Haaniyah POV
On the last day before vacation, we organized a small party. Since this was just a two-week break, we decided to keep it simple. Everyone was assigned something to bring, and my contribution was balloons.
I woke up early to prepare—not for school, but to tidy my room, since my uncle would be arriving soon. I sent him a message asking when his flight was, but it hadn't been seen yet. I expected him to stand in front of me at any moment because I really loved surprises. I was late making breakfast, so I decided to skip it, knowing Aunt wouldn't scold me if Uncle was around. I grabbed a brown maxi dress and paired it with a beige shawl and cardigan. I applied a bit of gloss since it was a party. This time, I didn't even mention the party; I felt confident.
I rushed downstairs and heard Aunt shouting in the kitchen. I happily walked out of the house, almost dancing. The bus was right on time, and I arrived at school promptly at 6:05. Not everyone was there, but about half of our classmates were busy preparing for the party. I scanned the room for my friend Shaima, who was in the corner cutting and arranging the cake. She wore a pink long frock with a black scarf that had a thin pink border.
"Hey, yerrrrr!" I waved at her.
"Oh, my pretty girl!" she exclaimed, running over for a hug. "You look so pretty and happy! What's so special?"
"You too, my boy! Uncle will be here soon!" She hugged me tighter with joy. We often pretended to be a couple—me as the girl and her as the boy. We weren't in a romantic relationship, just best friends. Sometimes, we even played the roles of mother and daughter. That was us.
"Hey, Haaniyah! Blow up those balloons; it's getting late!" Gabriel called out.
"I want a partner! Are you free?" I asked Shaima.
She showed me her hands, covered in dust from cleaning the hall. I giggled and turned to find someone else. "Hey, Ricky! You're free and chatting; can you help me with this?"
"Yeah, sure!" He came running, jumping over the unarranged items.
"I'll blow up the red ones, and you blow up the white ones," I said.
"Oh, that's nothing! Any color will be ready in seconds," he winked. He was good at blowing up balloons, but he also had a tendency to show off.
"We'll see," I said as I started blowing.
In the end, I had two balloons on my side and he had three on his. He won while I lost in just seconds.
We hung everything in suitable places and got ready.
"So, I won! This is just simple, you know," he started boasting.
"I just gave you a chance, that's all," I joked.
"You know, once I played the same game with my cousins during a festival. Each of us was given 50 balloons. Can you guess who won?" He questioned, lifting his right eyebrow, hoping I would guess him.
"I don't know any of your cousins," I cut him off as he began to boast again.
"Oh, Haaniyah, this is no joke! I really won. Don't you know Ricky always wins?" he said, brushing his hair back, which wasn't long enough to fall into his face.
I smiled, showing all my teeth.
SHAIMA'S POV
I saw Haaniyah chatting with Ricky, rolling her eyes after smiling. It must be Ricky starting his boasting again. I thought about calling her. "Hey, give her a break!" I pointed at Ricky indirectly.
""Coming, coming!" Haaniyah shouted as she ran over, even though I hadn't called her. I could tell she was fed up.
"So, pretty lady, had a nice chat?" I teased.
"Yaaaaahhhh! An awesome chat! Would you like to join? Wait, Ricky!" she called, playfully.
"Ah, you want me there?" he shouted, waving at us.
"No, no! Everything is going fine; you'd better get back to your work!"
Haaniyah giggled at me. She looked so beautiful, especially when she smiled; it added even more charm to her face, although she rarely laughed.
["Everyone, please stop your work and pay attention! Whatever the party is, you must finish your tasks before 4 PM. Please arrange everything before you leave. Inform security if you need more time, and the class monitor must sign off before leaving school to ensure everyone has left. I hope you're all clear about this," ]we heard Mrs. Ramani Gopal announce through the speaker.
We fell silent until the announcement was over, then the chatter resumed. I clapped my hands loudly to get everyone's attention while standing on a bench. "
Okay, guys, is everything ready? We've heard the information; I'm sure no one will forget the timing. Let's start the party at 9:00! It's almost 8:30, so promise to be here and finish all your tasks on time. Let's not waste a single minute. Thank you for your attention!" I jumped down, dusting off my dress.
"Hey, you did well! Already prepared?" Haaniyah asked, surprised.
"Was that good? I was just running around when the announcement was made," I winked.
"You were so clear! I can't believe you turned into a real monitor!" she winked back.
Haaniyah's POV
Everyone scattered everywhere. Used paper plates lay on the floor. The tablecloth, which had been pink about an hour ago, was now splattered with orange from someone spilling Fanta on it. Dave and his friends loomed over the sweets table, stuffing their mouths. I saw Clara and Shaima calling for a game of 'Truth or Dare,' and many joined in while snacking on the chips I had just topped up. "Shake It Off" by Taylor Swift started playing, and most of the girls danced and sang along while the boys rolled their eyes and teased us. But no one forgot to take selfies and group photos—even I had to pose a thousand times, and despite my obsession with selfies, I wasn't fed up with it.
Time passed faster than an express train. People often say that when you need time to slow down, it speeds up. Then the announcement came to end the party. We all planned to take a group photo of the whole class. George brought someone who wasn't in our class for the picture. I heard him say, "Take it right, or I'll push you into the garbage bin!" which made me realize the boy must be a junior.
We finished cleaning and arranging everything around 6:00, and Gabriel and Shaima urged everyone to hurry. I hadn't received a single call or message, which made me a bit anxious and a bit happy. Anxious because they might be ready to punish me for being late, and happy because, even if my uncle was home, they couldn't scold me. I felt conflicted about how to feel.
The gates were closed while everyone stood outside. Both Shaima and Gabriel were checking to make sure all the guys were out. The other classes were also busy finishing up, and I noticed the guy who had knocked me and my plates down earlier, talking loudly with his friends—well, more like shouting.
I made my way home while Shaima's dad gave me a ride. I stood in front of the gate; the front door was open, and the lights were on. I felt a bit different and wished my uncle was home, but deep down, something felt off, while my heart insisted that everything was okay.
Just then, as I stepped inside and said, "Assalamualaikum..." I had to stand there, frozen like a statue...
Hope you loving readers love the long chapter a really long chapter !
whats your idea about the next chapter ,why does Haaniyah stand statued ?Did her uncle arrived or something else happend and what is it? comment on your ideas *^^* and don't forget to vote.!!
your loOoking PrEtty today !! if there is a smile on ur face think I just really mean it .have a wonderful day till I meet you all on the next update . till then Assalamualikum
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