When we first met (A Zatima Story)

Confrontation

Fatima sat on the bench by the football field, scrolling through her phone when a text came through from Zac: *"Hey, practice going okay? Might swing by in a bit."* She couldn't help but smile. Over the past few weeks, she and Zac had been texting and talking nearly every day. At first, it seemed harmless. He was easy to talk to, funny, and they had a lot in common, especially football. But deep down, she couldn't shake the weird feeling that this wasn't completely right.

She knew Zac had a girlfriend—Maya. In fact, he talked about Maya quite a bit, always mentioning how "cool" and "chill" she was about their friendship. Still, something about it made Fatima uncomfortable. She didn't know Maya well, only having seen her a few times in passing, but she could tell Maya wasn't as "cool" with the situation as Zac believed.

Fatima looked up from her phone and saw Maya approaching from across the field. Her heart sank. Maya walked with purpose, her eyes fixed directly on her. Fatima stood, bracing herself.

"Hey, Fatima," Maya called out as she neared.

"Hey...?" Fatima replied cautiously.

"Maya," she clarified, standing tall and crossing her arms.

"Oh, hey Maya. How can I help you?" Fatima forced a smile, hoping this encounter wouldn't turn into the drama she was beginning to sense.

Maya didn't return the smile. "You know Zac is my boyfriend, right?"

Fatima tensed. She nodded. "Yeah, he talks about you all the time."

Maya's lips tightened into a thin line. "I just think you two are a little too close to be friends, don't you think? You're seeing each other every day. I'm not really comfortable with that."

Fatima glanced around, feeling suddenly trapped in this conversation. "I mean... we both have practice at the same time. I'm on the dance team, he's on the football team. We have games, so... it's not like we're hanging out alone."

"I get that," Maya interrupted. "But I'm telling you now—you should stop talking to him. Just back off, okay?"

Before Fatima could respond, Andi, her best friend, walked up. She immediately noticed the tension in the air. "Hey, what's going on?" Andi asked, eyes darting between the two girls.

Fatima shifted uncomfortably. "I'm fine," she said, trying to brush it off.

Maya's gaze snapped to Andi. "Who are you?"

Andi raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Nobody you need to know."

Maya rolled her eyes, dismissing Andi's presence. "Anyway, as I was saying," she continued, turning back to Fatima, "stay away from Zac, or we're going to have a real problem. Got it?"

Fatima sighed and forced a smile, trying to defuse the situation. "Bye, Maya. Have a good day." She turned away, motioning for Andi to follow her.

As they walked toward the locker rooms, Andi shook her head. "Girl, what was that about?"

Fatima let out a long breath. "That was Zac's girlfriend. She's upset about how close Zac and I have gotten lately, but it's fine. I don't think it's a big deal."

Andi snorted. "Fine? Girl, why didn't you check her? The old Fatima would've dog walked her right there on the field."

Fatima smiled slightly at the thought of her old self—a version of herself she had left behind for good reason. "Because I'm not going to give her the time of day. Besides, my parents paid way too much money for the county to drop my charges. I'm not messing up again."

Andi chuckled but nodded in agreement. "You're right. But just once, let me handle it. I'd love to put her in her place."

Fatima shook her head. "No way. Maya seems like the type to press charges if you even look at her wrong."

As they reached the locker room, Fatima couldn't help but replay the conversation with Maya in her head. She knew things had gotten weird, but she didn't expect Maya to confront her like that. It felt messy now, and the last thing she needed was more drama in her life.

Meanwhile, Maya walked away from the encounter fuming. She clenched her fists, her mind racing with anger and jealousy. She knew Zac wasn't cheating, not technically, but it felt like she was losing him bit by bit. Every time she saw him smile at a message or laugh about something Fatima said, it gnawed at her.

Zac was hers. They'd been through too much together for him to just drift away because of some girl he met at practice. Maya had put in the time, invested in their relationship, and now she was going to fight for it. But confronting Fatima hadn't gone as planned. Instead of backing down, Fatima had just brushed her off, and that made Maya even angrier. She needed to do something—something more drastic.

Later that night, as Zac sat on his bed, his phone buzzed with a text from Maya: *"We need to talk."* Zac frowned, sensing the shift in her tone. He had noticed her mood change recently, but he figured she was just stressed about school or something unrelated. He never thought it had anything to do with Fatima.

They met at a nearby park, where Maya wasted no time getting to the point. "You need to stop talking to Fatima."

Zac blinked, caught off guard. "Wait, what? Why?"

Maya crossed her arms. "Because I'm not comfortable with it. You spend more time with her than you do with me. It's not okay."

Zac sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Maya, we're just friends. There's nothing going on. You don't need to worry."

Maya's eyes darkened. "I'm done talking about it. Either you stop talking to her, or we're done."

Zac froze. He wasn't expecting this kind of ultimatum. Maya had never been this serious about anything before. He cared about her, but he also valued his friendship with Fatima. It felt like he was being forced to choose.

In that moment, Zac realized he needed to figure out what he really wanted—before things spiraled out of control.