Malika & Halima

26-Friend

Malika

The next morning, she woke up with a renewed sense of determination and courage. She was going to focus on her studies and pursue her dreams no matter what her parents thought.

Malika looked at the mirror, she is dressed in a black abaya that is beautifully adorn with golden stones, her face is pale but it still has the glowing beauty God gave her. Her Doe eyes looks more radiant and her red lips looks more pinky. She is gifted with the Arab unique beauty and she knows it.

Feeling a sense of pride as she looked at herself in the mirror. She was ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead of her. She have decided to let karma deal with Adam, she will not go and humiliate herself ever again!

She looked at herself one last chance before going out of the room. Breakfast was already laid out and her younger siblings were the first to be there.

"Awab, Ayyman, Ayyoub. Good morning!"

The three of them rushed and hug her making her almost lost her stance."heyy what's all this happiness?"

They pull away."You have been crying this days that's why we're so worried." Ayyman said.

Awwn

"I'm alright now and thank you for your caring." Malika kissed there chicks before they went and sit to wait for the rest.

Halima arrived shortly but no sign of their parents. They just went on and eat. After that, the children went ahead to informed the school driver.

"Are you ready?" Halima asked just like old times.

"Yes, I'm."

They drove off in separate cars as there tradition and headed to school.

~~~~~~

As she walked to university with Halima, she couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement. She was finally taking control of her own life, and it felt amazing. She is never going to let herself down.

But as they arrived at the school,  Malika and Halima saw Muhammad coming out of his car. She can felt her sister getting tense by her side.

Muhammad quickly walk to there direction, his face in regrets and longing as he looked at Halima.

"Please wait.."

He tried to talk to Halima, but she refused to even looked at him. She walked faster leaving Malika behind which her sister already knows that she's going to cry.

Malika looked at him, this is the very first time she has seen him because due to some circumstances Halima has never introduced them.

"Stay away from her!"

Muhammad turn to look at Malika, it was at that moment that he notice her. He was first taken aback because of something.

"Excuse me, do I know you?" he asked, looking at her with a shocked expression on his face.

She was also taken aback by his question. "I don't think so, i'm Malika Halima's sister." she replied, feeling a bit uneasy and annoyed.

"Wow." he said, still staring at her in disbelief.

"What!" She glare at him but he continue to look at her in disbelieve.

Is he nut?

"Sorry, you look like someone I know. The resemblance is just too much." he said, shaking his head before speaking.

"Please Malika, I know I have hurt her so much but I swear to Allah my love for her was real. I know I have lied about having a family but trust me I was going to tell her, I just don't know how to start. I have been having tough times with my wife since years ago and we're even on the processes of getting divorced. What she saw the other day was not what it looks like. My wife can be manipulating and dramatic but I promise you, we don't even live in the same house. That day she came to drop my son because he used to spend time with me."

Malika roll her eyes. "I don't care about that. What I care is for Halima. I don't wants her to be entangled in your marriage affairs and you have already broken her by lying to her."

Muhammad was silent for a while before he sigh and walks away.

She watched him go, feeling a sense of unease. She couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to this encounter than met the eye. What he said rang in her head repeatedly.

But for now, she had other things to focus on. She was determined to make the most of her education and pursue her career, no matter what obstacles lay in her path. And with that thought in mind, she walked into the school with her head held high, she could feel the eyes of some students on her but she didn't care about it.

As she walked towards her lecture hall, she noticed a group of girls gossiping and whispering amongst themselves. Malika couldn't help but wonder if they were talking about her.

She brushed it off and walked into the classroom, taking her seat at the back of the room. She pulled out her notebook and started taking notes as the teacher began the lesson.

But as the class went on, Malika found it hard to concentrate. She kept thinking about the encounter with Muhammad and the strange feeling it left her with.

"The resemblance is just too much."

She remember his words and she couldn't help but wonder why he seemed so familiar with her. Was it just a coincidence or was there something more to it?

The bell rang, signaling the end of the organic chemistry class. Malika gathered her things and made her way out of the classroom, trying to avoid any unnecessary attention.

As she walked down the hallway, she heard someone calling her name. She turned around to see one of the girls from her class running towards her.

"Hey, Malika! Wait up!" the girl said, catching up to her.

Malika recognized her as one of the girls who were gossiping earlier. She couldn't help but feel a bit hesitant about talking to her.

"Hi," Malika said, trying to be polite.

"I'm Aisha. I just wanted to say hi and welcome back to school," Aisha said with a smile.

Malika was surprised by the gesture. She had expected the students to be cold towards her, but Aisha seemed genuinely friendly.

"Thanks, Aisha. That's really nice of you," Malika said, returning the smile.

"Listen, I know some of the other girls can be a bit mean sometimes, but don't let them get to you. You seem like a really cool person, and I love how you didn't let what Adam did get to you." Aisha said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Malika felt a sense of relief wash over her. Maybe not everyone at the school was going to be so harsh towards her.

"Thanks, Aisha. I appreciate it," she said, feeling grateful for the unexpected kindness.

Aisha nodded. "And can we be friends? I know we have been course mate for three years now...and.."

"-yes sure. I will love that!"

"Cool."

As they walked down the hallway together, Malika couldn't help but feel a sense of hope. Maybe this new chapter in her life wasn't going to be so bad after all.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Heyy guys!! She's back to school!

What do you think will happened? And what do you think about Muhammad?