Okay so I came up with the idea that every nine chapters are going to be flash back chapters! So this is chapter 9 the next flash back chapter would be chapter 18 then so on and so forth! I'm really excited for this!! Okay, enjoy.

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12 years old

                                                          
Ahmed Abdulrahman

Six years ago

Today is definitely not my day. Ever since I woke up I had this bad feeling like something horrible was going to happen and I couldn't shake it off. You know how people say trust your gut feelings, right? I know something is going to happen but the thing is I just don't know what and its killing me.

"Hey slow poke!" A very happy Mara said as she walked up to me. Once I saw her smile I couldn't help but smile too.  God she's so beautiful, lively and everything that's good about the world. Wait, what's wrong with me? Why do I sound like some love sick puppy? Get your head together, Ahmed! She's your best friend, and that's all! Okay...it's not all. It'll never be all. She's so much more than that to me.

Even then I was love sick, I was so annoyed by it. It all sounded just too cheesy and cliché for me to actually feel like that, but it was real. I'm not the kind of guy who just dwells on a girl over and over again. But then when I'm with her... I can't think straight. She's on my mind all of the time. God, here I go again!

"Hey look who's happy today!" I responded proudly. She's normally not like this, all jumpy and... happy. I love seeing her like this. She should be like this more often. It feels good to see her so lively.

"What are you talking about? Am I sad every other day?" She crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at me. I gulped, man did I upset her? I didn't even do anything! Girls are so weird I swear, you'd think I'd be use to this cause I have 3 sisters. 2 of them live out of state with their husbands and the last one is my younger twin sister, Amelia. She's also best friends with Amara, she actually met her before I did.

"I-I-"

She started laughing which evidently made me more confused. Yup, girls are weird!

"I was kidding! Y-You looked s-so s-scared! Ha!" She continued to laugh at me.

"Whatever!" I pouted. Eventually once I saw her smile I began to smile as well.

It's funny how everything started out with laughs and smiles but ended with cries. Just because of what I did... I saw her cry. I don't ever want to see her cry again. It was bad enough the first time, I don't want to see a second time. It just hurts too much.

"But seriously, what's up?" I asked curously.

"Okay, I'll tell you! My mom... she's pregnant! I really wanted a baby sister or baby brother! I'm just really excited!" She beamed. Wow Aunty Su Ji is pregnant? That's amazing. I smiled as well and had the urge to hug her but didn't. In our religion men and women who aren't related or married can't touch. I always have to hold myself back, it's kind of hard at times.

"That's great news!" I replied with a smile. After a while it was time get ready for school so we went our separate ways. I walked into my house and ran up the stairs to my room. I grabbed a plain white V-Neck shirt and some of my ripped up jeans. I walked into the bathroom and put gel in my hair, with one last look I went downstairs. Yup, I looked good today! Alhamdulilah.

* * *

"You're wrong dude! The red ranger is way cooler than the black one!" I argued. Hamid and I were walking into our middle school arguing which power ranger was cooler. The red ranger is way cooler! I mean it's the red ranger, the red ranger is the leader for a reason.

"You're wrong, the black is so mysterious and last time I checked mysterious is cool." He argued back.

"Whatever dude, lets just go to class." I said with a shake of my head. Just as we were walking in the halls Mara passed us with Amelia by her side. "Red ranger is cooler!" She exclaimed before she went to her group of friends. I laughed then turned to Hamid with a smirk. "See? Even your twin agrees with me!" I said proudly. That's my girl, wait did I just call her 'My Girl?'... you know what I mean!

"You guys are lame!" He said as he walked to his class. I walked into mine and sat down in my regular seat. A group of girls walked by me while whispering. I already know they're most likely whispering about me."Oh my god Ahmed is so hot!" A girl named Brenda? I think, said as she sat down next to me. That's the same girl who always fan girls over Hamid too. Well every guy she thinks is and I quote 'Hot!' It gets annoying at times.

"Class we have a new student today, his name is Zakariya Ali." Our teacher said. Just then a tall light skinned guy walked into our class. He looked like a mixture of middle eastern and asian like Amara and Hamid. "Hey guys I'm Zakariya but my friends call me Zak." The guy said as he waved his hands happily from left to right.

Zak, I still remember him. I remember everything that went down between both of us... I just never thought that I'd ever fight anyone like I did with him that day. I can't even remember why we fought in the first place but we did. It was stupid.

