Elhaam!

Chapter 34

Elhaam's POV

I closed the door with a smile still on my lips. It was hard not to. I juggled the wrapped box to hint at what possibly could be inside, yet it left me more intrigued.

I dropped my veil and the box by my luggage, my phone on the table, and headed for the bathroom. I needed to take a long bath to relieve me of my lag.

After a long steaming bath, I wrapped a towel around me and a smaller one around my wet hair.

I then exited the bathroom to meet Alisha sitting cross legged on the bed with a gloomy expression. Now that I think of it, she's been like that all day.

Cautiously not to break her out of her reverie, I went on getting ready for the night. I hopped on the bed beside her, she hadn't moved even the slightest, oblivious to my movement around her.

"Alisha are you alright?" I touched her shoulder slightly forcing her back to awareness.

I was getting really concerned. I've not seen her this moody ever since I've been here.

"I'm fine, really, you don't need to get yourself worked up about me" she poorly assured with a fake smile.

"I noticed a gift over there, who is it from hunh?" She changed the topic getting the box I had dropped earlier.

She was trying hard to hide her real emotions from me and I respected that. I was not going to pry, but it didn't help with my worry either.

I decided to let it go and smiled. "It's from Fahaad. Do you want to open it with me?"

She bobbed her head in a yes and got a scissors from the bedside drawer. Carefully, we unwrapped the box to find a small jewelry box. I picked it up, slowly opening it to reveal a set of necklace and the earrings. They were beautiful.

"They're beautiful. Remind me to ask him where he got them" Alisha stated admiring the set in my hand.

I couldn't help the smile that crept to my face as the sentiment attached to gift made it even more precious to me.

"Look, there's something inside" I dropped the box beside me as I saw the papers Alisha pulled out from beneath the box.

"Libreville crest high-school?" I read with a confused frown.

"That's mine and Mastab's school" Alisha added, equally as confused as she read further

"Admissions open for sophomore year, freshman, and junior year. I didn't know you were interested in getting into school?" She perplexed

"I didn't either" I muttered. This was definitely what Fahaad meant to 'open with an open mind'.

I  scoffed at his way of telling me what he was up to all along.

"You don't want to go there, trust me" Alisha paled, perking my curiosity.

"What do you mean?"

"You just don't want to. You have to decline. I'm not even in high school and I know how mentally depressing it is. They'll feed on your confidence and courage until you can't stand for yourself anymore. You have to decline Elhaam, don't go there please " she rasped, the tears evidently glinting from her eyes.

There was something definitely going on with her. I moved closer to her to assure her.

"Who is it? Who scared you to this extent? Alisha you don't have to be afraid, I'm sure there's someone that can help"

"It's no one. It doesn't matter anyway. Just, don't go there Elhaam." She snuffled as she got off the bed to the bathroom.

What could possibly be going on in her school that got her this frightened? It made me wonder what I read wrong in the conversation she had with friends the other day at the park.