Breaking Point

10

Chapter 10

"Okay." Nadia exclaimed, when I sat down heavily on my desk, making her look up from her phone. "What the heck is going on? Half the school is saying you had a bomb in your locker yesterday."

"Really?" I grumbled, feigning ignorance. "I mean, it could have been drugs or something."

"They wouldn't call bomb disposal for drugs." Nadia deadpanned.

I sighed. "Cody told the principal that I had a bomb."

"And he believed him?"

"That's what I said!" Salma interrupted, plopping her bag onto a desk besides Nadia's, and pulling out a mirror to fix her already perfect hair.

Nadia shook her head, appalled and I turned away and inwardly groused. It had taken all my willpower to get up from bed that morning. Walking into the school building felt like I was a scrap of meat in a yard of bulldogs. People pulled off my skin with their eyes and their whispers were claws that pierced my flesh. A few kids yelled out, asking me why the hell I was still here, why didn't I just go back to my own country and terrorize my own people, why was I even born?

I'd kept my mouth shut and walked, hoping the ground beneath me would open up and swallow me whole.

"Let's get back to work." I offered, pulling out a half finished portrait of Nadia's face/

I'd had to start a new one, since the one before had nearly gotten me killed. Nadia whined when I got to work on drawing her mouth. I delicately darkened the lines I'd traced out before, while her real mouth twisted into a disapproving frown.

"Nooo." She cried. "You're going to make me look ugly."

"You're already--" I stopped because I didn't even know how to say such lies.

Because how could I tell her that no matter what I did, my portrait would never compare to her actual beauty, that no one in the history of ever could conjure up a piece of art that would ever surpass her attractiveness? But of course, since I've already opened my big, fat mouth and almost called her ugly, Nadia pouted at me. She turned to my sister, eyes gleaming in mischief and I was ready to throw my head on the floor and beg for forgiveness.

"Salma, your brother has the actual audacity to think I'm ugly."

"Pffff." Salma snorted, as I sulked, unable to take back my words. "Has he seen his own face?"

"Instead of bombs, he should install a mirror in his locker." Nadia nodded.

"Why would I need a mirror?" I interrupted, stinging from the bomb comment. "I'm already aware of my great looks."

"Make up checks." Nadia said seriously.

"Imperative." Salma deadpanned.

"Why would I wear make up??" I yelped.

"I mean with that face, you should consider it." Nadia shrugged.

"I hate you."

Lies. So many lies. No one would be able to tell that I loved Nadia more than myself, not if they paid attention to my words, which were definitely not true. But if they looked at me right then as I watched her laugh, eyes fixed on her gorgeous eyes which glittered in glee, then perhaps they would realise that I was totally whipped for the girl.

That, and I would do or say anything to hear that beautiful laugh.

- - -

It was a warm day outside, and the clear blue sky was only blemished by a few fluffy clouds. It was unusually warm for fall, and the trees are already turning yellow and red and orange. A few houses near the school already had Halloween decorations up, grey ghouls and snow white ghosts and fake graves litter their lawns.