Chapter Fourteen - The Truth Hurts
Zayn Fayad walked into the kitchen with a satisfied smile plastered on his face. Khalid had been staring out the window, ignoring his food. His father sat in front of him, and twelve year old Khalid had nearly burst a vein trying not to make eye contact with the gruff man eyeing him from across the table.
And then Zayn walked in.
He sat down, flashed a smile at his mother and slapped his report card on the table. Khalid bit the inside of his cheek and stared at the smooth white envelope that held his brothers success.
"Salaam dad, mom." Zayn greeted his parents, "got my report card today. Take a look."
His father reached for it, his hand steady, his face calm because he knew his first son would never disappoint him. Khalid slid down his chair, blinking back tears as he watched his father scan his eyes over the report, his smile growing wider.
"Ya, Zayn." His dad boomed. "Straight A's once again! Masha'Allah!"
Zayn grinned and dug into his food, looking at his mother and asking her through a mouthful of rice if he could finally buy that new game console. His mother answered yes, of course anything for her dear Zayn.
Khalid's father turned to him and Khalid gulped.
"Taib, where's yours, boy?"
Khalid muttered, something under his breath.
"Speak up!" His father thundered.
"I...left it at school." Khalid choked out.
His father sat back, his face hard. "You're lying."
Of course he was. But he wasn't about to dig up his report card and show his father his C's and D's. It was hidden under his mattress, half ripped up and crumpled because Khalid knew. He knew what was about to happen. He knew his father would stare him down and spite him and then right after he praised his beloved son's straight A report card, he would turn to his failure of a second son and ask for his.
And what would Khalid do? What he did every year. Lie.
"N-no." Khalid cried. "Its there! I totally forgot it, dad. I'll bring it to you on Monday-"
His father's hand came down on the kitchen table. Everyone flinched as the sound vibrated through their eardrums. With a hiss, his dad leaned across the table, putting his face in front of his.
"You think I want to see your goddamn report? You think its different this year?" He growled.
"Why did you ask for it then?" Khalid mumbled, anger surging through him.
"Why cant you be more like Zayn?" His father went on, as if he hadn't said anything. "Why cant you get good grades and pray and be like Zayn?"
Khalid sent a venomous glare at his brother. It was always about him. About Zayn this and Zayn that. About Zayn and how he was so freaking perfect. Zayn stared back, his eyes wide. He slowly shook his head as if he was silently disagreeing with Khalid's thoughts. Khalid would never forget that pleading look in his eyes.
He got up, suddenly livid. He would show them. He would show Zayn. He sprinted to his room - a room he shared with his brother - and slammed the door. The walls vibrated as he stalked up to his brother's side of the room. He swept his hands through his things, pulling and pushing. Throwing and kicking. Until the room was a mess and the chaos surrounded him. He kicked a gleaming trophy and watched, with a dull ache, as it slammed into the wall.
"Khalid."
He spun around and faced his brother who looked at him like he'd never seen him before. Zayn didn't even spare a glance at his ruined belongings, he merely gazed at Khalid with wide, concerned eyes. Khalid hated that look. It haunted his dreams.
"Dont be against me. I'm on your side, little brother."
"No, you're not...you're..." And Khalid broke down and cried because Zayn was perfect and how could he hate someone, how could he hate his own brother, for being perfect.
* * *
"Khalid!"
Khalid's eyes snapped open. He was greeted with harsh, white lights and white walls and...everything was white. He groaned and focused on the voice that was calling out to him. It was a sweet, familiar voice, and it caused a fluttery feeling in his abdomen.
Sabrina.
He looked up at her face and saw her wide chocolate brown eyes flood with relief. She smiled, and he stared at her face because he was just beginning to realize something. He was lying in a hospital bed. His back ached.
Reed.
"Oh my Allah, you're finally up. I was so worried. Are you okay? How are you feeling? What happened?" Sabrina asked, rapidly.
Khalid's head spun. "I'm fine. Why am I here?" He asked, even though he already knew.
"You...I got a call that you were in the hospital. No one's giving many details...but you were...stabbed in the back. Don't you remember?" Sabrina whispered, her voice cracking.
He stared at her. Of course he remembered. But should he tell her that? Should he tell her what had happened and why? A sharp pain in his back made him cry out. Sabrina jumped up and reached out as if to help him. He struggled to sit up.
"I dont think you should do that." She said softly. "You were...stabbed. You should lay back down."
Khalid ignored her and sat up. He looked at her then and noticed the crinkles near her eyes. She'd worried about him. Her eyebrow went up and he knew she was curious. He wanted to tell her, but she would hate him for it. Her face would close and she would tell him that what he did was wrong and that he'd said it himself once.
The past should stay in the past.
But how could he just forget?
"Khalid." Sabrina said his name and it hurt him to hear her say it with such trust. Tell me what happened, she was saying silently. "Who stabbed you?"
He wanted to tell her everything. But he couldn't. So he lied.
"I...ran into Reed and his gang." He began, hating himself for lying.
Sabrina's eyes widened.
