"Oh yeah, ooh, she 'bout her bankrolls
Slim, thick, ooh, I need a sample
She smart, not just a pretty face
Make it pop, earthquake, girl you my taste..."

__

Exactly one week later, Asmaa watches her classmates exit her Legal Communications class and takes the few extra moments to update her computer's calendar with all of the homework she somehow had to get done.

It was already Thursday, and as Asmaa cross-checks her assignments, she also takes the liberty of updating her work schedule. She was now working Wednesdays through Saturdays, and as her popularity grows at Phoenix, she is starting to consider adding another day to her work-week, since Justin was starting to really gas her about how much people were enjoying the newest babe: Gold Starr.

Asmaa is now thinking about work, and somehow her fingers find her phone. Somehow she's on Instagram, scrolling through Phoenix's business page.

"Gosh--Focus, Asmaa," she scolds herself, slapping her phone face down upon the table. "Focus."

And that's her biggest problem. Somehow, her mind always skips to Phoenix and work and doesn't stay on law school and homework quite as much as it should.

Just that afternoon, she had voiced this concern to Kezie, who could only shake her head.

"Seems like lately, the struggle's been even more real."

Asmaa agreed. It was real. Adulting was real. And adulting with a job and school and friends and a bae was a lot all of a sudden.

At least, it was for the girl who had literally nothing when she first came here. Now, she was dealing with all of this.

Asmaa wasn't exactly complaining, but she was running on very little sleep.

And had a whole lot of outstanding assignments.

What was really looming in her future, was the mock trial. That shit was stressing her all the way out.

Especially when she had all of these distractions.

Like now, since her phone's buzzed again and Asmaa is flipping it over, checking the screen to see that her sister's sent her a message, and there's no way she can just ignore her older sister.

Asmaa opens their chats, and she sees that Ayat's sent her a picture of herself. She's out with Lira, both of them smiling beneath some monument in Paris, shopping bags in hand, and Asmaa does not miss how her sister is not wearing her hijab.

Ayat isn't wearing her hijab.

That just wasn't like her sister. She totally didn't just do that. It was...It was so--

But, what could Asmaa say? Every night she worked at Phoenix, she didn't wear her own, either.

What could she possibly say to Ayat?

"Have you started prepping yet? For the trial, I mean."

And Asmaa looks up from her phone and her thoughts and her notes to see another girl turned in her seat, facing her.

"Not at all," Asmaa replies, slapping the phone down.

"Me either," comes the young woman's reply. She's got a heavy accent, deep olive skin and incredible, long, beautiful hair. "Think I might start crying soon, but I keep trying to hold it in at least until I get home."

Asmaa laughs aloud.

"Sorry," the girl grins. "I know, I'm outrageous."

"Sounds like my friend," Asmaa replies, immediately thinking of Rory. "And it's okay, so are we all."

"That pre-law life is--"

"Stressful."

"Incredibly," the girl replies. And she blinks, scrunching her face and scratching one of her dark, thick eyebrows.

She sits upright. "Sorry, we haven't really met," she begins. "I'm Minuyara. I think we've got a couple classes, yeah? But, you can call me Yara, though," she laughs, "since Brits struggle so thoroughly with Minuyara."

She's from Dhaka, Bangladesh, and has come from a very large, traditional family, similar to Asmaa. She'd gone to British boarding schools all her life and wanted to be a lawyer to advocate for more rights for her people abroad.

Asmaa loves her immediately.

She also really wants to give her a makeover.

Minuyara was tall and thin and had amazing hair and blemish-free, makeup-less skin. Like, she was so naturally pretty it was ridiculous. But, she had incredibly thick, dense hair that she'd platted into two braids. She wore thick, tortoise-shell glasses and a sweater and baggy jeans and sneakers. Like, running shoes. And they were old and dirty. And Asmaa just knew Rory, who'd had her change from Converse into heels for their first outing, would have a field day.

She reminds Asmaa of...well, herself. Like, pre-Rory and pre-Desi and pre-Kezie and pre-anal-bleaching and pre-new-apartment and pre-Phoenix.

