Heartbreaks and Hijabpins

Chapter 1; Ignorance Is So Not Bliss.

 Chapter 1; Ignorance Is So Not Bliss.

Picture of Aya at the side >>>>

I sat at my desk, light streaming in from the classroom windows, day-dreaming as always. I didn't have the patience, or the energy, to listen to the teacher drone on about God-knows what. I looked around the class; compared to my old school, where I spent twelve years of my life, this school was...well it was better, it had actual windows for a start. My old school was an old cinema converted into a 'school'. It was dark and gloomy, we would die when there was the slightest bit of heat. Okay, so my description makes it sound like some deprived school in the Third World, but it wasn’t all that bad once you got used to it. 

It was one of those small everyone-knows-everyone sorts of schools. You knew every student. The entire girls side section consisted of about one hundred girls, Whereas here, my entire year group probably tops it. So to me, that's HUGE compared to my class of sixteen students. Back there, the teachers all knew you on a personal level, which was cool. It was way different here. I would be lucky if any of the teachers remembered my name, instead of 'the Girl in the Headscarf'. 

I sighed. Sure, this school could offer me a whole lot more, but I couldn't help missing my old crappy small run-down school. With all its crazy insane retarded students. I know my last few weeks of year 11 weren't great (yes I'm referring to the betrayal of my so-called 'friends'), but it was familiar. In a way it was like my home. I looked around me. I was in a mixed-gender class. Yep, this would come as a shocker to most of the girls in my deprived all-girls faith school, but for some reason it didn’t faze me. There was a good racial mix, but I still felt a little out of my comfort zone, being one of the few hijabys in the class. Most of the other headscarf-wearing Muslim girls all liked to clump together and alienate themselves from the rest of the class. Something I never and still can't understand. It was just as hard for me as it is for them, suddenly being part of a minority. Hell it was a lot harder for me! I've never been to a state school before! Never been one of the few covering Muslims. I have never been away from grotty old Sakina School. This was more new to me then it was to them. Unlike them, I tried to embrace my new surroundings. 

My thoughts were disturbed by a piece of paper bouncing off my head and landing on my desk. I looked around trying to figure out which idiot threw it. No one showed any signs of guilt. I unscrunched the crumpled paper; 

HA! 

That's all it said. One little thing! I looked around again, annoyed at this point. Still couldn't spot the culprit. I studied the note, if it can even be called that. Whoever it was just used a ruler to write it. Yesh they must have been bored! 

"Aya!" the girl to my left hissed. 

I turned to face Leah, one of my good friends at Clayton Academy Sixth Form. She looked from me to the tiny piece of paper in my hand, raised her eyebrows and gave me a quizzical look. I passed her the paper. After taking a look she gave me a confused questioning stare, responded by an annoyed shrug and roll of the eyes from me, Leah just smiled. 

From the first time I met Leah we hit it off. Most of the students were new to the Sixth Form, just as I was. Some had been there for secondary; others had attended other federation sites. I was just standing there, looking for a familiar or friendly face. Well you can imagine how people avoided me. First day and I already felt out of place. All the Muslim girls had grouped together. Me, being the plonker I am, just stood there. Yep, the Asian Muslim girl in her headscarf and uniform, just standing there. 

"Pretty daunting ain't it? I feel SO short!" This came from a voice near me. I turned to face the girl who had spoken. 

"Yeah! Regretting not wearing any heels!" I responded to a pretty brunette girl. She flashed me a smile that I'm sure made all the boys go crazy.