On Friday morning, James and Jâsim met at his car for Fajr as usual. He was already waiting in the car when Jâsim exited his house, crossed the street, and got in. After the usual exchange of greetings, James reversed the car. 

“Will you be able to take me for Friday prayer?” Jâsim asked suddenly. “Mâmâ wants to know. It’s okay if you can’t though. My grandfather can take me then.”

James had been wondering about whether Jâsim would be accompanying him for Friday prayer. “That’s not necessary,” he assured him. “We’ll go directly from class.”

“Okay.”

The rest of the drive to and back from the masjid was silent. As soon as he parked the car and switched it off, Jâsim excused himself and headed home. James, after locking up the car, left for his usual morning walk. 

When he returned as the sun was rising, he headed inside to prepare for his day and make breakfast. Dolly circled his feet and rubbed against his leg as he entered the house, closing the door behind him. He headed toward the kitchen with her at his heels. 

James had a quick breakfast of an egg and cheese sandwich with a mug of coffee. When he was done, he washed the dishes and poured the remaining coffee into the insulated thermos he took to work.

 After changing, he checked his schedule to find out which classes and students he had that day. The first part of his day were classes with the sophomores, seniors, and freshmen. After lunch, he had private classes with both Nathan and Joseph. He gathered what he needed and went out to the car. 

Just as he was leaving the house, he glimpsed Sumayyah get into her car right before the motor sprung to life. Just a few moments later, as he was loading his car, she drove off. 

After he’d finished loading his car, he got in and turned the key in the ignition. He gave the car a few minutes to warm up, sipping his coffee and checking his phone for messages. He found nothing of importance except for a few forwards from both José and Jâsim Sr. He dropped his device into the cup holder between his chair and the front passenger chair, placed his thermos in the second holder, and buckled himself in. Then he drove off. 

When he arrived, he went straight to the office he shared with the other social studies teachers. Greetings were exchanged as usual and he confirmed Agnes Emerson’s takeover of his third class so he could leave for Friday prayer.

“I’ll be there,” she promised. 

Thanking her, James turned his attention to getting ready for his first class and then left for his classroom. The first part of his day passed quickly enough. Except for Matt’s attitude, the senior class was tolerable and he’d come to enjoy teaching the sophomore class, even with Aaron’s pranks and mischief. 

When the first year class came in as the last class before Jumu’ah, it became immediately obvious that Jâsim was trying to test his patience from the moment the class began. Not only did he refuse to do any of the work given, which James had already expected, but he continuously disrupted the reading and discussion with either some behavior that amused the other students or comments that had nothing to do with what was being studied. It crossed James’s mind that he was trying to get himself kicked out of the class like he was for every other, making him more determined not to meet Jâsim’s expectations. Instead, he completely ignored Jâsim’s behavior and pretended not to notice. 

I wonder if I was this bad, James thought to himself, feigning to be interested in the textbook as Jâsim tossed a paper airplane across the room. I must have been a headache to deal with then. 

When one of Jâsim’s paper airplanes landed on his desk, he held back an amused smile, determined not to show any reaction at all. Eventually, Jâsim seemed to catch on that his usual tricks wouldn’t work on James and stopped trying to get himself dismissed. He still didn’t engage in any classwork, but he sat quietly until Mrs. Emerson appeared to take over. 

As he gave her quick instructions, handed over anything she’d need for the remainder of the class, and then took his bag, Jâsim packed his own bag and then joined him at the front of the classroom. Then the two of them left, and James led Jâsim through the halls, out of the building, and to his car in the staff parking lot. After putting his bag in the backseat, he slid into the driver’s side, Jâsim got in beside him. 

Starting up the car, James waited a few minutes and then pulled out of the parking space. Meanwhile, Jâsim looked out of the window. Moments later, the car had left the school behind and was on the way to the masjid. 

For several minutes, all was silent. James watched the road as he drove and Jâsim stared out of the window. James left the teenager to his thoughts for a few minutes before he finally spoke. 

“So were you a nuisance in your classes today?” he asked finally, breaking the silence. “You certainly were trying to be in mine.”

Jâsim, turning away from the window, grinned. “Of course.” He cocked his head to the side. “Don’t I get on your nerves?”

“Not particularly,” James admitted. He’d seen worse than Jâsim in his years of teaching, after all, and he was too aware of their similarities to allow himself to get annoyed. “You mostly remind me of the challenge I must have been, and then I feel sorry for what my teachers had to put up with.”

Jâsim looked surprised. “So it doesn’t annoy you?” he asked, sounding slightly disappointed. 

James smiled but didn’t reply. He wouldn’t show any weakness at all. It was important that he never lost his cool when it came to Jâsim’s behavior. Let him try to get me. I’ve been there before. I know all the tricks. 

The rest of the drive was silent. 

When they arrived at the masjid and exited the car, James took a pale gray jacket from the backseat that he’d put in this morning in preparation for heading to Jumu’ah prayer. He pulled it on over his white dress shirt and blue plaid tie. Then he turned to Jâsim to set some ground rules. Though he could tolerate mischief in the classroom, he would not accept it in the masjid. 

“I assume you know the rules for Jumu’ah, but I’ll just repeat them anyway,” he began, his voice firm. “No talking, even to tell someone else to be quiet, listen attentively, and please save your slouching and misbehaving for school or I’m not bringing you again.”

“Got it,” Jâsim said without a note of defiance in his tone to James’s relief. “I’ll be good. I promise.”

Since Jâsim sounded completely sincere, James nodded and then started across the parking lot toward the building, and his younger companion followed. 

For the entire time they were at the masjid, Jâsim proved himself. He listened quietly to the khutbah—one about Allâh’s mercy—without speaking even once. When they stepped out of the masjid after prayer, he seemed to be in deep thought, so James didn’t interrupt until pausing at Brad’s Grill for burgers on the way back since lunch would be over by the time they arrived. 

“Want a burger?” he asked as he turned into the restaurant’s parking lot. 

Jâsim nodded. “Sure.”

“Stay here,” James said. “I’ll be right back.”

He returned a few moments later with a paper bag that held two burgers. He gave one to Jâsim, took one for himself, and then left the parking lot to head back to the school. 

By the time they reached Hollow Oak High, both had finished their burgers and James parked in the staff parking lot. Then he and Jâsim separated as Jâsim headed for his last class and James went to his classroom to prepare for the two students he had before the school day ended.