Her and the Basketball Champion

chapter 22

All night, the only thing I can think about are the events of the evening. The way it was so hard for me to step away from Jonas' warm hands, not saying a word to him. His hurt expression.

My mind wouldn't stop replaying them, over and over again. Nonstop. Until it grew tired and I eventually fall asleep at 3am, my whole body submerged under my duvet, blocking out everything around me.

I don't bother setting an alarm for school, because I know I won't be able to focus all day. I'm not in the mood to learn and I don't want to force myself to sit through hours of lessons when I know I'll be distracted the whole time.

I end up sleeping in until 12pm, catching up on my lost sleep from the night before.

I slowly open my eyes, blinking at the bright light streaming in through my open curtains. I guess I forgot to shut them when I came home.

I turn my head away from the window and stare up at the ceiling, drowning in my thoughts once again.

This is exactly why I can't like him. I can't think about him all the time. I have my whole life ahead of me, and the chances of us falls below zero. It's just not possible.

Apart from the fact that having a relationship outside of marriage is haram, I know my parents wouldn't have the greatest reaction to this whole situation.

Maybe I'm just overthinking it. These feelings will go away, and then I can focus again.

For now, I need to try and avoid Jonas. It's like he's a whirlwind, suddenly popping up into my life and being there at every corner. It's unexpected and surprising, and I don't know what to do.

I start to get out of bed, rubbing my eyes to adjust them to the sun in my room. It looks like a nice day outside, for November.

I peek outside and notice that both my parents' cars aren't outside. They're probably at work, seeing that it's Thursday, a school day.

I make my way to the bathroom, grabbing the towel on my desk chair and tying up my hair in a bun. I'm only having a body wash because I only washed my hair yesterday.

I take off my clothes and step into the shower, turning the knob and letting the hot water fall down onto my face. I turn, letting it spill over my shoulders, sighing as my muscles relax, the tenseness getting washed away.

I continue to wash my body with soap, thinking about what I should do today. There's no point in going to school hallway through, so I just decide to spend the day at the Cafe, reading.

I don't have a shift today, so I can be home before everyone else.

Plus, the shop should be quiet today because everyone is at school and work.

I step out of the shower, turning the knob so the water stops running and wrapping the towel around my body.

I reach for my toothbrush across the sink, desperately in need of fresh breath.

Staring at myself in the mirror, I notice the circles under my eyes are quite bad, even after waking up late. I guess my sleep was restless.

I sit and wash down the toothpaste, gargling before placing the toothbrush back in it's holder and stepping out of the bathroom.

I decide to just wear comfy clothes today, and change into my green joggers and a hoodie. I pull out my puffer from my wardrobe, not wanting to risk a repeat of last night, and place it on while finding a suitable hijab to wear. I don't bother pinning it up properly, and just wrap it around my head, over the scarf hat.

I grab my phone from my bed and choose a book from my bookshelf, picking "Forty Rules of Love". I'v read it before, a while ago and want to refresh my memory and revel in the story.

I walk downstairs, putting on my trainers and unlocking the door.

Despite the sun being out, there is still a harsh wind and I decide to tuck my hijab under my jumper to stop it from blowing in front of my face and falling off.

I walk towards the Cafe, glancing at the gates in front of the school as I'm walking past. I'm so glad I didn't go in today.

When I get to the Cafe, I smile at Josie and sit in a booth right in the corner, away from the door, do I'm hidden away if people walk in.

I pull out my book but when I hear someones footsteps walk in my direction, I look up and smile when I see Josie.

"How come you're not in school today, Lizzie?" She asks, a gentle expression on her face as she sits opposite me.

"I just didn't feel like it today. Had a crap sleep, so decided to take a rain check on learning."

"I understand how you feel. School can get too much sometimes."

I nod my head in agreement, glancing around me, noticing an old lady sitting near the window next to the door of the Cafe. Apart from that, there's no one else here. I'm glad about that. At least I get my privacy.

"Would you like anything?"

"I'll take a blueberry muffin and a tea please." I reply. I need my daily dose, and I can start to hear my stomach rumbling. The last thing meal I ha was that pizza at Lily's house, and even then I only had two slices.

"Coming right up. If you need to talk, I'm right here, okay?" Josie says, giving me a warm smile. "Thank You, seriously." I say, returning her smile as she walks off.

I grab my book from in front of me and turn to the front page, engrossing myself in the story, only occasionally stopping when a waitress serves me my food. I eat and drink away, enjoying the peace and quiet around me as I fly away into another world.

You know the saying 'time flies by when you're having fun'? Well, yeah. It's true. I'v been sitting in the Cafe for three hours and hadn't noticed the time until now. My phone clock reads 15:30, and I start to get up, closing my book and putting my coat on. I had taken it off at some point as it was getting hot in the Cafe.

I'm sure it would start to get busy as it was after school and people would be coming here to relax after a long day of work.

I walk towards the front door after paying at the counter, and welcome the breeze which contrasts to the stuffy atmosphere of the Cafe.

I begin to walk home, but not before noticing Jonas on the other side of the street.

Great. Just who I wanted to see.

He's looking at me and I look away from him, continuing my walk home.

I really hope he doesn't speak to me. I can't keep talking to him, because I don't even know what will happen if this friendship grows.

I can't let it.

I arrive home to my mum's car parked on the drive and as I enter, I call out a salaam and head upstairs to make Wudu and pray.

Dear God.