That Winter You Came (Completed)

Episode 16

November was hard.
Although i didn't love Salim. Still my separation from him hurt me so much.
Hurt me to the point i could not hold my self in gym class and i fell to the ground crying and breathing hard.
I always was a crying baby and i had no control over the drift of my emotions. Maybe because i was bullied both at home and school that my crying point dropped so much. Or maybe i had extra production of tears in my eyes and so i needed to empty my stock more often than normal people would do.
Anyways i cried until i had no more tears.. And by December, i was hopeless and a lot better.
My birthday passed in November 21. Since i was in a low shape i had no heart to celebrate it and even when yassmine gave me a wrapped gift box i shamelessly said:
_" just hold it with you until i'm better. When i'm better i'll tell you to bring it. I want to enjoy your gift fully"
And she couldn't but agree.
So when December came and before the first exams period i realised my promise in one of the rare opportunities where i kept a promise.
And i said to yassmine:
_" bring me that gift. I'm ready for it now"
Once i finished talking .. Yassmine's smile went from ear to ear and she sneakily said:
_" i knew you would say so this week. So i held it with me everyday!"
She looked right .. She looked left. And then she said:
_" it won't work.. We have to open my gift in the girls restroom in school break. Keep your spirits high you will be so pleased with my surprise!"
I wasn't only surprised with her gift. I was terrified!
She brought me a full makeup box!
_" this must have cost you a fortune!" I shouted.
_" it's ok, i only have one friend"
I stared at the beautiful box and i could only matter:
_" thank you so much"
With a joyful smile.
I had no idea how to apply make up. So Yassmine did it for me.
_" i bought it especially for you to look prettier. Because the girl must definitely look prettier after break up to make the boy regret losing her"
She even undone my scarf and put if again for me.
_" you'll definitely make boys fall for you today!" She commented after she finally was satisfied with the work she did.
Yassmine was so consumed with me that she forgot all about time and so we walked inside the classroom 15 minutes late.
The impatient French teacher kicked us out right away.
We only laughed in amusement.
Yassmine looked at me as we stood outside the class like refugees and said:
_" i get 6 out of 20 in French in my better days. I recopy the questions in the answering sheet in my worst. So i find it more useful to spend the french class in the fresh air here"
I looked at her freezing of cold and commented:
_" yes .. So fresh that your nose is crying"
We kept laughing and joking until the impatient teacher of French suddenly popped her head out of the door and said:
_" are you enjoying your time so much? .. You come inside the class right away and tell us how fun is it to skip classes!"
Although she made us stand on the board in front of everyone and forced us to talk about " our experience out of the class"
We still stared at her and said words that made her hair gets greyer. Not feeling the tiniest ashamed.
I'd like to call that day .. My day free of Salim.
And the day i was ready for a new start.
I studied hard for the first exams although the results didn't reflect my hard working that much.
All was going better until that day in winter Holidays when my older brother suddenly surprised us at the dinner table saying:
_" i'm going to Spain"
Going to Spain meant "going to Spain illegally" 
My father was in the house that day.. It was one of the rare times when he was home from work.
He looked tired. He looked old .. And he looked like he couldn't handle my brother's problem anymore.
He gave him a cold look and said:
_" if you're going in those drowning boats then stick your identify card on your chest under your clothes. Don't bother us coming to the morgue and checking so many dead bodies before finding you"
With just that being said. My brother dropped the whole idea of going to Spain.
What is the point of being rebellious when your parents are colder than ice and harder that stone?
I knocked on his room that night and i asked to talk to him. When he finally agreed i asked:
_"why do you want to go to Spain?"
He gave me half a look and said:
_" i want to make money. And i want to make it very fast"
_" what for? You have debts?"
_" No" he hushed.
He looked at the door .. He went to check if anyone was eavesdropping on us and then he came back to me and said:
_" i'm going to tell you something really important. If this reaches your mother's ears i will kill you"
_" have i ever told your mother anything?" I asked.
And that was enough to reassure him.
He took a deep breathe and he said:
_" there's a girl"
I smiled right away.
All men's problems start with "there's a girl"
_" she's saying if i don't go ask for her hand in a month she will accept her cousin's hand"
I looked at him with a sneaky smile. Rested my self comfortably on his bed and said:
_" just relax .there's no such cousin who asked her hand at all, i'm a girl and i know girls"
He looked at me confused.
And as of that moment i became his instructor in love.
I helped him to coax his girlfriend. To choose gifts for her and write her beautiful messages.
Of course it was forbidden for me to have a boyfriend but it was all allowed for him to have a romance!
I tried to let my heart be bigger and just assist my dumb brother.
It worked well until that day when he asked:
_" she can't meet me tomorrow because her brother is accompanying her. So i need you to pretend that you're a friend of hers who met her in the street by coincidence and hand her this envelop in secret"
I agreed. Obviously because i couldn't refuse.
When i came back to my room i checked up what was in that envelop by curiosity.
I found a small phone and a sim card.
My brother's precious girl must have been caught talking to him in phone and so her phone was taken from her.
Every Algerian house had a brother like mine. Who would forbid his sisters from having a boyfriend. And who would date someone else's sister.
Anyways i had nothing to do with my brother's business . i only had to act like an obedient sister and do what he asked.
So the next day first thing in the morning i woke up and started applying the make up Yassmine has given me. Somehow i managed to do it good, I put on my best clothes and i fixed my scarf perfectly.
When my brother looked at me he was satisfied.
He told my mother he was taking me to shop and then first thing we left he started ordering me here and there , and guided me all the way.
When we finally reached the planned location i finally got to see my brother's girl from behind.
She put on a conservative Hijab. That was my first remark.
A hijab that showed nothing of her figure but you could guess that she's tall and a bit chubby.
I don't have a clear idea about the girls who puts conservative hijab. To me they are either too religious or too fake.
Religious because they put it out of understanding and acceptance. Which is something to envy.
Fake because well, some girls only put it to "pretend" they are religious.  As if they cover their ugly nude character with much cloth.
So when my brother asked:
_" how do you find her?"
I looked at him impatiently and said:
_" how can i judge her from behind? .. Except for her black hijab i see nothing!"
That ungrateful brother of mine suddenly pushed me from behind and said:
_" just give her the $%&$ envelop. I'm the wrongful here.. How did i expect a brainless like you to be smart"
I just glared at him and decided to execute his stupid plan.
So i walked straight ahead. I stopped at the small shop where his girl was standing. Pretended that i was going through the winter coats and then i turned to look at her.
"Beautiful"
Was my second impression of her.
She had round brown eyes . small nose and small lips. She looked like a little girl's face put in a woman's physique.
You wouldn't expect such girl to keep my brother on his nerves and play with his head and heart.
I tried to make my self familiar with her and i shouted:
_" Hidaya! What a coincidence!"
The girl looked at me startled at the beginning but she immediately adapted to the plan.
She gave me a wide smile .. And then she excitedly said:
_" Ooh Nadia! I missed you so much!"
I knew that her brother was around. But i didn't know who he was exactly.
So i just stuck to the plan. I gave her a warm hug.. I talked to her casually as if we were long friends .
In the middle of our conversation a tall chubby man appeared in front of us.
He looked at hidaya.. He looked at me and he asked:
_" who is this?"
_" this is my friend"
The chubby man seized me from head to toe as if i was some merchandize.
He looked exactly like his sister.. But he had a thick beard.
So you can imagine that little boy's face with a beard.
I didn't take his freaking look to heart.. I had no idea that i was saying "hello" to my next problem.
The winter holidays soon finished and the first day of second term started.
I was walking with Mimi to school when i captured Hidaya's brother walking not so far from us.
I thought it was only a coincidence so i didn't take it to heart.
I didn't know that right after Mimi went to join her friends he would jump in front of me and say with fake innocence:
_" good morning! We meet again!"
I usually wouldn't talk to strange men.. But for the sake of my brother and his future wife i decided to lower my already low IQ and said:
_" oh yes.. What a chance encounter!"
This stupid "chance encounter" went for days! At first i thought that he only suspected my character since he always asked:
_" where did i meet his sister?" .. " how did we become friends?" .. "Where we met usually?"
And he had every reason to suspect me.
I was 17 .. His sister was 23.

