" I just wanna be myself " (A Hunchback Of Notre Dame fanstory)

Chapter 25

Finally, school was out of session and summer vacation was in full swing! The children didn't have to worry about homework, tests, or having to wake up early. Everyone was ready for fun in the sun, vacations, and staying up late playing video games and eating junk food all day without a singular care in the world. It was time for fun!

It was very early in the morning, around 5 A.M, and Edgar and his friends had stayed up all night, this wasn't the first time they pulled an all-nighter, they were all so excited for vacation. They had all their things packed, they were just waiting for Fatima's parents to get the cars packed. Plus, Aisha had recently gotten an R.V from her brother!

" Anything yet? " Gary asked with a yawn, cupping his hands and filling them with warm water before splashing his face with it.

" They're still packing their bags into Baba's car, the twins are also going with Baba, so we'll be in Um's RV for the... what, 3 hour trip? " Fatima responded as she adjusted her hijab, keeping it secure with a couple pins " Plus, she bought us some anti-nausea medicine, so we won't get sick! "

" Hey, " Gary spoke up " Did you hear that your mom invited that new girl, Umaiza? The one with the.. what's it called? " He snapped his fingers as he tried to remember " The face veil? Like the one that Fatima's mom wears? "

" The niqab? " Fatima raised an eyebrow " Yeah, i heard about that. " She picked up her bag, throwing it over her shoulder " I've talked to Umaiza before, she's very shy and soft spoken, doesn't really talk to people, s-so don't be upset if she doesn't talk to anyone b-besides me "

Then, Esmeralda knocked on the door, catching the kids attention " C'mon guys! They've finished packing Adeem's car, they're ready! " She exclaimed.

The group all made their way outside and to the cars. " Alright, before we leave for New Jersey, we gotta pick up Umaiza from her parents house, she'll probably sleep in the bedroom in the back of the RV, alright? " Aisha spoke, the kids all nodding in agreement.

Everyone made sure they had all the things they needed, whether it be their mobility aids or their medication. They all entered the RV, getting situated inside on the couches and the bedroom in the back, There was a small TV in the RV itself, so the kids would all be entertained for the 3 hour drive. Everyone was packed into the car and the RV, and they were off!!

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A 4 hour trip didn't seem too long, well, unless you were a bunch of 12 year old's in a RV, then it seemed to take forever! Plus, it was still rather early in the morning, and everybody was exhausted from staying up all night.

Edgar and Umaiza were laying on the bed in the back together, they were both dead silent, out of fear that they'd get sick while the RV was in motion and end up vomiting all over the floor, and they didn't want to do that. Sure, they both knew Aisha wouldn't get mad at them for getting nauseated, but it was still a fear they had deep down.

Umaiza looked over at Edgar through the corner of her eyes. She blew raspberries underneath her niqab, making it move a little. " I've seen you and your friends before " She spoke, catching Edgar's attention " You're all cool, I'm just shy, i don't talk to people and they don't talk to me " she sighed out, relaxing into the pillow.

Edgar picked his head up and looked over at Umaiza. He almost studied her face, looking at her eyes, her glasses, and the scar on the right side of her face. " W-why don't people t-talk t-t-to you? " He asked curiously " I-Is it your n-niqab? " He picked himself up and relaxed into the bed some more.

" Yep, well, it's one of the reasons " Umaiza responded " Also, people don't like the food i bring in for lunch, but i'ts my favorite food! " She furrowed her eyebrows " My Mama packed some for me today before i left! " She grabbed her bag and opened it, pulling out a small tupperware container. She opened it and the smell of tomatoes and onion filled the air. Umaiza smiled happily " Kachumbari! My favorite! " She dug around in her bag, pulling out two plastic spoons, handing one to Edgar " Want some? " She offered.

Edgar smiled and nodded " S-sure! " His hand trembled a little but he managed to get a spoonful of Kachumbari. " Y-You said y-your mom made this? " He asked as he began eating, his lips curled into a smile " W-Wow! this i-is tasty! " He said happily.

Umaiza smiled under her niqab " Yep! It sure is! " She got another spoonful and carefully lifted her niqab to eat " My mama always makes the best food, especially with a lot of salt! Like Chambo! It's a fish meal! " She looked over at Edgar " Also, i-i've noticed you and your friends all around school, and.. i was wondering, could i join your guys group? "

" Hmm? Y-you wanna join o-our group? " Edgar asked curiously. " Y-You do? " He immediately grabbed his bag off the floor and dug around in it for a good minute before pulling out a line-notebook. He flipped through the notebook for a minute before landing on a page and handing the notebook to Umaiza " H-here, read this. My Maman m-made it for m-me and my friends "

Umaiza raised a curious eyebrow and carefully grabbed the notebook. She opened it and flipped through a couple pages before Edgar stopped her on one " T-there! " He exclaimed, pointing at the page "