Khalid looked away because he could never lie to Sabrina directly. He hadnt ran into Reed. He'd gone looking for Reed. After he'd found that gun, he'd spent the next day planning to go murder the guy because that was what he deserved. Khalid might not have been thinking straight, because now, looking at Sabrina's worried face, he could have acted so that she never would have been worried in the first place. He never meant to worry her.
Plus I wouldn't have had a knife stuck in my back if I hadn't been such a fool, he thought bitterly, running a hand across his side.
"They were still upset I left, I guess, and we got into a fight." He went on.
Another lie. He'd gone straight up to Reed, grabbed his shirt's collar, slammed him against the wall and threatened to shoot him. Reed, the smiling bastard, had dared him to so it, dared him to pull the trigger that was pointed at his head.
"Do it, I dare you. Murderer."
That was when Khalid had lost it. He'd dropped the gun, punched Reed in the face a few times before the other guys pulled him off. Reed spit, stood up and fixed his shirt and looked down at Khalid.
"I knew you couldn't do it. Not after last time, huh?"
Khalid roared at him, eager rip his face off for unearthing the memories he'd tried so hard to bury. He shouldn't have come here, shouldn't have scoured around for the sick man who stood there with his knowing smile. He knew too much for his own good.
"Its funny how you think it was me, though. You know Im not a killer, Khalid. I leave the dirty work for the others.You should know that better than anyone, actually."
Of course, Khalid had thought as it dawned on him. Just like what he did with me.
And that was when Reed leaned down and whispered a name and Khalid couldn't breathe anymore because Reed nodded at the boys behind him and the next thing Khalid knew, there was a piercing pain in his back and everything went dark.
It was a miracle that he'd been found. Usually they left their victims to bleed to death.
"Who found me?" He rasped.
Sabrina stared at his and gave him a puzzled frown. "What do you mean?"
"After I was stabbed, I passed out. Who found me?"
Sabrina's eyes widened. "I didn't even think of that! Oh my Allah, what if they hadn't...uh...I'll go find out."
She stumbled out the room, blinking in bewilderment. He couldn't blame her. He thought about her unfinished question. What if I hadn't been found? What would have happened? Would Sabrina cry over him? Would his father care? His thoughts were diverted as the name that Reed whispered into his ear, surfaced in his mind. He gritted his teeth, a flash of white, hot anger making his head hurt. He should have known.
Sabrina came back, more bewildered than before. "No one seems to know. It was an anonymous call. Apparently the guy who found you called the Police, gave them a few details and a location but didn't stick around when they arrived."
Khalid let out a short breath. "Oh."
Sabrina lingered by his bedside looking out of place. He realized that he was alone in a room with her.
"Where are my parents?" He asked. "And yours?"
"They went to get coffee. I didn't want to come." Sabrina explained. She sent him a nervous glance.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
Sabrina scoffed. "Oh nothing. My fiance has been stabbed by a bunch of crazy gang members. Nothing at all."
Khalid winced at her sarcastic tone. He figured if he was in her position, he'd be pretty pissed off too. He wondered what her parents were thinking. He wasn't sure if they knew about his gang history...
"Do your parents...know?"
"About you and your past...activities? No." Sabrina answered without emotion.
She looked away quickly and he saw that it hurt her to have to keep his secrets, though. He grimaced as he realized that it was unfair for her. That she should keep things from her parents for his sake.
"You can tell them." He offered.
Sabrina shook her head slowly. "They'll never let me marry you."
"Oh." He said, and noticed she was looking at him oddly again.
"Why do you keep looking at me like that?"
"Khalid." She began, in a broken voice. "You're not telling me something."
His face closed. "What do you mean?"
"You look like you've found out something and its killing you. Well its killing me too. Tell me."
Khalid licked his lips, contemplating whether or not he should. She watched him think and stepped closer, her eyes serious.
"I know you don't want to, I see you thinking of a way to lie right now. But please Khalid, You promised you would never hurt me. But you're hurting me right now by lying. I know there's more to what you've said. Please tell me what you're thinking."
She stared at him so openly that it made his head hurt. She knew he was going to lie to her and she'd probably guessed that everything he'd told her so far were also half lies. He looked away, at the bright white room. He thought it hurt him to lie to her, the girl he loved.
But the truth hurt so much more.
Khalid took a breath.
"Reed didn't shoot my mother. It was...Osama."
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Well, MOST of you guessed it was Osama so this shouldn't be much of a surprise. What I really want to know is: what do you guys think Khalid will do about this new information?
Also, HOW DARE SOMEONE STAB MY KHALID! Okay, so technically he's Sabrina's but still, awh, poor Khalid...(he's like my child let me sympathize with my baby!)
Vote, comment, give me a slice of cake? I mean what? (though a slice of cake would be welcome...I may even share will all you wonderful people ^-^)
Btw, if you dont know who Osama is, then you either a) didn't read the first book (The Best of Us) or b) forgot, in which case I am very disappointed in y'all. how dare you. Jk, its been a while so I understand. Osama is the guy who was bothering Sabrina and the girls at the mall. Does 'fly open dude' ring a bell? Seriously, he needs to keep his pants zipped up xD
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Taib: alright or okay (Arabic)