Chapter Two - Back to the Past

The day crawled by slowly as Sabrina moved from class to class. She felt numb and invisible. She tried hard to focus but no matter how hard she tried, the memory of those cold blue eyes haunted her. She couldn't even believe this was happening. By the end of the day she absurdly wondered if maybe it was all a dream.

Yes, that's it. She thought. I'll be waking up now.

But she didn't wake up and that made her feel even worse.

Finally the last bell of the day rang and she stumbled out into the hallway. Students pushed past her as she absentmindedly made her way to her locker, eager of only one thing: to get home and far away from here. 

"Hey!" Leila greeted, seeming to pop up out of nowhere. 

She smiled cheekily as Sabrina stared into her locker. The hallway was noisy, full of students who were rushing to get home. Sabrina ached to join them.

"I'm so happy you're in my chemistry class. This means I wont fail!" Leila joked, pausing for Sabrina to laugh or offer up a snarky comment.

Sabrina, however, hardly noticed her best friend's attempt to cheer her up.

"Sabrina...are you alright?" Leila asked quietly, gently touching her shoulder.

Sabrina looked up into Leila's soft grey eyes. Her forehead was lined with worry. Sabrina forced a smile and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine." she said.

"No." Leila stated, growing even more worried. "You're not. So, naturally, I'm going to take you out for a nice cold smoothie!" She exclaimed, her face brightening as if smoothies were the only logical solution to the world's problems.

Sabrina appreciated her friends effort in cheering her up but the last thing she wanted was a smoothie.

"Nah. Maybe some other time." She refused, politely, feeling a stab of regret as she watched Leila's newly excited face drop.

She bid her sulking friend goodbye and exited the school as fast as she could, following the stream of students who were practically sprinting outside. On the way to the bus stop she wondered why life was purposely making her miserable.

* * *

That night she thought about Khalid. She was sitting at her desk, pondering over her math homework - which she thought was cruel of her math teacher to give her on the first day of school. She sighed unable to focus on the numbers and graphs which seemed to float before her eyes. She put down her pencil and pushed back her chair. Khalid's evil glare was burned in her mind.

He used to be so nice, she thought sadly. He used to be so innocent.

But that was before, when they were in Elementary and had no traces of cruelty or hatred. They were just two friends who didn't even know about racial differences. He didn't mind her light brown skin anymore than she minded his Arabic roots. They were just two, young, playful friends who enjoyed each others company. Unbiased. Uncorrupted.

It was Junior High that changed everything. It was the kids who were taught not to mingle with kids other than their kind. It was the opinion that Indian people were curry eaters and Arab haters. But Khalid and Sabrina continued their friendship; continued hanging out after school, waiting for Sabrina's mom to pick her up. It was the fact that they were different.

Sabrina thought Khalid didn't care. She enjoyed watching his eyes dance when he talked. She enjoyed his funny remarks and conversations. She loved watching his face light up when he laughed. Khalid made her world a better place. But she was wrong when she thought he didn't care. She started to notice how he began avoiding her during her school. She started to notice that he was changing; that they were both teenagers now. One day he told her that he did drugs and made her promise not to tell anyone else. She kept quiet for his sake.

It was a jealous girl named Leena Ali who ruined their friendship. Sabrina found out later that Leena had a crush on Khalid and wanted to separate them, noticing their friendship, which only became obvious after school, as they never even looked at each other during it. Maybe it was because they secretly did know that they were different and didn't belong in each others groups. Maybe they just didn't like hanging out when others were around. They only opened up to each other when they were alone.

But it didn't matter after Leena told the principal that Khalid did drugs. It was her master plan; to cause him to turn his anger on Sabrina. And that's what he did, because he only told one person: her. She still didn't know how Leena had found out - but she did, and she'd ruined everything.

"How could you?" Khalid asked, barging in the room.

Sabrina had been finishing an assignment after school that day. The teacher had left to get something from the library leaving her alone in an empty classroom.

"What?" she asked, looking up to Khalid's red face.

He fumed down at her, his eyes glowing like blue fire. His hands were clenched into tight fists and he glared at her making her sink into the desk. She had never seen him that angry before. Not at her, anyway.

"Someone told the principal that I do drugs." He seethed, eyeing her menacingly. "How could you, Sabrina. Why?"

