Broken By Mafia

prologue

Z A R A

I push through the crowded hallway, trying to reach my locker in one piece. The halls are buzzing with students who are excited to leave school for their summer break. For some, like myself, it's their last year of high school.

Adulthood doesn't sound fun but high school wasn't that much fun either.

"Are you meeting Alejandro today?" Yasmeen asks as she leans against the locker beside mine.

I nod, "He asked me to meet him at the coffee shop across the school."

"He seemed a bit distant in class today. Barely spoke to me," she mumbles.
It's not unusual for Alejandro to not converse with people but he can hold a conversation with Yasmeen and me pretty well.

"Maybe our senior year finally made him crack," Yasmeen jokes.

"With his grades, I wouldn't care if I cracked because at least my report card would be glowing," I sigh.

"Ugh, don't remind me. If my parents realize my average is 89% this year and not 95%, they might actually disown me," she groans.

"I swear, if I hear you complain about your 89% average one more time, I'll backhand slap you," I make a pouty-angry face.

"Back to Alejandro..." She quickly changes the topic. "I forgot to mention, he said to let you know that he'll be in a hurry after school."

"He did seem a little anxious in the last few days... I wonder why," I say.

"Do you plan on ever confessing your undying love for him that you've been holding onto for the last three years?" Yasmeen suddenly asks.

"Do you ever plan on letting me live peacefully without bringing this up every 30 seconds?" I frown.

"I don't bring this up every 30 seconds, I bring it up every 15 seconds," she clarifies, as if that makes a difference. "Come on, Zara! You two obviously like each other! Just let it off of your chest!"

"It's not that easy, Yaz. It could ruin our friendship. Besides, he's not even Muslim. Where would this confession lead?" I try to state.

"Oh, I thought you'd convince him to revert and get hitched," she says casually.

"It's so weird... sometimes I think about it. I think about how I should just confess, whether it leads to anything or not. The feeling has been weighing me down recently," I groan.

"Try today! It's the last day of senior year, make it memorable!" Yasmeen has too much enthusiasm.

"I might just..." I think out loud.

"That's my girl!" She pats my back. "Remember when everyone found Alejandro to be extremely intimidating?"

"You're acting like they don't find him intimidating anymore," I laugh.

"You're right, let me rephrase that," she says. "Remember when we found Alejandro to be extremely intimidating? Ah, the good ol' days."

"Yes, I remember. I almost cried the first time he spoke to me because he sounded so... domineering," I think back.

"To be honest, he still scares me sometimes. Something about him is... permanently frightening," she says.

"Come to think of it, it's been three years since we've known him, right? He's been here since sophomore year, yet we barely know anything about him besides the basic things," I start to wonder.

"Those basic things were enough for you to fall madly in love with him. Plus, it didn't hurt that he looks like he jumped straight out of a Vogue magazine cover," she smirks.