COLOUR BLIND

CHAPTER 16

"I don't care if you hate me right now but look around",said Ian.
"No one would reverse the exams because you didn't write them and if you could see past yourself then you'll realize that everyone in this school is dealing with a thing or two".
"Get your hands off me".
" Fine", he took a few steps backwards.
"I just wanted to make sure you know what you're doing".
" stop acting like you know everything about me cos you don't". I retorted.

I walked angrily for a while and turned to see him standing there and watching me leave. He didn't come after me and I was glad he didn't.
I could get expelled if the school security saw me leaving the school premises at a crucial time like this so I went to the old school building.

I arrived there and saw a person in our school uniform sitting at the spot where I usually sat. I came closer and realized it was Malik's brother, Imran.
Imran Abdulrahman.

"Hi Imran", I greeted but he didn't say anything in return so I went on to sit at the far end beside him.
He probably didn't notice that I was there and I didn't need to look past the beanie to understand that he wanted to be alone. Ian was right when he said I'm not the only person in this school that's dealing with something.

Imran has always been Antisocial but today felt different. It seemed like he was having academic difficulties too. I'd had so much on my plate and didn't want to get involved in another person's life.
I was about to stand up from there when he said.
" Don't you think we're trying too hard?".
I didn't know what to say. I just sat back on the floor.
"I mean humans", he stared blankly at me.
" wouldn't it be nice if we stopped playing God in people's lives?".
He crossed his hands on his knees, " Telling them what to do and what not to do, who to like and who not to like, making paths for others and closing doors on the ones who don't fit in"
"Huh?".
"At what point should a person give up on all of this?".
" I've been taught that things get better when we hold on". I answered calmly.
"And do you agree with that?".
" Not completely", I said.
"I think we should only hold on when there's hope.
" I guess so", he smiled and I noticed a slit scar on his left hand.

"My bangle", I sprang up from the floor.
" I think I dropped something back at the school field", I picked up my bag.
"Let's continue this discussion later okay?".
"Okay", he nodded silently.

I ran back to the spot where Ian and I had an argument but didn't find the handmade bangle. I wanted to go back to the old school building but suddenly thought about my little discussion with Imran.
'To hope and to hold on ', I repeated before running off to the exam hall.

" where have you been?", our Biology teacher scolded when I arrived at the exam hall about 10 minutes late.
She gave me the objective sheets and asked me to go join the rest of my mates to write the second part of that day's exams.

I went home after school that day wishing I hadn't said all those words to Ian when he tried to stop me from leaving the school.
I furthermore made it a mission to give my apologies to Ian the next day but something else happened when I arrived at school the next morning.

I saw Malik talking with our teachers and my classmates said that his brother had attempted to take his own life the previous day after school.
The good news was that he survived it because a passerby who witnessed the sad event dived in just in time to save him.
The bad news is he never came to our school after that day because his parents had him withdrawn from all school activities.

"How could they let Malik come to school like this", a girl whispered.
" He's a total mess".
"You don't expect him to not write exams because his brother tried to unalive himself, do you?".
" I heard it happened in front of Malik and he's not been talking much since yesterday"."Gosh, that's so scary", another girl replied.