Finishing our promise

Prologue

hi inshallah it's good i have no idea what to write about so yeah, it'll be based in Qatar and England

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Arwah Pov:

I walked out of the exam hall after finishing my last A-level exam in year 13. I had worked hard for two years to prepare myself for this moment. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I stood there, oozing out all the tension and pressure I had endured for 3 weeks. The heat absorbed into my skin, as I sweated underneath my clothing. This was to protect me from men's eyes gazing at women all day long. My mind wandered as I walked around and remembered every footstep I took on the pavement. I looked back at all the fun I had at this school since Year 10.

"Arwah" A voice called out to me. It sounded familiar, yet I couldn't place who it belonged to. My eyes widened in shock knowing that a man had called my name. I braced myself, my heart racing as I slowly turned around to check who the voice belonged to. I looked back and saw the guy my heart pounded for when I came to this school. He smiled as he saw me, and I felt my heart skip a beat. He said my name again, softly this time. His eyes were locked on mine, and I felt like I was in a trance. All my feelings flooded back at once and my heart felt like it would burst out of my chest. I averted my brown eyes and looked down not knowing what to do because of the lack of communication skills I had with the opposite gender. I tried to remain composed, but my nerves made it difficult. I could feel my cheeks flush. My heart beat so fast I thought it would burst out of my chest. He was standing there, pushing past my boundaries. I forced myself to look him in the eye, my cheeks burning with embarrassment as I struggled to find the words to say.

"Arwah, I like you. Please be my girlfriend." I was astounded. I was speechless. He had caught me off guard and I didn't know what to say. He said he wanted me to be his girlfriend. I stood there, my heart pounding in my chest. I couldn't believe what he said.

"Ibrahim, I'm sorry."

"What do you mean?"

"Ibrahim, I like you too, but my religion is more important than my love."

"Then I promise you that I will marry you. Wait for me, Arwah Avci."

"Don't make promises that can be broken easily, Ibrahim Ahmad. Assalamu alaikum" and I walked off. Tears brimmed my eyes as my heart knew my pain was more severe than those words I uttered to him. I couldn't bear to turn back and see his face, so I kept walking. I knew I had to stay strong and move on, no matter how hard it was. I had to do what was best for us both. My ears repeated those words, and I never looked back. I remembered my grandmother's words, "Be careful with your promises, they are your biggest responsibility."

I proceeded to the bathroom to put on my abaya and my niqab in one of the lavatory places, but I heard people talking about me. "Did you hear?"

"What?"

"Ibi confessed that he liked Arwah"

"The one that acts religious and makes all the guys in the school fall in love with her?"

"Yes, she is."

"I wish she would leave or something. She took all the guys I love and dated, just because of how she looks

"I wish she never returned." Tears welled up in my eyes. I tried to push away the anger and hurt, but it lingered in the back of my mind. I wanted her to disappear and for all of this to be an awful nightmare. I wanted to go back to how things were before. I felt so helpless and angry, knowing that these people thought so wrongly of me, just because of my sudden look change.

The door opened and closed, indicating that the girls had left the bathroom. I felt my ears ring even louder as I left the bathroom. My eyes swarmed with painful images that struck me with every hate stabbing towards me. In the shade of the sun, tears glistened more prominently, as I stood in front of the pale metal gate. The message popped up on my phone screen letting me know Mama was here. As I walked toward Mama, everything became black.