Before I knew it, it was the day before June. The air was buzzing with conversation about the school year ending in three weeks wherever you went. It was still early, and homeroom was still relatively empty when Ameena made Salah and I sit before we went to our lockers.

"So...um," she absently sketched something in her notebook. "I'm going to prom with a guy my parents are talking to for marriage," she said.

Salah and I shared a loud gasp. Ameena's pale face quickly went red with a blush at our reaction.

"Ameena! I'm happy for you!" I exclaimed, my face beaming from imagining how pretty Ameena would look for the prom and her future wedding. Masha'Allah. Mama said to compliment something, so the evil eye wouldn't ruin it. "Who's the blessed guy?"

"I'm not ready to tell," Ameena said, hiding her face behind her notebook.

"You better tell us, girl! We're gonna be your only bridesmaids," Salah teased.

"I have cousins, too, you know!"

The idea of spending prom with someone who loved you left me sighing for the rest of the school day. I wished I could have had the start of a fairytale love life like Ameena's... but I knew it wouldn't be anything like that for me.

That didn't stop me from daydreaming on the bus ride home, imagining what it would be like to wear fancy clothes to a party that Valentino just so happened to show up at. He'd tell me he rekindled his relationship with his mom and sister and now wanted to marry me. Honking from the road broke me out of my thoughts.

I got off at the next stop and reviewed the work I'd been doing in class for final grades. Once I had done so, I hastily settled in front of my laptop to log in to CrusadEon Online.

Heyyy what's up

Not much

Just finished homework

Ugh

Lol my sentiment exactly

But all my teachers are really strict about these senior projects

They tell us we better not catch senioritis soon

"Interesting," Valentino said, switching to voice chat. "Sounds like you go to my high school," he laughed.

I inhaled sharply. But my anxiousness quickly turned to relief when Valentino didn't press me further.

"I'm not sure if you're familiar with this, but my school offered these additional classes, and it's been paying off. I applied for a couple of sports scholarships, too, and I'm waiting to hear back. I plan on reaching out to my mom for one of them. But I'm seriously done with school."

That's amazing!

I really think you can do it!!

And I'm SO done with school too

I hope it all works out <3

"Yeah, a few more weeks, then GOODBYE, high school!"

Saaaame

By the wayyyyy

R u going to prom?

"Hmm. Actually, I don't even know if I'm going. Maybe I'll ditch prom and hang out in-game with you. I mean..." He paused. "Assuming you're not going to prom, either."

My fingers froze over the keyboard, and my heart pounded wildly in my ears. I assumed Clara would be his prom date...but he'd rather spend his prom with me!

"We could maybe play together that night?" he continued. "Maybe side by side at a library somewhere?"

I swallowed hard. I needed him to go to prom. The butterflies in my chest were bats now, screeching and heavy as I typed out a lie.

I have plans with my parents prom weekend actually

Sorry :(!!

"Hey, no worries. I'll be here after you come back."

Good to know :)

Sorry I have to be afk

Be back in 5

I twirled around in my chair before getting up to go to the bathroom. I stared at my reflection in the mirror and messed around with my hair.

Valentino couldn't go to prom with me as Salah suggested. And now...he likes me so much offline that he wants to spend prom with me again, too?

"Calm down, Inaya. Don't overthink it. Don't overthink it," I repeated the mantra as I exited the bathroom, much more composed now. He'll go to prom since Tireya said she wasn't. Then I'll get to meet him...

The chest bats flew away. Mama was standing in the middle of my room with a plate of sliced apples and hazelnut-spread sandwiches in her right hand. I could tell by her face that she had, no doubt, read what was on the screen.

"Is that the game you've been telling me? Are you chatting with people in the game?" A slight frown creased her forehead.

Dread filled my entire body. "Well..." I scrambled for answers. There was a high chance that my mom would get angry. But I could at least try to make her understand. "Sometimes, for quests and things like that, you have to befriend people in-game. To make it easier to create alliances and strengthen our game. It's nothing, Mama, really."

Just then, another message from Valentino popped up on my computer screen.

Tireya?

Still there?

It caught Mama's attention. "This chat looks more like you're talking to strangers about personal stuff here. Prom?" Mama shook her head. "You know how I feel about talking to guys..."

"No, you don't get it! He's not really a stranger!" I blurted out in defense. Mama's words were making my cheeks burn. "He's a boy I know from school..." After the words came out of my mouth, I bit my tongue. I didn't know which was worse for Mama to find out: talking to a stranger or talking casually to a boy I knew from school.

"A boy from school?" Mama put the food down to cross her arms in front of her chest. "Do you remember what we agreed when we got you a cellphone? Its main use is for communicating with me and your baba and also for anything school-related. Not for casual conversation with boys. I expect the same from you with your computer."

"It's okay. He doesn't even know it's me that he's talking to," I said. I chuckled a little, trying to relieve the tension. "I never told him."

But Mama's frown deepened. "You didn't tell him who you are? So, you're pretending to be someone else? Is that what you're telling me?"

My breathing quickened. It seemed like everything I said was making the situation worse.

"Well...what did I do wrong?" I stuttered, my hands clenched to fists at my side in angry defense. "I'm only typing things to him."

Mama sighed. "It's wrong to pretend to be someone you're not, Inaya. You know who he is, but he doesn't know who you are. Doesn't that sound like you're manipulating him?"

"That's not true!" I shot back. "Okay, he doesn't know it's me...but I'm not hurting him. We're just talking and being friends."

Even I knew that was a lie.

"It sounds like there's already some feelings involved here. He's opening up to you, but you have no intention to do the same might break his heart. This is such a mess," Mama said. "But you can still fix it before it gets worse."

I didn't say anything.

"Kiddo, please stop doing this. I promise it always feels good to do the right thing, even if it's not immediate."

"How do I know what's the right thing?" I mumbled.

"It's the decision closest to Allah's commands. If you follow anything else, you'll end up trapped in your emotions."

I stepped away from the door and gripped my elbows. I didn't know what to say. All I could think about was the blood rushing in my ears, how terrible things were right now that I had been caught talking to Valentino, and how terrible Mama was making me feel about my decisions.

"If letting you do whatever you wanted would make you truly happy, I'd let you do that. But as your mama and as a Muslim, I have to draw the line sometimes. So, whatever I'm saying, it comes from a place of love for your well-being, okay?"

Again, I said nothing. Mama walked past me, leaving the food on my desk, and I found the strength to walk back to my chair. I sat and swallowed hard at Valentino's messages.

Is your connection acting up?

I see you're still online

Btw just a reminder that the game is tmrw :)

In case you still wanna go

Id really appreciate it

My mind's been out of whack lately

Smh

I didn't want to imagine what could have made him lose focus. It had to be related to his family's problems, knowing mine was spiraling, too. But I couldn't bring myself to talk to him now that my mom's words were eating at my heart. Valentino liked Tireya. Maybe even loved her. If I ripped my mask off, would it break his heart?

Since he wasn't online, I couldn't reply to him. Instead, I typed out an offline letter.

I promise I'll think about coming to the game. Sorry I was afk again when you needed to talk. Later :)

And with that, I logged off the game.