The only difference?

Yara didn't need to strip.

Yara had a job.

A great job.

She was starting off way better than Asmaa had when she'd moved from Morocco, and that was saying something.

"The only way my mum and dad would let me come out here was if I could support myself," Yara explains as they take their belongings from the classroom and head out into the night air. "So I was really really serious about finding a job--and a good one."

Good thing Yara had found an internship.

With Google.

It segued into a job.

Also with Google.

"Fantastic," Asmaa replies, as the girls traverse the campus--it's brisk, Asmaa can see her breath, with fall quickly becoming winter. "When I first came out here I worked at a coffee stand," she deadpans. "At The Eye."

Yara laughs. "I think I just got lucky with it," she shrugs. "'Cause the internship's become a position for legal counsel in commercials," she sticks out her tongue, "and ads...Not exactly what I want to do."

"But," Asmaa blinks, "isn't that cool? Like, seriously? Did you not hear me say I worked at a coffee shop?"

"And you're right," Yara nods. "I'm complaining. It's great, just--"

"An amazing experience."

"Yes, but--"

"Fantastic for your resume?"

"True, and--"

"Google?"

Yara laughs aloud. "Okay, okay--I'm really done complaining, now."

And Asmaa grins.

"You should work there, Asmaa," Yara nods. "They've always got internship openings. Legal ones are under the Business section," she grins. "They'd love someone smart and quick like you."

"I wish," Asmaa nods. But, between an internship and Phoenix? She worked literally four nights and got paid way more than she expected an internship to, even if Yara was able to support herself.

Either way, Asmaa truly truly doubted that she could be a law student and strip and work at Google.

She'd never sleep.

The work would probably kill her.

But Yara was so sweet and so eager.

"Definitely look into it," Yara says. "Please?"

Asmaa pauses.

It wouldn't hurt to look, right?

Besides, she was not one to block her blessings.

Maybe this was one?

So, she nods. "Okay," she grins. "I will."

"Great," Yara sighs. "I'd love another friend there," she blows loose, coarse hair from in front of her glasses. "I've got like, one friend and he's got a real engineering job," she laughs. "Not just an intern, that one."

This seemed right up Rory's alley. She was the techie. She was the one who would probably fit in better at Google.

Honestly, Asmaa figured these two girls would probably really like each other...if Rory could see past her initial appearance.

But, Asmaa was feeling determined. She was feeling helpful. And she thought that her girls would really get on with her new friend.

Asmaa was also very proud she was making so many new friends.

She and Yara were in a couple of courses together, which was done purposefully for the sake of students forming study groups to help each other along and get to know the rest of their 1L's. Why Asmaa hadn't joined a study group yet, she had no idea.

"You should come with us, sometime. Study together," Yara suggests. "I know it helps me a lot with my organization," she laughs, "and lack of willpower."

"Oh goodness, that sounds amazing," Asmaa agrees, liking the sound of this tremendously. She lived for new friendship.

"We're getting together tonight," she offers. "If you're free to join."

"Ah," Asmaa groans. "I can't tonight, I'm sorry."

"Already have plans."

"Exactly," Asmaa nods.

It was Thursday night. She worked.

"Some other time, though," she says.

Yara grins. "Of course. You'd be surprised how helpful these groups are."

"I can imagine," says Asmaa. And she laughs, mostly to herself. "I could use the help. Maybe I won't fail out of King's, now."

"Exactly," Yara laughs. "Exactly the point."

And as the lights come on across campus, the sky darkening around them, Asmaa pauses in front of a large building.

Yara notices her stopping. "Are you--?"

"Waiting for a friend," she nods. But she digs around for her phone, waiting to see if Kezie's texting her, and also to finally respond to the picture Ayat had sent.

No hijab?

She regrets sending the text immediately, mostly because she was no better. Their mother would be mad at both of them.

"Oh," Minuyara nods. "Okay. Well," she grins, hiking a thumb over her shoulder, "Next time?"

"Yes," Asmaa smiles genuinely. "It's a date."

