Chapter Four - The New Girl

"Oh, come now," Leena said, icily, her mouth stretching in a wide smirk. "Is that any way to greet an old acquaintance?"

"Acquaintance?" Sabrina asked. More like Satan, she thought.

Leena raised her eyebrows as if she was saying: Oh I'm not an acquaintance? My bad. I know full well I'm the enemy here. And I enjoy every second of it. Sabrina couldn't believe her bad luck. Of course life wasn't going to just stop at Khalid, she thought bitterly. Of course it was going to throw in Leena as well.

Ya Allah, why me? Sabrina asked, mentally.

"What are you even doing here?" Sabrina asked as if she didn't know the answer. She was hoping she was wrong, though.

"Me?" Leena smirked. "I go to this school. What are you doing here?"

Sabrina was quiet. She didn't want this. She didn't want history to repeat itself. She didnt want Leena's face leering over hers and Khalid's bitter remarks as she stumbled down the hallway with her head down. No, she thought, not again.

Not this time.

"Why do you care?" She asked. "Go stick your nose in someone else's business."

Leena's eyes flashed, distaste washing over her face. Her lips parted in an anger.

"Don't think I don't know why you're here." She growled. "Don't you Indian people have anything better to do than go around and wreak other people's lives? Cant you people just stay at away from us and eat your stupid curry?"

"What the - I'm not trying to ruin your lives!" Sabrina said, throwing up her hands.

"Yeah right. Go back to India and eat your disgusting-"

"Hey!" Sabrina yelled. "I wanna ask you a question: did you choose to be Arab?"

Leena scowled and stared at Sabrina like she had just suggested that fish were intelligent creatures and planned to destroy all of humanity.

"What does that have to do with anything?" she asked, rudely.

"Just answer me!" Sabrina persisted.

"Well...no, I didn't choose to be Arab. Now what-"

"Then how can you insult me for something that we cant even control?" Sabrina shouted. "I didn't choose to be Indian. You didnt choose to be Arab. Do you realize how pathetic it is to make fun of where someone is from when you have no right to? Being Indian wasn't my choice. So what gives you the right to make fun of me for it?"

Leena was quiet for a moment. She looked like she was actually thinking of what Sabrina had said. But then her eyes snapped and her face twisted in resentment.

"If you're so smart," she hissed, "then why did you make fun of Arabs back in Junior High, huh? Khalid told me, you know. About what you said. What makes you so high and mighty you, little hypocrite."

"But that was different. I was angry and I didn't mean it- " Sabrina began, but was cut off.

"Shut up and think about what you say before it comes out of that stupid little mouth." Leena spit out, turned and stalked away, her hair flying after her. 

* * *

Leena was right about one thing: she shouldn't have said that about Arabs back then. 

Sabrina stared out the window, as the bus stopped to pick up more passengers. She watched a bird sing happily, perched on a small tree. It flew off as Sabrina stared after it absentmindedly. She needed to prove somehow that she didn't hate Arabs. But how, she thought desperately. How do I prove to someone that I don't hate them when they just don't want to believe me?

The bus resumed its route, as trees turned to green blurs as they whizzed by. Sabrina looked up into the sky as if it held an answer. Wisps of clouds streaked across it, decorating the heavens. Once, her mother told Sabrina that everywhere she turned she would find Allah. Sabrina searched the sky and there He was in the curve of the clouds, the gentle hue of the sky, the swaying trees that seemed to bow down to His will.

The creator is close to its creation, right? Sabrina thought. The creator knows his creation. She closed her eyes and reached into a small spark of hope that still flickered inside of her.

Help me, Allah. Please. 

* * *

The next few days were pretty quiet and quite event less. Sabrina was hoping that the whole week would stay that way, but on Friday morning as she left for school, a bad feeling bubbled in the pit in her stomach. Anxiety brewed in her chest the way it did whenever something was about to happen. She entered the school building, dreading class and life in general.

She walked to her locker, passing students who mostly glanced her way and turned away, as if she wasn't there at all. A few raised eyebrows and whispered comments to their friends, eyeing her up and down. She ignored them and kept her head low. Unfortunately she caught a few of their words and caused tears to prick at her eyes. Its happening again, she thought. She tried to drown out their words but they kept repeating themselves in her mind.

Curry in a hurry.

Paki scum.

Wow shes as brown as shi-

"Assalamu'alaikum!" Leila greeted, cheerfully, sliding up next to her as they reached her locker.

"Walaikum'aslaam." Sabrina returned, trying to control tears that had been threatening to escape.

"Oh my gosh, guess what?" Leila began, before listing down things that Sabrina couldn't care less about like which T.V shows were being aired that day and how Leila finally found her lost iPhone case under her bed that morning. 

She suspected that Leila was just trying to keep her mind off things - like Khalid - and secretly, Sabrina was thankful for that. She even joined in on the conversation, adding her sarcastic thoughts.

"Really, you found your phone case? OH THANK ALLAH! What would we have done if you hadn't!"

Leila gave her a narrowed eyed glare at her input, which almost sent Sabrina into a fit of giggles, if it hadn't been for a tall girl with a short red dress who chose that precise moment to come strutting down the hall.

As she passed, Leena Ali gave Sabrina an icy stare before running her hand through her hair. She raised her chin, her nose in the air and continued to make her way down the hall. A few girls - whom Sabrina recognized as the human barbie dolls - walked beside her, swaying their hips, obnoxiously.

