"When a Muslimah with golden eyes and a rebellious eyepatch arrives in London, the city will never be the same - secrets will be shattered, hearts will be broken, and the truth will be revealed."
"Let's call it a day, girls," Coach said, and a wave of relief washed over the room.
"Finally," most of the girls murmured in agreement.
I sat down, rummaging through my gym bag for my cold water bottle. Just as I was about to pull it out, a shadow loomed over me. I looked up to find Maya standing there, her expression unreadable.
"Get away from me," I told her sternly, hoping to end this encounter quickly.
"Chill, girl. I was just trying to help," she said, her tone deceptively sweet.
"Maya, get away from me. I'm not in the mood for your nonsense. I've had enough already," I shot back, my patience wearing thin.
"Have this." She pointed a water bottle at me, her gesture insistent.
"And you think I'm going to take something like this from you? Are you nuts? Prove to me it's not poisoned," I said, raising an eyebrow.
"Seriously, I'm not here to bully you or anything. I'm sorry," she said, her bravado faltering.
"Wow, get the hell out of my way before I report you to the coach," I warned, grabbing my gym bag and standing up to leave.
"Hadizah, wait! Please, just hear me out," she pleaded.
"You want to talk? Fine, let's talk. But first, you have to apologize for making my life miserable. If you need my help, you have to work for it-not order me around. The last time I checked, you were just a bully who feeds on making other people feel bad. You're just someone who loves tearing people down because you know they're better than you. You're just a weak sauce aggressor," I said, my voice rising with every word. With that, I walked out, feeling a surge of empowerment. I hoped I had put her in her place for good.
---
I walked to the lounge, sipping on a blueberry smoothie, and found a spot in the outdoor area with my phone in hand.
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I sat down to check out the latest on Instagram and burst out laughing at what I saw. Rose had changed her profile picture from one with Ethan to a cute photo of her and her pet rabbit, Lulu. It was adorable, but I knew it was a reflection of her anger.
I exited her page, aptly named "Ethina," almost sounding like Athena.
I was so engrossed in my phone that I didn't notice the shadow beside me until I heard a voice.
"Hi!" she said, her accent unique and melodic.
"Hey," I replied, putting my phone down and looking at her. She had jet black hair and big, brown doe eyes that sparkled with curiosity.
"I'm the new transfer from Heavenly High School. Just got here at the beginning of this semester," she said, her smile warm.
"I'm Hadizah. I joined last year at the beginning of this session," I replied, feeling a flicker of excitement.
