shut.
"What's going on?!" I hear Rimsha cry as she walks into the corridor. Her eyes fall on a damp yet extremely angry looking teenager and her eyes widen. "Alvina! Oh my gosh! You are all wet!"
"Oh am I?! I really can't tell, Sherlock!" I snap at her and throw my bagpack onto the floor. The red on my bag is now a dark brown due to the water.
"Why were you at work today?!" She sighs and tries to take my jacket off my torso without any warning. Her hands fall onto my collars and I shrug them off me.
"Why didn't you tell me that you were going to bring Nafisah back home?!" I spit, utterly frustrated with the woman.
She shrugs. "It slipped my mind." Her eyes wander along the wet floor and she clicks her tongue before running into the kitchen.
"It thlipped my mind!" I mimick her quietly and drag myself up the stairs. I hear Rimsha behind me, muttering under her breath as she cleans the mess up.
I really don't care if she's annoyed - she's not the one that should be!
By now, I'm so tired. Way too tired to even focus right now and all I want is a bath and sleep. I reach the landing at the top of the stairs, breathing a little harder than I normally do.
"No wonder you're out of breath." I look up at Kamil who has his arms crossed against his chest. "You really need to exercise, sis. Looking like a fat sloth doesn't suit you, your figure a few months ago was just way more appealing."
Instantly, I grit my teeth at the sight of the pervert. I stand up straight and take the last step up just so that I can stand on the same landing as him - he's not going to seem superior to me.
"No wonder you're still single," I spit, scanning his face in disgust. "You really need a face lift, perv. You're face a few months ago was bad but flipping hell, look at that mono-brow!"
He scowls at me, anger emerging from the depths of his sweaty skin. "You dumb cow, you think you're strong now? What happened in the morning? Hey?"
I realise that there is no evidence remaining on his face to actually show what happened. It totally slipped my mind for some reason.
Kamil takes a step closer to me and I raise an eyebrow. "That didn't do any damage, sis. You know, I admire you sometimes...you're brave. You're feisty...I like it." He smirks at me and raises his hand to touch my cheek.
I immediately smack it away from me and shove him in the chest. He grunts as he staggers backwards before his eyes harden. I step backwards once he speed walks towards me, his teeth gritted.
"Son of a ba-"
"YOU'RE HOME!" A tiny voice shrieks out of no-where, pulling Kamil to a halt. We glare at one another, my fists clenched besides me - ready to swing at him.
"Alvin!" The voice giggles and I exhale once I feel Nafisah hugging my torso. After giving Kamil a roll of my eyes, I look down and return the hug to my little sister. She smiles up at me, showing off the gap between her tiny teeth in the process.
"I missed you." I say and tap her nose with my index finger.
I look up and realise that he is gone and relief washes over me. I may have been ready to fight, but I am way too tired to even be able to defend myself.