T w o

A believer smiles in public and cries in private.

-Abu Maryam-

☆

Mashal

Remember when I said that I can't sleep after fajr?

I take my words back.

It was my first day of college and I guess I was too excited or too upset that I slept after fajr and then when I woke up it was already 7:30.

It won't be wrong to say that I was running late on my first day of college!

"Minahil you could've woken me up!" I said, frustration clear on my tone as I hurriedly grabbed an apple from the kitchen counter. It was probably the only breakfast I was going to get.

"I'm not an alarm clock idiot." She rolled her eyes.
Since she had a license, she could drive and she didn't quite care about the time because unlike me, Minahil didn't have to catch a bus.

"But you are my sister." I said matter of factly before taking a huge bite of my apple.

"I hate to call you my sister but since you're getting late, I'll drop you off at your college in my car."

"You would?" I couldn't believe what she had just said. Minahil had just offered to drive me to college? Whoa. Wonders will never cease.

"I just said so." She shrugged.

The incredulous look on my face was switched over with a look of thankfulness. The idea of my sister being good to me seemed far fetched but I was willing to accept it.

"Thank you!" I sang as I pulled her into an uncomfortable hug.

"Okay okay. No hugs please."

"Okay." I grinned.

Mama and Papa had gone off to drop Abdullah at his school and then from there they would go to the City Council office. Apparently they both worked in the same office which was very dramatic but also romantic. Oh and cheap too. They didn't need to have two separate cars so.....

Anyways, the point is that no one was home so as always I said my salam to the walls and hopped into the car with Minahil.

As soon as she ignited the car, the music player began screaming out a song.

I'm sorry if I offend anyone but I honestly hate songs. The fact that with the same ears that they use to listen to the Quran, how can people hear this ridiculous nothing? I mean it's okay if it's something meaningful like a national song or a nasheed but the ones without any purpose are just there as a weapon of Shaytan.
Oh crap. Now I'll have to tolerate this useless-

"Hey I know you don't like loud songs so I won't put them on." Minahil smiled at me, interrupting my thought process. She turned off the annoying song and peace prevailed in the car.

Why is she being so sweet to me?

I stared at my sister with my lips agape. It was hard to digest that she wasn't being mean to me today.

Astagfirullah. I know that I should always see the good in others but honestly something felt fishy the way Minahil was treating me.
"Thanks." Was all I could manage to mutter.

Fifteen minutes later, we were right in front of my college campus. I was just about to get out of the car when Minahil stopped me.

"Could you do me a favour?" She asked ever so politely.

Cool! My sister thinks of me as capable enough to do something for her. I felt happiness jolting inside me as she had never asked me to do anything for her before.
"Sure! I'd love to."

She stared at me sheepishly with red cheeks as if she was embarrassed but I couldn't comprehend why.
"So you're doing A levels right?"

I nodded a yes and she continued speaking, "So there's this boy in your physics class, Zeyara. Could you give him my number please?"

"What?" I literally jumped out of my seat in shock. Could she seriously ask me this?
"Do you have any amount of decency left?" I raged at her.

"Why what's wrong with making friends?"

"Making friends?" I swear I couldn't be more disappointed with my sister. The only reason she was being good to me was because she wanted me to do this for her. "So you were being sweet to me just so I could set you up with my classmate? You're the elder one. You should be the one telling me that its haram but instead you're making me a part of this filth!"

Instead of making her feel guilty as they should've, my words made her swell with anger. "Get out of my car!"

My eyes welled with tears at her sudden change of expressions.

Was I that useless?

But no! I didn't do anything wrong. She was at fault this time. Or everytime.

Agony, pain and hurt blinded me as I stepped out of her car. "Well yeah that's all you can say right? After asking your younger sister to hook you up with a boy who is younger than you!" I slammed the door with so much force that everyone on the road looked in our direction.

"Oh and Minahil, good luck with becoming a prostitute." I let the last sentence escape my mouth and walked off to the college, seeing Minahil's angry, red face drive away.

As soon as my nerves calmed down and I realised what I had just said to my sister, I immediately regretted it. How could I say something so hideous to her?

The guilt of my words weighed down on me, wetting my eyes.

Astagfirullah. Forgive me the Most Merciful! Please forgive me. That was anger driving me, not my conscious. It was the work of Shaytan.

My mind was consumed with regretful thoughts as I walked over to my first Biology class. I reached exactly at 9 which meant that If I had taken the bus, I would have been late. This made me feel more guilty. My sister helped me and in return I called her a prostitute.

Lord forgive me.

Biology class was okay I guess, if you remove all the glares and stares that I received because of me wearing a niqab. But that was only from the students, the tutor was actually just treating me like a normal student.

Then there was an induction tutorial session which was boring as I had no one to talk to and was just sitting at the back of the class, wanting no one to see me.

After lunch, which also just consisted of me trying to find a spot to stay away from the eyes of people, we had Physics.

The event of the morning was still fresh in my mind.
My sister liking someone from my physics class. Ridiculous.

The class started just the way my biology class had started. First the teacher introduced herself. Our physics teacher was Miss Victoria Potts. But unlike my biology teacher who treated me neutrally, Miss Victoria seemed to hate me. She kept on ignoring me and giving me looks that said get out of my class. Then she asked us to introduce ourselves turn by turn.

I was in the middle of the class and when my turn came, I stood up, cleared my throat and pretended that no one was staring at me. "I'm Mashal Nadeem. I studied at Manchester High School." That was all we had to say but I couldn't stop myself from adding, "No, I'm not a terrorist."

I don't know what reaction I was expecting to get when I said those words but Miss Victoria seemed shocked and embarrassed and so did the other students who had been staring at me.

But, there was another reaction. Someone was clapping!
Someone behind me was literally clapping for me when I said those words. The whole class, including me, turned to look at the person.
He was a boy and judging by the beard he had, I assumed him to be a muslim.

Thank you.

"You're welcome." He replied smiling.

Shoot. I said that out loud. Quickly hiding my embarrassed self, I sat down again.

After a slight pause, Miss Victoria signalled us to continue the introduction.

Students stood up and sat down, one after the other, telling their names and former education.

I was not paying attention to any of that when a familiar voice caught my attention, "I'm Mohammed Zeyara. I just shifted here from Syria so I don't have any education history here."

WHAT....!?

I know its a cheap and perverted thing to do but I turned a whole 360 degrees to get a good look at Mr. Zeyara; my sister's crush.

Who happened to be the same person who had clapped for me.

Thank God he didn't notice me staring at him because otherwise he would've thought what a hypocrite I was, wearing a niqab and still checking out boys.

The class continued without my slightest interest in it. I was just too baffled with all that was happening.

How does my sister know him?

It was way too confusing. More confusing than those physics Mcqs with exactly the same options to choose from.

I was truly relieved when the class finally ended. I was the first one to rush out. Out of the class and out of the college. I had no other class and it was already 2:30. If I hadn't been quick, I would've missed the zuhr salah.

As I sat on the bus, I made a mental note to ask my personal tutor about the college prayer room the next day because I was lucky to be free so early today but from tomorrow onwards I had classes till 4.

And there was no way, I was going to forsake my salah.

☆☆