"Perfect," and Minuyara starts for the quad. "See you later! Don't forget to check out those internships."

Asmaa waves, "I definitely won't."

She watches the girl part ways, just as Kezie comes jogging from the building, her smile growing as she catches sight of Asmaa.

"Aren't you just a cutie," Asmaa grins as Chikezie links arms, placing a quick kiss on her cheek. "Feels like I haven't seen my Kezie in a minute."

"I know," she nods, scrunching her nose. "Why is that?"

"Because you've been off with Calum..."

"I haven't, actually," she grins. "It's actually because you've been runnin' round with Zayn."

Asmaa side-eyes her, leading her back across campus, towards the parking lot.

Kezie grins. "Rory told me."

"Of course she did."

"She's living through you, ma. She's single, lonely and bitter."

Asmaa chokes.

"And I'm only kidding," Kezie laughs. "But, you should ask her about her ex sometime. They broke up because he literally hated Phoenix."

"Really?"

Kezie nods, "But he was super insecure, anyway. Desi didn't like him much."

"Who does she like?" Asmaa laughs.

"Us," Kezie grins. "And honestly, the longer you get to know Des, the more you realize that the people she likes, she really likes."

"And," Asmaa is touched, "I'm included in that?"

"What?" Kezie jerks her head back, blinking rapidly. "Uh, duh, Asmaa," she snorts, shaking her head with her laughter. "Duh."

And Asmaa doesn't even have a chance to say that she's beyond touched by this, but Kenzie's moved onto another thought.

"Hey," she looks up, nose wrinkled as they approach the parking lot, looking to catch sight of Rory's bright headlights. "Have I ever told you about Harry?"

Asmaa's nose wrinkles, too. "Harry?"

"I'll take that as a 'no,'" she giggles. "Yes, Harry," she purses her lips. "I met him a few weeks back," she shrugs. "If we're still talking by March, I think I might invite him to Blaire's wedding."

Asmaa gasps. She frogot all about Blaire's wedding and possibly bringing dates to it--she could add that to the list of things she should be keeping in mind, and wasn't.

"Wait, so...No Calum?"

"Actually, funny story," Kezie laughs, "He's Calum's friend."

"Shut up, Kezie."

"Honest," she replies.

"And you think Calum's gonna be okay with that?" Asmaa exclaims. "He is your friend, right? He's not going to freak out?"

"Pssh, no."

Asmaa purses her lips. "Okay..."

"Okay, I...Okay, well I don't know exactly what he'd do..."

"Really?" Asmaa asks. She didn't know Calum; never met the guy, but by the stories she'd heard, she doubted he'd be cool with this. In her mind, Calum seemed to really like Kezie, no matter what he said. Why else would he have such a problem with Phoenix?

"You're sure?" She prods, "'Cause I've got a pretty good idea."

"Okay, so in all seriousness, he might freak out--"

Asmaa laughs, "Kezie!"

"Which is why I haven't told him! Besides," she tuts as they approach the parking lot, searching for Rory's G-Wagon, "We're just talking. We really are just friends."

Asmaa lifts an eyebrow. "You haven't gone out?"

Kezie shakes her head, "No, no, no...Not at all."

"But...You like him?"

She laughs, "Not like you like Zayn."

Asmaa snorts.

"No, but seriously. We really just started talking. It's still pretty new, ma. I don't even know what this is, to tell you the truth."

"Gosh..." is Asmaa's only real response. There was so much going on, and even though it was Fall and Blaire's wedding wasn't until Spring, she was starting to really worry that somehow, her life was being filled with a few too many things she was capable of handling.

Maybe she was overreacting.

But, maybe she wasn't.

And the girls spot Rory at the edge of the parking lot just as Asmaa's phone buzzes in her hand.

It's Ayat.

Call me so we can talk

Asmaa could add this to her list.

__

y'all remember who else works for Google? *heh heh heh...*

-also i miss the boys so they're coming soon don't worry
-also poor baby my asmaa is scressed lol
-also I changed my covers guysssss!