preference delights

Prefrence Disguise

Chapter 4

Zarmeena was a carefree girl who preferred to take life lightly, avoiding the complexities of deeper thoughts. She found joy in helping others and took pleasure in seeing them happy, which made her a favorite among everyone-teachers, students, and those around her. She was almost like a character out of a story, a superficial girl who seemed to glide through life with ease.

However, there was one thing Zarmeena deeply disliked about herself: her gender. She hated being a woman, largely due to the way women were treated in third-world countries. Women were often seen as inferior, confined to strict boundaries, and denied the right to make decisions. Even in her own home, when her father was alive, he made all the decisions, big or small.

Zarmeena often noticed how her mother would become anxious whenever her father entered the house. Though it was considered an honor for husbands by societal standards, this dynamic disgusted her. She viewed her father as a good parent but a poor spouse. From a young age, she resisted the feminine clothes her mother made for her, preferring to wear her brother's clothes. She rejected anything that made her appear more feminine. While her mother disapproved of her boyish look, her father supported her, and ultimately, her mother had to comply with her husband's wishes.

This wasn't the only area where Zarmeena clashed with her mother. There was also the issue of her future. Zarmeena was an exceptionally bright student, and her mother wanted her to become a doctor. But Zarmeena had a passion for mathematics and a natural talent that was almost miraculous. She was also an excellent math tutor, teaching many of the children in her neighborhood. Some paid her for tutoring, but she taught most of them for free. Even her brother, who excelled in his studies, was coached by her.

One day, Zarmeena was sitting in the farthest corner of her academic department, her toes resting on a low wall, deeply engrossed in a book. Occasionally, she scribbled in her notebook, completely unaware of her surroundings until a familiar, panicked voice interrupted her concentration.

"Zaro! My adorable friend, only you can do it. Please, please, please save me," cried Sajida, Zarmeena's childhood friend, who had a knack for finding trouble. Behind her, Sajid was following closely.

"What is it now?" Zarmeena sighed, clearly annoyed. It was always like this; she got distracted by their actions. "Can't you stay out of trouble, at least for a little while, and give me some peace?" she scolded, slamming the book and taking out all her frustration on it.

"This is the only place in the world where I can concentrate and study in peace. But now you've found it too, just to ruin my comfort," Zarmeena continued to nag. Turning to Sajid, she asked, "Sajid, you tell me what happened. What's the crisis this time? Did the sky fall on her?"

"Sir Safdar took her phone," Sajid quickly answered, fearing that Sajida would also include him in her fuss.

"Trust me! I was just texting my mother to let her know I arrived safely," Sajida uttered, pinching her chin as if to convince Zarmeena of her truth.

"It doesn't matter. Your mother probably already knows who you were really texting. She'll buy you another phone," Zarmeena said casually, patting Sajida on the back to console her. Her gaze dropped back to her book.

"Zaro, just this once, save me. I promise I won't make any more mistakes in the future. Please, please, please," Sajida pleaded, falling to her knees and begging like someone immensely desperate.

"That old grumpy man, always picking on innocent students. He'll never find peace in the grave... Snakes will bite him, spiders will sting him, and ugly vampires will suck his blood. My curse will follow him to hell," Sajida said melodramatically, making such a hilarious face that Sajid couldn't help but laugh.

"Look at him, just look at him, Zaro. I'm telling you, one day I'll kill this so-called best friend of yours. When the teacher was scolding me, he was just sitting there, showing off his yellow teeth and laughing loudly. Do you have anything, like any tool, to help me pull out those yellow teeth of this bastard?" Sajida spat. Sajid's laughter broke at her joke. He really disliked her tone, making fun of his teeth, and made a pensive face.

"I wasn't the only one laughing. The whole class was laughing. And seriously, Zaro, what could I do at that point? The teacher would have punished me too," Sajid clarified, still looking at Sajida annoyingly. "Everyone has the right to protect themselves," Sajid completed in defiance.

"Please, Zaro. My mother will kill me. It's been only two months since I bought this phone with her money." Sajida's attention shifted back to the main issue as she continued her persuasion.

"Okay, okay, but..." Zarmeena paused for a moment and made a stern face. Sajid and Sajida were glued to her, their eyes wide. "But nothing in this universe is free... You will have to do something in return." She completed and gazed at them with meaningful eyes.

"I'll do anything; just get my phone back from that..." Sajida intended to continue, but Zarmeena interrupted her and placed her palms over her ears. "I don't want to listen to any more of your bullshit," she uttered in disgust.

"Okay, okay, whatever my queen commands," Sajida said in a pampering tone, putting one of her hands over Zarmeena's shoulders. She knew very well that only Zarmeena could get it back for her.

A few minutes later, they were sitting in the college cafeteria, and a huge pizza was placed on the table in front of them. They stared at it with starving eyes.

"Sajid, why aren't you eating?" Zarmeena asked, her eyes transfixed on the pizza.

"Zaro, I think it's unfair to Sajida. This is too much for her. We should at least contribute a bit," Sajid said in such a sympathetic way that Sajida gazed at him with hopeful eyes, but her hope soon vanished as he announced, "I'll contribute for the soft drinks."

"Oye, dumbo, just chill... Drinks are complimentary," Zarmeena said. Sajid pretended to be relieved at Zarmeena's words.

"Oh, then it's okay," Sajid said casually, revealing his teeth. Sajida suddenly felt a strong urge to knock his teeth out of his mouth. Both of them dug into the pizza as if they hadn't eaten for years, while Sajida could only watch them with longing eyes. They were eating pizza she had purchased with half of her pocket money.

"You know, we have been constantly eating one dish at home for the past three days. Even its color has changed due to constant reheating, and I doubt that it'll be any different today. My mother stuck to her words that she won't cook until we finish that," Zarmeena exclaimed while gulping her food.

"My situation is also not any different. The hostel's cook is providing us terrible meals. Today it feels like a feast," Sajid shared his own story. Both of them had a fun time, while Sajida felt awful about the wastage of her pocket money.

Noticing Sajida's pathetic condition, Zarmeena tried to comfort her. "Don't worry, Sajida. Fifteen hundred is much less than fifty thousand."

As they were chatting, giggling, and teasing Sajida, they didn't notice a few people at a nearby table quietly amused by their conversation.