"But I didnt-"

"You were the only one who knew!" He all but shouted."Who else could it have been?"

"Please listen!" Sabrina said, standing up. "I don't know who told on you but it wasn't me."

"Oh, shut up Paki."

Sabrina's mouth dropped open in shock. She couldn't believe Khalid had just called her that - she wasn't even Pakistani! Anger surged through her veins. She thought Khalid was different but now she realized that he harbored the same hatred that his friends did.

"Oh please, its just like you people to go around telling people your secrets and then blaming the non-Arabs." She scoffed, spitting out her words

She was so mad she didn't even know what she was saying. She'd never thought that about Arabs? Then why did she say it? To hurt Khalid just like he had hurt her? 

Khalid stared at her, the words sinking into him. His face twisted into a cruel snarl.

"Don't ever talk to me again, you little Arab-hater." He growled, and then rushed out of the room.

She stood there in the empty classroom letting the silence weigh down on her. She stared at the spot where Khalid had stood, and slowly sank into her chair. 

 That night she had never cried so hard in her life.

After that night everything changed. Khalid spread the word about her hatred towards Arabs and, naturally, they didn't take it too well. Wherever she went, she was followed by snide comments and insults. She came home with bruises where people had "accidentally" shoved or tripped her. One day she found herself surrounded, by a group of girls led by Leena.

They sneered down at her, pinching her arms and shoving her around. Sabrina couldn't take it anymore. She broke down, yelling and screaming every profanity and cuss word she knew. After she was done, she burst into tears watching the other girls' eyebrows rise. Their faces were delighted. They had wanted her to cry. 

"Wow." Leena said as the other girls wandered off, satisfied. "Khalid was right: you are a mess."

"Shut up." Sabrina hissed, through her tears."You don't even know Khalid."

"And you do?" Leena asked. "Oh right - of course you do. You stalked him and pried out his secrets and then sold him out when he trusted you."

Sabrina stared at her.

"What?" She screamed.

"And just so you know, I do know him. I know he does drugs for instance." Leena smirked at her, pointedly.

Sabrina froze, her mind switching into over drive. Her head was getting so overworked that she couldn't think straight. Finally she found her voice.

"You told." She whispered. "It was y-you?"

Leena snickered, as Sabrina stared at her, angrily.

"Why?" Sabrina demanded.

"Because he liked you." Leena spit out, her face disgusted. "I couldn't let him fall for you." 

Sabrina then understood that Leena's actions weren't racist. She liked him and couldn't stand him talking to another girl. But Leena's words also confused her. Did Khalid really like her that way. But the most important thing was: she could tell him that it wasn't her! She could tell him that Leena was the snitch. They probably wouldn't be friends again but at least he wouldn't hate her half as much.

Her face must have brightened because Sabrina could still remember the way Leena's mouth lifted up at the corner, her eyes laughing in malice.

"Oh." Leena said, innocently. "You think he'll believe you?" She laughed in her face, flipping her hair and turning around.

"He'll never believe you." She said over her shoulder, with a twisted smile.

* * *

After that she couldn't stand school. She couldn't stand Khalid or Leena. Leila made it better, comforting her and making her laugh. Leila became the only reason she would bother waking up in the morning. But Leila wasn't there after school. No one was there, while she waited for her mother to get off work. She missed Khalid then, she missed his smile and the delighted look his eyes got whenever he did something dangerous. 

After a while she came to accept it. And now she thought staring at her desk, she understood why Allah had plucked him out of her life. He didn't turn out to be the best influence anyway, she thought. But that just made her pity him. It was sad to see one of her best friends - even if he was her ex best friend - fall under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

She thought about that for a while longer. About how innocent people start off but, when they grow up they turn into what society wants them to be. We do what society wants us to do, she thought.

We're only as good as society allows us to be.

_____________________________________________________________________________

(Khalid's pic on the side)

So once again: I'm NOT trying to offend anyone. Just because my characters are Arab and Indian does not mean all Arabs and Indians act this way. The only reason I'm writing this is to shed light on a serious dilemma: the hatred we have for our OWN kind. C'mon people, were Muslim. I mean I understand if you don't like people that don't share your beliefs - even then its not good- but at least don't hate on your own brothers and sisters in Islam! How are we supposed to spread Islam if we're fighting among ourselves.

Vote and comment if you like it!