I was on the road, driving back to the university when my phone started going off. I glanced over at the screen, quickly grabbing the phone. I accepted the call and put the phone on speaker, placing it in the cupholder to amplify the sound. "Asalam Walaikum." A feminine voice erupted into the car.

"Walaikum asalam, Fatimah." I responded. "What's up? Is something wrong?"

"Kind of. We don't have enough cars to deliver all of this food. Is there any way you could help? Most everyone else went home." My friend sounded desperate. I didn't want to turn her down and I had nothing else to do all day.

"I'm coming back to the masjid. A group of girls can come in my car." I responded, making a U-turn.

"Oh my gosh! Thank you so much! Jazakallah khair!" The girl responded in relief. "We'll be ready. How long till you get here?"

"Wa iyaki, love. Just five minutes." The roads were rather empty in this part of town, so it was quite easy to get back to the masjid. When I parked the car, a group of four girls I knew climbed in. They had three boxes of food with them. "So, where to first?"

I spent the rest of my afternoon driving all around town, helping to hand out food and to give extras to community help centers so their residents got some as well. I dropped the girls off at their homes, which couldn't have been more far from each other. I actually found it funny how each person was on the opposite part of town.

By the time I was on the road to university, it had hit 10pm. I was just hoping I could get back home safely, but my hopes came crashing down when my car started sputtering. I began to pull over but, the car slowly came to a stop on its own. I groaned loudly and hit my head on the steering wheel.

I had no idea what to do. I had never been in this type of situation before, so I had no idea who to ask for help. I decided to call my friends, hoping that one of them could come pick me up. I started with Estrella, but it went straight to voicemail. Then, Aileen, but her phone just kept ringing and no one ever picked up. And my last hope, Reina. When she didn't pick up, I leaned back in my seat with a loud groan. "Now what?" I got out of the car so I could pace because, for some odd reason, that calmed me down.

I began to scour my contacts for someone I could trust that could actually come and help. When the only other two people didn't pick up, I finally gave in and called Badr.

"Hello?" His voice was husky and deep, unlike usual.

"B- Badr?" I was nervous. I didn't want to ask him for help. I much preferred someone else, but this was my only way home.

"Salah?" He seemed to become more alert, the tiredness in his voice waining a bit. "Are you okay? Is something wrong?"

"Uhm... yeah." I managed to mumble. "I never did end up coming home, sorry. I was needed for some more help and I was just on my way back when... well, my car... it-uhm... it just stopped working." I rambled, allowing the embarrassment to set in.

"I'm on my way." He responded softly. "Stay near the car and on the phone with me, alright? Don't go talking to any strangers."

"I won't." I spoke quietly, leaning against the car door. "I'm sorry for bugging you... I woke you up, didn't I?"

"You did, but it's okay. It was an emergency." His voice was smooth and a little boyish. "Not saying you can't call me if it's not an emergency." Badr chuckled softly.

I smiled a bit, biting the inside of my cheek. "So what did you guys end up doing?"

"Played a couple board games, some video games, then we separated. Zakir and I went back to my dorm and the girls went off somewhere." He explained. "What about you? What'd you do all day?"

I told him about making food and how I had to be the extra driver. I even told him how the girls lived on the opposite sides of town and how it drove me crazy. "I honestly don't understand how four people can live so far apart!"

He laughed, "I bet you're really tired, huh?" He sounded genuinely concerned. "Have you eaten at all?"

"Don't worry, I'm okay." I bit back a smile. "Yeah, I'm tired, and no, I haven't eaten. But, I feel fine."

"You need to eat!" Badr exclaimed, "We're getting food on the way back."

"You don't have to do that. I'm sure you're tired as well, I did wake you up." I said softly.

"Nope. I'm fine. You barely ate this morning and if you haven't eaten since then, then you definitely need food." He argued. "I'm pulling up to you now."

A black coupé pulled over beside my car, Badr getting out of the car. He walked over to me and looked at my car. "Uhm, so what do I do now?"

"Well, do you know anything about cars?" He asked.

I shook my head. "Not at all."

"Okay, then I'm going to check to see if I can find out what's wrong. If not, we're gonna call your insurance company and you're gonna call your dad." He instructed, walking around the car to-presumably-check it for any busted tires.

I stood back, tapping my foot anxiously. "I can't afford another car." I tapped my fingers on my arm.

Badr looked up, "Hey, it's okay. I'm sure everything will be okay. Just pray to Allah (SWT) and everything will be fine, in sha Allah." He smiled. "Even if you don't get a car back, you've got your friends and ya know, the bus. Environmentally friendly?"

I laughed softly. "Yeah, true."

After another couple minutes, Badr stood back up. "The issue isn't one I can fix." He pulled out his phone. "Do you know your insurance company?"

I rubbed the back of my head sheepishly. "No?"

"Salah," He started, "Call your dad and get that information. Tell him what happened."

I nodded quickly and pulled out my phone. As the it rang, I couldn't help but think if Badr hadn't picked up the phone earlier, I don't know what I would've done. Thank god I had him as a friend.