You're Not Gay

Glimpse Of Intrigue

Bilal

Toc toc toc....

The sound of knocking on my door broke the silence in my room.

"As-Salam Alaikum" ( peace be upon you ), Nadia said, entering my room with a warm smile. Nadia is my uncle's daughter and my age mate

I responded with the customatry "Mu-Alaikum Salam" ( peace be upon you too) while still lying on my bed. Trying to shake off the sleep

"Good morning, Bilal! It's time for Fajr prayer" Nadia reminded me, her voice gentle but firm. I rubbed my eyes, yawned and swung my legs over the side of the bed

"Thanks for waking me up, Nadia. I don't know what I'd do without you" I said stretching my arms above my head

Nadia chuckled. "You'd probably sleep all day! Come on, let's go. Everyone's already waiting in the mosque." She left my room and I quickly got ready and rushed to the mosque where I heard the congregation saying "Ameen" as I arrived. I joined in

______________________

After prayer, my uncle called me aside. "Bilal, you're to go to school today, right ? I hope you haven't forgotten"

"No, Dad, the school sent me an email telling me to come earlier than I thought" I replied using the term of endearment I reserved for my uncle

"Okay, good. Did your mother pay your fees ?" He asked, his brow furrowed in concern

"Yes, she's done with it and the uniforms too. That's why I'm going today at school," I said, trying to reassure him

"MashAllah( Allah has willed ). She's really fast in all her doings." My uncle said nodding in approval

"Yeah, punctuality means everything to her." As I was talking to my uncle, I thought of my mother's perfectionism and work ethic, traits I had inherited from her.

My uncle chuckled"I wanted to put you in the same school as Nadia this year since you both are scientists and in the same class."

"Oh, I see. But mom has already paid my fees" I explained

"I won't change you again. I wanted to put your juniors (my cousins) in your school, but they all refused saying that your school is too harsh" He said, shaking his head

It's not that the school was harsh but my cousins were lazy and they couldn't even accepte to go to a school where students work labor. "Sort of. I like the school, the education there is tough but I like it nevertheless" I said, trying to defend my school

"You've been leaving here for more than three years, but you're still attending that school full of Christians. I hope you don't face difficulties there because you're a Muslim." My uncle said his voice laced with concern

"Not really, I'm the only Muslim in my class but they're other Muslims in my school. I told you about us praying at the library right ?" I replied, trying to reassure him and he just nodded in response

It's true that my school had mostly Christians and only little Muslims. In my class, I was the only Muslim and It was kind of difficult when I became a Muslim because I'd no want to talk about Islam and stuffs and most of my classmates didn't like the fact that I became a Muslim.

_________________________

When I reached my room, it was already 6:30 am. I watch a film on Netflix and I took my bath, brushed my teeth and dried my hairs.

The house was quiet and everyone was probably still asleep because every after prayer they'll all head back to bed

I didn't take any breakfast because in my uncle's house, during holidays we take breakfast at late hours in the morning like 11am.

It was just 9am, on a Monday, early August when I left for school to get my uniform

As I entered the school premises, I was taken aback by the unexpected sight of students milling about. The whispers and curious glances that followed my arrival were nothing new, for I had grown accustomed to the scruting that came with being a ladies' man and exhibiting effeminate traits.

I spotted a cute girl with a bright smile and a boy who looked familiar but I couldn't quite place him. The slender girl, approach me with a warm smile and offered me to seat beside her.

"I'm Emily." She said immediately I sat beside her

"I'm Bilal." I replied softly

"Nice to meet you, Bilal. I couldn't help but notice you're new here"

"No, I'm not new." I replied. "I've been here since junior high"

"Oh, what's your grade ?" She asked boldly

"I'm a senior," I said trying to sound confident

"Wow, congratulations! You look really young for a senior"

I laughed. "Thanks, I get that a lot

Our conversation flowed effortless as I discovered that she was a freshman. Her youthful energy was endearing, and we found common interests

However, our pleasant exchange was soon interrupted by my chemistry teacher, Ma'am Kathy, who summoned me to assist with some administrative tasks

"Bilal can you help me with these papers ?" Ma'am Kathy asked, her voice firm but kind

"Of course, ma'am," I replied making my way to her desk

As I worked, the enigmatic boy who had caught my attention earlier entered the room. "Excuse me," he said, his hand brushing against my shoulder as he inquired about the uniforms. " When will they arrive ?"

"They haven't arrived yet," I replied, trying to sound calm despite his impatience

"Great," he muttered, his tone dripping sarcasm. "Just what I needed. Another delay"

I sensed a hint of arrogance in his demeanor, but I maintained my composure. "I'll let you know as soon as they arrive," I said trying to sound helpful

He departed as abruptly as he had appeared, leaving me to wonder about his identity and reason behind his haughty attitude

Later, in the principal's office, I was tasked with distributed uniforms. "Please, you all, come closer and I'll give you your uniforms" I said to the students gathered in the school compound

Emily's name was called. "Here's your uniform, Emily" I said, smiling

"Thanks, senior Bilal," she replied graciously accepting her attire

Next, I summoned James, the same boy who had touched my shoulder, "Yes." He responded. "My uniform and my Wednesday wears" he said in a serious tone

"Say please," I replied, trying to sound calm

"Please," he gasped, seemingly taken aback by my request

"Take," I said, handing him the uniforms

"Thanks," he said with his voice laced with annoyance.

I raised an eyebrow at his begrudging politeness. "You're welcome" I said intrigued by the enigma surrounding him. He just nodded and quickly left, as if in a hurry.

As he left, I couldn't help but wonder what lay beneath this reserved exterior. After finishing the task, I returned home tired and jumped onto my bed ready to rest

This is the first book I'm publishing, I've been writing books but I never published any. I hope you like it

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