𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐍 / 𝐀𝐁𝐑𝐀 𝐂𝐀𝐃𝐀𝐁𝐑𝐀

سبعة -𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙥𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙤𝙣

𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 — 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙥𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙤𝙣

jamilah got a text from abdul asking why she left without saying anything. it was weird that he still had her number. she wasn't expecting him to have kept it after so long.

though maybe he thought the same?

'i had to work. i'm surprised you have my phone number...'

'why're you like this?'

she could hear him kissing his teeth. jamilah had a knack for getting under his skin. she always knew how to rile him up. which said a lot, since most people weren't able to get any reaction out of him. a smile graced her features.

'i'm not like anything abdul. you just say anything don't you.'

she could see him holding his head, massaging away the irritation.

'i'll link you later.'

she didn't respond which was probably for the best seeing as her boyfriend, or ex boyfriend? it was hard to keep track of whether or not they were together at any given moment. though, ex seem to fit him very well. whatever the case, he was standing outside her job, in an obnoxiously bright green moncler coat.

kaazim was a light skinned guy with a bald fade— that he kept hidden under a durag most of the time— hazel brown eyes, round pink lips, and short facial hair. he was a pretty boy, far from her usual type but he was ghanaian and for her family that meant he'd be an ideal husband to 'cleanse her unclean blood'.

she got out the car, nodding to eimaan to go inside without her.

"you sure?"

she said quietly, "yeah, go on."

"where were you last night?" kaazim asked, hands tucked away in the pockets of his trapstar tracksuit. "man called bare times."

"i silenced my phone and it died." she said simply. "but i went home after the party. samaya left me so i had to get a ride."

"with who?" his tone was interrogative.

"an old friend from school. he dropped me off on his way home. the jakes showed up on nonsense, still, and i was ready to go anyway so..."

kaz rose an eyebrow. "why didn't you go with machete? he's tellin' me you were actin' out and that."

"i was drunk and he was being rude, kaz. you know how much that annoys me." jamilah sighed before looking past him shortly. "if i'm okay to go, i have work, you know i can't be late."

he ignored her. "you went straight home?"

she didn't have a problem lying to kaz, so she stared him in the eyes and said, "where else would i have went? who do you take me for?"

"fix your tone when you speak to me, jamilah. you know better."

however, she couldn't even glance at him as she uttered a small 'sorry'. as pathetic as it seemed, he struck fear in her. the moments of confidence she had were fleeting.

"you know that friend of yours is an opp?" he stared at her intensely. "he's from the farm, and i don't fuck with dem tottenham yutes."

jamilah resisted the urge to roll her eyes. of course she knew. she grew up in the same neighbourhood as abdul, gone to school with him, was friends with him... it would've been off if she didn't know her ends and kaazim's friends' ends had issues.

"i wasn't aware you were beefin' them now." her tone was slightly sarcastic, mainly because she couldn't help it. "i don't really keep track of these things."

he grabbed the back of her head, kissing her forehead quite forcefully. "you should. tyler told me how they got down his bro, stark, so trust i can't have my girl 'round dem man."

she nodded, trying to muster some sympathy. tyler was an arrogant prick who played roadman for internet clout, like a lot of kaazim's friends. and stark... he was an old creep who preyed on girls younger than her. 'maybe it's for the best he's dead?' jamilah thought. she quickly prayed allah would forgive her for even thinking that.

"sure, i'll see you after my shift if i can." she started to shrug him off. being in his arms made her sick.

"i'm serious. i don't want you around my man again." he said, holding her tighter to ensure she understood him.

he didn't want her around anyone so this wasn't anything new.

"okay."

when he finally left, jamilah went inside and clocked in.

"i was worried you weren't coming in." eimaan was relieved at the sight of her friend.

eimaan was a small girl from yemen, with large brown eyes and silky dark curls that hid under her hijab most of the time. she was extremely worrisome, though it was usually for good reason, her friend wasn't the most cautious person in the world.

"he's not being a psycho today." jamilah concluded as they took the stairs up. "maybe he decided to not be looney for a day."

"yeah, deffo a decision..." eimaan said apprehensively.

jamilah linked their arms as they trotted down the hall slowly. "don't worry your pretty little head."

"how can i not, mimi?" eimaan frowned.

"i've got tea."

"hmm." eimaan hummed softly, she knew all too well what was about to happen.

"yeah, he'll be pissed if he ever found out." jamilah grinned. "but he won't. right?"

eimaan shook her head. "you're gonna go mad like this."

there was no telling what he'd do if he knew half the things jamilah was keeping from him. and she could only assume that hiding all of it wasn't doing the girl any good.

"well go on, what's new?" she poked the taller girl.