"Um, someone should inform Miss Top Model that this is a school not a club," Leila drawled, sarcastically. "Oh and, might I add, the hallway in NOT the Red Carpet."

"Be my guest." Sabrina snickered, raising her hands in mock surrender. "I'm sure she's dying to have someone come along to correct her delusions."

"I just might." Leila huffed, sticking out her chest.

The bell rang and the hallway was suddenly swarming with students who looked as if they would rather eat a handful of nails then go to class. Leila and Sabrina joined the traffic and headed to their first class. They laughed and joked along the way and Sabrina almost forgot about the boiling anxiety that had been stirring in her chest since she woke up.

Almost.

* * *

Lunch time.

The sweet smell of pizza and fries and other fatty, heavenly goodness wafted through the cafeteria as Sabrina and Leila dug into their lunch and talked through mouthfuls of food. Leila did most of the talking while Sabrina ate and tried to avoid the occasional glances that were coming from Khalid's table. She heard a few snickers when she bit into her poutine and a trail of melted cheese dripped down her chin.

She quickly wiped at it, her cheeks turning pink as she focused on Leila who had been talking about her annoying brother. Suddenly Leila stopped and raised an eyebrow as she stared over Sabrina's shoulder. Sabrina turned to look saw a short, pale girl that was gazing at them, shyly. A frilly pink hijab was stylishly wrapped around her head. Her wide, hazel eyes blinked slowly.

"Asslamu'alaikum." She said softly. "Can I sit here? Everywhere else is taken."

"Walaikum'asslaam. And of course." Leila beamed, moving aside so the girl could sit down.

"Thanks." She whispered, shyly.

"So, um, are you new? I don't think I've seen you around before." Leila mused.

"Yes." The girl answered. "My family just moved here from Lebanon."

Leila's eyebrows went up and she sent Sabrina an appalled glance. Sabrina understood it and was herself thinking the same thing. That the only reason this Arab girl was sitting here holding a polite conversation with them was because she was new. Sabrina decided not to get too cozy with her because she just knew that she would end up hating her when she heard that Sabrina apparently had something against all the Arabs in the world.

"I'm Leila, by the way." Leila said, introducing herself. "And that's Sabrina - she's mute." 

"Hey!" Sabrina protested.

The new girl giggled and peered at Sabrina closely. Her pale skin made her warm eyes stand out in her beautiful face. The fact that she had no make up on and still looked like a model must have been driving Leila crazy, thought Sabrina. 

"I'm Emaan." She said and then paused. "And you're very pretty, Sabrina." 

Sabrina sat there, struck dumb. She mumbled a thank you and wondered if Emaan was half blind because no one called Sabrina pretty - especially when Leila was around. Leila was the beautiful one with her soft grey eyes and her milk white skin. Compared to Leila, Sabrina was as noticeable as a tree. While Sabrina sat there, wondering which eye care professional she should recommend to Emaan, Leila spoke up.

"Sure. As pretty as Einstein with his tongue hanging out of his mouth" Leila grinned, causing Sabrina to glare at her best friend.

"So, where are you two from?" Emaan asked, shaking her head and smiling.

"India." Leila and Sabrina said in unison.

They always made that clear when they met someone new before people automatically thought Sabrina was from Pakistan and Leila was from Lebanon. Their answer made Emaan's eyebrows rise, probably because she thought Leila was too pale skinned to be Indian. She opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by a sharp voice.

"Oh hello." 

The three girls glanced up to see Leena, who was busy eyeing up Emaan. 

"Are you new here, sweetie?" she asked, her voice fake with concern. "Because you seem to be sitting at the wrong table."

"Um, no. I wanted to sit here and these girls let me." Emaan said quietly. 

"Oh no, you don't understand. But don't worry, you will soon." Leena said icily, turning her gaze onto Sabrina. "You don't want to get mixed up with these two."

"Thanks, but I can already see who I don't want to get mixed up with." Emaan answered, looking at Leena intently.

Leila and Sabrina looked at each other in amazement, while Leena stared at her and then sniffed.

"Fine then. Don't say I didn't warn you." She grumbled and then stalked away.

Emaan stared at her coldly, and the glanced at Leila and Sabrina who were gazing at her in shock.

"Does anyone else feel like running them over with a bus?" She asked, breaking the silence.

"THAT'S WHAT I SAID!" Leila remarked, with a laugh.

"Were they saying that about you because you guys are Indian?" Emaan asked, quietly.

Sabrina and Leila looked at each other again and turned to Emaan. 

"Sort of." Leila said slowly.

"Well, that's horrible!" Emaan gasped. "How dare they make fun of people just because of which part of the world that they're from!"

Leila nodded, while Sabrina stayed silent gazing at Emaan thoughtfully. She wondered what Emaan would say when she found out that Sabrina allegedly hated all Arabs in existence. She wondered if she would defend her like she did today, or agree with them just like all the other Arabs agreed without any proof or evidence that suggested otherwise.

An Arab defended an Indian girl from an Arab, she thought to herself. Sure, Emaan didn't know the whole story. But she was still nice enough to defend someone she had just met. If Sabrina had thought all Arabs were mean and cruel like Leena, she had reason to believe otherwise, after today.

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(Emaan's pic on side)

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