FEAR OF FONDNESS

Chapter 6 INSIGHTS

Shinaya's POV:

After dinner, as I lounged in the living room, my dad dropped a bombshell. "Your uncles have invited us to their party," he announced casually.

"Party?" Atif bhai's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Yes, there's a get-together on Saturday," Dad confirmed.

"That's more like a power show," I interjected, unable to mask my disdain.

"Whatever it is, we need to attend," Mom chimed in with a tone of finality.

"Ugh," I groaned inwardly. I detested their family events. To me, they were nothing more than showcases of power and influence. There was no genuine sense of family; it was all about their political and business connections and their families.

My disdain for these gatherings stemmed from a deeper source-the troubled history between our families. My grandmother and all my uncles and aunts were step-relations; my biological grandmother passed away from cancer shortly after my father's birth. My grandfather remarried, and his new wife didn't like my father since his childhood. Their ongoing conflicts with my father and mother eventually led to our separation from them. To make matters worse, they withheld my father's rightful share of the family property, causing us immense hardship.

I didn't particularly appreciate spending time at their events. It felt like a long-lasting period of boredom as all my cousins were so show off type. They always had to talk about their luxurious functions and parties and that boring stuff. And to top of it, their friend's flirty sons always attempted to flirt with me at every opportunity. It was an event I dreaded, but I had no choice but to attend, solely out of respect for my father's wishes.

The next day after school, while practicing basketball with my team, I noticed someone approaching us. It was Abeera Javaid.

Her father's business, her pride, and her grey eyes were the main characteristics for which she was pretty famous. Being the daughter of a steel mill owner and a prominent figure in her own school, her haughty attitude and mischievous nature were often overlooked due to her family's influence. But despite all that, she remained unchanged. Even though our schools were not the same but she entered our school multiple times just to have a look at us. I remember last time before the basketball final she came along with her spoons just to tease us, but bad for her we won.

I had encountered her before, mostly during gatherings at Wassal's house, as she was his cousin. But our interaction wasn't good even that time.

"Well, well, well, someone is trying hard to win the championship," she taunted, interrupting our practice.

"Hey, losers," she called out, her tone dripping with sarcasm. And then, her gaze landed on me. "And hey, captain of losers," she added. It was evident that she had some sort of issue with me specifically.

"Losers?" Aqsa couldn't help but laugh at Abeera's audacity, "That's your name and your fate," she retorted, smirking at Abeera, whose school had been consistently losing for the past three championships.

"Not this time, my dear," Abeera shot back. "This time, I'll crush you and your team so badly that you won't be able to show your bloody faces anywhere."

My teammates bristled, ready to retaliate physically, but I intervened. "Right now, you need to worry about hiding your bloody face, as if you don't want your precious makeup to be ruined," I said firmly.

" we'll see in the court bitch!". she didn't stop her shit.

As Abeera's words left her tongue, I moved forward to wrap her arm around her back and to tell her whom she had abused, But she swiftly evaded my grasp. Asma immediately intervened, grabbing hold of my arm to prevent any further escalation, while my teammates stepped in to calm me down. The anger boiled within me." she will pay for it"I clenched my jaw.