"Um, I just came here from Korea. And if you're wondering why I speak English so fluently without an accent... lets just say my grandparents were strict about me learning English. I started learning and speaking it since the age 4. I live with my aunt now and I have some cousins who live here. Oh and I'm half Yemeni as well, I can speak three langauges. So Annyeong, hello, and Assalamualaikum." He ended with a bow. Wow he seems like a pretty cool dude, and interesting.

I'm half Arab and American, my dad is Arab and my mom is American. She converted into Islam after meeting my dad, she said he opened her eyes to a world she's never known. It's a pretty incredible story.

"You're not the only Arab/ Korean at this school though, Hamid and Amara are too." Brenda stated as she looked at him up and down. Zak obviously seemed uncomfortable by the way she looked at him. I would be too if I was new and someone was eyeing me the way she was to him. Now I've become pretty accustomed to the constant stares I get at this school.

"I know, they're my cousins." He said. My eyes immediately widened, they didn't tell me that their cousin was coming here."They don't know I'm even here though, it's a surprise." He said with a mischievous smirk. Okay, now that makes sense.

After first period I caught up with Zakariya in the halls. "Hey dude, I'm Ahmed. Welcome to America." I introduced myself.  "Hey, thanks." He replied with a smile. "No problem. So you're Hamid and Amara's cousin right? I'm really good friends with the both of them." I responded as we continued to walk down the hall.

"Yeah, I am. I was hoping to surprise them in the halls or something. Hey do you know why those girls are staring at us?" He asked as he gestured to the group of girls pointing and staring at both me and Zakariya across the hallway. I could see why they're staring at him I mean he's a pretty good looking guy. I remember how I was when I first notice them doing that to me last year. It's pretty uncomfortable to be stared at.

"Oh them? You'll get use to it. They just love new meat." I joked. His eyes widened as he looked back at them with panic. I couldn't help but crack a smile."Meat?" He asked as he raised an eye brow. "It's a saying dude. Wow you really aren't American, don't worry you'll get use to it after a while." I said as I patted him on the back.  He seemed to relax after that and smiled.

"You Americans and your weird sayings."

"Ayyy, America is pretty unique bro. You'll love it here in Miami, there's no place quite like here. Sunshine and sunny beaches everyday."

"You're right. I can't wait to go sightseeing and see these so called 'Sunny Beaches'. It sounds like fun."

Ever since then Zak and I became quick friends. He was like another Hamid to me, I could just talk to him freely. It was funny the reaction Mara and Hamid had on their faces once they saw him. He actually lived with them, I wonder how they didn't notice his suitcases. I shook my head, I shouldn't be thinking back to that day. The day I lost everything, the day I got into that fight, argued with my sister, lost Amara as a friend. To be honest, I had a lot of anger issues back then and for some reason, it seemed like Zak was trying his best to provoke me and it worked.

I don't know why he was trying to pick a fight with me but something in me snapped that day and I did what he was trying his best to make me do. I fought.

"What the hell is wrong with you, man!?" I shouted as I pushed him back.

"You're what's wrong with me." Zak sneered as he threw a punch my way. I immediately started to fight back and for some reason I couldn't stop myself. "You guys stop fighting!" Amara yelled as she ran to where we were along with Hamid.  A crowd began to form around us.

Before I knew it, I was being held back by him while Amara was holding Zak back. The principle quickly came to where we were standing in the middle of the hallway. "Alright show is over, disperse! You two, in my office now!"

When we were in his office he told us that we were both suspended for two weeks and that our parents were on their way to pick us up. I quickly got out of the office and slammed the door behind me. This wasn't my fault.He was the one trying to pick a fight with me all day long and he threw the first punch! Right now I was fuming. 

"What happened, Ahmed? This isn't like you to get into fights!" Amara exclaimed with anger and worry evident in her tone.

"How do you know what's like me? Huh? You don't." I don't know why I was saying this but I couldn't control myself.

Why should she be friends with someone like me? I'm damaged goods, and she's way too good for me. "What are you talking about? I know you as well as I know myself and I know that the Ahmed who is my best friend isn't the person standing in front of me right now." She said as tears began to stream down her cheeks.

"Then I guess we're not friends anymore." I wish I stopped myself from saying those seven words that seemed to make the world around me come crashing down. 

She staggered back a step as she wiped the tears away from her face. 

"Then I guess we're not." She then ran off.

I shouldn't think back to that day. It's in the past and the past belongs in the past. Now it's time to look forward.

A/N HOW'D YOU LIKE  DON'T WORRY ZAK WILL TURN UP AGAIN! WHO DO YOU WILL WIN AMARA'S HEART? WRITE IT IN THE COMMENTS SECTION BELOW!

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MY

QURUXLEYS

MWAH!!:) 💋