"Hey, Where is your headscarf?" a voice whispers, making Amal jump in fright, she quickly turned around as if to protect herself from whoever was standing behind her, her gaze meets that of what looked like a stranger, a new face, that didn't make her drop her guard though, as she took two steps backwards creating space between them, while glancing around the passerby's, as if to confirm this wasn't just another friendly prank. She looks back at the boy to find him staring at her as if still waiting for his answer, making her brows furrow in confusion and wonder,maybe even an ounce of fear.
"Excuse me, but who are you?" Amal questions in what looked like a guarded tone but was actually fear, as she wondered why this boy who has never spoken to her was currently talking to her, and asking the most unexpected question out there, as if this was some kind of mockery, maybe even a sick type of joke.
"Hello, My name's Zach, Your headscarf?, where is it?.." the dark haired boy who she now knows as 'Zach' asks impatiently, making Amal to blink in disbelief as she wonders to herself what is even going on?, She honestly wanted to yell at him to get lost, to stop pulling whatever sick joke it is that he was playing but she managed to suppress her emotions and keep her composure.
Because as she remembered, once you show them fear, they usually take advantage of it, trust her to know...
They've even done that to her to the point of hospitalization multiple times and don't ask her who they are, soon enough you'll be able figure it out yourself, just like she has.
"My headscarf is currently at home, why?" Amal replies emotionlessly as she turns back to face her locker, her hair may actually be open, but she still knew the rule about lowering your gaze with the opposite gender, like they said don't judge a book by its cover, maybe that's the quote that is deceiving her, that is pushing for her to change herself and hide herself.
"I just think that you looked better with it on" Zach says in a sad tone before walking away, making Amal blink and stare after the dark haired boy in disbelief...
because...
isn't this what they wanted?
for her to take it off?,
to look beautiful? Normal?
isn't that what her bully's said she should do?
Choosing not to overthink things Amal just lets out a tired sigh, because honestly, that's what she is...
Tired..
And
She is
So
So
Tired...
She just wants to be able to live a peaceful life without having to deal with whatever it is that that encounter was. She slowly reached into her locker before shaking her head in a no motion, dropping her hands, shrugging to herself before she shut her locker.
She isn't going to let this situation ruin her day, yet at the same time, she couldn't help but to wonder who that boy was.
But what she was didn't know, was that, the stranger from earlier on has been giving her most of his attention ever since, they were both in kindergarten...