I even discussed this with Yassmine.
And we both had no idea.
_" everyone thinks you're a couple though.. Salim looked awful these days and run out of the class first thing in lunch time not to see you together"
I sighed and said:
_" he must think that i'm going for Rayan for serious . even "i" i'm finding this plan getting lame. I don't want to revenge anymore "
_" then what do you want?" She asked with a serious tone.
I took a deep breathe and i said honestly:
_" when he walks with me i feel like my heart is going to jump out of my chest .. When he eats with me i'm so nervous that i hardly eat. I'm not some femme fatale .. I see that the only one who is getting hurt in this revenge plan is me and i want to stop it. He doesn't love me and he'll never do"
Yassmine only nodded and said:
_" do as you please"
And so that very evening i stood in front of Rayan at the end of the class and i said:
_" i want to talk to you"
He nodded .. And then he waited with me until the class was empty.
When we were finally alone i looked at him nervously and i ordered:
_"apologize to me"
He looked at me surprised.. So i explained:
_" if you apologize i'll tell you the whole truth. If you don't apologize i'll keep lying like i did before"
He looked even more surprised. Yet he cleared his throat and said:
_" i'm sorry, i'm truly sorry .. Are you satisfied now?"
I nodded.
I needed huge strength to put an end to Rayan Amer's existence in my life.
I knew that after i'll tell him about my little revenge plan he'll hate me for good and wouldn't try to talk to me again.
And that would be just perfect for me.