THE FALLEN BLACK ROSE

4th Chapter

The number of students who were moving was far greater compared to the number of those who were static.

The street was overcrowded. Even though the students were walking in different unorganized directions, different vehicles were also moving bumper to bumper, creating a student-made traffic jam.

A group of male students, led by Faruq, were engaged in a heated discussion. It seemed like they were angry and shouting at each other.

"All your answers are incorrect, and yet you're claiming that the teacher favoured the females!" a tall boy shouted at Faruq.

"It's not my fault. I didn't hear the question correctly. If it weren't for that, you know there's no way these incompetent ladies could have beaten us," answered Faruq."

As Faruq stood in the middle of the group, the students around him burst into laughter. Suddenly, a dwarf among them stepped forward and confronted him. "You used to be a good student, but ever since Zahra arrived at this school, you've gone downhill. Instead of using your brain for studies, you've been wasting all your energy on love and trying to impress her."

The other student chimed in, nodding his head in agreement. "He's right, Faruq. You've been distracted by Zahra for too long."

Faruq left the group and walked over to his sister. Their words were swirling around in his head. He knew he was brilliant without Zahra, but he loved spending time with her. He couldn't imagine his life without her. To him, the past without her was like tea without sugar or a farm without real or biological plants. Could someone consider a black rose a natural plant? he asked himself.

"Faruq, this is your book. You left it with me during the break," he unexpectedly heard Zahra's golden voice. He closed his eyes and smiled, placing his hand on his chest.

"I put something inside. Have you read it?" Faruq said, smiling mischievously.

"No need. I told you" she paused, "we're just friends," Zahra completed.

"If I'm your friend, and I'm a boy too, why not let me be your boyfriend?" Faruq asked.

"I'm mature enough not to be in this black rose business," Zahra answered, handing the book back to Faruq's sister, Alia, who had collected it for him.

Alia, with red-rimmed eyes, asked her brother to follow her. "I told you, Faruq, you're too young to be in love. You need to focus more on your studies. You're in SS1 now, and these are the best years for building your academic life. You're the key actor in developing your future," she said to him while keeping an eye on Zahra, who was walking towards a beautiful car.

Faruq let out a deep sigh of relief and continued walking, with Alia following him closely. She held her bag on her shoulder, her mind racing with a thousand thoughts about her young brother's situation. Compared to herself, she didn't even believe that true love existed. She saw herself as a person whose heart had encountered various types of people, with most men only after fulfilling their own needs. When they realized that they couldn't satisfy their desires, they would simply run away, leaving a heartache behind. But here, with her brother being so young, she didn't think he needed any of that.

When they reached home, it was almost 2 p.m. Christiana welcomed them and hugged Faruq tightly. Then she asked them to drop their bags and follow her to the dining room. The kind of happiness they saw in her eyes told them that there must be something new.

"Oh my God," said Alia as she entered the dining room and saw her cousin Rukayya.

"I am speechless," Alia continued.

"Hey sister, it's been a long time. I even texted you several times to let you know I was coming to visit, but it seems like your phone was always out of reach. Do you remember what they call it when someone is unavailable on a chatting platform like 2go?" Rukayya asked.